My fitness journey has two distinct eras: before and after prioritizing grip strength

Before I was an average gym bro progressing at an average rate often plateuing

Then, I was out of town for a couple of months without access to the gym so I got into calisthenics. I was mainly focused on pull-ups and realized how my lack of grip strength was a huge limiting factor in the quality of my reps (in addition to core control and scapular activation)

So I began to implement grip training through deadhangs, farmer's carries, and some rock climbing

When I returned to the gym I found that I was lifting ~30% more weight for just about every upper body lift

If you think about it, it makes so much sense. You are gripping a bar in most exercises so if your grip is weak the bar will shift around in your palms creating minor air pockets which is an inneficient transfer of energy to whichever muscle you are primarily targetting (you don't want your grip to give out before your lats on a pulldown).

TLDR: Prioritize grip training and you will notice your form and strength improve in just about every upper body exercise

Since deficit push-ups are arguably superior to conventional push-ups for my goals because they allow a greater range of motion, better control through the movement, and more potential for progressive overload, what are some other calisthenics exercises that are similarly superior to their conventional counterparts?

I’m mainly interested in exercises that maximize range of motion, controlled movement, muscle tension, and progressive overload, rather than simply making an exercise more difficult through increased balance or coordination. For example, a deficit push-up allows the chest to travel deeper than it can during a normal push-up, while still being a relatively stable movement that can eventually be overloaded with additional weight.

I’m looking for similar upgrades across the major movement patterns: horizontal pushing, vertical pushing, horizontal pulling, vertical pulling, quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. I want to know whether there are specific variations that provide significantly more useful ROM while maintaining good stability and allowing me to progressively increase resistance.

One problem I’ve noticed with calisthenics is that after reaching a certain level, progression often becomes less straightforward. You can either add external weight, which keeps the movement relatively unchanged, or move to a harder variation. However, many advanced variations introduce a lot of balance, coordination, or technique requirements. At that point, the exercise may become harder overall without necessarily providing a better stimulus to the target muscle.

For example, instead of continuously progressing toward increasingly difficult push-up variations that require more balance, would it be more effective to continue using deficit push-ups and eventually add weight? Similarly, for pull-ups, would weighted pull-ups be preferable to progressing toward highly technical variations such as archer pull-ups or one-arm pull-up progressions if the primary goal is strength and muscle development?

I’m particularly interested in exercises where the limiting factor remains the muscles being trained, rather than balance or skill. I also want exercises that allow a relatively consistent technique from set to set, so that adding reps or weight provides a clear indication of progression.

Another important factor is ROM. I don’t necessarily mean that simply going as deep as physically possible is always better. I mean the maximum useful and controlled ROM that can be performed safely while maintaining appropriate joint positioning and tension on the target muscles. If an exercise provides more ROM but causes the resistance to shift away from the intended muscle, I wouldn’t consider it an improvement.

So, what are the best examples of this principle in calisthenics? Which conventional bodyweight exercises have superior variations that provide greater useful ROM, better control, and easier progressive overload without introducing excessive balance or technical requirements? And when should I stop progressing through variations and instead start adding external weight to the exercise?

I don´t know how calisthenics splits fully work yet, but i just transfered my current lifting split over to the equvilant exercises. Any feedback on my split, if so please write it.

Upper A

1. Weighted Pull-Ups — 3×6–10
2. Weighted Dips — 3×6–10
3. Australian Rows — 2×8–12
4. Pike Push-Ups — 2×6–10
5. DB Lateral Raise — 2×10–15
6. DB Curl — 2×10–15

Lower A

1. Bulgarian Split Squat — 3×6–10
2. Nordic Curl — 2×6–10
3. Calf Raise — 2×12–20
4. Hollow Body Hold — 2–3

Upper B

1. Weighted Chin-Ups — 3×6–10
2. Archer Push-Ups — 3×6–10
3. Single-Arm Inverted Row — 2×8–12
4. Wall-Assisted HSPU — 2×6–10
5. DB Lateral Raise — 2×10–15
6. Face Pull — 2×10–15

Lower B

1. Cossack Squat — 3×6–10
2. Nordic Curl — 2×6–10
3. Calf Raise — 2×12–20
4. L-Sit Progression — 2–3

I can do >20s advanced tuck front lever (90 degree). The default next level by most references is a 1-leg front lever. However, I still can't properly do it. When i extend 1 leg forward my hips start falling and i loose the form and although im sure i could hold a non-straight form ... i just stop, especially that usually im in the gym dont wanna look like a clown.

Now since 2 workouts ago i started instead uncurling my legs, thus to what i believe still moves the gravity center towards the opposite side of the budy and thus the lever gets heavier. I would like to believe that this is a valid way to progress from advanced tuck front lever to 1-leg front lever (or maybe even full?) . However, before continuing forward with this approach I would like to get perspective from the community.

Thanks in advance!

I just started practicing handstand. I'm still learning to balance my body. How should I position my pelvis? Like should it be in anterior or posterior tilt? I could see that an arched lower back can be easier to balance, but a more stacked position (shoulder, hip, leg in a line) would be better looking. I watched a vid about the progression, there are many exercises:kick ups, toe taps, heel taps, wall walks, wall slides, pike positions, etc. What would u say help the most in your learning handstand?

I've been pretty busy with work, but a while ago I started exercising almost every day. I'm still a beginner, fairly stiff, and I'm trying to approach training as a long-term habit rather than something I push hard for a few months and then quit.

Instead of following a traditional full-body routine, I split my week into very small daily sessions:

• Pull-up progression
• Squat progression
• Push-up progression
• Rest
• Hinge progression
• Overhead push progression + core
• Rest

Each day includes a few mobility exercises plus one main movement progression. For example, on my push day I might do wrist mobility work, some shoulder mobility, and then practice scapular push-ups as my main exercise.

My goal right now isn't maximizing strength or muscle gain. I'm mainly trying to:

• Build a consistent training habit
• Improve mobility and movement quality
• Gradually prepare my body for more structured training later
• Avoid overwhelming myself as a beginner

I know the Recommended Routine is highly regarded, but realistically I can't dedicate that much time in a single session right now. I also like the idea of introducing movements slowly and giving myself time to adapt, especially since mobility is a big focus for me.

Has anyone here followed a similar approach? Are there any established programs or training philosophies built around frequent, low-volume practice of movement patterns instead of longer full-body workouts?

I'd be interested to hear your experiences, especially if you started as a complete beginner.

P.S.: I used AI to help me with grammar in this post

I’m currently staying at an area with very little resources temporarily due to my work. Typically pretty busy day to day but I’d be lying if I were to say that I didn’t have down time.
Upside, there is a beautiful set of pull up bars and dip bars right outside and that got me excited so I wanted ask you guys of creative rep scheme. Something that’ll end up being a pretty decent amount of reps at the end of the workout.
For reference, I can confidently execute 25 clean reps of pull ups and 40 for dips.
Excited to see what you guys come up with!

To everyone reading this,hi. This is probably another post thats been very similar to the other ones so i would like to apologise if im asking too many questions.

Im 21,6ft1,66kg male. I wanna bulk up and gain some muscle just to look a bit fuller and not look like a damn child(even with my facial hair i still look young lol). From the early childhood i was always moving around and active,now im kinda slowing down a bit because im at college etc. I go on walks(10k+ steps) and i go out with my friends and all that. In nature im an overthinker and i sweat a lot and sometimes i think that im basically losing weight by just stressing about life in general. Also i like to play games,one habit that helps escape reality a bit.

So about my capabilities and current body look: One of my arms is more toned,i have veiny arms and legs. I can deffo see the triceps when im not flexing(when my arms are fully down i can see the width and all that,its not a straight line). I have a 7.5kg dumbbell at home and before i used it and i trained like 3-4 times a week. But i unfortunately stopped. The things i know i can do are: 20-25 push ups in one go,i can do quite a lot of squats too, some diamond push ups. I dont smoke,i like to drink beer,wine and im not a picky eater. My dad thinks im hitting my lowest point because at my age he was a damn beast,and he showed me the stuff he could do and they were crazy. Made me jealous.

Calorie intake:

I try to make a smoothie that contains around 1k calories every second day. I mostly eat food thats cooked by me or my family,sometimes when i make money i go somewhere and eat some good food. So i would say my daily intake is around 2k or 2.2k calories idk exactly. If u have any food advice i would appreciate it. I also dont want to use creatine because i heard it causes bad things and its basically just water intake that inflates u inside.

What can and what should i do about this if i wanna see a difference until maybe end of the year?

I been doing calisthenics once a week since January. I feel like no matter how much work I do on top of my normal exercise routine I can barely do any pushups and pullups. I lost so much weight and I still dint have the muscles or strength to show I been working out.

And it really sucks because my lower body feels strong and does most exercises without any issue.

Core and stability fail me always and my upprr body feels like shit in comparison. I know Im returning after a month of not working out but dammit I should at least be able to do 3 x10 pushups but I can barely do anything without having my arms give out.

And pullups? I cant lift myself at all without doing a small jump for a boost. Those two basic exercises are failing me completely and I have nothing to show for the time I work out every week 3x times and I know I can blame it on being on a calorie deficit or the fact I work out irregularly. But what else can I do?

I dont have any upper body strength and I dont feel like I done any progression.

And it sucks because on other areas like my gym routines I haven't been feeling weak so why do I have the same lack of stability and weakness I did when I first started out?

Been putting more effort into writing stuff down properly instead of just answering the same questions one off in comments. Nothing groundbreaking, just trying to put together what I wish existed in one place back when I was figuring this out myself.

A few up so far:

How to add weight to dips without hurting your shoulders. Most of the shoulder pain people get from weighted dips actually comes from depth and setup, not the weight itself. Broke down what's usually going wrong.

RPE vs RIR for weighted calisthenics. People use these interchangeably but they don't actually measure the same thing once you're doing weighted pull-ups and dips. Wrote up which one actually holds up and when.

What is streetlifting, actually. For anyone who keeps seeing the term thrown around but isn't totally clear on Classic vs All4, the four competition lifts, weigh-ins, and how scoring works.

How to progress weighted pull-ups, beginner to advanced. Total System Weight, reverse pyramid work, wave loading, RPE autoregulation, and how Heavy-Light-Medium and Texas Method structures actually apply to the lift.

All of it's here if it's useful: https://shaiariola.com/blog

Genuinely curious what's missing though. If there's something you've been trying to find a real answer on and haven't, tell me and I'll probably end up writing it.

I started doing the recommended routine but I don't know if I'm doing the exercises right.

Pull ups: https://youtube.com/shorts/NlnU1tnNp2Y?feature=share

Rows: https://youtube.com/shorts/omXnEJXPPsk?feature=share

Dips: https://youtube.com/shorts/VYfbrVgg8mI?feature=share

Diamond push ups: https://youtu.be/jJ76BAuAaO4

Deadlift: https://storage.to/nhohcTycr

Knee raises: https://storage.to/AKlueQvgj

I believe my push ups are terrible, I think I'm doing them pretty badly so maybe I should just do normal push ups. I'm also worried about my dips, rows and knee raises (I don't feel a burn in my stomach, I wonder if it'd be better to do leg raises on the ground).

I am planning to get gymnastic rings to do the rows and hopefully the dips eventually, but I don't think I'll be able to do it soon.

Hello, i'm 30, i started explosive training since a month, prior to that i was doing endurance calisthenics, my workout was almost constantly this, two times a week :

5*Rounds

Chin ups : 20-17-17-16-14

Parallel dips : 39-27-24-22-18

Elevated deep pike pushups : 30-28-26-24-22

Leg raises on parallel bars : 30-28-26-24-22

I had a very good looking physique, was loosing fat easily, for a bit less than 2h of training a week. But with the years i started feeling sore, bored, and unathletic.

So i tried a workout for explosivity and athleticism, with max height chin ups, pliometric fist pushups, one leg forward jump and steep hill sprints.

It's honestly a lot of fun, way less taxing on muscles, but way more on my joints and nervous system.

My main issue is finding a sweet spot between being efficient, enough stimulus, and not having to take 4 days to recover.

This issue brings another issue : muscle mass and fat mass, as i tried to hard and had some workout that sore my joints for 4 days or more, i lose my habitual training load, and started losing muscles and gain fat.

I thought of doing weighted calisthenics (chin ups and parallel dips) to counter balance the ratio, but i may not be able to invest in weights and parallel bars now.

Do you have any idea ? This morning i tried a shorter explosive that take maybe 30 minutes in the morning and that i can maybe do 3 to 5 times a week, because the one that was about 1 hour was way too taxing the days afterward (it was approximately the double in reps of the 30min workout below). Do you think it'll do the trick?

The workout in question :

3*45sec of skipping rope

4*Rounds

Max height chinups : 4-4-4-4

Pliometric fist pushups : 5-5-5-5

One leg forward jump : 2-2-2-2

Steep Hill Sprint : 6s-6s-6s-6s

Coming from muscle endurance training, it feels so light, i don't know what to do

Thanks

Salutations, I am a runner and I bike about 15 miles/day for my commute. I’m looking to incorporate some strength training. I have to leave for work at 6 am and I get up at 5. So I really only have about 30 min. I’ve tried the start body weight and recommended routine but it’s hard to squeeze those in that tight window. I’m new to this strength thing. Would keeping it simple with just pull ups, dips, leg raises and a squat variation get me pretty well rounded? Or would it make more sense to do some sort of split with the routines mentioned above?

I'm at the point now where I've hit a strong form and strong rep range on my pullups, pushups, and more so I'm looking at branching out.

I want to practice some of the more interesting "cool" looking techniques, specifically handstand pushups, planche pushups, front levers, and muscle ups.

If I were to start doing variations of these exercises to progress up to them, such as tucked front levers, pseduo planch pushups, wall handstand pushups, and muscleups, what should I be replacing? As in, which exercises should I cease doing when I insert these?

My M/F routine right now are pushups, pullups, dips, squats, shrugs, hanging leg raises, and curls.

My W routine is neck exercises, leaning reverse overhead rows to work the back of tricpes, reverse ring rows, and shoulder flies with a kettlebells, and squats, curls, and hanging leg raises. Pretty much just calisthenics versions of neck/shoulder/trap exercises plus my normal core/lower body stuff.

Hi everyone! I was getting into body weight fitness and pole dancing (still beginner) right before my total hysterectomy about 2w ago. It was a laparoscopic surgery - so though I need to worry about hernias, my life and activity levels are quite normal at the moment.

The doctor said after 2w I could start doing targetted exercise and gave gym examples, but full body and stuff that involves core-engagement are still a no go. This leaves me quite lost when I try to think of what I could still do outside a gym context (and I won't have access to one soon either way due to a 3w long work trip).

Would anybody have any suggestions or recommendations of what might be doable? I was thinking maybe lighter alternatives like wall push-ups might work due to less core engagement and give me something to go off from considering 6w of blob life might rob me of the invert I had just achieved on the pole right before surgery.

Any suggestions are welcome! Will have a check-up with the doctor next Friday to bother more about the subject as well. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I'm 16, 183 cm (6'0"), and 72 kg (158 lbs). Making good progress across most of my lifts, but I’ve hit a weird plateau on pull-ups and could use some advice.

Back when I was going to a gym, I was lat pulling 80kg (176 lbs) x 8 reps, so the pulling foundation is there. Right now I'm working out strictly at home doing pull-ups, dips, push-ups, and isolation work.

Here’s where things stand:

Weighted Push-ups: Progressing insanely well. Adding weight and reps consistently.

Pull-ups:I started with extra 14 kgs for 6 reps. I did 3-4 workouts and didn't even managed to hit 6 again. Completely plateaued. Honestly, I feel weaker than when I first started—my rep count is either stuck or actually lower than Day 1.

For my pull-up routine, I go 2-3 days apart, doing 2 sets straight to total failure (RIR 0). I was expecting my central nervous system to adapt and boost my pull-ups, but it’s doing the exact opposite. Given my old lat pulldown numbers and how well my push-ups are going, this is super frustrating.

Is this just CNS fatigue piling up, or am I messing up my frequency and set management at home? Anyone faced something similar and fixed it? Should i change my workout routine?

My current pull workout is

Weighted pullups 2 set (i'm doing with straps also)

biceps and hammer curls for 2 set each

2 sets of weighted dead hangs

At the top of my pull-ups my humerus is almost horizontal. I’m not shrugging up, I just can’t seem to get good adduction of my humerus. I’m not having pain or discomfort, but I feel like there is definitely room for improvement. My chin-ups and wide grip pull-ups don’t flare, only my regular grip pull-ups with hands just outside of shoulder width.

Has anybody had this issue and fixed it?
Were bands useful?
How long did it take you?
What changes were noticeable after the fix, changes in back engagement, development, etc?

I thought about starting easy, planking.
I found I engage/pressure my shoulders, neck and legs more than I do my core.
So I want to train myself to engage my core
I tried planking only on my hands and knees, same thing, I tried planking on my arms/elbows and knees or legs, SAME DAMN THING

I can't for the life of me ENGAGE MY CORE

I don't understand how, I completely fail any attempt at doing so and end up hurting myself one way or another.

Maybe me very slight scoliosis is the problem? Though I doubt it.

Even standing up trying to engage my core hurts my lower back lol

Edit: Thanks!

Update, I feel stuck I weigh about 70-76 kilos 5’4 and I feel slightly light but at the same time feel overwhelmed of building too much mass for planche. I would like some advice and tips terms of progressing from single leg/ straddle planche to full planche as I already achieved both progressions it’s just accessory work seems to be the problem.

I can zanetti press 5-6kg 6-15 reps solid good form although idk about bumping up the weight to 7-8kg as I feel like I don’t wanna gain too much mass as it will impact my weight a lot as I’m tryna figure out on how I can stay strong and lean without gaining too much muscle I’m ready for all yall advices and tips.

Last year I transitioned from a barista job to a classic 9-5 desk job. My average steps went down from 8000 a day to 3000 and I get most of my steps coming and going from the job.

During that first year, I was slow to learn the job and focused on that. In turn, I lost focus on my health. Now I’ve developed severe lower back pain.

I’ve been trying to go back to the basics and rebuild my core—dead bugs, planks, glute bridges, toe taps—as well as hip stretches and strengthening—pigeon pose, cat-cows, hip flexor stretch, 50-50s. I do them once a day and gently to avoid overextending.

The problem is that before I start doing my core exercises, my back is a dull pain. After I finish them and my core is awake from being engaged, my back is in sharp pain, so much so that I have to do the exercises at night otherwise I’m immobilized during the day.

I know part of the problem is my desk sitting, but I can’t change that in any capacity and the shape of my office and desk itself (it’s a small desk) cannot hold a standing desk.

In the past, previous fitnesses trainers said I had extremely weak glutes starting out and weak hips, so I absolutely think those are deteriorated faster than the rest of my strengthen.

Any advice? Should I keep doing the basics or switch to something else since it aggravates my pain? Should I transition to more hip and glute exercises for a while instead?

When I do horizontal rows on rings, I have my feet on a chair hanging from the rings so my body is horizontal with my back to the floor. When I pull, does my elbows flair outwards, or stay close to my body like a reverse pushup? And does my grip matter? I currently use a neutral grip.

I do do pull ups in my routine as well, but these two exercises are my only back exercises I do in my routine. I also do ring curls, but I make sure my shoulders stay locked to minimise back activation and focus on the biceps.

​Hi everyone,

​I’ve been doing the Recommended Routine for over a month now and I’m absolutely loving it. However, I’m renting a tiny apartment that isn’t in the best shape, and honestly, nothing here feels solid enough to trust, doors, doorframes, you name it. I don't even have a dining table, just a low coffee table in the living room.

​I plan to set up a power tower in my neighbor’s garage for autumn and winter, but I can’t afford to buy it just yet.

​Today, my usual outdoor workout spot is closed and the weather is terrible. I’m stuck with two options: skip my RR workout this morning and wait until tomorrow, or... well, that’s where I need your help. I have no way to perform pull-ups, dips, or inverted rows at home right now.

​A couple of quick questions for you:

​Is it fine to just push the session back by a day? (My last session was Thursday morning, today is Saturday, so doing it Sunday morning and then resuming on Tuesday?)

​Is it worth replacing pull-ups, dips, and inverted rows with other bodyweight exercises for today, and if so, which ones would you recommend?

​Thanks in advance for your help!

Im trying to do the RR right now (been doing it for 4 workouts), and while the rest of the exercises i can do fairly ok (even with progressions), i not only can't do any type of pull-up, i can't hang from the bar.

i just start to feel im about to fall even when trying to lift off my legs, so i just stand on one leg on tiptoes gripping the bar.

i was trying to find any posts mentioning the same problem, but apparently everyone is able to dead hang even if for 10 sec.

i was wondering whether there's any substitute exercise for dead hangs, from which i'd progress to pull-ups, and if what im doing is enough

Hi, I'm currently following a classic upper/lower 4x a week gym routine but I'd also like to add some calisthenics work, what's a reasonable way to do so? I thought of adding an exclusive calisthenics skill day once a week, but that sounds like very slow progress as skills require consistent neural adaptation. I also thought of maybe doing 1 week of weights and 1 week of calisthenics, but I'm not sure that's good for calisthenics as I'd spend a week doing no skills. Another option would be to do all my upper days "mixed" calisthenics and gym, but as I'd have to do my skills before weight lifting my gym numbers would go down... Any ideas?

My goals are:

• Gym: Gaining weight & becoming stronger
  • In the gym I do barbell lifts (squat bench rdl) and weighted pull ups, then some isolation work with dumbbells or machines, I really enjoy it and I like lifting heavy. I'm in a calorie surplus and gained some weight but I'd like to add 7kg more.
• Calisthenics: Joints/tendons conditioning & work towards these skills:
  • High pull ups to hips (I can do +30% bw regular pull ups for 5 reps now, working to reach +50% bw. I would like to then unlock muscle ups)
  • Front lever (currently in adv tuck stage, would like to unlock full)
  • One arm elbow lever (currently two arm unlocked. I need lots of wrist flexibility and strength to do OAEL which I don't have yet)
  • False grip (as a base to help with skills generally)
  • Planche (currently planche lean, aiming for adv tuck)

My routine looks like this right now:

1. Upper (Gym)
2. Lower (Gym)
3. Upper (Gym)
4. Lower (Gym)

I've been training calisthenics by sometimes swapping my upper gym days with calisthenics days, or sometimes doing skills at the end of upper gym days but I'm too exhausted to do them well.

Is there a way to do both at the same time while increasing strength on my barbell lifts and without destroying my joints? Any suggestions on how to plan this? Thanks for reading up to the end!