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S&S+, Judo, Kendo, Historical & Modern Fencing, Walking.

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Did the second installment of Reload for the deadlift today at 240lbs and again 5X5 this time. It certainly felt heavier!
 
Looking forward to doing week 4 of Reload with the deadlift at 5X5 280lbs, and week 3 of the military press at 5X5 110lbs.
 
Just to update (bolded parts what I completed this week):

Military Press
  1. 90lbs 5X5
  2. 110lbs 5X5
  3. 120lbs 5X5
  4. 120lbs 5X5
  5. 120lbs 5X5
  6. 130lbs 3X3
  7. 140lbs 2X2
  8. Test 1RM
Deadlift
  1. 220 5X5
  2. 240 5X5
  3. 260 5X5
  4. 280 5X5
  5. 300 5X5
  6. 320 3X3
  7. 340 2X2
  8. Test 1RM and restart
I increased the weight a bit on the press, kind of rounded it up a bit. The appendix of the book allows for a bit of adjustment depending on how you feel.
 
Reload is certainly me making me feel more solid for S&S. Today's S&S felt very good especially.

I'll be done one cycle of Reload soon. It has been interesting and helpful. I'm an S&S guy and will be proceeding with S&S, as I have been for 4 years now. I'll continue doing some sets of deadlifts and presses every week (or more often).
 
I've started a focus on bodyweight training (complementing my ongoing judo) about a month ago or longer for several reasons:
1. I'm interested in ancient athletics and I've come to realize that tumbling/acrobatic skills in the ancient world depended on callisthenics as at least the first step. The bodyweight moves we are generally familiar with were known and are seen on ancient frescoes and pottery, statuary etc... I'd like to learn to do them. It's an ancient "mystical" amazing art!
2. I weigh 220lbs, which means I can lift a lot of weight doing callisthenic exercises, and in more directions and with a greater variety of movements, safely, than with barbells or kettlebells.
3. Callisthenics replicate a lot of judo positions - sport specificity!
4. A change.
5. I can master this stuff alone in my own home - accessible!

I'm following the Kavadlo brothers in the main here as they have some very detailed programmes with progressions. I'm interested in and doing mostly their "Next Level Strength" but a bit modified for my home, and part of my challenge is to figure out exactly how to do the programme as I'm quite advanced at some things and terrible at others. I'll figure it out. Doing plenty of GTG with certain moves also. I'm still not too clear on what the fundamental moves all are. I take it there is a push upwards (handstand or pike pushup), forwards (pushup), down (dip), backwards (bridge), side (side plank?), and corresponding pulls like pullups, bodyweight rows (with rings or as Aussi chins), inverse rings hold, front and back levers, and of course flexions like L-sits etc, then leg work like different kinds of squats! Lots of stuff! Then you can get into plyometric versions where it's really starting to look like acrobatics like jumping etc...
 
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I'm good at S&S if I dare say so. I do my swings in about 7 minutes with the 32kg and my getups with the 40kg in about 12 minutes, and this is just regular day stuff, not testing myself. Now I'm earnestly trying to develop callisthenic (bodyweight) strength, and for some moves I'm already strong from S&S and judo, but for many others I'm sort of a beginner. It hit me how important specialization is and how long it takes to get good at anything. Regardless, this is something I want, and I'll persevere.
 
Too sore this week to train, especially in my shoulders. I'll be just walking this week to keep fit.
 
I'm good at S&S if I dare say so. I do my swings in about 7 minutes with the 32kg and my getups with the 40kg in about 12 minutes, and this is just regular day stuff, not testing myself. Now I'm earnestly trying to develop callisthenic (bodyweight) strength, and for some moves I'm already strong from S&S and judo, but for many others I'm sort of a beginner. It hit me how important specialization is and how long it takes to get good at anything. Regardless, this is something I want, and I'll persevere.
Are there any skills you would like to achieve regarding calisthenics/bodyweight, such as Front Lever, or Handstand?
 
Are there any skills you would like to achieve regarding calisthenics/bodyweight, such as Front Lever, or Handstand?
Yes:
  • Front lever on the bar
  • Tuck planche on the parallell bars
  • elbow lever on the parallell bars
  • 3-5 reps of one arm one leg pushup both sides
  • 3-5 reps of pistol squat
  • 11 reps of chinups and pullups
I can do upside down hangs, skin the cat on the gymnastics rings quite well. I can L-sit okay on the parallell bars and the rings. I can do a decent number of dips on the rings and bars. I'm only at around 5 or 6 bodyweight rows on the rings which surprises me - I think I've found a hole in my strength there among others.

The handstand pushup I do want to do, but I don't like marking up my walls' plaster with my sweaty feet, so I'll have to pass on that.
 
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I like dips as a practical exercise for judo and life. They are about control, the connectivity of your whole body, and about loading all your weight onto your pressing muscles. They can be done slowly and deliberately. Good stuff. I do them on both my gymnastic rings and the parallell bars.

Another exercise I am liking a lot is the L-sit and the N-sit when the L-sit tires me out. These are also important for judo and core strength in general. Great stuff! I'd like to be able to do the tuck planche to pair with the L-sit. Working on that!

I can do some chinups and pullups, and I think both are important and different from one another. Both matter.
 
Having the solid, scientifically tested and proven S&S as my backbone program is and has been key for my success in getting strong. I'm starting to develop a sense too of other moves to work on that are just plain fun or are good for judo like dips, gymnastics ring moves etc...
 
My weight wavers between 100kg and about 102kg. So, for the SFG snatch test if I'm careful to stay below 100kg I can do it with the 24kg bell instead of the 28kg. There is no way in Hades I'd be ready for that test for this November, when the test comes to Toronto, but maybe a year later... I'll start doing some sets of snatches daily. There is no question I have "what it takes" to survive the test if I train up for it in a safe, paced way.
 
Funny how I still keep strategizing and modifying my non S&S add-on exercises.

So many darn good moves to train out there!

Some stuff that seems to have floated to the top is:

  • dips - sure as heck give you big arms! Also, they give you the ability to pretty much "walk using your arms"! An insanely useful strength movement for sport etc, and for just looking huge!
  • N/L-sits - don't look like much but they make my whole core shake, meaning all that weird stuff in the core is getting stronger, and this is a big help for anything, judo or S&S or whatever else! I do my sits normally using my dippping bars or gymnastics rings. I want to develop the tuck planche, which is the opposite of the N-sit. Not there yet though!
  • hanging upside down on the rigs and skin the cat - I just think it's healthy to reverse everything for a bit - give your system a bit of a shakeup! Also, no doubt a grip strength thing and a body-awareness exercise.
  • both chinups and pullups - that's a crazy lot of weight to mess around with using your upper body.
  • bodyweight rows - might seem easy to the untrained eye but they're quite hard, and the movement is very practical as it's pulling straight back. Good stuff! Nearly as hard as pullups, I think!
  • archer pushups and squats - a great way to get close to the benefits of one-limbed moves without losing your balance. Cool stuff!
  • kettlebell snatches - awesome!
 
I hope by tomorrow I can get my TGUs back to 40 from 32kg. My left shoulder is still sore from the callisthenics but it's getting better.

I think I'll be on the "straight and narrow" from now on.

My goals are:
  • Sinister
  • SFG 1
  • NW moves competency
 
Hello,

@Kozushi
I am far from an expert, but I noticed that regarding bodyweight training, some moves have a huge transfer / carryover to other ones. So by training them, you also make gains on "side moves".

For instance, if we consider NW push up progression: I can really guarantee you than working toward the OA or OAOL version will give you a very strong core and a great pressing power. Recently, I even did a bent press on both side, with more than 1/2 bdw without training it for months. This move also strengthen the core enough to perform sets of dragon flags

Dips may not have that much transfer for instance (even though they are an excellent move, but more "specific").

All that being said, I know you primary focus is judo and you also want to keep time with your job and family so, targetting "big moves" like that may be a good option as it is quite time-efficient. I say this very humbly because I am a little bit in the same situation.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Hello,

@Kozushi
I am far from an expert, but I noticed that regarding bodyweight training, some moves have a huge transfer / carryover to other ones. So by training them, you also make gains on "side moves".

For instance, if we consider NW push up progression: I can really guarantee you than working toward the OA or OAOL version will give you a very strong core and a great pressing power. Recently, I even did a bent press on both side, with more than 1/2 bdw without training it for months. This move also strengthen the core enough to perform sets of dragon flags

Dips may not have that much transfer for instance (even though they are an excellent move, but more "specific").

All that being said, I know you primary focus is judo and you also want to keep time with your job and family so, targetting "big moves" like that may be a good option as it is quite time-efficient. I say this very humbly because I am a little bit in the same situation.

Kind regards,

Pet'
Thank you for confirming what I was noticing about dips. They are not much more than triceps builders it seems. They're great in their own way but they don't give you any kind of overhead pressing strength at all. It is good to hear from you that the one arm pushup has transfer capability to the bent press. I'm hoping it is also helpful for my S&S progress, although I'm training it for its own benefits of course and for its own reason - basically the "I can keep myself gym-strong when away from my kettlebells and judo dojo."

My sport and martial art is indeed judo, but I take my home training just as seriously. I'm a Strong First disciple and my main tool is the kettlebell, so in any case I do take the stuff at home dead seriously too. I consider myself a kettlebell athlete and I intend to take the SFG 1 when ready for it.

What other bodyweight moves should I train beside the one arm pushup and the pistol, considering like you rightly pointed out that I have limited time and effort to devote to these outside of judo and S&S (and "life"!)?
 
Hello,

@Kozushi
My bread and butter bodyweight moves, in addition to push ups and squats (toward OAOL and pistol), are pull ups.

They are wonderful to build the upper body (shoulders, traps, lats, and arms of course). As push ups, they offer plenty of variations, to make them more challenging (weight, archer, typewriter, etc...)

The "rest" may be accessory (but not necessarily useless). For instance, the core (hanging leg raises, LSit, Dragon flags...)

As you see, this is a very basic push - pull - leg ;)

I also do a lot of flexibility and mobility but I guess this is another topic. Regarding this the back bridge is fantastic because it is some kind of pull. You can do it more challenging if you do it one legged for example. The splits (lateral and frontal) and the twists are nice as well

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
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