Bodyweight Multiple Skill Practice

[D-Rock]

I am a huge fan of minimalist programs and get amazing results from them. My favorite programs are 2 to 4 movements. I believe in treating training as practice. Furthermore, around here we are all about mastering a handful of the most effective exercises and I wholeheartedly agree.

I would like to see some opinions about mastering multiple skills/movements/exercises. Strongmen, athletes, gymnasts, etc. are all groups who may need this. Old time strongmen performed many feats at a time. I for one have goals to be proficient and strong in many lifts/movements (kettlebell, barbell, bodyweight, flexibility, etc.). How do you go about this with limiting fatigue and respecting your recovery abilities? How do you fit multiple skill practice into a schedule with limited training time? (Utilizing long rests can quickly make a session with multiple movements quite lengthy). It is quite easy to end up training hours, burning out, or getting lost in all the goals/variations.

My initial thought is to master a few at a time before moving on the the next couple goals. But I would like to see other opinions and possibly some routines.

 

[pet']

Hello,

In my opinion, a practice should target the entire body. I don't say we have to do each session as a full body session. Indeed, a training based on split (even on bodyweight) can be quite interesting, above all in terms of rest.

This implies to learn lots of moves, and then use a lot of variations :
for example: standard push ups / OA(OL) / with elevated feet, etc...

Beyond the move, we have to use the muscles different ways:
slowly, standard, explosive...

Finally, we have to vary reps / sets scheme. We can do long sets with short reps to work on endurance, Pletnev to work both strength and explosive power, number of reps by time, etc...

Basically, my current routine is :
Monday: conditioning (150 swings as fast as possible, Tabata burpees, 20 minutes jump rope)
Wednesday : max strength (weighted pull ups and pistol squat (close to 1RM), TGU, HSPU, OAOL push ups, front lever and plank variation)
Friday : explosive (jump squat / push up / pull up...)

During my rest days, I enjoy working on mobility (animal walks, Scott Sonnon's drills) and breathing techniques for diving

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[Harald Motz]

Easy Strength guidelines:
- up to five lifts
- about five days a week
- about 10 quality reps, kettlebell ballistics can be more
- never to failure
- changing rep schemes, eg. 5x2r, 2x5r, 3x3, 6x1r, (1,2,3,4), (2,3,2,3) daily
- waving the intensity frequently
- going heavier, when one is up to it
- changing exercises ore using "same but different" method every few weeks
- to use time efficiently one could do the chosen exercises in a circuit, then a given exercise has a few minutes active "rest"

This is a modality, one has frequent practice, which is essential to building up skills. The key is to stay with it considerable time, to accumulate high quality reps.
There are many options there, and one can adjust on a day to day and weekly basis.

 

[pet']

Hello,

I agree with @Harald Motz

I don't know if I am doing well or not, but I make a wave every 5 weeks. That way, my practice is never boring. Besides, 5 weeks is enough to gain both skill and strength. Before, I didn't use the "wave principle". I use it for a while now and I've never been in better shape (good ratio between cardio, endurance, strength, etc...).

We have to admit that it is almost impossible to keep our PRs all the year. Waving gives a excellent general prep : there is no specialization but a global improvement.

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[D-Rock]

This implies to learn lots of moves, and then use a lot of variations :
for example: standard push ups / OA(OL) / with elevated feet, etc...

Beyond the move, we have to use the muscles different ways:
slowly, standard, explosive...

Finally, we have to vary reps / sets scheme. We can do long sets with short reps to work on endurance, Pletnev to work both strength and explosive power, number of reps by time, etc...

This is where I think a lot of people get lost. We want to be good at all of those abilities, and get overwhelmed and lost trying to get it all.

@pet' I agree with you that splits can be interesting. Rather than "bodypart splits", I enjoy splits based on movements or qualities. Thank you for providing your routine, a very well designed program.

For someone wanting to be quite flexible in several stretches, have decent strength in the basic barbell, kettlebell, and bodyweight movements, and possibly some gymnastics, one can be chasing after upwards of 20+ skills. @Harald Motz , going off your example of easy strength, it sounds like I would focus on a few movements I would like to learn and maybe a couple flexibility moves. After gaining significant skill, move on to the next few movements and so forth. Occasionally revisiting other movements to maintain and improve them.

 

[D-Rock]

one can adjust on a day to day and weekly basis

Does this mean changing the movements on a day to day/week to week basis?

I have tried some Easy Strength type programs with great success before. Great reminder to change focuses every 5 weeks. The Easy Strength format is so easy to adapt to many goals, which is part of what makes the program so incredible and why I like it so much.

to use time efficiently one could do the chosen exercises in a circuit, then a given exercise has a few minutes active "rest"

I have not tried this before, I would like to work it in to a routine soon. Sounds like you would get the work done quickly, maybe even add some "conditioning" and still get the "long rests" between movements.

I make a wave every 5 weeks

What do you mean by this? Is it switching the movements? Varying the intensity?

I've never been in better shape (good ratio between cardio, endurance, strength, etc...).

To me this is the ultimate goal. I agree that we cannot always be in our peak in everything all the time. However, I think it is important to be well rounded in all those qualities.

 

[Harald Motz]

Does this mean changing the movements on a day to day/week to week basis?

on a daily basis you may change your rep schemes and/or intensity.
To develop a lift, you should stay with it for some weeks. Before changing a lift altogether, a good option would be the same bit different method e.g. deadlift: conventional, sumo, mixed grip, double overhand, fat bar...press: single, double, uneven, see saw, barbell, handstandpushup...pull up, chin up, rings, towel...

I have tried some Easy Strength type programs with great success before.
Great reminder to change focuses every 5 weeks. The Easy Strength format is so easy to adapt to many goals, which is part of what makes the program so incredible and why I like it so much.

That is the pure beauty of ES, to have some guidelines in which there are so many possibilities to combinate some essential basics. It is reasonable and repeatable.
Another option could be to GTG one skill/lift in conjunction to your ES.

 

[pet']

Hello,

Yes I vary both moves and intensity.

For example, I can incorporate muscle ups, farmer carry, rope climbing, snatch / CP / overhead squat (those ones with a bell), an entire workout of jumping rope,...

Then, for each moves, I modify sets / reps. I enjoy doing some things like: slow press and then clean and jerk.

You can do some Pletnev (a move slow and the same move as fast as possible).

If you look at crossfit scheme, you will find a lot of very interesting variation (EMOM, AMRAP, ...)

Nevertheless, if you want a "plug and play" program, with comes with a lot of variation (for both moves and intensity), you may be interested by S. Sonnon's Tacfit (survival, commando, etc...). I tested it and it works pretty well (you will train simultaneously strength, cardio, flexibility, endurance, balance, the functional way).

Kind regards,

 

[D-Rock]

So a good suggestion would be to make a 5 week run (or however long the cycle is) with a certain movement, but instead of changing to a completely different movement for the next 5 weeks do a slightly different variation and stick with that variation?

@pet' I have not heard of several of those programs, I will have to check them out. Multiple abilities and functionality are what I am all about.

 

[Steve Freides]

IMHO, when thinking of skill, think of that old saying, "It's like riding a bicycle." A skill you acquire won't ever desert you completely and will come back most of the way pretty quickly with resumed training. I have a number of lifting skills that are like that, e.g., the pistol - I don't practice it regularly, but add it to my training from time to time, get it back to where I feel comfortable with it, and then put it away again. I've done the same with barbell deadlifts and many other lifts and, yes, with actually riding a bicycle, too.

-S-

 

[D-Rock]

So mixing my own thoughts with the suggestions here, the best way to acquire many skilled movements would be to practice a handful at a time until you learn them very well. Then move on to the next few. Occasionally cycle in some previous skills to remember and fine tune them.

The hard part is sticking to the chosen few movements until you gain proficiency with them, and not getting distracted by all the other bodyweight skills you have your eyes set on.

It's funny how you think you understand something, then you come to greater realization later. I didn't realize how much strength mimicked a skill like bicycle riding until recently. I learned the OAPU and pistol over 7 years ago, yet can still do at least one whenever I please (although the pistol form could use some adjustment, which is one of my next goals). When training for my last powerlifting meet, I ruthlessly focused on practicing the movement instead of working out. Despite not having access to weights for nearly 4 months, when I got around a barbell I could still hit around 75% of my maxes like it's nothing.

Knowing a skill never completely deserts you is going to make it easier for me to leave a certain movement temporarily behind to focus on a new goal. That has been difficult for me in the past, but then I end up trying to do everything and get nowhere.

 

[Steve Freides]

The hard part is sticking to the chosen few movements until you gain proficiency with them, and not getting distracted by all the other bodyweight skills you have your eyes set on.

Yes, that's the hard part for most folks, I'll guess.

There is something we've talked about at StrongFirst from time to time, which is that if you can make a certain movement performed with a certain weight feel easier to you, then you've progressed. Put into math, if something what was an 85% effort now only feels like a 70% effort, your 1RM has very likely gone up or is about to go up accordingly.

S & S talks about owning a particular weight through being able to do it matter-of-factly every day or almost every day - that's the same kind of thing - as you get stronger, the same weight becomes easier.

So it can be said about a bodyweight exercise. If a bodyweight pistol on your weak leg is something you can only do once without a decent rest, and you get to the point where you can do several in a row, you've gotten stronger. Exactly how _much_ ownership you want on a particular movement is up to you, but that's the general idea. I'd say when you get to the point where you can do several reps, you could consider stopping - unless, of course, you really want to own it in an I-can-do-10-of-these kind of way, and that's fine, too.

-S-

 

[D-Rock]

Making heavy things light is very insightful. Instead of pushing the weight/sets/reps every session, make it better and/or easier.

Good rep suggestions. Improving my bodyweight pistol is one of my next goals.

I think I may have to hold off on my goal of a handstand. When playing around with some movements, I noticed I cannot move my arms without shrugging (like in this video ) and have trouble engaging my lats. I think this is tied into some very very tight neck muscles. So I think one of the goals in my easy strength style program will be "owning" healthy arm and shoulder movement and "owning" neck movement. Then I can move on to loftier goals.

@Steve Freides I have read about your experiences. What do you think of mastering a few of the neck stretches in Relax into Stretch? Any suggestions for thoracic/shoulder stretching and mobility with bodyweight only?

 

[Steve Freides]

The bent arm bar is a favorite of mine. I practice it both with and without weight, and I even practice it standing.

I will have to find my copy of RIS and review the neck stretches. Personally I do more SJ neck work because that seems to be enough for me.

-S-

 

[Karen Smith]

If you focus on only a few movements you will improve them quickly. However, having more movements is not a problem if programmed correctly. You can program several movements into your program, say maybe following a MWF training session. Then 1-2 movements on say maybe t/th in a GTG fashion. Pavel has recommended that you pick no more than 2 skills to focus in a GTG fashion at one time. When you become proficient at them you can move them into your program and pick 1-2 others for your GTG training.
There are also many skills that will have great carry over to others which can limit your training time.

So as much as I hate to say this...it DEPENDS.

What are your goals?
Which exercises are in questions?
How much time do you have to train (days per week/minutes per day)?

 

[D-Rock]

That is a neat schedule, and good reminder that I do not need to do every single thing every single day. Also I had not thought of using carryover movements to make my training more efficient! I am happy where I am at for the time being with my barbell lifts, plus I will not have access to barbell equipment for the foreseeable future. This is a good thing because I am going to use this time to focus on my needs and weaknesses as well as go after some things I've had my eyes set on for awhile.

Goals: 1.) Improve my endurance and mobility while maintaining a decent level of strength. Strength is my main pursuit but mobility is a weakness of mine, and I would like to get to the point where I can handle the occasional recreational 5K or 10K/couple hour hike here and there while chasing my strength and movement goals. 2.) Learn some new movements/accomplish things I've put off.

Exercises/movements: I know these are many, some are opposing qualities, and I will have to cycle my goals. Just some of the things I've had my eyes set on for a long time and I would like to see decent improvement on in the next year or two.
-100 consecutive strict pushups. (I generally use low reps. I know super high reps is something that's not always recommended or useful, but this just simply something I want to do. Part of the intrigue for me is how long this feat has eluded me and the science and challenge of programming such a goal. Similar to the challenge of 100 consecutive pistols. Not something that's going to be maintained, but something to accomplish.)
-Cossack squats and splits, and the armbar.
-Regaining good pistol form. Part of this has been lack of ankle mobility. Although I have focused on this the past 2 weeks and am almost there. I think progress has been fast on this because I used to be able to do them.
- Handstand (again, something that's eluded me for years)
-Planche pushup
-Kip up
-L-sit and v-sit
-One-arm chin-up

Time: My schedule and demands change each month, but I can reliably make between half-hour and hour per day 5 days per week to train. A couple days per month I have to take off (either time or energy related) a couple days per month I have a free day where I have all the time I want to train. Staying fresh/keeping energy is important for me. I also do not have a job where I can easily GTG, but I can do it before/after my shifts and on days off.

I like your suggestion of learning 1 or 2 movements GTG (or making progress on them) and cycling them into a generic program. My biggest challenge has been not knowing how to tackle several complex goals and cycle them. Focusing on 1 or two things in specific GTG or skill sessions while still maintaining a basic program would be an excellent solution.

 

[D-Rock]

@Steve Freides even though I was originally looking for a bodyweight only mobility movements, after trying it I see the value of both the weighted and unweighted armbar. The weight is great for locking the arm in place and teaching the movement. The weight gives me something to focus on. Doing them unweighted requires some serious control and coordination. Both are useful!

 

[Karen Smith]

If I may make a recommendation from what you provided....since you mentioned that work isn't easy for you to GTG, I would pick skills that you can do there with zero equipment and minimal space. For a quick example: Would you be able to do handstands a work? Or Pushups? or Cossack/Pistol progressions?

if so then proceed with your other training a few days a week and then while working take a break every hour and do a rep and then back to work.
Again if you need more specific help, I do program design/distance coaching/ or even just a call to get your dialed in on what skills to pair for the best carryover.

LMK

 

[D-Rock]

This gives me some options to work with. Now that I think about it, pistol/cossack progressions would be the most feasible for GTG.