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Im a fan ;-)
Bodyweight Convict Conditioning vs Naked Warrior
- Thread starter NormanOsborn
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Level 6 Valued Member
It's a question of "better for what" in my opinion. CC is basically an entire system and contains a lot more exercises (especially if you look at 1-3), and contains a number of exercises that are significantly more advanced than NW (even the CC-style OAPU is harder than the NW-style OAOL OAPU)- while offering a starting point for every level. NW on the other hand is a "typical Pavel", so to speak, and therefore a program with a specific but relatively narrow focus - which doesn't mean there won't be some carry-over to other aspects. Mastering all aspects of CC is going to take a lot longer than mastering all aspects of NW imho. Personally, I go back to CC every now and then for reference, and I still find useful pointers after like 10 years. On the other hand, I have been able to do the highest skills in NW without doing the program, so I didn't get much out of it.Is one better than the other for Bodyweight Training, or are they equally good? From looking at them, CC seems better suited for beginners, but has much higher volume. NW seems to be more advanced.
What say you?
Now, I am not claiming CC is perfect - there are a number of gripes with it, like jumps between levels that aren't really adressed in the books (though "Paul Wade"'s blog posts and comments address some of them). There is also the somewhat strange decision to include the construct of the OA HSPU, while "Wade" claims neither him nor any of the people he trained (nor anyone to date, really) did it like that, but rather a freestanding elbow lever kick-up to an OA HS, which shifts the focus towards handbalancing. But then again, few people are likely to outgrow the first nine levels of HSPU described in the book, so never mind that. Also the programming suggestions are not the best in my opinion. Still, I think it's an interesting compendium once you get past the fluff. If you ask me, one of the major achievements of CC was to include progression levels, which is rare in BWE books and mostly found in gymnastics books (at least since the 1930s - my copy of Tumbling Illustrated has them already). Are they perfect? No, but they provide a guideline. I think a fairer comparison for CC would be Overcoming Gravity, which has more of a pure gymnastics focus compared to the freestyle BWE focus of CC, or Parkour Strength Training by Ford & Musholt (which shifts the focus more towards Parkour skills, but still contains a lot of very strength-intense exercises like one-arm wall dips; it also includes difficulty levels and challenges). But then again, bear in mind that when CC came out, the entire calisthenics movement hadn't still taken off, really.
So, in conclusion, I'd say NW is more of a "follow along" program that is more realistic to achieve for more people in a shorter amount of time. CC on the other hand is more of a basis for experimentation and can easily keep you busy for a decade or more. Personally, my vote goes to CC, though, but your mileage may vary.
Cheers
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Hung
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What is a CC-style OAPU look like?
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In CC, the legs HAVE to be together (touching), and the elbow HAS to be tucked in to the torso. This is a brutally hard variation, the only one I can think of that would be harder would be OAOLPU with the same side arm and leg while keeping the chest parallel to the ground (call me strange, but I have personally always found that there is little practical difference between two legs and one leg if you use opposite limbs). So far, as far as I know, nobody has been able to demonstrate a single clean and fluent rep in CC style. Instead, an intermediate version has evolved (it was even sanctioned by "Paul Wade" as a progression in one of his blog posts), with the feet together, the elbow tucked in but with a bend at the waist that isn't present in the book (that's what Kavadlo is demonstrating above). This shortens the levers, makes it easier to engage the lats to stabilize and therefore makes the exercise siginificantly easier. In the Strongfirst clip, it's hard to see whether the arm is tucked in or flared out due to camera angle, so I cannot comment on that. The legs are definitely spread, though.
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