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Bodyweight Bodyweight Evolution by Daniel Vadnal

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305pelusa

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Daniel Vadnal is well-known in the bodyweight fitness community from his channel FitnessFAQs, where he gives out amazing tips on a weekly basis. He's also quite heavy for a calisthenics guy but at 90 kilos, he bangs 50 OACUs in 20 minutes and recently achieved his Planche.

I decided to give his muscle-building Bodyweight Evolution program a try and was blown away by the results:
Bodyweight Evolution™ - 12 Week Bodyweight Muscle Training Program

The program consists of three, 4 week phases (for a total of 12 weeks). The program is focused on the basics (Pull-ups, Dips, HSPU, Push-ups, etc) with a hefty amount of ab work (HLRs, L-sit, Hollow work) and a leg day you can include (although he encourages you to use your own leg routine). I especially like his choice of tempo and exercise ordering. This isn't some BS program (*cough Kinobody *cough). It's clear he put a ton of thought into the program and I've already told all my friends to get in on it.

I followed it for 6 weeks (Phase 1 and half of Phase 2).
Before: 132 lbs at 8.4 % Bodyfat.
After: 142 lbs at 8.6 % Bodyfat.

At my height, I'm almost pushing the Overweight category in a BMI chart, yet my abs are visible. It's not to brag, but to encourage everybody. I'm positive that those with less experience would find even bigger improvements. It's especially good for those of us who overfocus on strength and want to look as strong as they are too (which was why I did it, as well as a good mental break).


Hope people here take note. Not making any money here obviously but this guy is the real deal and not enough people know it.
 
completely innocent question @305pelusa..
how is this different from the Kavadlo Get Strong book?
I ask because I'm considering more body weight exercises into my daily training and it fascinates me.

is this more of advanced program as compared to the Get Strong program which has been considered a beginner program...
 
Hello,

Sounds pretty nice !

Did you notice some improvement in terms of body composition: for instance, abs more / less visible ?
What about performance: for instance an decrease / increase in weighted move, holding a static position, etc... ?
Are there some nutrition tips or something to make the mass gain possible ?

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
completely innocent question @305pelusa..
how is this different from the Kavadlo Get Strong book?
I ask because I'm considering more body weight exercises into my daily training and it fascinates me.

is this more of advanced program as compared to the Get Strong program which has been considered a beginner program...

@305pelusa can probably answer better, but I'm pretty sure you would want to complete Get Strong before tackling this program.
 
Sounds good!
Have you done any other BW programs that would be comparable?
Overcoming Gravity is very good too and an excellent investment. It is aimed more for you to make your own program and more focused on strength though so a bit different.

how is this different from the Kavadlo Get Strong book?
I ask because I'm considering more body weight exercises into my daily training and it fascinates me.
is this more of advanced program as compared to the Get Strong program which has been considered a beginner program...
BWE is more difficult, period. I bought Get Strong first (to follow this summer) but I could complete everything in his Phase 4 challenge, so I decided to look for other options (finding BWE eventually). That's not trying to be conceited... it just didn't make sense for me to be doing hangs for a month when I can do Pull-ups already 0_o.

BWE is meant for those who can do at least 5+ Dips, Pull-ups, hold a handstand on the wall at least. It is progressive. You start with push-ups, tucked hanging knee raises, etc and don't just start with Korean dips and you can regress anything you want (ex: go ahead and stay at push-ups if decline ones are too hard for you on Phase 2). But thanks to the higher rep targets and slow tempo, you have plenty of progressive overload available.

I probably would pick BWE even for any beginner provided I knew how to regress everything correctly (which is not covered in the book).

Did you notice some improvement in terms of body composition: for instance, abs more / less visible ?
What about performance: for instance an decrease / increase in weighted move, holding a static position, etc... ?
Are there some nutrition tips or something to make the mass gain possible ?
Body composition is technically the same as my bodyfat % stayed mostly the same. I absolutely do look bigger though.

I was able to improve every single session in almost every exercise. Vadnal is a genius in that he made his program had plenty of variety and different tempos day to day (all week workouts are different). So you aren't killing yourself trying to add reps every couple of days to the same exercise. So if I hit my Wall HS after a week, I could consistently add 5-10 secs to each set.

Pull-ups and Dips improved the most I think. It's not uncommon for me to do sets of 40+ secs of Pull-ups and 60+ secs of Dips now. Not a ton of reps, but the TUT leads to plenty of growth nonetheless.

I kept a strict diet. Counted my calories and made sure I had a 300-500 calorie surplus daily with about 200 g of Protein. If you aren't serious about your diet, I don't think any hypertrophy program will give you the results you want.

@305pelusa can probably answer better, but I'm pretty sure you would want to complete Get Strong before tackling this program.
That's one way to look at it I suppose. I'm not a huge fan of Get Strong because I frankly am unsure as to what it's trying to accomplish. A beginner at the level of Get Strong isn't going to be strong enough to build any serious muscle. TUT isn't a huge point in the program either.

So I just feel like Get Strong is meant to be a simple introductory calisthenics book. It does a fine job at that but it's a hard market to get into when folks like Steven Low are releasing 600+ page books for the same price that are targeted for the same audience and have enjoyed years of success in the massive Reddit community (which is where Low tested it).

As a beginner, I probably would start with a strength book that taught me a ton of regressions/progressions and theory (like OG or some of the GMB programs) and then, if I wanted to gain some mass once I was stronger, would run cycles with BWE (or some similar hypertrophy-focused program).
 
I should mention his newer title "Body by Rings" is an 18 weeks hypertrophy ring course that had even more success than this one. That one looks excellent but I do not have it.

He's also releasing "Limitless Legs" right now as his third program. Can't recommend these but if you guys are interested in calisthenics, Vadnal is absolutely the guy to look into. I expect him to get more famous in the upcoming years.
 
GET STRONG is really aimed at beginners of BW training for sure. Still I have made some serious gains and filled in some gaps I did not know I had with it. I have only really been using KB's and OS for the past 5 years. BW training has opened my eyes to some great stuff. I will probably grab this program too. Thanks for the info!
 
@305pelusa Thanks for the info and recommendation! I'm in a bit of a red zone according to Dan John, so will be spending the next few weeks doing high reps of PUs and squats in a variety of places. I'd like to start a more generalized program and I'm intrigued by this one. How long did the WOs take to complete each day and any issue with recovery? Not looking to put on any size, just continue along the BW strength path.
 
GET STRONG is really aimed at beginners of BW training for sure. Still I have made some serious gains and filled in some gaps I did not know I had with it. I have only really been using KB's and OS for the past 5 years. BW training has opened my eyes to some great stuff. I will probably grab this program too. Thanks for the info!
Thanks!
 
@305pelusa Thanks for the info and recommendation! I'm in a bit of a red zone according to Dan John, so will be spending the next few weeks doing high reps of PUs and squats in a variety of places. I'd like to start a more generalized program and I'm intrigued by this one. How long did the WOs take to complete each day and any issue with recovery? Not looking to put on any size, just continue along the BW strength path.
Kristen, I'll be honest. As much as I like the product, you might not benefit as much. You can regress anything you want so it's not a matter of difficulty (you also have a very good strength base anyways). But I do think the program is meant to build muscle. The slow tempos of the exercises, the generally shorter rest periods, and the wider variety of movements means that its goal is hypertrophy.

If you're looking to continue the calisthenics path and improve your skills and movement patterns to reach ever more complex and difficult skills, I think a better choice is to follow a program with fewer foundational exercises, with a focus on quality and developing your skills.

I've spoken the praises about Overcoming Gravity which is aimed at beginners. However, I mentioned the prototype program was first released on Reddit for free (Steven Low is a God). It continues to be simply the best routine for anyone in calisthenics in my opinion and nothing comes close towards building strength. They call it the Recommended Routine, and everyone who asks for programming on Reddit BW gets pointed immediately to it. Here's the massive article explaining all of it. All the regressions, all the exercises, all the skill work you should do, all the warm-up. It's all covered.

kb/recommended_routine - bodyweightfitness

I frankly can't overstate just how good ^ that routine is. It's everything every beginner needs to be working on. It's what makes programs like Get Strong hard to sell. Better, more comprehensive stuff is out there for free.

Stuff like BWE and Body by Rings survives out there because of their niche. It's for those looking to build muscle, and develop ring proficiency. If you're just looking to generally improve in calisthenics, nothing beats the almighty Recommended Routine.

Hope that's helpful and maybe gives another option.
 
@305pelusa Thanks for the insight- very helpful! Just did a quick glance, but it looks really great and what I'm looking for! Will did in more tonight...

If you're ever in Anchorage, AK, let me know!
 
Kristen, I'll be honest. As much as I like the product, you might not benefit as much. You can regress anything you want so it's not a matter of difficulty (you also have a very good strength base anyways). But I do think the program is meant to build muscle. The slow tempos of the exercises, the generally shorter rest periods, and the wider variety of movements means that its goal is hypertrophy.

If you're looking to continue the calisthenics path and improve your skills and movement patterns to reach ever more complex and difficult skills, I think a better choice is to follow a program with fewer foundational exercises, with a focus on quality and developing your skills.

I've spoken the praises about Overcoming Gravity which is aimed at beginners. However, I mentioned the prototype program was first released on Reddit for free (Steven Low is a God). It continues to be simply the best routine for anyone in calisthenics in my opinion and nothing comes close towards building strength. They call it the Recommended Routine, and everyone who asks for programming on Reddit BW gets pointed immediately to it. Here's the massive article explaining all of it. All the regressions, all the exercises, all the skill work you should do, all the warm-up. It's all covered.

kb/recommended_routine - bodyweightfitness

I frankly can't overstate just how good ^ that routine is. It's everything every beginner needs to be working on. It's what makes programs like Get Strong hard to sell. Better, more comprehensive stuff is out there for free.

Stuff like BWE and Body by Rings survives out there because of their niche. It's for those looking to build muscle, and develop ring proficiency. If you're just looking to generally improve in calisthenics, nothing beats the almighty Recommended Routine.

Hope that's helpful and maybe gives another option.
Thank you, @305pelusa for this link. Very interesting. I think that Strongfirst and their instructors should stick to the kettlebells and barbells and let bodyweight training to the professionals.
 
I think that Strongfirst and their instructors should stick to the kettlebells and barbells and let bodyweight training to the professionals.
@malleus, our bodyweight course, bodyweight certification, and Naked Warrior book are all excellent, principles-based approaches that have yielded excellent results for many people. They are StrongFirst principles as executed with bodyweight only, and one of the comments we frequently receive from people who've taken both our bodyweight course or cert and our kettlebell cert is how learning to apply StrongFirst principles with bodyweight only serves to reinforce and helps one's kettlebell training practice.

-S-
 
I should also mention that I acquired BWE some time ago and for a much lower price than 67 dollars. Actually, that price is pushing it. If you are really looking to hypertrophy for calisthenics, I think it's probably one of the best options so I'd buy. Otherwise, your money is better spent somewhere else. For 67 dollars, I expect something of GMB caliber (online video tutorials, lifetime answers to any Qs, etc), and this one isn't even close.

Wanted to make that point.
 
I should also mention that I acquired BWE some time ago and for a much lower price than 67 dollars. Actually, that price is pushing it. If you are really looking to hypertrophy for calisthenics, I think it's probably one of the best options so I'd buy. Otherwise, your money is better spent somewhere else. For 67 dollars, I expect something of GMB caliber (online video tutorials, lifetime answers to any Qs, etc), and this one isn't even close.

Wanted to make that point.
^ This...
I read about BWE on reddit and wanted to add it to my collection, but 67$ is way too much for me personally.
Since I already own a ton of books about training, including a good amount of calisthenics stuff, I highly doubt that I can learn anything new from the book about exercise selection or regressions/progressions of those exercises.
The only thing new would be the actual routine/programing, which is most likely covered on 1 or 2 pages.
When you already own books like Overcoming Gravity, Gymnastic Bodies, a couple Kavadlo books, Naked Warrior etc. and know about free online stuff like beastskills and others, paying 67$ for 1-2 pages worth of info seems ridiculous...
 
^ This...
I read about BWE on reddit and wanted to add it to my collection, but 67$ is way too much for me personally.
Since I already own a ton of books about training, including a good amount of calisthenics stuff, I highly doubt that I can learn anything new from the book about exercise selection or regressions/progressions of those exercises.
The only thing new would be the actual routine/programing, which is most likely covered on 1 or 2 pages.
When you already own books like Overcoming Gravity, Gymnastic Bodies, a couple Kavadlo books, Naked Warrior etc. and know about free online stuff like beastskills and others, paying 67$ for 1-2 pages worth of info seems ridiculous...
Same, same...
 
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