Bodyweight Calisthenics... Pick 3

[pet']

Hello,

@Chrisdavisjr
Yes you are right. Rings are very interesting because they are challenging. However, they imply to take a little more rest for the joints. That is why I do to train intensely with them everyday. However, I admit that I have a real "bang for the butt" each time I work with them, and each training session with them is shorter...because harder !

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[User 7569]

Hello,

@Pavel Macek
Would you consider the following as a "good program" ?

Monday: "Higher reps for health"
Tuesday: "Low reps for strength"
Wednesday: rest / variety / breathing
Thursday: "Low reps for strength"
Friday: "Higher reps for health"
Saturday: rest / variety / breathing
Sunday: rest / variety / breathing

Assuming we are after :
> endurance / strength-endurance
> maximal strength
> recovery (with proper flexibility & mobility & breathing patterns), and a session does not last more than 50 - 60 minutes

Then it would be close to the "Total weekly package" using only bodyweight

Kind regards,

Pet'

This is a great looking routine and worthy of experimentation!

Low reps for strength could be done GTG or Easy Strength Style

Variety days could include GTG, kettlebells, yoga, outdoors, rucking, etc...

Breathing could be done vacuum / hard style / classic diaphragm breathing

Lots of different ways one could approach high rep training with those 3 exercises

 

[Hung]

about strength, i would recommend one arm push up, pistol, and hanging leg raise. I found those movement build strength and skill quickly. And those are easier to learn than, let say, proper handstand push up

 

[Shawn]

Using rings for dips and pullups makes the moves more difficult yet safer for the shoulders.

I get that pullups are safer with rings for the shoulders and elbows. But how is it safer on the shoulders with dips? Thanks

 

[Marc]

Dips on bars force you into a specific position. In most cases the bars are too far apart and make your shoulders drift out too far. With rings you can kaap yor elbows by your side and better find you optimal position.
However, ring dips are more advanced than their bar counterparts. You have to work up properly to those.

 

[IcyROM]

Maybe is because the parallel bars I find on gyms and playgrounds work well for me. But I always found Ring Dips to be much more stressful on the shoulders (and especially elbows). I've pushed Bar Dips hard, to the point of failure and a lot grinding. But I have to be much more smart about the Rings and stop as soon as I feel any trembling. Otherwise, I think your injury rates increase significantly.

I like Pullups on rings a lot also.

 

[pet']

Hello,

Dips on rings require more stability for shoulders and elbow. Once you are used to it, this is ok (as @Marc said). However, at the beginning, they can seem harder because you are forced to engaged deep muscle to avoid shaking and maintaining arms parallel to the rib cage

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[Chrisdavisjr]

I find that with dips on rings, although they are a tougher exercise, they're a lot easier on my shoulders and elbows when compared to bar dips: I have to really work on keeping my elbows from flaring out when performing dips on bars, whereas I find that my form is naturally better when performing ring dips, probably because good form is necessary to complete even a single repetition; the rings will not forgive sloppiness.

 

[IcyROM]

Yeah I'm glad to hear that. I'm the kind of person who has never had any issues dipping on bars. I have used sloppy form, or be extremely tired and it seems extremely forgiven. The Rings for me don't force good form; I have to very consciously keep good form. I've flared up elbow injuries on the rings without that issue with the bars so for me personally, the added stability of the bars absolutely trumps the more "comfortable" the rings could feel.

If you make them similar in difficulty (like Ring Dips vs Bar Dips with 30 lbs added maybe), I feel much better and safer with the added stability of the bars. It's just me personally maybe to give another perspective.

 

[305pelusa]

I get that pullups are safer with rings for the shoulders and elbows. But how is it safer on the shoulders with dips? Thanks

Honestly, I've personally never heard that Ring Dips are safer for the shoulders. As a rule of thumb, every Ring element done with your body above the Rings carries more risk because you're using an unstable surface. Handstands, L-sits, Planche, etc. It all carries a lot more risk to tweak your rotator cuffs because it's so much more stressful. Pull-ups don't count as your COM is below the rings, so there's negligible stability increases. In geek terms, the frequency required for instability is magnitudes larger (poles are much more negative).

I feel like Dips are probably in that grey area where the stability increase isn't so large, but the fixed bars might really bother some. Seems to me like a case-by-case sort of thing. Some find it really natural with Rings, and some find them very stressful (I fall on that camp myself).

Do agree that Pull-ups on Rings feel much nicer. I don't know for the shoulders because you can just set the width on the bar, but the free pronation/supination is a blessing for elbows IMO.

 

[Karen Smith]

With the knowledge that my Tactical Barbell Law Enforcement program does a circuit of Push-ups, Sit-ups, and Mountain Climbers after every conditioning session, I wanted everyone's opinion on what calisthenics movements I should use for my strength days. I want a fairly stripped down and streamlined program, and am curious to see what you would choose if you were limited to just 3 movement options.

Thanks!

I would recommend Low Rep/ Long Rest between sets and wave the load each sessions so you have a LMH or MLH week.
With these three:
1. One Arm Pushup /One Arm One Leg Push up Progressions
2. Pistol or SLDL Progressions
3. Pullups or HLR progressions

Practicing there regularly they have kept a higher baseline of strength and when I test my barbell or kettlebell skills they have either maintained or increased without training them regularly.

 

[Maine-ah KB]

These guys did a video on it


Okay so there pretty advanced movements and all I can do are the pistols. But you can-regress the pull over with skin the cats, and muscle ups with dips, (if your shoulders can take it) And if not 1 arm push-ups and there progressions are freakin amazing!

 

[Nathan]

@Karen Smith: sifting through the hijacking of this thread, I noticed your comment. I found that StrongFirst bodyweight program that may do the trick for me strength-wise (similar to your suggestions), and the specificity I need will simply come after my cardio sessions. I also second your mentioning of how calisthenics training has kept or increased my strength even with barbell or kettlebell work. I am going to look into adding this simplicity and specificity into my program.