Calisthenics Journey

This is a journey of me trying to accomplish something that has always looked superhuman: The Planche. I think achieving this would make two people in the world proud of me, my 8 year old self and my 80 year old self.

I have tried before and suffered a wrist fracture and shoulder impingement. My constraint both times was that I had an intellectual arrogance that said “you were a D1 rower man, you know how to train.” This time I will be taking a “student of the game” approach. I will have Steven Low’s “Overcoming gravity” as my bible, and design my training program around it.

Pt. 1, the best program is the one you stick to.

In the first chapter of Overcoming Gravity, Steven Low talks about how important it is to find a routine you will do consistently. This reminded me of past times I have failed to stick to a workout routine.

Last year I set out on a goal to go from 20% body fat to 15% in 12 weeks. I hired a personal trainer, took DEXA scans before and after, tracked everything I ate, and accomplished the goal! But after, I gained all the weight back and stopped going to the gym. Using all that machinery felt silly without a goal attached, and maintaining a strict diet was so boring. I felt like a character from “Hard Times.” Lift up, put down! A horse is an animal with four legs! I also travelled quite a bit, and that made keeping the habit harder.

My new routine is rocks, I look forward to it every day after work. The only equipment is a set of rings I hang in my doorway. I can do my workouts anywhere I travel to, and knowing all I need is my body to get stronger feels right.

• Monday -Single arm push up progression
• Tuesday - Muscle up progression
• Wednesday - Pistol squat progression
• Thursday - Front lever progression
• Friday - Dips
• Saturday - Hamstrings

My daily routine is: pre-hab, skill work, Isolation (listed above), flexibility, cool down. It takes 30m.

I will continue to write here as my journey progresses.