Bodyweight Original Strength Routine

[User 7569]

Hello all.

I'd like to take a break from GTG with OAPU and Pistols in order to focus on crawling as well as weighted chins and dips.

I'm going to use this template from OS reloaded

M - TGU, Swing, Press (kettlebells for fun)

W- Chins, Dips, Pistols (loaded bodyweight for strength!)

F- Leopard Crawls for time (wow!)

A couple questions:

I'd like to leopard crawl for 10 minutes straight. is leopard crawling a little bit every day + doing leopard crawls for time on Fridays working in the right direction?

I'd like a little feedback on structuring my kettlebell day and my bodyweight day. for pure strength.

thanks everyone

 

[Kettlebelephant]

IMO you don't need a dedicated crawl day.
Doing them as a finisher is fine, because they are very easy to recover from.
Just set a timer for 10min and start crawling. When you get to the point of feeling fatigued stop and rest until you can continue.
Over time you'll naturally spend more and more time crawling and less time resting.

 

[Marc]

Didn't you say you want a break from pistols? Maybe consider air bourne lunges insteas (hugly underrated exercise).

Generally I'd say your plan looks good. I agree with @Kettlebelephant that you do not need an extra crawling day, but you could def do it.
I'd do them as a finisher after every session and start over on friday.

 

[Steve W.]

Just set a timer for 10min and start crawling. When you get to the point of feeling fatigued stop and rest until you can continue.

Or, when you get to the point of feeling fatigued, keep crawling. Just switch from 4 point leopard crawling to 6 point baby crawling.

Mix up your crawling variations among forward, backward, lateral, and axial. You can do this by feel or partition your 10 minutes into a block for each variation.

Another strategy I've used is doing sets at 1:1 work:rest for your total target work time. You don't have to use 1:1, but I find it works well. For instance, I've started at 1 minute, doing sets of forward/back, left/right lateral, and clockwise/counterclockwise axial. 1 round of this is 3 minutes work time, so you can do 3 or 4 rounds to get near or more than 10 minutes. Rest longer between rounds (and you can start shorter or longer than 1 minute sets).

I progressed by adding sets to each round and by adding time to each set. For intance, instead of doing rounds of 3 sets, I would do rounds of 4 (round 1: forward/back, lateral, axial, forward/back; round 2: lateral, axial, forward/back, lateral; etc.), then rounds of 5, then 6.

I also added time to each round in 15 or 20 second increments.

I did not progress in any systematic way, just going by feel from day to day, sometimes doing more sets in a round, sometimes fewer but with longer sets, and often repeating sessions multiple times without progressing anything.

There are lost of ways to cook it, but the main thing is to just crawl around a lot. As @Kettlebelephant points out, crawling is easy to recover from (although there may be an initial adjustment period) so you can just hammer away at it and let the accumulated time and volume do the work.

 

[User 7569]

Didn't you say you want a break from pistols? Maybe consider air bourne lunges insteas (hugly underrated exercise).

Generally I'd say your plan looks good. I agree with @Kettlebelephant that you do not need an extra crawling day, but you could def do it.
I'd do them as a finisher after every session and start over on friday.

I just need a break from the volume of GTG and the OAPU. But I would still like to maintain my pistols and use them as strength training

3 days a week would work very well for me at this point, since I do yoga on T and TH

IMO you don't need a dedicated crawl day.
Doing them as a finisher is fine, because they are very easy to recover from.
Just set a timer for 10min and start crawling. When you get to the point of feeling fatigued stop and rest until you can continue.
Over time you'll naturally spend more and more time crawling and less time resting.

I appreciate your advice. I'm just gonna try for 10 minutes of accumulated work on Friday and use them as a finisher on other days.

 

[User 7569]

thank you @Steve W.

does anyone have any idea how one would structure a kettlebell day?

I was thinking 5-10 TGU, 100-200 swings, and a press ladder in between the TGU and swings

on the bodyweight day I was going to do about 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps with a little more weight every week or so for the chins and dips

 

[Kettlebelephant]

The question is what is your actual goal?
Just going through the movements? I say this, because I don't think you can expect any progress from doing things just once per week.
In your original post you say you want to focus on weighted chins + dips and crawling. Then do that.
Go for 3 days per week in a heavy/medium/light style like RoP, but instead of KB presses and pullups you do dips + pullups and instead of swings/snatches you crawl (you can even use the dice for this like in RoP).
Or instead of ladders with a steady weight like in RoP go for something resembling the Texas Method -> volume day/recovery day/intensity day for dips and chins with 10min crawling finishers.
You can use light TGUs and swings in your warmup, for example 5min of mobility work or resets followed by 3 rounds of 1 TGU -> 5 goblet squats -> 10 swings per side (or 15-20 2H-swings). After that go for the main work.
You don't have to do KB presses and pistols. If your goal is chins, dips and crawls then focus on that and cut out things that detract from that. In this case presses and pistols.
I know that fear of losing your gains in certain exercises (e.g. pistols for you), so you want to include them in any routine, but this is unnecessary.
Put 100% focus and effort into the 2-3 exercises you want to improve and leave the others out of there. When you reach a certain goal or benchmark with those 2-3 exercises switch to something else and again put 100% focus and effort just in that.
Over time you will make steady progress in all of them.
Doing all of them all the time but half-assed will yield underwhelming results in all of them.

 

[305pelusa]

You don't have to do KB presses and pistols. If your goal is chins, dips and crawls then focus on that and cut out things that detract from that. In this case presses and pistols.

In my humble opinion:
I don't think adding pistols and presses would detract at all from a routine of dips, chins and crawling. If anything, they feel like good complements because they're training movements and angles those are missing. It doesn't seem to me like bad exercise selection you know?

on the bodyweight day I was going to do about 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps with a little more weight every week or so for the chins and dips

I love that. Excellent choice.

I do agree with @Kettlebelephant in that once a week is a little bit on the low side. I would like to see you bump up the frequency a bit more. Maybe that means you do the weighted calisthenics twice a week while the KB work is once a week (and then rotate that the week after) with the crawls as finishers every day.

One option I really like if you happen to go that route is that half of the calisthenics sessions are weighted (low reps, increasing weight) while the other are higher reps (no weight, increase reps every week).

You would not believe how strong you can get from building up dips and pull-up maxes in the 15+ ranges. It'll 100% carry over to the weighted work, will be a different stimulus and, if you're eating properly (which I'm hoping you've been getting slowly getting accustomed to eating more), will put on muscle in a hurry.

But even if you don't bump up the frequency, this looks like a great starting place from where you can make changes in the future! Good job figuring this out!

 

[pet']

Hello,

+ 1 for the above. Mixing mobility, strength, all kind of tools and rep range is a very solid approach.

Once again, I strongly agree with @305pelusa I remember when I used several S. Sonnon programs (Commando, Survival). With proper eating, I gain 2kg of lean mass in 2 months. Indeed, this kind of workout usually is pretty short but very intense. So plenty of time to recover ! Something different everday keep us interested

High reps training transfers well to weighted. This is true again. 5 sets of max-1 pull ups, with low rest (20''), 2 or 3 times a week, lead me to a pull up with 45kg added. The same logic works for push ups and squats and abs.

There is a study (I'd find the reference) which says something like :
betwenn two groups (one with no variety in the program, and one with more variety), the one with plenty of variety progressed more.

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[Kettlebelephant]

In my humble opinion:
I don't think adding pistols and presses would detract at all from a routine of dips, chins and crawling. If anything, they feel like good complements because they're training movements and angles those are missing. It doesn't seem to me like bad exercise selection you know?

I should have made it more clear that it was a general advice about not adding things that are not in line with your goals.
Of course you can add them and they are not bad choices, but then you need to make sure they are programmed well.
If your goal is chins, dips and crawls you don't need them. Period.
If you want to do them aswell then make them your goal, too. Don't just add them for the fun of it, because they still require resources (time + recovery) you could be using for things that are actually in line with your goals.

What you're suggesting is exactly what I had in mind when I recommended the Texas Method-like programming.
On intensity days you go for 2-3x5 heavy weighted chins + dips, on volume day 3-5 sets of high rep sets just with bodyweight and on recovery days 3 sets of easier versions like australian pullups and pushups.

 

[User 7569]

@305pelusa

I'm up to a steady 165lb now, from my former 150 (for years). I guess you could say I've been eating more. Almost all of it muscle from calisthenics too.

I'm currently doing Aleks Salkin's strength hack course and he recommends an "in between session" on one of your non-workout days. I will include my higher rep calisthenics on that day.

Always appreciate the encouragement from you and @pet'

 

[Jeremykots]

How to Train for Mass With Chins and Dips | StrongFirst

If you focus is weighted dips/chins, this could be right up your alley

 

[305pelusa]

@305pelusa

I'm up to a steady 165lb now, from my former 150 (for years). I guess you could say I've been eating more. Almost all of it muscle from calisthenics too.

I'm currently doing Aleks Salkin's strength hack course and he recommends an "in between session" on one of your non-workout days. I will include my higher rep calisthenics on that day.

Always appreciate the encouragement from you and @pet'

Nice dude well done. It's really motivating to hear that. Excited to see how you do in a couple of weeks on this program.

 

[pet']

Hello,

@Jak Nieuwenhuis
In general, you seem to progress pretty fast and on a more or less linear way !

If gaining mass is the goal, basically, it can be "simple": "calorie in > calorie out" + big compound exercises.

Below are two articles regarding that:
The Ten Commandments of Calisthenics Mass
The Ten Commandments of Calisthenics Mass: Part II

Basically:
- compounds, hitting some serious reps, each muscle group 2-3 times a week, training the mind along the body (meaning being focused on every move, every muscle), and proper eating*

*
Eat Like a Warrior King | T Nation
Mass Made Simple | T Nation

Nevertheless, it is also said that great results come from the 3-6 month range. Then it can be considered as a long duration. For a while, I train 3 times a week with my "high reps, low rest" (5*max-1 of pull ups, push ups, dips, rows, squats, abs ; rest@15'' between sets, full ROM). Indeed, I progressed very well in strenght and size in about 3 months. Then I only did it 2 a week to get more rest and variety. I kept progressing a lot that way. Of course, this was only how my body responded but I guess this is a strategy which can work pretty well.

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[Ricky01]

To throw in my 2 cents re crawling:

I came to crawling after years of weight lifting and being in pain (bad lower back injuries). Even working in the fitness industry and training others back to health after injury/illness was not helping me fix myself.

I started crawling for 2 minutes in one go 6 days a week and added (when I felt I could) 20-30 seconds a week - which sometimes happened each week, sometimes meant sticking with the same time for a couple of weeks.

This was an easy way to get some crawling in and lets be honest who doesn't have 2 minutes a day (though other factors such as space, feeling silly if seen will effect the decision of some to try it) to move about.

Once I hit 10 minutes each day I changed to 3-4 times a week, but added in other OS resets as well.

At this time I was hooked on OS and travelled to America to complete their level one and 2 qualifications.

I continued crawling like this starting to add in backwards (this was fun) and then laterally (not fun). Always exploring other resets too. I also focused on deliberately moving slowly (old rugby wrist injuries dont like fast crawling).

Last week I hit a 36 minute forwards crawl and a 34 minute backwards crawl. Laterally still ruins me and I lose control of head position and breathing after about 5-6 minutes.

A few months ago I added in hill crawls and sled work too which is a huge amount of fun.

OS is my main kind of training. Armchair rocking and crawling helped me regain my pistol after my back injury. I also retest chin numbers etc every so often and they are consistently improving eaclh time.

It is incredibly simple and that is why people don't always stick with it.

Try it....move slowly....focus on head position and breathing and enjoy the results.

Richard

 

[Mark Limbaga]

What is your goal?

 

[Kettlebelephant]

I also focused on deliberately moving slowly (old rugby wrist injuries dont like fast crawling).

Chameleon crawling is great for that.
Just imitate what they do and you get a combination of crawling and rocking at the same time.
While rocking in that way you can slowly move into wrist and ankle positions that otherwise would hurt.

 

[User 4484]

OS is the best thing that ever happened to me!

 

[Bauer]

I think you can progress even if you only do an exercise once a week.

meanwhile this might be of interest:

Tim’s Weekly Movement Routine | Original Strength
A sample routine from Tim Anderson himself. What I find interesting is the way it is programmed: A lot of times he pairs two strength moves and does them for 10 minutes oder X rounds.

an from: The Easiest Strength Program | Original Strength

If a person Pressed RESET for 40 days for 10 minutes a day AND stacked Easy Strength on top of that for 40 days, they would create a major change, or a new beginning, and discover amazing strength potential.

It’s The Easiest Strength program. Period… And, it’s crazy enough to work.

Here is an example of what it might look like:

1) Press RESET x 10 minutes (breathe with diaphragm, nod head, roll around, rock back and forth, crawl a bit).

2) Then pick 3 movements like a deadlift, a pull-up, and an overhead press, OR
Like a Romanian deadlift, a bench press, and a dumbbell row, OR
Like a Squat (keep it light), a pushup, and a TRX row, OR whatever you want to train….
Perform no more than 10 GOOD reps of each exercise, broken up however you want, and “toyed” with. Toyed with? Yes, play with speeds, vary loads, and explore. Be curious and have fun.

3) Oh, AND, in the vein of my book, Habitual Strength, if you wanted to supercharge this, add in 10 minutes of carries every day too.

So you might pick your weighted chins, pistols and dips and just add crawling.

 

[guardian7]

The question is what is your actual goal?
Just going through the movements? I say this, because I don't think you can expect any progress from doing things just once per week.
In your original post you say you want to focus on weighted chins + dips and crawling. Then do that.

Doing all of them all the time but half-assed will yield underwhelming results in all of them.

I totally agree. The reason S&S is so effective is the focused effort and volume of practice. I only have 2-3 I want to work on per program. You can change these every 6 weeks or so so you cycle through your goals over the course of a year. You will lose some gains but you will increase your baseline when you come back to it if it is not too far back.

Pair chins and pistols three times a week waving the volume and crawl and do 100 swings each workout for maintenance would be a good strategy. A couple months later focus on your press and maybe chins and dips for maintenance.