Hybrid Calisthenics

Here are some exercises that (unexpectedly) made my life easier! I tried to pick ones that weren't the obvious ones, like bar hanging etc. I also didn't mention ones that reduced pain, since I feel like that's a slightly different topic. Straight arm lifting helped more things feel lighter, especially during manual labor. While the same muscles are worked during things like pushups, pullups, handstand pushups, etc, it just made a huge different even with a small amount of weight. The "curl position" is underrated for daily functionality, in my opinion. I got into fitness with calisthenics, so I never paid much attention to curls until I started doing isometrics. While curls are usually meant to grow the bicep, I've found it to be very handy for carrying things as well. Lastly, I've been doing more physical labor recently and it often involves squatting down in "unusual" ways. While we don't NEED this, it's convenient when I'm in a hurry. The alternative would be to move one thing at a time, etc. However, if you're new to this, I recommend getting comfortable with multiple full, deep, bodyweight squats first if you haven't done so already! That's what I have for now. Have a wonderful day! #hybridcalisthenics #homeworkout

Clutch flags are easier than they look! While strength is required, technique plays a large role. They train the sides of your body and help you develop the ability for total-body tension. This can help with stability, core strength, and more. PROGRESSIONS: 1.) The Grip 2.) Single-Leg Diagonal Flag 3.) Bent-Knee Diagonal Flag 4.) Diagonal Flag 5.) Tuck Clutch Flag 6.) Single-Leg Clutch Flag 7.) Bent-Knee Clutch Flag 8.) Clutch Flag HOW TO TRAIN: Work each stage until you can hold it for 9 SOLID seconds on BOTH sides of your body. On steps 6-8, you be able to get away with building up to 6 seconds or something. In my opinion, just buckle down and build up the extra 3 seconds. It'll improve your later progressions as well. Train 2-3 non-consecutive days in a row in a week. During training, do 5-6 sets with a few minutes break in between the sets. REQUIREMENTS: I recommend being able to do at least: -25 Pushups -9 Pullups -15 Hanging Leg Raises If you can't do these, will you be able to begin training for the clutch flag? I don't know. Maybe. BUT I think you'll make faster and better progress working on building those exercises up first than you would with training the clutch flag. Don't worry. These exercises will still be here for you to learn when you're ready! Gravity isn't going anywhere. Special shout out to Paul Wade for teaching this exercise to me and many others. Let me know how it goes! Have a wonderful day. #hybridcalisthenics #corestrength #homeworkout

I've used these for years! Grip training always seemed "cool" to me. I think the idea of being able to crush things and roll frying pans was really appealing to my teenager self (or even now) And these grippers can work for increasing our crush-style grip strength. That said, there may be some downsides: - They don't train all types of grip strength. While the muscles used may be the same, it's similar to how there are different skills between calisthenics and powerlifting. There's pinching grip, bar grip, rope grip, etc. The crossover isn't as high as one might think. While the grippers can theoretically be used to train these too, it's not how they're designed and there may be more effective and efficient ways for that - Progressing can be difficult after a certain point. These grippers are often in 50lb intervals. While we can get through 100lb, 150lb, and even 200lb fairly smoothly, I've noticed even some fairly strong individuals get stuck around 250lb. The isometrics mentioned in the video are a way around this, but it may help if these were slightly more adjustable. The adjustable ones usually are not as heavy duty, or under 150lb from what I've seen. - Heavy grippers can irritate our joints. While we have the capacity to HOLD tremendous weight, MOVING it is sometimes a different ballgame, especially for the small joints in our fingers. Higher weights on grippers can sometimes cause some knuckle and finger pain if we repeatedly crush them (and we would through training). The isometrics I mention in the video are a way around this. Note that we can still crush with lighter loads and use the isometrics for heavier holds. This may be similar to Jefferson Curls vs Deadlifts. It may be possible that we can adapt our joints to the heavy movement - not sure on the specifics of that. But our muscles adapt faster than our joints and bones, so if you're training close to your limit, your joints are probably out of their depth. That's why these get the rating they do. I don't dislike them at all! But there may be more efficient and effective ways for people to train for their specific grip goals. These aren't necessary for most fitness goals. However, they may have a place for some people! That's my opinion and experience. Have a wonderful and beautiful day! #hybridcalisthenics #unsponsoredreview #gripstrength #grip #handgripper

Sometimes your muscles just want to be held 👉👈 Here are two common ways to train isometrics: Yielding Isometrics: Choosing to hold a position for time Overcoming Isometrics: Trying to move against something that won't move. Note that there are different terms. Some people like to call these "pin isometrics". Personally, I find yielding & overcoming to be fine, since pins aren't always involved. (These were commonly used in a power rack with a barbell - possibly how they got the name "pin isometrics") Some people have even said power racks were invented for isometrics! Both of these can be done with either weights or bodyweight. Happy to elaborate in future videos if anyone is interested! This video is part of my series on isometrics. Other parts talk about other aspects, how to train, etc. Thank you for watching! Have a wonderful day. #hybridcalisthenics #isometrics #homeworkout

What movements would hurt you? Sometimes (not always), this can be an indicator of what we can train to make ourselves stronger and reduce weak points! Examples -Squatting down to pick something up -Turning around when someone calls your name -Sprinting/Jogging There may be certain medical and physical conditions that inhibit this. Please, by all means, ask your doctor, physical therapist, or medical professional before doing any of them. But in many cases, these represent regular human movements that can be adjusted to our ability. We're often capable of MUCH MORE than we realize! Especially if we're not accustomed to physical exercise. Similar to how lifting 500lb might hurt us but make The Mountain stronger - assisting with our hands to squat might strengthen us if regular squatting is out of our current ability! My rule of thumb is to feel "effort but not pain." Assist yourself enough to feel the exertion of the exercise, but not pain (especially in the joints). Staying in this zone is important for continual improvement! Think of the burn in your arms if you lifted your arms overhead for several minutes. That's similar to what I consider "effort." If you want a free fitness routine based on these principles, I have one linked on my profile. Also linked: -Hybrid Calisthenics App (beta) -Hybrid Calisthenics Book & eBook Have a wonderful day! Legal notice: Consult your physician or medical professional before starting or changing any exercise program. This video doesn't replace a consultation with a physical therapist or physician. #hybridcalisthenics #homeworkout #jointpain

Lift MORE with one arm? (kinda) I talk about the bilateral deficit phenomenon in fitness here, but there's more information you can look up if you type it in Google! Upper body VS lower body, etc. I find it fascinating, but it's not discussed that frequently. I kinda understand why. It's basically "you can lift LESS with both limbs than you'd think... Sometimes. Not always. In fact, you might have the opposite." Not very helpful right? Maybe. (The opposite effect is sometimes called bilateral facilitation). My theory is that some of the inconsistencies are due to skill differences. Kind of like how someone who practices barbell bench press will more likely be better at it than, say, dumbbell bench press (even when compared to a twin of the same strength level who practiced with dumbbells). The two main theories are neural inhibitions or biomechanical differences. The neural drive has more support and probably plays a larger role. Some people in the comments may have things to add! There may be updated research or other theories I'm not aware of. I just wanted to touch on the topic briefly. MY TAKEAWAY: Practice with both unilateral and bilateral movements... At least some of the time. Have a wonderful day! #hybridcalisthenics #Fitness #homeworkout

Can you throw farther with this "trick"? To be more accurate, I'd have to try multiple times under the same conditions etc. Would probably also need a more accurate measurement unit than "bananas". But it was just to showcase an isometric warmup for power/strength. I didn't make it up or anything. Some people have used it for powerlifting and strongmen lifts. The idea is to "warm up" with maximum exertion, usually at the starting point or weak point. Then the actual rep may be a bit stronger. Does it always work? Probably not for everyone. I suspect the effect would decrease as I improved my throwing technique, familiarized myself with the movement, and got stronger overall. It's just a fun thing you can try. I've talked about similar "tricks" for pushups and pullups. You can search those up if you like (or just ask and I'll remake them). Have a wonderful day! #hybridcalisthenics #homeworkout #LifeHack

How do some people stay fit (seemingly without effort)? More importantly, is there anything we can learn from this that benefits us? I talk about the role of genetics, lifestyle, and exercise intensity! We all have talents and we can learn to leverage them to our benefit. When someone is talented and works hard, we can be inspired by what they've accomplished - especially when it pushes the boundaries of what we thought was possible! I believe that people questioned the possibility of a 400lb bench press in the early 20th century. Then a 500lb one. Nowadays, it seems like many fit people can do them with training (though they're still very impressive). Lifestyle also plays a massive role in our fitness. Not everyone wants to optimize their eating and sleep patterns, but they definitely help for many fitness goals. Just something to consider. And finally, some people just have an optimized and consistent exercise routine. You don't always hear about them in the gym, but they get their workouts completed in 20-30 intense minutes. This is enough to make consistent progress for many people! The previous two factors also play a role here. There are many other factors, but these come to mind when people ask me about this. Free fitness routine, free fitness app, and a full fitness book linked on my profile. Have a wonderful day! #hybridcalisthenics #homeworkout

While we can work "all" muscles of our body with a few key movements, some choose to specialize beyond that (for muscle and for strength!). The standard is to do large compound movements first and then follow up with smaller isolation movements (or holds!) Pretty simple and common concept, but perhaps an important one. It was the first sunny, nice day in a while and I was really happy to make these. My content suffers a bit in the winter because I don't move around as much as I'd like 😅 Have a wonderful day! #hybridcalisthenics

You CAN do dips, my friend! (2024 Remake to show with slightly more "proper" equipment) Here are the progressions: Bent Knee Dips - 3 Sets of 30 Bench Dips - 2 Sets of 25 Elevated Bench Dips - 2 Sets of 20 Jackknife Parallel Dips - 2 Sets of 20 Assisted Parallel Dips - 2 Sets of 25 Parallel Dips - 2 Sets of 15 Straight Bar Dips Here's how to progress: 1.) Find a variation you can do competently and safely. When in doubt, start with the first one (bent knee dips). 2.) Work these hard 1-2x a week for 2-3 sets. For each set, do as many as you can OR until you hit the number in the goals. For example, if you're doing Bent Knee Dips, it might look like: 30 30 17. Or 30 25. 3.) When you can hit the goals, move on to the next step and repeat! It may be notable that the demonstrated dip technique in the video fluctuates slightly. Some clips could have the shoulders more depressed (lower) and shoulder blades could be more retracted for what's considered "proper" form. I haven't found these to be a major issue, but it's something that can be adjusted for the long-form version of this video. Hope this can help you! #hybridcalisthenics #homeworkout #dips

Just adding some detail to my previous video! When we know or suspect something would hurt us, we bolster this "weakness" by doing it at a level we can handle. This can strengthen us instead! (with the possible exception of some movements) I gave the example of a deadlift in my previous video, but I try to show here that it can apply to smaller movements like external shoulder rotations and resisted neck pushes. It may even apply more in terms of protection - our large movements usually involve large muscles that are already strong. Have a wonderful day! #hybridcalisthenics #homeworkout