You too can build a great body using nothing but your own bodyweight from the comfort of your own home. Here is the PERFECT home workout - th-cam.com/video/vc1E5CfRfos/w-d-xo.html
I watch your videos since I was 20. Did your Home Zero program and loved every moment of it. Transitioned to Bodyweight training afterwards and now I am blessed to teach Calisthenics for a living. This channel has been golden and it’s still one of the few I still come back to learn something new. I appreciate your dedication to your craft Jeff ✊🏽 -Gabo
Calisthenics are badass. I myself am a barbell/dumbbell purist myself, only do dips and pullups, but feats of calisthenics always impress me the most. Hardcore parkour. I knew a parkourist who would run up an entire mountain every morning
Now I see where that - 'What is up guys, welcome back to another video' - comes from. 😂 May I suggest a collab with Jeff. 😉 Nothing but love to SM family. 🙂
Never thought I’d see myself in an Athlean X video 🤯 Gymnasts are just super human. When you try calisthenics moves, you can begin to appreciate how strong they are
I was a gymnast for 8 years and I’m telling you that’s was the best shape of my life. Combining weight training with body weight training tones your body out so well. I want to get back into that life style
Thank you for bringing more attention to gymnastics training/calisthenics and clarify these. In my experience many people are just discovering this area and really need the right information. Joint preparation is one of the main things they have no clue about however it’s REALLY important.
Yeah, been doing it for two months and love it. But had to stop for a week cos of this rotator cuff and scapula pain. It’s healing now, but maaaan, That and unexpected sciatic pain (my job) has me for real watching my anatomical health and having muscle mindfulness through and through
@@zy8753 Yes, usually unfortunately an injury or pain is the first “wake up call” for many people. But once you discover the benefits of prehab exercises, it’s a game changer! Get well asap! :)
I did gymnastics from age 7 till freshman yr of college when I took a career ending injury. There is one thing I haven't seen anyone mention about gymnasts yet that I feel is super important for any serious athlete. Flexibility!! Gymnasts are extremely flexible. Flexibility = strength, especially when attempting to do body motions that put you in unnatural poses. Flexible muscles allow for greater strength and control through a larger range of motion. Look at dancers and even martial artists for example. Not to mention, it helps prevent injury. I can tell you, in high school, I could leg press more than most football players and bench press double my body weight (which amounted to about 290lbs). I never trained with anything other than my body weight. Now, at 43yrs old, I am still in decent shape, but the most surprising thing is the muscle memory I have attained throughout the years. My son is 14, and a AAA hockey player who is also getting into calisthenics. I haven't been in a gym in probably a decade, but can still out pushup him, out pull up him, out dip him, and I can still do a press handstand. Thought I was going to fall apart afterwards, but I did it. I now weigh about 175. He weighs 120, and is roughly 3 inches shorter than my 5'8". It goes to show there are very real results in teaching your body the leverage, stabilizing, and doing thousands of reps.
Omg yesss no one really talks about it ever but i can 100% confirm this, i was a gymnast from age 4 - 17 and a dancer from 7 - now (im 20) and i also trained karate for like 7 years i was a nidan. Now im a swimmer in college and a rower and i would say my background helped me a lot in comparison with other girls who had played other sports or were gym rats or stuff like that
My daughter started gymnastics at 5. She is now 9 and competes. I’m so glad she fell in love with it. She is so incredibly strong for her size. I don’t know how long she will want/be able to do it, but I’m glad that this is setting her up for success in other areas too. Thank you for sharing.
Similar experience as a sports climber. Power to weight ratio was nuts. A little softer at the edges now (mid fifties) but the majority of the strength & flexibility stays with you with age sensitive training. Probably the best investment in my health ever.
Really rock climbing is the definition of a sport where balance and body consciousness matters more than strength. Except for forearm strength, that is a make or break factor ahahah.
I love what you said, “age sensitive “. That is a perfect description. As a woman, I’ve weight lifted for year….25 years off and on……as I grow older, my body composition as well as just plain body parts getting older. My workouts are completely different now than when I was younger. I have moved from heavy to lighter weights using isometric muscle training and disciplined high repetitions. I have to be very disciplined in how I approach my workouts.
I'm age 21 and did gymnastics from ages 4 to 18. Starting so young you learn to feel the center of balance and learn to adapt as you get older and stronger. And of course repetition over time and years increases the relative strength you talk about. I think it's harder for older muscular non-gymnast guys to perform what we gymnasts grew up doing because of the body mechanics you bring up. I also began serious core training very young which gives us often an assist over non-gymnasts trying gymnast moves.
agreed. most things in life need to be learned young for example the economy of movement that world class boxers have can only be the result of starting young
Any tips for us "older muscular non-gymnast guys" sir? I'm in my late twenties and can perform a few vertical dips and pull-ups and jump here and there (not much I know). I'd appreciate it!
@@justinkennedy3004 I had planned from young in gymnastics to compete at the U of Illinois under Justin Spring. But I got severely beat up as a 16 year old gymnast. 3 older guys found me alone on a summer night doing a bar workout. They came over and said they were going to have fun punching the fuck out of my abs. And they did. I lasted on and off over 30 minutes. I learned that night how well I can take punches. But it scared me given what they said would happen to me if I turned them in. They were older and had played baseball and football. I healed up and then moved into full body weight training to gain a lot of lean muscle mass. And that meant legs. I transitioned from gymnastics to bodybuilding and to aggressive abdominal training to take hard punches. My huge quads and a great growth spurt made going on in gymnastics dubious. But as you say--I started gymnastics by age 4 and by age 18 I had enough joint and tendon issues in my wrists, ankles and 1 shoulder. I blamed getting beat up so severely from me getting to college gymnastics. But the reality is my body was done with gymnastics.
I was a competitive gymnast for 10 years, and kept it up for a few years after competing. The shape you are in as a gymnast truly is freaky- like 3 sets of 25 pull-ups on a conditioning day freaky. That said, the time spent as a gymnast put me at a great advantage even 15 years later because these principles you speak about never really leave you once they’ve been instilled in you. I often surprise people with strength and calisthenic tricks here and there. Great video!
I started body weight ring training at 50 and it made a serious difference in core strength. Age still gets the best of me but these routines with weight training make a huge difference in overall ability as you age
@@chasecentario5308 thanks for the encouragement I'm in my mid-40s and so far probably the best shape of my life, cardio and strength-wise, but you see these UFC fighters who really can't go past eh 42 on average so I ask myself who am I kiddin but I'll keep going, it really is a way of life even if you are not "the best" give yourself a fighting chance though
That's why I've been all in on calisthenics for the past year, it's so fun and playful and super rewarding to get better at these skills. You really feel like you're achieving something much more real than adding plates to the bar, with all due respect to those who just wanna do that.
Best Athlete, TH-camr, Content creator, bodybuilder, Fitness trainer and nutritionist. Thanks Jeff for always helping us become a better version of ourselves.
@@anthonykiernan8339 Nah, the best thing about him is that he doesn't claim to know everything or to be the best at anything. He just tells us straight up what works for him. Doesn't judge anyone if they do something, that works for them. Look at the NBA Trainers. They're not physically gifted or talent, yet they have knowledge and train athletes to be the best they can be. Provide feedback from their own standpoint and perspective.
Also the muscle tension from most gymnastics exercises on the rings and on the other specialties is so high that every training session feels like a strength training session. Especially for beginners. Also gymnasts are usually so short that they don't weight a lot and in addition with their extraordinary strength you see all those crazy and awesome routines! Nice video Jeff!
I've been training for 5 years. Recently decided to change to calisthenics. I can safely say it's nothing like I did before. I felt so weak but I'm not planning to give up. Thanks for this video that was exactly what I needed.
Love your explanations. After working on calisthenics gor a couple of months, I truly get your comment on practicing and attempting the moves 100 times before achieving success. Thanks!
Thank you J for this great video. I am currently training a world champion in Acrobatics (14yrs old) and all of the bodyweight exercises in this video are like bread and butter for her (done with minimal effort). I just wanted to share that most of her training plan is focused on Isometric exercises. Bottom line is once you start to focus your training not only on Concentric movements but also on Eccentric and Isometric exercises (the undervalued 3D training concept), you discover a new level of strength! Training smart is just as important as training hard if you really want to maximize your strength.
Being that calisthenics has been my main vehicle of training, it’s great seeing the advance levels of calisthenics getting some love on this channel. Been watching you for a while now and wanted to know your opinion on these kinds of movements.
I love the way Jeff explains everything, what’s good and bad to better understand how you should workout to maximum your workout and efforts out of it. It’s just what I needed to renew my energy, thanks Jeff.
totally agree with the fun factor. there are so many movement that i cant do in the past, now i can do some of it and still working on most of it. definitely feel the satisfaction when achieving them
As a calisthenics guy myself, I've still been subbed for years to Jeff to improve my foundation and general muscle growth. This video was so spot on, as usual.
Great video. This really highlights the importance of skill acquisition and when it comes to beginners starting out, it's so important to nail the basics in the weight room.
So funny story. I watched this video a few months back while starting calisthenics. Now I'm a full time gymnast in Bangkok and I'm training for the 2032 Olympics. 6 hours of training a day, building a tiktok following (14.7k followers in 6 weeks) and recovering rest of the time. Just wanted to know I probably wouldn't have made this jump had I not found your channel years ago. I remember doing P90x in Iraq actually for abs. So if you're ever in Bangkok, feel free to swing by our gym. I'll teach you and Jesse how to do a backflip. 💪 🔥
Excellent points about center of balance/core and optimizing your leverage points. Immediately increased my pullups and chinups by following your chinup instructional video. Mahalo, Phil in Paradise.
Love this! Am intensly training to master the handstand, and u’r so right about increasing the volume thru excitement and competition!! “I’v almost got it, just 1 more….!”
Bicep pushups actually do work. Jeff just looks at the exercise very one dimensionally. Rather than a "push" exercise that works the triceps, it serves as an "isometric" exercise for the biceps. Jeff is literally the only person on youtube that says it doesn't work, and subscribers just gobbled it up.
I wish I'd wrestled but at the time it just looked so g@y and I couldn't bring myself to you know touch other dudes unless it was with uniforms on pads n' such in football and that was just a brief smack. But if you want lifelong self-defense, wrestling is the way to go. I'm 50/50 glad I didn't wrestle because of not wanting to touch other dudes and at the same time wishing I'd just learned the sport and be done with it. There's a lot of possible injuries with that though. Boxing is easy to train. Wrestling is a whole different animal.
@@blockaderunner there used to be a saying in wrestling and grappling, there's being fit and then there is being wrestling fit, very different but great for long term success
@@anancientaliennamedstevie9982 yeah, I know a wrestler, 49, divorced with kids, I think he went to Penn State, just met him 5 months ago, but he showed me his gym in the basement week before last and it's got a real wrestling mat, monkey bars, Rings, MMA gloves etc. I've trained kickboxing for 3 years now and I would not want to get into a fight with him, tough dude, and deceptively I think, he just got that confidence even in old age and runs his own business owning two houses in a high-priced area right next to each other I don't trust him all that much cause he's pro-Vax but still, him being a real liberal, he's cool/adult about things, and will talk college wrestling which I'd never cared about as I only watch UFC He told me about Bo Nickel
Coached gymnastics for 9 years. Learning the progressions to skills is a big thing as well as drills to break down the harder exercises. I have so much respect for the athletes that I've worked with over the years.
Hi I am interested in strengthing my body with gymnastic excercises but I don’t know what is the beginning and the start like what they do and what exercises I do to strength my body and my muscles
I'm so blessed to be a lightweight guy. You discover these things about yourself at a very young age. You're able to do flips and kicks that most people can't even comprehend.
Big fan. I've been following your videos for at least 5+ years now, and this is one of the best videos you've released lately. I lifted weights but during lockdown, I started focusing on calisthenics. My favorite exercise is the "hybrid" weighted pull ups. Keep up the good work.
I'm glad Jeff is covering the merits of calisthenics. After I started going to the gym, I decided I wanted to do something with the gained muscle, and discovered calisthenics. It takes years and months to achieve but it sure is rewarding and fun once you get them.
I started doing gymnastic ring exercises last year when all the gyms closed down. When the gyms opened my deadlift and chest press reached new PBs. Rings have become an equal part of my workout program now.
What you said about leverages was mostly true but while it does make it easier it does not effectively reduce your body weight, what it does is when your in the right position it makes your center of gravity be over you hands which makes it easier because it’s more stable (think of doing a bench press but you hands are both to one side compared to normal) you still have to push the same weight but since it’s balanced the weight/your body won’t tip to one side. I hope that made sense and I’m glad you are bringing more awareness to gymnastics and what it’s like. (I’ve been a gymnast for 7 years so far)
I once did dips on the rings at Kits Beach (Vancouver) .. but the rings were smaller dia and dug into my wrists.. 2 reps, and I stopped. The beginning grip came naturally..Great clip
bro this feels like a fever dream , im 17 i used to do gymnastics when i was like 7/8 and i was pretty damn good and i studied and trained damn near everyday and literally just doing the same shit over and over until i got it and it worked 😭 it’s so crazy how in coming back to this years later and realizing shit like this really works
You have to realize also that most gymnasts are around 5’6” height, and many less than that. Their body mass to height ratio is optimized for strength. Some of the shorter guys don’t have pronounced muscles, but enough strength to manage their body.
It's about how you do with whole body. Skills specially static one is not about muscle but joints too, and each progression is to make our joints stronger little by little and muscle will follow.
Been following Jeff for a looong time and learned so much ! The best thing I have ever done in my 'gym career' was starting Cali at 45 years old , now 52 , never been so fit , so strong, so ripped . People can't believe how old I'm . 😆
The training style of a gymnast is perfect. It's fun, and the body becomes strong and aesthetic. The only area that is lacking - legs - can be trained separately for increased size and strength if desired.
gymnast of 14 years, i am currenty 23 and my knees hurt after every training, wrist clicks everytime i turn them, shoulders hurt when i put them over my head, but god damn can i do flips and shit
I think Jeff deserves every bit of fame and money he has earned. I remember watching in 2015 he had 2.5 mil subs and I was wondering why he wasn’t at 10 mil.
Age 58 and I find calisthenics so much more enjoyable than weight training. I recently got my first clean muscle up and I can hold my straight line handstand for nearly a minute. The young folks in the gym marvel at what I can do as an old man. I will never outlift them, but I don’t care about absolute strength. I seek functional mobility, masterful bodily control, and relative strength.
not just strong, for conditioning, we used to have to harden our muscles. One in particular left massive bruises.. you have to do front 'rolls' on the parallel bars, using your arms as the axel point. the feeling of your bicep and tris being crushed under your body weight on two wooden beams about 2" thick. the worst was the inner and out arm where you have little muscle and you hit what felt like bone.. had to go through this hell 4 times a week.. 40 years later I still remember it.
Gymnasts are the true greatest all round athletes. Thanks for the tip awesome channel. My tip is go to settings playback settings 0.75. when watching these videos.
Spot on Jeff. The calisthenics engagement you're describing is what they call the Hollow Body Position. And damn near all calisthenics movements rely on the HBP.
Been doing Gymnastic Bodies for almost a year now... I don't think I look huge or anything, but people are always commenting on how I've obviously been working out... (And I was working out a lot for years before! But not with consistent progressive strength training.) And it's really transformed my body. Great for physique and overall strength, and for doing cool party tricks. But the best part by far is what it does for your joints. It's the most important thing, and it's astonishing how overlooked it is. I had mild but chronic pain in my left wrist and rotator cuff for at least a year, now it's totally gone. I'm almost 40, and I'm more spry and have better mobility and more resilient joints than I did when I 20. Can do shoulder dislocates, skin the can, wrist pushups, walk on the blades of my feet, pistol squats, etc, no problem. When I see people who are like, oh my back, my knees! Bending over/getting off the floor is hard! I'm like, dear god, how can you bear being trapped in such an impotent and rigid prison of a body? You're practically crippled, and you did it to yourself. Don't do that!
A few years ago I watched my state gymnastics championships in person, when I happened to live within walking distance of the venue. One thing that really stuck with me was seeing one absolutely /jacked/ dude do iron crosses (upright and inverted) like it was nothing. Deeply, deeply impressive - I've never seen anything else like it in person.
Watching these reminded me of Diamond Ott who is/was known as the "fittest soldier." Dude does some incredible moves, all while wearing combat boots and pants! Cheers
well, the SEALs implement a Lot of calisthenics in their toughest training, I always thought that would be so tough and it is, but having done more of it since being made aware of that, I just think that the Log PT and Boat PT in freezing water would be Worse than the endless calisthenics.
How gymnasts get so strong? Very simple. They start at 7 years old and basically live at the gym till they retire in their early/mid twenties, because their ligaments and joints can't handle it anymore.
I do watch you; and "Ventage Genetics" You look great, your advice makes so much since, and you keep moving on with great instruction and detail, there's no doubt getting you thoughts through to the viewer! something I do apricate! You are the best instructor!
Since their are many gymnast coaches in here I wanna ask? How do gymnasts manage recovery when training skills everyday such as iron cross and Maltese together, whilst also doing specific drills to strengthen their tendons? (Elbows) Do they only do 2, maybe 3 exercises per movement? Also how do they fit in general strength such as weighted pull ups and dips into their routines?
your a boss, found you last year after a year's worth of my new diet (veg and fish 6 days a week, no sugar) so I was ready, now I am looking great. just started seeing abs. got some shoulder lines. 45 yrs never been this fit, been skinny but this is me leveling up. Thanks Bro!
@athlean-x hey Jeff I’ve been watching your videos and recommending them to anyone I can tell about them for a while now. I really appreciate all your science based and professional advice for clueless guys like me. I have a family and a pretty busy schedule so I was doing three full body workouts a week. Recently though I’ve started doing bjj 5 mornings a week. It’s just easier for me to get up and go somewhere at 5am then do a home workout. My question is, if I want to add a strength training routine in on the weekends, say to get stronger and not necessarily grow, what lifts should I do, should it be full body and how much rest and weight should be involved? Or should I just take the weekend to rest? I guess I’m asking, what would you recommend as a supplemental strength training routine for bjj? Thanks again for everything
Calisthenics look seriously fun. Some of them don't. But some do. I definitely want to start incorporating some into my weight lifting routines. I'll definitely watch the video that's at the end of this video.
This is really good content Jeff! In JC, I was a gymnast, who’s favorite work were the rings, pommel horse and floor work. The stuff I could do 41 years ago. Today I follow your Band/dumbbell workouts. 👍🏽✊🏽 thanks for this educational video.
0:23 The shocked look of the dude in the background was hilarious haha. That was exactly my reaction when I saw him doing that exercise. I've never seen that amount of total body strength like that before. That was nuts!
Today I was thinking about another concept you talked about in previous videos, and that is: true strength vs. compensatory strength. After watching this video I am thinking that if you devote yourself to mastering these complex calisthenic movements you will be forced to develop your true strength, otherwise you simply won't progress. In my opinion, doing calisthenics you tend to focus more on the movement, whereas lifting weights you might focus too much on the weights and forgetting about the mechanics... Thank you so much for the inspiration.
Excellent points as always. If you watch the Olympics, and look at the men's gymnastic teams, most the guys are very short. I guess that gives them a high power/ weight ratio. They also seem to have great genetics for muscle building. They train from very young ages ( here in Czechia, there are gymnastic clubs for kids from ages 5 and up ). One thing my Russian friend said that most of these gymnasts in his country have big joint problems as they get a bit older ( you will never see an Olympic gymnast much beyond the age of 24 being successful ).
This is the info I was looking for, thanks! So many people work out hard, get injured (or bored), and then end up more out of shape than before. To get and stay in shape you need to enjoy the act of working out for itself, not to get in shape.
Dear Jeff, I’ve been watching you my whole weight lifting career which is coming up on 4 years, I’m a high school kicker and was wondering if you could, I know this is off brand, a kicker football workout video. They lack on TH-cam and I think specialists from all over would appreciate it. Greatly appreciate your content and time.
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
You too can build a great body using nothing but your own bodyweight from the comfort of your own home. Here is the PERFECT home workout - th-cam.com/video/vc1E5CfRfos/w-d-xo.html
I watch your videos since I was 20. Did your Home Zero program and loved every moment of it. Transitioned to Bodyweight training afterwards and now I am blessed to teach Calisthenics for a living. This channel has been golden and it’s still one of the few I still come back to learn something new. I appreciate your dedication to your craft Jeff ✊🏽 -Gabo
Cool.
Calisthenics are badass. I myself am a barbell/dumbbell purist myself, only do dips and pullups, but feats of calisthenics always impress me the most. Hardcore parkour. I knew a parkourist who would run up an entire mountain every morning
Wow, Gabo Saturno is here!
Now I see where that - 'What is up guys, welcome back to another video' - comes from. 😂
May I suggest a collab with Jeff. 😉
Nothing but love to SM family. 🙂
Yo Gabo whats up
Never thought I’d see myself in an Athlean X video 🤯 Gymnasts are just super human. When you try calisthenics moves, you can begin to appreciate how strong they are
Recognised you, then instantly scrolled thru the comments to find out if you have seen it as well 😄
Glad you did and love to see you there
@@wavesky_pv same! Haha Shoutout to Tom :D
Ayy my man Tom sup bro loving your videos recently👌🙏
Thats the reason i choose body weight over machines
And calisthenic is wayyyy more fun then weights
I saw the clip and I was like "Yoooooooooo its Tom"
I was a gymnast for 8 years and I’m telling you that’s was the best shape of my life. Combining weight training with body weight training tones your body out so well. I want to get back into that life style
How was your weekly training back then?
"that’s as the what shape of my life" not sure what you're trying to say here?
@@asd2640 I have no idea either. Let's see...
@@asd2640 Use your imagination. haha
Just do it
Thank you for bringing more attention to gymnastics training/calisthenics and clarify these. In my experience many people are just discovering this area and really need the right information. Joint preparation is one of the main things they have no clue about however it’s REALLY important.
Yeah, been doing it for two months and love it. But had to stop for a week cos of this rotator cuff and scapula pain. It’s healing now, but maaaan, That and unexpected sciatic pain (my job) has me for real watching my anatomical health and having muscle mindfulness through and through
@@zy8753 Yes, usually unfortunately an injury or pain is the first “wake up call” for many people. But once you discover the benefits of prehab exercises, it’s a game changer! Get well asap! :)
Your channel is *INCREDIBLE* as well 💪
@@GymnasticsMethod Love your videos man. Easily the best information when it comes to bodyweight training that i've found on youtube.
@@NeoCortex963 appreciate it!
I did gymnastics from age 7 till freshman yr of college when I took a career ending injury. There is one thing I haven't seen anyone mention about gymnasts yet that I feel is super important for any serious athlete. Flexibility!! Gymnasts are extremely flexible. Flexibility = strength, especially when attempting to do body motions that put you in unnatural poses. Flexible muscles allow for greater strength and control through a larger range of motion. Look at dancers and even martial artists for example. Not to mention, it helps prevent injury. I can tell you, in high school, I could leg press more than most football players and bench press double my body weight (which amounted to about 290lbs). I never trained with anything other than my body weight. Now, at 43yrs old, I am still in decent shape, but the most surprising thing is the muscle memory I have attained throughout the years. My son is 14, and a AAA hockey player who is also getting into calisthenics. I haven't been in a gym in probably a decade, but can still out pushup him, out pull up him, out dip him, and I can still do a press handstand. Thought I was going to fall apart afterwards, but I did it. I now weigh about 175. He weighs 120, and is roughly 3 inches shorter than my 5'8". It goes to show there are very real results in teaching your body the leverage, stabilizing, and doing thousands of reps.
Omg yesss no one really talks about it ever but i can 100% confirm this, i was a gymnast from age 4 - 17 and a dancer from 7 - now (im 20) and i also trained karate for like 7 years i was a nidan. Now im a swimmer in college and a rower and i would say my background helped me a lot in comparison with other girls who had played other sports or were gym rats or stuff like that
Thanks for sharing 👏💪🏾
My daughter started gymnastics at 5. She is now 9 and competes. I’m so glad she fell in love with it. She is so incredibly strong for her size. I don’t know how long she will want/be able to do it, but I’m glad that this is setting her up for success in other areas too. Thank you for sharing.
Similar experience as a sports climber. Power to weight ratio was nuts. A little softer at the edges now (mid fifties) but the majority of the strength & flexibility stays with you with age sensitive training. Probably the best investment in my health ever.
Really rock climbing is the definition of a sport where balance and body consciousness matters more than strength. Except for forearm strength, that is a make or break factor ahahah.
Inspiring.
I love what you said, “age sensitive “. That is a perfect description. As a woman, I’ve weight lifted for year….25 years off and on……as I grow older, my body composition as well as just plain body parts getting older. My workouts are completely different now than when I was younger. I have moved from heavy to lighter weights using isometric muscle training and disciplined high repetitions. I have to be very disciplined in how I approach my workouts.
I'm age 21 and did gymnastics from ages 4 to 18. Starting so young you learn to feel the center of balance and learn to adapt as you get older and stronger. And of course repetition over time and years increases the relative strength you talk about. I think it's harder for older muscular non-gymnast guys to perform what we gymnasts grew up doing because of the body mechanics you bring up. I also began serious core training very young which gives us often an assist over non-gymnasts trying gymnast moves.
agreed. most things in life need to be learned young for example the economy of movement that world class boxers have can only be the result of starting young
How many gymnasts quit due to accumulated damage to joints, tendons, etc.? On average, not your personal history.
Any tips for us "older muscular non-gymnast guys" sir? I'm in my late twenties and can perform a few vertical dips and pull-ups and jump here and there (not much I know). I'd appreciate it!
Core is absolutely critical and most people dont train the core.
@@justinkennedy3004 I had planned from young in gymnastics to compete at the U of Illinois under Justin Spring. But I got severely beat up as a 16 year old gymnast. 3 older guys found me alone on a summer night doing a bar workout. They came over and said they were going to have fun punching the fuck out of my abs. And they did. I lasted on and off over 30 minutes. I learned that night how well I can take punches. But it scared me given what they said would happen to me if I turned them in. They were older and had played baseball and football. I healed up and then moved into full body weight training to gain a lot of lean muscle mass. And that meant legs. I transitioned from gymnastics to bodybuilding and to aggressive abdominal training to take hard punches. My huge quads and a great growth spurt made going on in gymnastics dubious. But as you say--I started gymnastics by age 4 and by age 18 I had enough joint and tendon issues in my wrists, ankles and 1 shoulder. I blamed getting beat up so severely from me getting to college gymnastics. But the reality is my body was done with gymnastics.
I was a competitive gymnast for 10 years, and kept it up for a few years after competing. The shape you are in as a gymnast truly is freaky- like 3 sets of 25 pull-ups on a conditioning day freaky. That said, the time spent as a gymnast put me at a great advantage even 15 years later because these principles you speak about never really leave you once they’ve been instilled in you. I often surprise people with strength and calisthenic tricks here and there. Great video!
I started body weight ring training at 50 and it made a serious difference in core strength. Age still gets the best of me but these routines with weight training make a huge difference in overall ability as you age
Rings are awesome
Your correct, I am 70 and in good,shape.
@@chasecentario5308 thanks for the encouragement I'm in my mid-40s and so far probably the best shape of my life, cardio and strength-wise, but you see these UFC fighters who really can't go past eh 42 on average so I ask myself who am I kiddin but I'll keep going, it really is a way of life even if you are not "the best" give yourself a fighting chance though
Hi John, when you say “age still gets the best of you”, do mean recovery time or something else?
That's why I've been all in on calisthenics for the past year, it's so fun and playful and super rewarding to get better at these skills. You really feel like you're achieving something much more real than adding plates to the bar, with all due respect to those who just wanna do that.
Best Athlete, TH-camr, Content creator, bodybuilder, Fitness trainer and nutritionist. Thanks Jeff for always helping us become a better version of ourselves.
His name is jeff
Is that wat they call this guy that thinks he knows Everything 🤔
To be fair, there’s probably only one of those on the planet, so it’s not hard to be the best. 😉
@@anthonykiernan8339 He’s never claimed to know everything. He just knows a lot! I’ve never heard a word of BS come out of the dude’s mouth.
@@anthonykiernan8339 Nah, the best thing about him is that he doesn't claim to know everything or to be the best at anything.
He just tells us straight up what works for him. Doesn't judge anyone if they do something, that works for them.
Look at the NBA Trainers. They're not physically gifted or talent, yet they have knowledge and train athletes to be the best they can be.
Provide feedback from their own standpoint and perspective.
Also the muscle tension from most gymnastics exercises on the rings and on the other specialties is so high that every training session feels like a strength training session. Especially for beginners. Also gymnasts are usually so short that they don't weight a lot and in addition with their extraordinary strength you see all those crazy and awesome routines!
Nice video Jeff!
I've been training for 5 years. Recently decided to change to calisthenics. I can safely say it's nothing like I did before. I felt so weak but I'm not planning to give up. Thanks for this video that was exactly what I needed.
This made me give up
The comment makes no sense to anyone?
Love your explanations. After working on calisthenics gor a couple of months, I truly get your comment on practicing and attempting the moves 100 times before achieving success. Thanks!
I love these talks that are over principles and not just workouts. Thank you for the encouragement!
Thank you J for this great video.
I am currently training a world champion in Acrobatics (14yrs old) and all of the bodyweight exercises in this video are like bread and butter for her (done with minimal effort). I just wanted to share that most of her training plan is focused on Isometric exercises. Bottom line is once you start to focus your training not only on Concentric movements but also on Eccentric and Isometric exercises (the undervalued 3D training concept), you discover a new level of strength! Training smart is just as important as training hard if you really want to maximize your strength.
Being that calisthenics has been my main vehicle of training, it’s great seeing the advance levels of calisthenics getting some love on this channel. Been watching you for a while now and wanted to know your opinion on these kinds of movements.
I love the way Jeff explains everything, what’s good and bad to better understand how you should workout to maximum your workout and efforts out of it. It’s just what I needed to renew my energy, thanks Jeff.
totally agree with the fun factor. there are so many movement that i cant do in the past, now i can do some of it and still working on most of it. definitely feel the satisfaction when achieving them
I did gymnastics for only a few years when I was younger but it gave me a crazy good foundation for future fitness endeavours
I'm training at home and I do a lot of bodyweight exercises. They are good to build strenght and muscle mass. But I use dumbbells and barbells as well
As a calisthenics guy myself, I've still been subbed for years to Jeff to improve my foundation and general muscle growth. This video was so spot on, as usual.
Great video. This really highlights the importance of skill acquisition and when it comes to beginners starting out, it's so important to nail the basics in the weight room.
Finally a video about Gymnastics
If jeff's arm gets injured, he makes sure to injure the other arm to avoid muscle imbalence
🤣
😂
So funny story. I watched this video a few months back while starting calisthenics. Now I'm a full time gymnast in Bangkok and I'm training for the 2032 Olympics. 6 hours of training a day, building a tiktok following (14.7k followers in 6 weeks) and recovering rest of the time. Just wanted to know I probably wouldn't have made this jump had I not found your channel years ago. I remember doing P90x in Iraq actually for abs. So if you're ever in Bangkok, feel free to swing by our gym. I'll teach you and Jesse how to do a backflip. 💪 🔥
Excellent points about center of balance/core and optimizing your leverage points. Immediately increased my pullups and chinups by following your chinup instructional video. Mahalo, Phil in Paradise.
Love this! Am intensly training to master the handstand, and u’r so right about increasing the volume thru excitement and competition!! “I’v almost got it, just 1 more….!”
Isometric holds have improved my over all strength and durability. Good stuff, Jeff.
Secret to gymnast gains is all those bicep pushups and tricep pullups.
Bicep pushups actually do work. Jeff just looks at the exercise very one dimensionally. Rather than a "push" exercise that works the triceps, it serves as an "isometric" exercise for the biceps. Jeff is literally the only person on youtube that says it doesn't work, and subscribers just gobbled it up.
@@scladoffle2472 nice of you to get off jeffs d to give this scathing counterargument.
@@rampage222555 I agree with you. Was just trolling with comment.
One of the best things I ever did was have a base in martial arts and do gymnastics when I was younger
I wish I'd wrestled but at the time it just looked so g@y and I couldn't bring myself to you know touch other dudes unless it was with uniforms on pads n' such in football and that was just a brief smack. But if you want lifelong self-defense, wrestling is the way to go. I'm 50/50 glad I didn't wrestle because of not wanting to touch other dudes and at the same time wishing I'd just learned the sport and be done with it. There's a lot of possible injuries with that though. Boxing is easy to train. Wrestling is a whole different animal.
@@blockaderunner there used to be a saying in wrestling and grappling, there's being fit and then there is being wrestling fit, very different but great for long term success
@@anancientaliennamedstevie9982 yeah, I know a wrestler, 49, divorced with kids, I think he went to Penn State, just met him 5 months ago, but he showed me his gym in the basement week before last and it's got a real wrestling mat, monkey bars, Rings, MMA gloves etc. I've trained kickboxing for 3 years now and I would not want to get into a fight with him, tough dude, and deceptively I think, he just got that confidence even in old age and runs his own business owning two houses in a high-priced area right next to each other
I don't trust him all that much cause he's pro-Vax but still, him being a real liberal, he's cool/adult about things, and will talk college wrestling which I'd never cared about as I only watch UFC
He told me about Bo Nickel
Coached gymnastics for 9 years. Learning the progressions to skills is a big thing as well as drills to break down the harder exercises. I have so much respect for the athletes that I've worked with over the years.
Hi I am interested in strengthing my body with gymnastic excercises but I don’t know what is the beginning and the start like what they do and what exercises I do to strength my body and my muscles
I'm so blessed to be a lightweight guy. You discover these things about yourself at a very young age. You're able to do flips and kicks that most people can't even comprehend.
Big fan. I've been following your videos for at least 5+ years now, and this is one of the best videos you've released lately. I lifted weights but during lockdown, I started focusing on calisthenics. My favorite exercise is the "hybrid" weighted pull ups. Keep up the good work.
I’ve been watching calisthenics videos for years and to see my favorite guys in this video makes me very happy
I'm glad Jeff is covering the merits of calisthenics. After I started going to the gym, I decided I wanted to do something with the gained muscle, and discovered calisthenics. It takes years and months to achieve but it sure is rewarding and fun once you get them.
Thank you Jeff and Jesse, also all the other people who make this channel so helpful ,
I started doing gymnastic ring exercises last year when all the gyms closed down. When the gyms opened my deadlift and chest press reached new PBs.
Rings have become an equal part of my workout program now.
Probably the best and cheapest equipment in my gym! So versatile and can get a real crushing work out from them!
Man except for the “killing your gains” clickbait videos I love how you express honesty and how much true you are in your speeches
awesome video, Jeff. These exotic calithenics movements have always had an air of mystery about them
What you said about leverages was mostly true but while it does make it easier it does not effectively reduce your body weight, what it does is when your in the right position it makes your center of gravity be over you hands which makes it easier because it’s more stable (think of doing a bench press but you hands are both to one side compared to normal) you still have to push the same weight but since it’s balanced the weight/your body won’t tip to one side. I hope that made sense and I’m glad you are bringing more awareness to gymnastics and what it’s like. (I’ve been a gymnast for 7 years so far)
I once did dips on the rings at Kits Beach (Vancouver) .. but the rings were smaller dia and dug into my wrists.. 2 reps, and I stopped. The beginning grip came naturally..Great clip
When I was in the army all we did was cardio and calisthenics. Imo calisthenics is all you need for your upper body. But for legs I use weights.
Nice. It’s a great thing to know about the body and how it works especially how to make it very effective in certain outputs
The first time I made it to hold a handstand for 2 sec. I was almost crying. I love it so much ❤️ you gotta do both, yes thats it.
You nailed it, just practicing and trying to get better at a movement is why
bro this feels like a fever dream , im 17 i used to do gymnastics when i was like 7/8 and i was pretty damn good and i studied and trained damn near everyday and literally just doing the same shit over and over until i got it and it worked 😭 it’s so crazy how in coming back to this years later and realizing shit like this really works
I believe it's important and good for your body / mind to do all kinds of modalities.
Very impressed by people that can do moves like that. Thanks for the video Jeff.
Gymnastic rings for upper body.
Barbell squats and deadlifts for lower body.
Great Recipe !
Loving this breakdown video. Please do video like this on other sports athletes!!
Jeff Cavalier thank you for everything for your work for helping people achieve success in their lives.
You have to realize also that most gymnasts are around 5’6” height, and many less than that. Their body mass to height ratio is optimized for strength. Some of the shorter guys don’t have pronounced muscles, but enough strength to manage their body.
Great video! love how you break down how different styles achieve the same results of strength
I just started this training and now I am getting better
It's about how you do with whole body. Skills specially static one is not about muscle but joints too, and each progression is to make our joints stronger little by little and muscle will follow.
This guy is so knowledgeable easily my fav youtube trainer
My man Jeff, spitting facts, as always.
Been following Jeff for a looong time and learned so much ! The best thing I have ever done in my 'gym career' was starting Cali at 45 years old , now 52 , never been so fit , so strong, so ripped . People can't believe how old I'm . 😆
You make a lot of sense
Isometrics with motion. I recall an older video. Plus nucleic overload goes into their training.
Excellent perspective! Great video, Jeff!
The training style of a gymnast is perfect. It's fun, and the body becomes strong and aesthetic. The only area that is lacking - legs - can be trained separately for increased size and strength if desired.
Whenever you think you know enough. Jeff surprises you!
Love you.
gymnast of 14 years, i am currenty 23 and my knees hurt after every training, wrist clicks everytime i turn them, shoulders hurt when i put them over my head, but god damn can i do flips and shit
take some Krill Oil
I see so many fake fitness gurus on the internet, but jeff is real and knows his craft. True teacher.
I think Jeff deserves every bit of fame and money he has earned. I remember watching in 2015 he had 2.5 mil subs and I was wondering why he wasn’t at 10 mil.
Age 58 and I find calisthenics so much more enjoyable than weight training. I recently got my first clean muscle up and I can hold my straight line handstand for nearly a minute. The young folks in the gym marvel at what I can do as an old man. I will never outlift them, but I don’t care about absolute strength. I seek functional mobility, masterful bodily control, and relative strength.
not just strong, for conditioning, we used to have to harden our muscles. One in particular left massive bruises.. you have to do front 'rolls' on the parallel bars, using your arms as the axel point. the feeling of your bicep and tris being crushed under your body weight on two wooden beams about 2" thick. the worst was the inner and out arm where you have little muscle and you hit what felt like bone.. had to go through this hell 4 times a week.. 40 years later I still remember it.
Gymnasts are the true greatest all round athletes. Thanks for the tip awesome channel. My tip is go to settings playback settings 0.75. when watching these videos.
Spot on Jeff. The calisthenics engagement you're describing is what they call the Hollow Body Position. And damn near all calisthenics movements rely on the HBP.
Been doing Gymnastic Bodies for almost a year now... I don't think I look huge or anything, but people are always commenting on how I've obviously been working out... (And I was working out a lot for years before! But not with consistent progressive strength training.) And it's really transformed my body. Great for physique and overall strength, and for doing cool party tricks. But the best part by far is what it does for your joints. It's the most important thing, and it's astonishing how overlooked it is. I had mild but chronic pain in my left wrist and rotator cuff for at least a year, now it's totally gone. I'm almost 40, and I'm more spry and have better mobility and more resilient joints than I did when I 20. Can do shoulder dislocates, skin the can, wrist pushups, walk on the blades of my feet, pistol squats, etc, no problem. When I see people who are like, oh my back, my knees! Bending over/getting off the floor is hard! I'm like, dear god, how can you bear being trapped in such an impotent and rigid prison of a body? You're practically crippled, and you did it to yourself. Don't do that!
I would say “they have unlocked to power of the scapula”
The scapular focused training is a key part of their training
Man i am happy that Calisthenics gets attention on this channel
A few years ago I watched my state gymnastics championships in person, when I happened to live within walking distance of the venue.
One thing that really stuck with me was seeing one absolutely /jacked/ dude do iron crosses (upright and inverted) like it was nothing. Deeply, deeply impressive - I've never seen anything else like it in person.
Watching these reminded me of Diamond Ott who is/was known as the "fittest soldier." Dude does some incredible moves, all while wearing combat boots and pants! Cheers
well, the SEALs implement a Lot of calisthenics in their toughest training, I always thought that would be so tough and it is, but having done more of it since being made aware of that, I just think that the Log PT and Boat PT in freezing water would be Worse than the endless calisthenics.
How gymnasts get so strong? Very simple.
They start at 7 years old and basically live at the gym till they retire in their early/mid twenties, because their ligaments and joints can't handle it anymore.
That only happens to people with this mentality and no evidence whatsoever
Been doing calathenics for 3 years plus weights from this channel.
I do watch you; and "Ventage Genetics" You look great, your advice makes so much since, and you keep moving on with great instruction and detail, there's no doubt getting you thoughts through to the viewer! something I do apricate! You are the best instructor!
Gymnasts are strong and ripped. Great diet and hardwork pays off. Good stuff Jeff
Since their are many gymnast coaches in here I wanna ask? How do gymnasts manage recovery when training skills everyday such as iron cross and Maltese together, whilst also doing specific drills to strengthen their tendons? (Elbows)
Do they only do 2, maybe 3 exercises per movement? Also how do they fit in general strength such as weighted pull ups and dips into their routines?
controlling and stabilizing you body is key. thats insane!
your a boss, found you last year after a year's worth of my new diet (veg and fish 6 days a week, no sugar) so I was ready, now I am looking great. just started seeing abs. got some shoulder lines. 45 yrs never been this fit, been skinny but this is me leveling up. Thanks Bro!
@athlean-x hey Jeff I’ve been watching your videos and recommending them to anyone I can tell about them for a while now. I really appreciate all your science based and professional advice for clueless guys like me. I have a family and a pretty busy schedule so I was doing three full body workouts a week. Recently though I’ve started doing bjj 5 mornings a week. It’s just easier for me to get up and go somewhere at 5am then do a home workout. My question is, if I want to add a strength training routine in on the weekends, say to get stronger and not necessarily grow, what lifts should I do, should it be full body and how much rest and weight should be involved? Or should I just take the weekend to rest? I guess I’m asking, what would you recommend as a supplemental strength training routine for bjj? Thanks again for everything
Calisthenics look seriously fun. Some of them don't. But some do. I definitely want to start incorporating some into my weight lifting routines. I'll definitely watch the video that's at the end of this video.
Why is Jeff wearing a elbow support ?
This is really good content Jeff! In JC, I was a gymnast, who’s favorite work were the rings, pommel horse and floor work. The stuff I could do 41 years ago. Today I follow your Band/dumbbell workouts. 👍🏽✊🏽 thanks for this educational video.
Another super awesome video. Thank you again Jeff.
Not a gymnast, but I love training with rings, all the exercises with rings can be adapted to any level.
0:23 The shocked look of the dude in the background was hilarious haha. That was exactly my reaction when I saw him doing that exercise. I've never seen that amount of total body strength like that before. That was nuts!
Today I was thinking about another concept you talked about in previous videos, and that is: true strength vs. compensatory strength. After watching this video I am thinking that if you devote yourself to mastering these complex calisthenic movements you will be forced to develop your true strength, otherwise you simply won't progress. In my opinion, doing calisthenics you tend to focus more on the movement, whereas lifting weights you might focus too much on the weights and forgetting about the mechanics...
Thank you so much for the inspiration.
I’m only watching this to support you Jeff!
Your videos are always so informative.
It's about specific training and practice strength and balance training...
I loved the vid and the style it was done in. It's always interesting to hear what goes through the mind of Jeff.
Could you possibly say that athleticism = ability to control your stabilizers?
It's part of the equation
most of these guys have an app that turns off gravity
Excellent points as always. If you watch the Olympics, and look at the men's gymnastic teams, most the guys are very short. I guess that gives them a high power/ weight ratio. They also seem to have great genetics for muscle building. They train from very young ages ( here in Czechia, there are gymnastic clubs for kids from ages 5 and up ). One thing my Russian friend said that most of these gymnasts in his country have big joint problems as they get a bit older ( you will never see an Olympic gymnast much beyond the age of 24 being successful ).
This is the info I was looking for, thanks! So many people work out hard, get injured (or bored), and then end up more out of shape than before. To get and stay in shape you need to enjoy the act of working out for itself, not to get in shape.
@@justinkennedy3004 That’s the truth!
Dear Jeff, I’ve been watching you my whole weight lifting career which is coming up on 4 years, I’m a high school kicker and was wondering if you could, I know this is off brand, a kicker football workout video. They lack on TH-cam and I think specialists from all over would appreciate it. Greatly appreciate your content and time.