Welcome to /r/bodyweightfitness! 🏸

Hi everyone,

I'm training to do the L Handstand but I've realised I have very weak / tight hips and I have a lot of trouble anteriorly tilting my pelvis.

Not my image but this diagram basically represents it: https://ibb.co/p1h8FPL - Src: https://courses.coachbachmann.com/leg-lifts-press-to-handstand/ I'm stuck at the left position and basically can't move my hips upwards to the position on the right.

I know tight hamstrings might be part of the problem but I can touch my toes fine, but the problem likely remains that even when doing those stretches, my lower back is still too rounded.

Does anyone have advice on how to strength train this?

Thanks in advance!

Hey guys. Ive always had flat feet, but never had a problem with them until a few months ago. Im in the military so i started lifting more but i dont really run so much so thats not the issue considering i have a desk job. But a few months ago i started feeling pain in my left foot if i stand for too long. Specifically in the arch area. My right foot however is completely fine. Any reasons for this and are there solutions? I know you guys arent doctors but just looking for other opinions! Thanks!

Since powerlifting's focus is not building muscles but improving neuromuscular efficiency (I know that there's a hypertrophy mesocycle, but it's not even half of the macrocycle) and the guys who achieve the hardest skills are, yes, muscular but not as jacked as a bodybuilder, why do I never see programs online featuring elements from both calisthenics and powerlifting? After all, if we don't consider powerlifters in constant bulk but only ones who try to stay in the same weight class, the goal is relative strength in both disciplines.

Is there a specific reason why powerlifting and calisthenics are never combined (or maybe they are, but I don't know when) in workout programs for calisthenic athletes?

Are there other popular methods for increasing strength with reduced muscle growth in calisthenics (except grease the groove)?

I 22M am 80kg with an estimate body fat percentage of 28. I lost all my strength, muscles and stamina due to some lifestyles changes i chose after my father died (really let myself go). I am a novice here, do not have tremendous joint health or endurance. I cannot do a simple pushup, pullups are not even the list, i cannot even dead hang for more than 10-15 seconds, i can do a full squat but I lean forward too much and theres also butt wink. I am the weakest I have ever been in my life. dont ask about the cardio, my stamina is sh*t.
my training program contains wall pushups, wall pullups, assisted squats, leg raise (i am thinking to do planks instead as i am not feeling my core in this). I want to include mobility drill such as for my ankles, hamstrings, hip flexors for better squat, planks and leg raises for better core, bird dog for lower back. some stretches such as cat cow, cobra and calf stretch for better flexibility. I also walk about 2-3km in the morning and try to walk the same at night after dinner. want to add sprints but I cannot find the space to fit it.
Guys you all have experience and knowledge, guide me on how i can work up to all that, make a suitable routine for myself and become better. if you have suggestions on more exercises or different one feel free to suggest. also I can workout 6 days a week keeping 1 day off, so i see forward for your suggestions.

Hi all,

I'm generally a very busy person: I have a small homestead, work from home in a quite intense and focused way, and also have three sub-5 y.o. kids.

I know it's important to carve out exercise, but my commitments and work schedule lack structure, so it's hard to carve out blocks of time 'cause no one day is the same as the next and I'm generally going from first thing in the morning 'til the kids go to bed, and by that time I'm shattered & unmotivated.

So I got to thinking: does one still get 100% of the benefit of a resistance program (in this case bw fitness, but I guess this would also apply to weighted training) if you stagger sets through the day.

e.g.

do 25 minutes of work, then do one set, or one pair from RR, 25 minutes of work, another set, make some coffee, do a set whilst the kettle boils etc...

I was 13 (M) (49-51kgs, 5'5) when I started working out/joined the gym. Had a really nice physique for my age. Well defined and toned. Used to be super fit and agile. Could do 40-50 pushups in one go and never got exhausted quick. I left the gym when I was tested positive for COVID at the age of 16. I was really weak and sick. Recovered soon I'm glad. But since then I've been really lazy and my stamina and willpower has severely decreased.

I'm now 20 (M) (74.08kgs, 5'7). I've gained a bit of fat. I'm not visibly fat when I wear clothes and all but I've definitely gained some fat around my chest, arms and a lot of fat around my stomach, hips and legs. Recently I've made my mind that I'd workout again and bring a positive change. My sleeping schedule has been messed up after 2021 but I'm turning things around slow and get around 6-7 hours sleep daily.

I've been feeling really nauseous and tired after a few minutes of exercise and my body is failing to keep up with my spirit. Today when I was working out, i had to stop because of how nauseous and tired I felt. It was almost like I couldn't breathe properly. Felt like throwing up. Please suggest me something I can do to make myself better and fulfill my goals. A routine, diet, anything that will make me better and help me get on track would be highly appreciated. 🙏🏻🤍

Welcome to the r/bodyweightfitness Daily Discussion! This is the place to post simple questions, anecdotes, achievements, or just about anything that's on your mind related to fitness!

Commonly asked questions about training and nutrition:

• Recommended Routine is the original full-body workout program of the subreddit.
• Fitness FAQ covers all questions related to nutrition - gaining muscle, losing weight, etc.
• BWF FAQ covers many of the commonly asked questions.
• Even though the rules are relaxed in this thread, asking for medical advice is still not allowed.

DISCORD SERVER:

Our Discord server is very active and is truly the heart of the community. It is not only a social space, but it is also a great place for live discussion on training and nutrition compared to the slow pace of reddit! Come say Hi!

---

If you'd like to look at previous Discussion threads, click here.

My husband is 8 days clean since his last shot of Tren, Testosterone and Equipoise. He used all 3 for 3 years on and off, mostly on! He has an appt w a Dr in a couple days and the Dr is supposed to get him started w test . But can anyone please tell me what to expect and how they felt on Tren? He rages, he is emotional, cold, no empathy or sympathy for anyone or anything!! Impulsive AF!! Even started talking to some girl and we’ve been together 11 years! He talked to her a few times and had not , I think, met her . But he acted like, tough shit!! Like it’s no big deal!! Wtheck Steroids, esp Tren, ruined my husband!! Can anyone tell me how hard or easy it is to come off this?

Hi, I (21m) was tired of looking skinny and started going to the gym 4 months ago. I am 6’2 (188cm) and used to weight 134 lb (61kg).

Started eating 3300 kcal a day and saw my weight increase and went to 3500 kcal after gaining some weight.

Now i am 165lb (75kg) and gained some pretty good muscles even as a beginner (also what my experienced friend told me) and i eat 3700 kcals a day and my weight cant seem to increase.

So now I have to eat 4000kcal a day and ngl it is getting pretty expensive for a uni student (I live alone and have to work to pay everything my self) and i am worried that i always will need to eat this much kcal to maintain my body. Any tips?

I’ve been strength training for a while nowand started doing solely calisthenics around a year and a half ago. I can do +115lbs weighted chin up @ 145lbs bw, and +145lbs weighted dip both with good form. So obviously I somewhat know what I’m doing. The thing is, I just can’t nail the beginning of the one arm pull-up. The shrug or whatever it is. I tried using resistance bands, doing weighted shrugs (just 10 lbs but I kinda suck at it), using my other hand to pull on the other arm, but when I give my best attempt at the OAP I just can’t get past the first part. And I know the OAP is more so of a skill than a pure strength move. Just need advice. I’ve looked everywhere and I’ve been training for it like twice a week for the past like 4 months.

Ok, so I was a pro athlete/entertainer until I was 38. A couple car accidents later, I tried running, was never great but did several half marathons and some 200 mile relay races. Since 2015, I have completly let myself go! But, now I am back in the gym and working on getting myself back into...? Overall I have no major health issues. I am willing to put in the work. What are my best outcomes at my age? What can I expect? Right now I am 5'8 and 236, only 4 pounds lost so far, but I am starting to feel better.

When I do my leg workout routine I have access to a lower back implement. You know those where you lock in the legs then lean over resting the hips against the cushion. So i've been doing lower back exercise that way and recently started switching the position of my hips (higher or lower.)

I've been using it to workout my hamstrings and I feel it extremely well in my hamstrings. Onto my questions, is this exercise enough for targeting my hamstrings? Is it a bad, good or great exercise for hamstrings?

Thanks.

Hello everyone, so I recently started training for the planche, and i've come to wonder where my hands "should" be facing. Most suggest the finger point at a 45 degree angle, with the other alternative being facing backwards. The same question applies to PPPUs
I have fairly decent conditioned wrists from the handstand, but even so i feel i need to get stronger wrists in the 45 degree angle (in which i'm training), so i feel it inhibits progress.
On the other hand, hands facing backwards is tougher on the shoulders, so i need to get stronger in that too but I feel doing PPPUS in this position would build more straight arm and shoulder strength than the 45.
So the question is, what is the best way to train the planche in order to achieve it faster?
And also what in your opinion is the "right" way, meaning the one with which you will get better overall, strength and skill wise, the one that someone should invest in more.
Should you be able to do both?

Oh yeah and throw an opinion on parallettes in the mix..

Hi guys, I will be focusing on fitness soon and would like to be very efficient and get as much progress as practically possible (meaning, I don't want to overdo it, but work out with adequate rest days to allow gains).

Is swimming six days a week practical alongside the BWSF Primer routine (i.e., three days a week full-body workout)?

I have time for adequate sleep and maintaining a good, healthy diet.

Please suggest how I can best optimize cardio/swimming with this.

Cardio options I want to include: swimming, running, cycling, boxing (heavy bag training).

Also, is it okay if I have two cardio sessions, one in the morning and the other in the evening?

I also understand that we have to be patient with muscle gains in Calisthenics, so I am in no hurry, but I just want to utilize the time I have the best way I can. Although, I would like to get my body fat percentage down to 15-18% (in 1 month if possible. I mean, is it even possible?)

My current stats: 28M, 169cm, 73kg, 23-25% body fat

I am on pretty big cut (1200kcal, i keep proteins in check, also i am short af for a guy so thats another thing) due to being a skinny fat guy. Long term slow diet just doesnt work for me but overall i dont feel exhausted much. Thing is i decided that with this cut i want to also gain some strenght and skills, being close to hold a handstand this spring would be cool.

Today while doing scapula rows but with dip bars i did about 1.5 set extra because i was going mad at the fact that i couldnt feel my left side as much as a right side. Then i feel anxious about my entire workout. Look up on videos but non of them shows me what am doing wrong as i am doing what they do.

I just doubt every exercise i make after i do it, i dont feel pain anywhere, just muscles that worked durring that, most people would think "alright good job myself" but here i am screaming at the fact that i am 100% missing something.

Should i really go insane over perfect posture or can i just be 70-90% perfect to make workout give me any gains?

As per the title I want to start doing some pull ups and short of getting into a constant argument with my wife I'd like to explore any other solutions that are not a broomstick on 2 chairs which sort of works but not really ideal.

She's very much against getting a pull up bar because we're renting and she doesn't want any damage to the door (fair enough) and she doesn't want any free standing ones as well again due to lack of space which again fair enough there isn't a ton of space in the house.

Could I use a dip bar/station/stand whatever they're called for that?

Is there a model that's easily disassembled and goes under the bed maybe?

I'm open to any and all suggestions! TIA

Hi! So, this morning I was looking to add something new to my core workout and tried some bear crawls as part of my routine. Does anyone else do these? I watched videos and read what to do/what not to do and did not find them challenging at all. I guess I felt them a little bit in my quads, but even at the end of my workout when my core was already fatigued I wasn't feeling it where I thought I would.

Kinda disappointed/think I must be doing something wrong? I was doing them in front of a mirror and it looked right. Just curious if anyone else does these on the regular and if they're worth the time.

Hello everyone,

I've had a lot of inquiries about my Planche post, so I'd like to answer them here. Of course not everyone should train directly for the Full Planche, so how do you get there? With the Cali, everything works in so-called progressions. In the planche, they look like this:

1. Full Planche - legs together and fully extended.
2. Straddle Planche - legs spread apart.
3. Advanced Tucked Planche - legs bent, with an angle of about 90° between stomach and thighs.
4. Tucked Planche - Legs bent, knees pulled close to the torso.
5. Planche Lean - Forward bends over the wrists in a push-up position, arms extended, feet together on the floor.
6. Assisted Holds - All progressions can be facilitated with a resistance band to master the positions.

I can also give you the following tips along the way:

• For all progressions, keep your arms straight. Additionally, keeping your shoulder blades (scapula) in a protracted position provides better shoulder stability.
• Warm-Up: Always warm up your wrists and shoulders thoroughly before any Planche training to avoid injuries.
• General Rule: For pushing exercises, keep the scapula protracted; for pulling movements, keep it retracted.

And just to answer most of your questions: I did the first workout once a week and combined it with the following one:

Handstand Hold

• Sets: 1
• Reps: Hold for 10-20 seconds This exercise is excellent for building a stable handstand, which reinforces the shoulder girdle—an essential strength foundation for achieving the Planche.

Handstand to Planche

• Sets: 1
• Reps: 10 slow transitions Begin in a handstand and transition carefully to the Planche progression you can manage independently for a few seconds. Shift your center of gravity slightly over your wrists as you lower your hips. If needed, use a partner or wall for balance assistance.

Planche Static Hold

• Sets: 5
• Reps: Hold for 3-5 seconds per set Hold your strongest Planche progression to build endurance and stability.

Planche Leans (Superset with Push-Ups)

• Sets: 5
• Reps: 5 This superset combines Planche leans with push-ups. For increased difficulty, use a resistance band-assisted Planche. Aim to hold the Planche position between push-ups without relying on additional support.

I hope this helps you all and happy planching!

Been unemployed for 3 months, been strugging with meth addiction for the last 6 months to cope with my problems, got clean for 1 month now. It's just that I'm now running all out of money, but I still workout hard everyday, PPL, 6-7 days per week.

It's just that I've been working out hard at the gym for 1 year before all of this, so me now keep going to the gym is because of habits and it's honestly a great way to stay sane and stable when unemployed and nothing in your life goes anywhere. It gives me a reason to wake up every morning, to work out and be and see a better version of myself physically-wise.

It's just that I'm only 172cm, 56kg, lost so much weight after addiction. I could not afford to eat much, eat in a surplus and a protein-high diet right now. I barely have enough money to survive, is there any point at working out right now, or I would just unnecessarily burn calories, making me lose more weight, making me more hungry and craving for foods I couldn't afford?

need help with my pullups i do pullday 3 times a week at my house and have a pullup bar and some weights ive been trying to improve my reps to start doing weighted pullups once i reach 15-20reps but i am stuck at 6-7 reps for a long while i do 5 sets of pullups and finish off with bicep and hammer curls (3set each) i try to add 1 rep to my max set each weak but every time after a few workouts my progress worsens and i fall back to doing even lesser pullups can someone give me a program to break this plateau my max is 6-7pullups also idk how much i should focus on form

I’m planning on starting the recommended routine again and I’m trying to solve some problems I had previously so I can better stick with the program this time.

The largest problem I had was that I am unable to accurately count my reps while listening to music. I almost always listen to music while doing my cardio work outs and doing the RR in silence is awful for my motivation.

Has anyone else had this problem and found a way to overcome it? Any suggestions for making silent workouts less awful?

Going from sedentary to doing bwf, I noticed my posture has slowly gotten worse. I do a lot of manual labor too, and I've noticed I'm constantly protracted when lifting or pulling things, and recently I've lightly hurt the muscles around my shoulder a couple times while lifting heavy stuff with one hand (40kg-ish).

I've also realized with all my pulling movements I never feel my upper back really do anything, never get doms, whereas my lats get hit pretty hard and I always have doms/tightness in them. I have a feeling that I am losing back tightness on inverted rows, and rounding slightly on them too (even though it's not particularly visible with a shirt on). If I try doing slow rows without using explosiveness to hit the bar, I have to use very little resistance. I also do not seem to have the mobility to get the bar to my chest to touch my chest without my shoulder caving in slightly (literally just while standing up I mean, if I retract past a certain point my shoulders round forwards).

I'm planning on doing very very light rows with a band, and start working on some overhead mobility exercises, thoracic extension etc. The whole day I've deep aiming to depress quite hard while just going about my day, and after a couple of hours of my neck/traps feeling they're going to explode, it seems like that area has already freed up a bit, and my shoulders are noticeably less rounded.

In the mean time, I was just looking for some input.

Welcome to the r/bodyweightfitness Daily Discussion! This is the place to post simple questions, anecdotes, achievements, or just about anything that's on your mind related to fitness!

Commonly asked questions about training and nutrition:

• Recommended Routine is the original full-body workout program of the subreddit.
• Fitness FAQ covers all questions related to nutrition - gaining muscle, losing weight, etc.
• BWF FAQ covers many of the commonly asked questions.
• Even though the rules are relaxed in this thread, asking for medical advice is still not allowed.

DISCORD SERVER:

Our Discord server is very active and is truly the heart of the community. It is not only a social space, but it is also a great place for live discussion on training and nutrition compared to the slow pace of reddit! Come say Hi!

---

If you'd like to look at previous Discussion threads, click here.

I am a sophomore at 136 lbs bw. I have been doing calisthenics consistently for about a year and a half, originally being unable to complete 15 good form pushups or 3 good form pull-ups. I now can consistently hit 20+ dips with a 30 lb weight vest for sets or 10-12 pull-ups for sets (chest to bar). My current routine is PPLPPL rest. On the first push day I just do three max sets of weighted dips w abt 5 minutes between. My first pull day I do the same thing but for pull-ups. I have recently decided to try to change my second pull and push days, which used to just be the same thing. I decided on 1/2 max reps for 10 sets with abt 1 minute rest between, in an effort to improve my maxes. This has been solid. I don’t necessarily care about my skills/strength as much, and mainly want a muscular physique. Lucky I already have a solid 6 pack and pretty good rest of body besides legs and biceps, both notoriously tough to train for calisthenics. This brings me to my main point, how do I incorporate those into my routines or is it unnecessary. I currently on my 2 leg days do what I call a “killer leg cycle” which somewhat resembles the one in this Chris heria video:

https://youtu.be/0rh5HCNU_Iw?si=

The only thing I changed is doing a 45 sec junping squar for height at the end instead of the reverse Frankenstein.

This workout seems to be great cardio, as I’m always extremely sweaty at the end and out of breath, etc. I also feel a lot of fatigue in my legs throughout, but it is a somewhat untraditional workout. My thought is, if I feel pain there must be gain. However, I want to know if this is a reasonable approach or if I should try a different workout. Most of my workouts are focused on short bursts of intensity and few sets taking around 20 minutes including the rests generally with the legs taking 7. Anyways any advice would be appreciated. I’ve recently started counting calories too trying to get 2500 per day with a lot of protein. Progress so far! 4 lbs in the past month or so, I might try to get to 145 to look ripped instead of js skinny boy with abs.

Sorry about the long post just wanted to provide a lot of info so I can get good insights. Thanks for reading good luck on your guys’/girls’ journeys w calisthenics!

Sometimes after a day of climbing or a day of intense upper body workouts, I'll notice my arms get locked up when picking up my guitar. It happens when I bend my hands inwards towards my body, eg if you look at the palm of your hand, and then press it towards your chest. When I do this, either by accident or on purpose, my arms will sometimes uncontrollably flex, and I can't move them the way I normally would. This isn't something that happens during my workouts / activities, and it hasn't ever lasted very long (I usually forget about it soon after the novelty of involuntary movement wears off), so I'm guessing they're just tired and the nerves are all funky for some reason.

Is there a risk / is this a sign of anything bad, or, supposing that it goes away relatively quick, do I have anything to worry about?

Hi everyone. please please advice me: I was looking through the RR and I noticed this:

"The key is to not work to failure for the first set or two because it significantly detracts from performance in later sets which reduces your ability to perform good reps and maximize volume to get stronger and bigger muscles."

AND

"Sticking with failure-1 repetitions and 3 total minutes between sets of the same exercise allows you to maximize volume and effort level which is essential for strength and hypertrophy"

My goal is NOT towards building muscles to a high extent, i just want to get slightly toned because I am on my weight loss journey and do not want to be "skinny fat" and unfit even when i reach goal weight. what does sticking with failure-1 mean? To me, the first point is like "increae your sets without failure if you want big muscles" and the second is "do more reps if your goal is building strentghs and SOME relative muscle".

If I want to focus on building strength and some muscle, but i dont want to be TOO lean (mind you i will be doing the RR about 3x a week for like 8 months), how will this change how i do the RR? Do i keep adding reps to each level and THEN advance? will the really advanced high-level excercises make me have lean/ripped-ish muscles in the long run?

i know how it sounds. "i dont want to accidentally get jacked". thats not what i mean, but i dont know how to word it better so i hope the message gets across about what i'm trying to say lol.

please help ya girl out!!!!

Hello All!

Hope you're well!

For my martial arts gym, the sparring section requires an exam...the most daunting part is a jump squat test, where we are required to do jump squats up and down the gym, 9 times! The jump squats are to be done low too.

(You don't have to hit 9, but more is better obviously)

From one wall to the other becomes roughly 18 jump squats for me, and the same number back, for roughly 36 total...

Is there any program for rapidly increasing jump squats? I am more than happy to shelf my powerlifting for a few weeks to hit this goal!

6', 220lbs and can currently do 3 back and forth at the moment. Exam is 11/22...

Thanks in advance!

but I am only doing 1 set, instead of the full 3. I started the RR in early September and at that time I was doing the full 3 sets, but it was taking me sooo looong, like upwards of an hour and a half. It's not that I don't have the time, but I get so incredibly bored during the workout and I start to feel drained of all my energy and dread the days when I have to do the workout, which is every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I tried doing 2 sets instead of 3 and it helped for a couple of weeks but then I started hating it again. Now I am just doing 1 set, which I know is less effective, but it allows me to at least do some strength training, which is better than nothing. on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I have a 25 minute run, with Sunday as my rest day.

Anyway, the point of this post is that I want to ask how effective this will be in the long run? Maybe someday I will start enjoying it more and I will want to increase the number of sets, but until then, I am just going to stick to 1 set. I want to add that I am taking medication for depression, so I am sure that my condition is one of the reasons why I struggle so much with motivation. Until around July, I wasn't doing any exercise at all, just a 30 minute walk around the neighbourhood, sometimes 60 minutes if I felt like it. Will I see much improvement in my physique, or is 1 set just not enough to see any changes?

Sorry if you love the excersise and I offended you but hear me out and maybe you'll understand my position.

In my first year of working out I went from being able to preform 5 pushups consecutively, to 40.

In the same time period I went from 1 pullup... and can now do 2. I put significantly more effort into pull-ups than pushups and developed tendinitis in my right elbow from it as well.

Nobody else seems to have this problem. Everyone seems to think they are so easy but I've made what feels like basically no progress at all in an entire year.

Can anyone relate or tell me how to get passed this. I have literally never put more effort into something to get so little in return. I'm extremely frustrated

Thanks

Edit: you guys are super awesome and understanding.

this is what my reps look like,

I couldn't find a pull up example, but yeah when I pull, I pull straight down, so that the bar hits my chest without my arms going behind at all. At most they end up in line with my torso. I can pull about clavicle to bar, scapula stays depressed and I'm not shrugging. My working sets at the moment are 8,7,7. I'm almost 200lb so they're not super easy for me.

When I try pull like this I can't get full rom, I stop about eye height.

I thought that once I got strong enough at closer grip movements (I usually grip slightly less than shoulder width, sometimes so close that I physically could not get my arms behind me), that I would be able to do a couple normal, more back focused reps.

What gives?