Every Calisthenics Skill to Learn in Order for your First Year
Summary
TLDRThis comprehensive guide introduces beginners to calisthenics with a structured approach to mastering 22 fundamental skills. Starting with basic hangs and progressing to advanced moves like the handstand and muscle-up, the script emphasizes proper form, gradual progression, and safety. Each skill is detailed with specific instructions, training tips, and the importance of core strength and mobility. The guide encourages a paced learning experience, adapting the order to individual needs while promoting consistent practice for proficiency in calisthenics.
Takeaways
- 🧘♂️ **Hollow Body Hangs**: Start with this skill for back pain relief, spine decompression, and grip strengthening. Transition from a dead hang to an active hang by engaging your core and squeezing thighs together.
- 🐸 **Frog Stand**: Essential for early hand balancing, focus on elbow positioning and weight distribution on the hands to balance inverted.
- 🧍 **Hollow Body Holds**: An anti-extension exercise that teaches pelvic tilt and is crucial for core strength, start with modified versions and work up to a 45-second hold.
- 🤸♂️ **Pseudo Plank Lean**: A prerequisite for the full plank, it emphasizes front deltoid strength and requires straight arms with attention to core and glute engagement.
- 🤔 **Pseudo Plank Push-Up**: Incorporates the strength of the pseudo plank lean with the addition of a push-up, focusing on maintaining the forward lean for advanced calisthenics skills.
- 🤸♀️ **Tuck Front Lever**: Requires significant straight-arm and back strength, start with knees to chest and progress to a horizontal static position.
- 💪 **Elbow Lever**: One of the first 'cool' skills that appears like floating, involves proper weight distribution and elbow positioning close to the abdomen.
- 🇩🇪 **German Hang**: A critical exercise for shoulder mobility, start with support and progress to freestanding as strength and tolerance increase.
- 🥩 **Butcher Block**: Often overlooked, it's essential for a perfect straight handstand, focusing on shoulder mobility and core engagement.
- 🦵 **Pistol Squat**: A leg skill that trains most leg muscles, requiring hip and ankle mobility, start with support and progress to assisted pistol squats.
- 🤸♂️ **Tuck Back Lever**: Similar to the front lever but lifting past the bar, it's a progression skill for advanced hand balancing and strength.
Q & A
What is the first calisthenic skill mentioned in the script and why is it beneficial?
-The first skill mentioned is the hollow body hang. It is beneficial for back pain alleviation, spine decompression, and strengthening the grip.
How can one transition from a dead hang to an active hang in calisthenics?
-To transition from a dead hang to an active hang, one should draw their shoulders down and back, activating the core muscles and squeezing the thighs together.
What is the purpose of the Frog stand in calisthenics training?
-The Frog stand is used to start hand balancing as early as possible, which is believed to be advantageous for later advanced skills.
How should one set up their hands to alleviate wrist pain during the Frog stand?
-To alleviate wrist pain, one should turn their hands slightly outwards instead of keeping them forward.
What are the three balance points used in the Frog stand position?
-The three balance points are the fingertips, the inside of the knuckles where calluses are, and the palm.
Why is the hollow body hold considered an anti-extension exercise?
-The hollow body hold is an anti-extension exercise because it involves actively pressing the lower back into the ground, lifting the legs, and maintaining a specific posture that prevents extension of the spine.
What is the significance of the pseudo planche lean in building strength for advanced calisthenics skills?
-The pseudo planche lean is significant because it heavily works the front deltoids, which are crucial for mastering advanced skills in calisthenics.
How can one train for the tuck front lever?
-Training for the tuck front lever involves starting on the bar with knees towards the chest while maintaining straight arms, then raising the body until the ankles touch the bar and practicing holding this position.
What is the main focus of the elbow lever exercise in calisthenics?
-The main focus of the elbow lever is weight distribution and transferring the position from hand balancing to the ground, which is essential for learning the skill.
How does the German hang help in increasing shoulder mobility?
-The German hang helps in increasing shoulder mobility by allowing one to train in a position that stretches and strengthens the shoulders, starting with assistance from a block or bench and progressing to freestanding.
What is the pistol squat and why is it important in leg training?
-The pistol squat is a leg skill that trains most of the muscles in the leg and requires exceptional hip and ankle mobility. It is important because it not only serves as a party trick but also provides comprehensive leg strength and flexibility.
What is the proper way to bail out of a handstand to avoid injury?
-To bail out of a handstand safely, one should keep one hand on the ground to guide them as they fall over, and only get up when one of the feet touches the ground.
How can one train for a handstand push-up?
-One can train for a handstand push-up by practicing against a wall, which allows for proper form and strength development without the concern of falling over.
What is the muscle-up and how can one practice it?
-The muscle-up is a dynamic calisthenics maneuver that involves explosively pulling oneself up and over the bar. It can be practiced using a hollow body pull-up position, driving the knees into the chest to generate momentum, and using a resistance band for assistance and form practice.
Outlines
🏋️♂️ Calisthenics Skills Introduction
The script introduces a comprehensive guide for beginners in calisthenics, detailing the foundational skills and training methods. It starts with the hollow body hang for grip strength and back health, progressing to the frog stand for early hand balancing practice. The importance of proper form and gradual progression through exercises like the pseudo planche and tuck front lever is emphasized, with tips for mastering each skill provided.
🤸♂️ Advanced Calisthenics Techniques
This paragraph delves into more advanced calisthenics techniques such as the elbow lever, German hang, and Butcher Block, focusing on shoulder mobility and strength. It also covers leg exercises like the pistol squat for leg muscle training and mobility. Each skill is accompanied by specific progressions and regressions to build up to the full movement, ensuring safety and effectiveness in training.
🧘♂️ Core Strength and Balance Development
The script highlights the importance of core strength and balance in calisthenics, introducing exercises like the hollow body hold, pseudo planche lean, and tuck front lever. It explains the setup and progression for each exercise, emphasizing the need for straight arm strength and back strength. The paragraph also discusses the training methods for these movements, including using resistance bands and wall support for assistance.
🤾♂️ Mastery of Hand Balancing and Push-Ups
This section focuses on mastering hand balancing and push-up variations in calisthenics. It provides a step-by-step guide for learning the handstand and handstand push-up, including form cues and training techniques. The paragraph also covers the muscle-up, a dynamic movement requiring explosive strength, and offers tips for learning the movement safely and effectively.
🛑 Safe Dismounting and Skill Progression
The final paragraph discusses the importance of learning to bail safely from handstands to prevent injury. It provides a method for controlled dismounting and emphasizes the gradual nature of skill acquisition in calisthenics. The script encourages practitioners to progress at their own pace, using the provided guide as a reference rather than a strict timeline, and to utilize resources like apps and programs for structured training.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Calisthenics
💡Hollow Body Hold
💡Active Hang
💡Frog Stand
💡Pseudo Plank Lean
💡Tuck Front Lever
💡Elbow Lever
💡German Hang
💡Butcher Block
💡Pistol Squat
💡Tuck Back Lever
Highlights
Introduction to a calisthenics training program starting with the hollow body hang for back pain alleviation and grip strengthening.
The importance of transitioning from a dead hang to an active hang by engaging core muscles for mastering stillness.
Training the Frog stand as an early introduction to hand balancing with tips for proper form and balance points.
Utilizing elevation and regressions like leg taps to progress in hand balancing skills.
Hollow body holds as an anti-extension exercise for core strength and pelvic tilt awareness.
Pseudo planche lean as a prerequisite for the full planche with a focus on front delt strength.
Incorporating push-ups into the pseudo planche lean for advanced strength development.
Tuck front lever as a challenging skill requiring straight arm and back strength with progression tips.
Elbow lever as an initial cool skill in calisthenics with emphasis on weight distribution and form.
German hang for significant shoulder mobility improvement with safe progression methods.
Butcher block exercise for perfect straight handstand form and shoulder mobility.
Pistol squat for comprehensive leg muscle training and the importance of hip and ankle mobility.
Tuck back lever as a progression from the front lever focusing on lifting the chest and maintaining a horizontal position.
Compact leg lifts for core compression and hip mobility with various progressions for different skill levels.
Pike push-up for building shoulder strength and overhead pushing power with proper form and training tips.
Elit exercise for full-body core compression and the importance of scapular depression.
Archer push-up as a unilateral training for imbalances and its progression from bent arm to straight arm position.
Tuck planche as an advanced variation of the pseudo planche lean with leg lifts for increased difficulty.
Reverse Nordic for quad strengthening and stretching with proper form and progression using resistance bands.
Straddle sit as an advanced variation of the sit-up with tips for flexibility and mobility training.
Shoulder stand for building shoulder strength and end-range strength for handstand push-ups with wall assistance.
Muscle up technique as a dynamic calisthenics maneuver with progression tips for strength and technique.
Handstand as a long-term skill to learn with proper form and balance points for mastering hand balancing.
Handstand push-up combining shoulder stand and pike push-up for advanced strength and body control.
Final advice on not rushing through the skills and using the guide for checking off learned skills.
Transcripts
welcome to your first year of
calisthenics let's go over every
calisthenic skill in order and the
perfect way to train them starting off
with skill number one hollow body hangs
I chose this skill to start with first
because hanging has many benefits from
back pain alleviation spine
decompression and strengthening your
grip hanging is the perfect way to start
when you dra your shoulders down and
back you switch from a dead hang to an
active hang the setup is pretty simple
simply find a bar block or rings that
you can hang off of as long as you're
just hanging you're in a dead hang
position but if you activate your core
muscles and squeeze your thighs together
you're going to be classified as an
active hang squeezing your core and
thighs together is perfect for mastering
Stillness while hanging from the bar the
best way to train this exercise is by
alleviating your weight and Joints so
tie resistance ban around the bar and
hang from it as you get stronger I want
you to lower the resistance band you're
using moving on to number two the Frog
stand I obviously chose the Frog stand
because I want us to start hand
balancing as early as possible I'm a
firm believer that the earlier we do
this the better it's going to be later
on when we're doing handstand hands as
far as the perfect form setup you want
to think about sticking your elbows into
your knees this is how you're going to
balance do not keep your hands forward
turn them slightly outwards to alleviate
wrist pain there's going to be three
balance points first is your fingertips
the inside of your knuckles where your
calluses are and the Palm in this frog
stand position you'll feel most of the
weight on the outside of your hand
training for the Frog stand is all about
getting comfortable in this inverted
position start off with rocks so you can
get the feeling right next I want you to
move on to simple holds you're going to
do each of these exercises until you can
hold them for at least 20 seconds the
objective of these regressions is to get
you more comfortable with balancing on
your hands leg taps or leg switches is
going to be the next best thing when it
comes to progressions again once you can
hold this position for 20 seconds no
problem you're ready to move on to the
next one some people would prefer a
pillow or some kind of cushion for your
head it's possible to overbalance and
have your head Bonk on the ground so
hopefully adding a pillow or some sort
of cushion there helps protect you from
that last but not least we're going to
utilize elevation remember this setup
look how I'm basically holding the
perfect frog stand and all I had to do
was lean into it now moving on to number
three hollow body holds hollow body
holds is an anti- extension exercise
it's one of the first core exercises I
recommend doing setup is extremely
simple get on the ground with me as you
lay down you'll notice the lower part of
your back comes up actively focus on
pressing that into the ground to do that
your shoulders will come off the ground
naturally next you want to lift your
legs off the ground and extend them
spread out as if you were holding a
sideways handstand this is going to
teach you about pelvic tilt if the full
hold is too much simply bring your legs
closer to your body and that should
alleviate some of the stress as it gets
easier experiment with certain positions
like one leg holds or even straddle
holds to get you going for the full
thing Mastery means holding it for 45
seconds moving on to number four the
pseudo plch lean the pseudo plch Lan is
a prerequisite for the full planch it's
extremely heavy on your front delts form
setup is simple protract your scapula or
push your shoulder blades away from you
make sure you're not strugging your
shoulders up when it comes to the hand
position position turn your hands
slightly outwards to alleviate any wrist
pain conquering this position means
perfect form with straight arms you can
set up for it like a regular plank
leaning forward classifies you as a
pseudo plch lean this looks like a
regular plank but I promise you it's
more intense than you can even imagine
no lazy cores make sure you apply
attention to your abdominal muscles
again avoid strugging up towards your
ears don't let your hip sag squeeze
those thighs and apply attention to
those glute muscles and push out with
your shoulders the entire time Mastery
means having your hips stacked over your
wrist the best way to train this is by
having a wall or block in front of you
measure how far you're leaning forward
by your hand position work on this
consistently moving on to number five
the pseudo plch push-up obviously
incorporating the last skill that we
learned we're simply adding a push-up to
that maneuver while we're maintaining
that forward lean you don't understand
it yet but getting strong in this
position is going to be essential for
mastering Advanced skills in the future
front delt strength is truly King when
it comes to calisthenics if it's too
hard to maintain the Ford lean I want
you to Simply lean into it when you're
pushing up and then push all the way
back to a regular push-up position this
should make it easier on you eventually
you will want to focus on having that
forward lean maintained throughout the
entire exercise moving on to number six
the tuck front lever you might be
suspicious of this skill but trust me
it's more difficult than it looks and it
takes a significant amount of straight
arm strength and back strength
thankfully training for this movement is
actually pretty simple get on the bar
and stick your knees towards your chest
while maintaining straight arms you want
to raise your body until your ankles
touch the bar and gently lean yourself
back to neutral position over time
you'll be able to hold that horizontal
static position most people will end up
bending their arms or shaking
uncontrollably when lifting themselves
up moving on to number seven the elbow
lever the elbow lever is one of the
first cool skills you actually get to
learn it looks like you're floating how
can you not love it form setup is all
about weight distribution stick your
hands out in front of you and turn them
slightly outwards or even completely all
the way around you'll want to stick both
of your elbows and to your abdominals it
should look like this trust me I know it
looks weird but this is exactly what we
need to transfer onto the ground
although this is considered hand
balancing training it is not as simple
as it seems you'll notice as I'm leaning
into my hands I'm gently starting to
lift my legs up if I want to progress
even further I'm going to lean even
further into my hands and squeeze my
glutes into the straddle position and
lastly I'm going to lean a little bit
further squeezing my legs together which
gives me that straight line stomach pain
where your elbows are is completely
normal on to number eight the German
hang if you want to talk about
increasing your shoulder Mobility to
superhuman limits the German hang is
where you need to be I know this looks
crazy and scary but you can train with
this by putting a block or bench below
you as you get into the position lower
yourself as safely as possible until
your feet are touching the block as we
get stronger and more tolerant in this
German hang position we're going to
release the blocks until we can do it
freestanding like I am now it's a great
shoulder Mobility drill moving further
to number nine the Butcher Block most
people don't know about this exercise
but it's essential for having the
perfect straight handstand when it comes
to perfect form setup we want to make
sure we have our elbows tucked avoid
having them spread out you can build
strength in this position by doing it on
your knees first get a feeling for the
movement and feel how it opens up your
shoulders this is a skill that's truly
slept on and we need to make sure that
our shoulder Mobility is top tier make
sure to actively sink your hips engaging
your core once you can hold this
position for at least 30 seconds you're
ready to progress it even further by
adding some sort of small weight I
usually do 10 or 15 lbs so don't overdo
it and now on to skill number 10 the
pistol squat our first leg skill the
pistol squat is not just a party trick
it actually trains most of the muscles
in your leg and it requires an
exceptional amount of hip mobility and
Ankle Mobility to complete when
performing make sure to keep your knees
turned outwards and your leg extended
you can train for this movement a number
of ways the first one I'm suggesting is
by putting some sort of block or bench
under you not only will this help you
get the form right but this will also
assist you if you're having any sort of
preliminary knee pain so this is a good
progression to remember as is the next
progression is going to be step UPS
start on top of a block or bench and
lower yourself as slowly as possible
before exploding back up to the top of
the rep you'll steadily gain Mobility by
doing this exercise and last but not
least the Holy Grail is the assisted
pistol squat perform the pistol Squad as
well as you know how and use a block
bench or even an exercise bike to help
you through the latter half of the
movement next up is skill number 11 the
tuck back lever this skill is similar to
the front lever except this time we're
lifting ourselves past the bar you
should remember this position from the
previous German hang skill except this
time we're stopping just short and
lifting our chest up not extending our
legs and simply staying in that
horizontal position the proper way to
train this movement is the exact same
way as the front lever using Straight
arms we're going to lift ourselves until
our ankles touch the bar low ourselves
back down gently into that horizontal
position and for the next skill we're
going to go over number 12 is compact
leg lifts this is another one of my
favorite core exercises I believe it's
essential and integral for your Mastery
of calisthenics set up for this Movement
by putting your hands around knee level
or the bottom of your thigh level as you
place your hands down make sure you push
out and down with your back keep your
legs extended and lift them into the sky
as much as you can it might not look
like it but this compact leg lift is
going to be essential for a future skill
that we're going to go over if this
movement is too hard I want you to focus
on single compact leg lifts this
movement is all about gaining hip
mobility and core compression likewise
if this movement is too easy for you you
can reach your hands even further like
the top of your ankles and lift your
legs like that so let's say you're not
here yet and single leg lifts are still
too hard for you place some kind of
dumbbell or even paper towel roll in
front of you focus on doing single leg
lifts into the sky making sure to not
touch the paper towel roll or dumbbell
when you can manage that with one leg I
want you to switch to doing it with both
legs this is all for the Mastery of core
compression and hip mobility but we're
going to get some app development doing
this as well my final tip for mastering
this exercise is using a wall as
leverage for your upper back lean into
the wall and that should make it easier
for you to do single leg lifts or even
both leg lifts I know this looks easy
but it's going to take you some time to
get your legs perfectly straight like
this and be able to lift it with no
problem moving on to number 13 the the
pike push-up if you want to talk about
building some Boulder shoulders and
getting some insane overhead pushing
strength the pike push-up is going to be
your favorite push-up form even being
slightly inverted like this is going to
make it significantly harder for you to
control your breath while performing
this exercise the proper form setup for
this exercise includes having your head
fall above your hands on the decline
you'll want to avoid having your elbows
flared out during this exercise this
does not transfer over to Advanced
skills instead opt for a tucked elbow
position this will prevent any
unnecessary shoulder flaring Ing and
should transfer over to Advanced skills
don't only push up during this exercise
make sure you push out through your
shoulders when it comes to training for
this exercise the best way is to
lengthen the pike that you're using
perform the regression confidently
making sure your head Falls above your
hands on the decline and pushing up and
out through your shoulders on the
incline next up is the almighty elit
this is a full body exercise focused on
core compression set up for this
exercise by learning how to depress your
scapula which means pushing down so your
shoulder blades are being drawn down as
well practice deep pressing your scapula
with straight arms and as you push down
into the ground make sure to levitate
your hips back and now utilizing that
compact leg lift to lift our legs up
into the air you can train for this
skill by doing single leg alternating
lits if you've been following and
mastered the compact leg lift then this
skill should be easy for you to learn in
no time moving on to skill number 15 the
Archer push-up it was given its name
because you look like an Archer holding
a bow at the bottom of the rep the thing
that makes this skill so brutal is
having that straight arm on on the
opposite end of the spectrum this makes
this skill a proper regression for the
one arm push-up the unilateral training
style for the Archer push-up makes
conquering your imbalances simple you
can set up for training this exercise by
doing bent arm Archer push-ups no need
to All Out Sprint into doing a straight
arm position as we gain strength we'll
be building joint flexibility and
mobility in no time skill number 16 the
tuck plch This Is Us taking the pseudo
plch lean even further as you can see we
have our legs off the ground and that's
what makes the magic happen for this
when it comes to the form setup we want
to make sure we maintain straight arms
slide your knees into your chest and
keep your feet touching the ground if
this is comfortable I want you to begin
to do alternating leg Taps make sure you
do not lose scapular protraction during
the duration of your regressions those
leg Taps should have you unlocking the
tuck planch in no time I told you front
delt strength is King and now on to
number 17 the reverse Nordic reverse
Nordic is the best way to build some
monster quads with nothing but your own
body weight you'll be strengthening and
stretching your quads while alleviating
knee pain set up with your knees about
shoulder length and have your feet
laying flat squeeze your glutes and
descend controlled do not use any sort
of momentum to bounce through this
movement maintain a straight line
throughout the duration of the exercise
engaging your core and engaging your
glutes throughout if you'd like to
properly practice this maneuver stick
your feet on top of a small elevation
this should shorten a range of motion
for you and as you gain strength lower
the elevation as needed lastly if you
have resistance bans use those to help
you through the latter half of the
movement this will help you prac
practice strict form and as you gain
strength and need less help you can
lower the resistance band that you're
using until eventually you can perform
the reverse Nordic freestanding number
18 the straddle sit the straddle sit is
an advanced variation of the lsit it's
very cool to do and I'm going to teach
you how simple it is to learn you'll
want to turn your hand slightly outwards
even out to the side the best way to
perform this exercise is to get in it
from a squatting position as you settle
into it you'll notice you're sort of
planing into position train the
flexibility and Mobility required by
doing straddle leg lifts so straddle leg
lifts for the straddle sit and compact
for the lsit getting into this exercise
from the ground is insanely hard to get
into it you'll have to kind of rock into
the motion which is why the best thing
to do is to start from a squat position
skill number 19 the shoulder stand
although the shoulder stand doesn't look
as cool it's going to be very essential
for building shoulder strength and end
range strength for the handstand push-up
we're going to train this movement on a
wall get into the Frog stand position
and start with one leg until you can
eventually put two legs up or you can
use a wall to lower yourself into the
full position as well focus on breathing
skill number 20 the muscle up the muscle
up is a dynamic maneuver and Staple in
the calenic world you start from under
the bar and explosively pull yourself up
and over the bar when it comes to
properly setting up for this movement
you can't do a regular pull-up if you go
for an arched back position the bar is
going to be in the way take a page from
the first skill we learned and do a
hollow body pull-up position the hollow
position is going to help you out jump
up and grab the bar and let your feet
swing forward until drop dropping down
below try this a couple of times so you
can get an understanding for the
movement next I want you to jump up grab
the bar let your feet fall forward and
at the end of your momentum drive your
knees into your chest try this a couple
of times so you can see where the
momentum begins and ends with those
three tips I want you to combine them
all together drive your knees into your
chest as you explosively pull up that
should generate enough momentum to get
you over the bar if you'd like more help
simply use a resistance band to help you
practice the proper form again Lower the
resistance ban as needed a lot of people
have the strength for the muscle up but
they lack the technique which is why I
teach them the knee Drive first you'll
stop Kipping as you gain strength skill
number 21 the handstand the handstand
will probably be the skill that takes
you the longest to learn it can take
months to learn but years to perfect
proper form for a handstand includes
having your shoulders pressed out over
your ears as well as having completely
locked out arms the handstand is like
learning how to walk again so let's make
this as simple as possible remember we
learned how to tilt our pelvis forward
from the hollow body hold practice that
here to bring your hips in line with the
rest of your body we already talked
about the three balance points but let's
go over them again it's going to be the
top of your fingertips the inside of
your knuckles where your calluses
usually are and it's going to be the
Palm just like with your feet if you
fall too far forward push in with your
fingertips and if you fall too far back
push in with your palms until you have a
happy neutral position if you want to
learn the easiest way to train a
handstand do it on a wall you'll spend
more time on your hands and less time
falling over 10 to 15 minutes of
practice and sets of 10 to 20 seconds is
all you need to steadily Master Hand
balancing handstands can be scary so
let's talk about the perfect way to bail
out you'll notice I'm keeping one hand
on the ground that guides me as I'm
falling over in my handstand keep the
guiding hand on the ground until one of
your feet touches the ground then you're
safe to get up skill number 22 the
handstand push-up this skill combines
the shoulder stand and the pike push-up
together it takes a tremendous amount of
strength body control and body awareness
to even perform as for the form setup
when we get to the bottom of the we
still have our basic three balance
points our fingertips our calluses and
our palms you'll feel most of the weight
on the outside of your hands the best
way to train a handstand push-up is by
doing it against the wall this way you
can practice proper form and gain
strength without the worry of falling
over all the time don't feel rushed to
complete every single one of these
skills in exactly one year but use this
as a sure guide to check off any skills
that you might want to learn I'd
recommend you complete the skills in the
order that I provided but you can go in
however order benefits you the best I
seriously hope this video helps you guys
make sure to go to strick fit.com to
check out my apps and programs
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