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Bodyweight Need Help with OAPU (Getting the Most out of the NW Update)

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hello everyone, 2 months out from my first post Getting the Most Out of The Naked Warrior

Overall, some NW progress from the past 2 months:


can now do a full, clean pistol on both legs. 5-6 on the left and 2-3 on the right.

can pistol a 35 bell on the left leg, don't know how much on right

dead lifted 235 for a single in the gym (PR) (not NW specific progress, just showing that my absolute strength is currently higher than it has ever been without practicing the deadlifts for 6 months) just doing NW style calisthenics and swinging a couple times a week

and I can do a good OAPU on my right side now.

left arm is capable of a strong plank but not strong on a full OAPU as the right

I can also do some weird balance stunts with the pistol now, including holding really long pipes / boards and pistoling with them

frame/muscles haven't changed much but i'm a bit leaner and a LOT stronger

This is just a testimonial from someone who couldn't do a single pistol or OAPU (and was quite weak besides that) a little less than 5 months ago. The naked warrior really works even if you mix it with other stuff (bastardize it), and take frequent layoffs that last for 1-2 weeks!

I've been doing a few different things the past couple months, but mostly focusing on swings, rows/pull ups, pistols, and lots of varieties of 2 handed pushups, with very little else, besides some support/mobility/flexibility and a few ab drills.

So I think I got my OAPU a little differently, since I didn't keep going down in elevation. I actually loathe OAPU on an elevation. Yup, loathe. I mean it. My feet always slip, the groove isn't the same, the box is never right, and there is a weird groove that doesn't quite ever match the real thing.

I got pretty good at 2 armed varieties though for the past couple of months though, including diamonds, elbows in pushups, hindus, TRX pushups, and pushups on blocks, mostly. I'm still gonna do some two armers every day even if it just for mobility purposes, but now that I can do OAPU on the ground I'd like to keep greasing that particular groove since it worked so well on the pistol.

That being said, i would like some help with my OAPU now that I can do singles on the right side..

The left side is much stronger than when I made that post a couple months ago, but it still isn't capable of the full OAPU

I'd like to keep riding the negative/planking on the left and doing singles/planking/negative on my right arm until those singles become doubles. That's what I did when I first became capable of doing 1 pistol on my left leg and it seemed to transfer over to my right in some ways..not sure how that worked out, but once I got a pistol on my left the right came along easily about 2 weeks later with relatively little practice..

I actually got the idea of working the plank and the negative from on this form, from @Kosushi, and it really works.

Summary Question:

How can I keep improving my OAPU on the left and right side by riding the negative and doing singles/partial reps?

Meaning, I don't want to "burn out on a diet of max singles", but I don't want to work elevations and I'd like to give the 2 armers a rest for a while, leaving them to mobility work for the time being..

.. was thinking of limiting myself to 6 singles / negatives per day on each side for the OAPU, done as instinctively as possible.

Pistol work is still going swimmingly. TNW really revs up once you can do a complete rep of each exercise on each limb.

I'd be open to doing TGU a couple of times a week for 5 minutes if it would improve my OAPU.. a little confused on how they relate..

OAPU at an elevation on the TRX are pretty nice, as are one arm / 2 arm rows.. I could incorporate those as well...

also any tips on keeping my feet pain free doing OAPU would be appreciated.. the tennis ball works but the OAPU on the right make my left foot super tight and a little sore..

Apologies for the length, this forum is a gem and has done more for my strength in 2 months than the rest of the internet combined. I feel as though using it is a privilege.
 
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First: congratulations! These are great achievements! Keep it up!
I can understand you do not like the elevations too much. I feel the same way but they can be pretty helpfull.
But still, I think you can also work up to a OAPU by doing veriations on the floor.
Try self assisted pushups: do a slow negative with one arm only and then use your other hand to push yourself back up. You can adjust the intensity by helping more with your free hand and can make them pretty hard that way.
Another variation would ve archer pushuos with your arm extented to the side on a ball.
As for programming use variation. One day do the self assisted OAP one day, the theb the next only negatives. I think 5-20 total reps per day are good.
 
Anothet "secret" tip:
Hold the top position for ~5 breaths, lower down and hold the bottom position for ~5 breaths. Do this either before every set (then shake out the tension and rest a bit before the real set) or just use it as a stand-alone practice.
 
Anothet "secret" tip:
Hold the top position for ~5 breaths, lower down and hold the bottom position for ~5 breaths. Do this either before every set (then shake out the tension and rest a bit before the real set) or just use it as a stand-alone practice.


Thank you for the secret tip Marc this looks very useful.

I figured if i worked the bottom and worked the top then at some point the full OAPU would come along as well..

these OAPU on the ground (even the planks in the top and bottom) are brutally hard!

i always think of that quote by the strongman who said "once they see the weight go aloft they know a feat of strength has been performed".. thats how I feel about the OAPU
 
First, I just want to briefly congratulate you on your progress. You did some TNW, you followed some of my advice on 2-arm push-ups, you did CC and I just want to say that, you know what? None of those are the reason for your improvement. It is your focus, your consistency and your willingness to learn about these exercises.

The Pistol is a tremendous achievement; it's the first real hardcore Calisthenics exercise that nobody can do unless they train for it. The OAPU is even above that. So I really want to instill in you that whatever routine you do next (unless it's just garbage), you will meet your next goals. You're training hard and smart.

Yeah it's cheesy whatever but I really damn like it when people train hard and get new skills in Calisthenics so whatever.

I'll just give you some brief advice, mainly personal opinion to get your brain juices flowing.

How can I keep improving my OAPU on the left and right side by riding the negative and doing singles/partial reps?

I actually don't particularly like negatives/partials for most exercises. I think Pavel had it right picking purely full ROM, positive+negative exercises for the OAPU.

Partials don't train the full ROM the way full movements can (no surprises). And negatives are a bit rough on the novice. You're literally taking a supramaximal load, and letting your tight muscles get stretched under that. It breaks up a lot of fibers (which is why they lead to DOMS), and are generally rough on your joints. Doing singles is also rather rough.

Doing exercises full ROM, with a concentric phase and for sets of 3-5, it really limits you to pick exercises that are much more appropriate for your level and manageable.

Just some food for thought.

So you want to shy away from 2 arm work? Mkay. You want to avoid elevations? That's fine.

My favorite progression is the humble assisted OAPU. That's right, OAPUs, with the free hand assisting only as much as needed. Things don't need to be so complicated right now. An alternative is doing OAPU, looping an assistance band on your chest, connected to a pull-up bar above. I've used both and can confidently say they work.

Something Pavel is known for is that you can make some really great progress training exercises in the 75-80% intensity range (things you can do for 8+ reps!). I personally really like that. You don't have to go supramaximal into the +90% threshold, multiple times a day.

I wouldn't do TGUs. I mean yeah you can do them because they're a great exercise, but I wouldn't hold my breathe hoping for carry-over.

As for programming use variation. One day do the self assisted OAP one day, the theb the next only negatives. I think 5-20 total reps per day are good.

And if I may just politely disagree (and really not trying to stir a debate... just simply give a different perspective), I actually think it's OK if you only focus on doing one specific regression on the OAPU. In fact, I would even recommend it.

By focusing on only one main big "money" exercise, that you get good at, you'll make some really fast progress. You'll progressively overload it faster and it really will provide all the stimulus you need. It's ok to change things around every 6-8 weeks, but I wouldn't personally change it every time. I've been doing the exact same exercises for months now; as long as you vary the difficulty (assist more sometimes for lighter days for instance), you can keep making progress.


Once again, just some thoughts. Feel free to disregard them and I wouldn't take it in a bad way. I'm excited to hear about your progress!

Rock on brother.
 
Rock on brother.

I didn't think of the load as supramaximal, but it makes sense when you put it like that.

It would also explain the DOMS that i've had the few days.. I've never experienced DOMS during NW prior to me doing negatives and right arm singles...

Don't want to stretch out my arm under a max load while it is all tight like that.. as cool a skill as the OAPU may be to butst out, I think I'd be better off doing more of what got me to this point initially, which lately has been pretty basic calisthenics( basic as opposed to pistol / OAPU)

I suppose I was more afraid that if I didn't "catch the skill" and start practicing it then I would lose it.. but I think that's something I'll have to learn with time (skill maintenance and skill learning)

In other words I think I'd have more to gain on 2 armers for building strength if I could just be patient, especially since discovering suspension training (helping me link up and stabilize currently)

I don't think its cheesy to be excited about new calisthenic skills, it's a great feeling of personal achievement to watch your body change from nothing but working your own body! amazing!
 
@305pelusa You make a good point at sticking to one variation!
My vote goes for the self assisted OAPU.
I rather meant varying the intensity by assisting one day more the other less.
@Jak Nieuwenhuis considering your foot problem: I think this might be due to balancing too much weight onto the big toe. Try the following: keep your feet straight so that your feet are perpendicular to the floor rather then tilted towards the inside. Push hard into the groud and really push hard through your heels. This will turn on your glutes and automatically keep you in a good alignement. This will also prevent your wrist from hyperextending since you cannot lean forward too much anymore.
 
@305pelusa You make a good point at sticking to one variation!
My vote goes for the self assisted OAPU.
I rather meant varying the intensity by assisting one day more the other less.
@Jak Nieuwenhuis considering your foot problem: I think this might be due to balancing too much weight onto the big toe. Try the following: keep your feet straight so that your feet are perpendicular to the floor rather then tilted towards the inside. Push hard into the groud and really push hard through your heels. This will turn on your glutes and automatically keep you in a good alignement. This will also prevent your wrist from hyperextending since you cannot lean forward too much anymore.

Wow Marc.. Did this today and not only did my feet turn out pain free but I got a OAPU on the right And LEFT

Instead of being on the big toe Itried to put my foot as flat on the ground as possible

Amazing
 
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