Bodyweight Books ("You Are Your Own Gym")

[Panczo]

thanks Waldo,

could you throw me some good sources online for start? Some links for humble beginner eager for knowledge?

 

The first addition assumes a bunch of other volumes are going to be released, and references them.  

... 

BtGB is the only one that I don't flat out disagree with parts of, but it is also not in the least bit beginner friendly.

 

In general on the web you tend to find a less rigid philosophy.  Try stuff out, do what works for you.

 

I tried BtGB but felt exactly the same - rather difficult to follow by beginner. Lots of references and no structure. I did't like it.

[161803398874989]

You can find most of what you need online.  I'm not really a fan of any book in particular.  I don't think Overcoming Gravity is as good as many make it out to be.  Best of a bad bunch I guess. 

Have you read it? Just curious.

[Waldo]

Have you read it? Just curious.

 

Yes.

[Panczo]

Ok I read Overcoming Gravity and Convict Conditioning.

These are my thougts about them:

• CC is very simple (4-6 exercises) structured program to follow while OG is more about learning you how to program your own routines.
• CC has lots of gimmicks about prison life and author persona - many people dislike it because of that, but I just think good entertainment. Plus I like reading stuff written like that, it inspire me more that dull facts
• OG is poor writing I would say - I mean the author has lots of knowledge but is a terrible writer. He repeats himself many times which was anoying to me. Also he refers sometimes to different internet sites and other resources of other authors which feels like I am reading some random blog and not proffesional book. 
• About authors:
  • CC author is a complete ghost - which is why I assume he does not exist. So they put some athlete to be theirs model for the book. That is a shame - why would they create false persona? Is it all about marketing ? I guess it is.
  • OG author says he is ex-gymnast yet all I see in the book is skinny, young-looking boy who performs only some stretches - he has other models to do different tasks e.g. bridges. I am not saying he isn't fit - just that his look don't add much credibility
  • Conclusion: both authors are not very credible, but for me at least OG author has proven in his wriiting great knowledge about biochemistry and biomechanics.

• CC is complete, balanced program. His philosophy is close to Starting Strentgh. Only few big exercises is all you need. OG author talks alot about upper body exercises and that there should be balance between push and pull but when he says about lower body exercises - he said: weights are better for legs, go and check some other book about that  - great balance indeed mr 
• CC talks only about his program and these 6 moves. OG is much much more. Lots of progressions for gymnastic moves, lots info about injury prevention and rehabilitation, lots info about mobility and espacially lots info about how program your own training. This might be good or bad depends on what you are looking for.

 

I am happy I read them  both. They are completely different and I think they have different target clients. I would say CC is much more for beginners who just want some good basic program with progressions to follow. OG is more for people ready to think for themselves and he gives lots of info about how to do that. OG might be overwhelming and to complex for some, while CC might be to structured and simple for others.

 

Me? I prefer CC approach for now. I wanna fresh and easy start. Structured program easy to follow is what I want. But I am glad I read OG as well. Maybe one day I will use this knowledgel

[Waldo]

• CC is complete, balanced program. His philosophy is close to Starting Strentgh. Only few big exercises is all you need. OG author talks alot about upper body exercises and that there should be balance between push and pull but when he says about lower body exercises - he said: weights are better for legs, go and check some other book about that  - great balance indeed mr 

The legs are where the problem lies. All sources on BW exercises suck when it comes to the legs.

A number of factors combine to create the issue:

- A lot of callisthenics knowledge was lost 50-100 years ago as weight training gained popularity.

- Where there are still groups that carry on with BW exercises, the main group that is impacting the fitness industry today is gymnastics. In that sport leg strength isn't super important and excess weight from big legs is a huge hinderance.

- The other group notable with the use of BW exercises, martial artists, are somewhat (to extremely) secretive with their knowledge.

- We (science) still only have a marginal understanding of what it takes to get stronger muscles and grow bigger muscles. There are logical inconsistences that mean neither the single factor (supercompensation) or dual factor (fitness-fatigue) can be correct for training adaptation; muscle growth as it relates to training is surprisingly poorly understood by science (weight training in general is poorly understood).

- Weights have redefined leg strength so much that it is almost impossible to think outside of that box. What does it even mean to have strong legs? It is almost impossible to define without the context of weights for most.

I see a vast wide open frontier here, not the limited world described by others.

What is "better" anyway. Better at what? Hypertrophy? Nope. Strength? How is it measured. Athletic performance? BW work arguably transfers even better.

[Flex Luthor]

Strange feeling of deja vu.

 

You know I got that same feeling reading this thread...

[161803398874989]

• About authors:
  • CC author is a complete ghost - which is why I assume he does not exist. So they put some athlete to be theirs model for the book. That is a shame - why would they create false persona? Is it all about marketing ? I guess it is.
  • OG author says he is ex-gymnast yet all I see in the book is skinny, young-looking boy who performs only some stretches - he has other models to do different tasks e.g. bridges. I am not saying he isn't fit - just that his look don't add much credibility

  • Conclusion: both authors are not very credible, but for me at least OG author has proven in his wriiting great knowledge about biochemistry and biomechanics.

If it's any help, here's Stevens old Youtube channel with some of the stuff he does. He's legit.

[Panczo]

If it's any help, here's Stevens old Youtube channel with some of the stuff he does. He's legit.

 

HS Yeap, he knows the stuff

[NomadicHealth]

Ross's Never Gymless.  Just watch the guys youtube videos for some motivation.  Also gives a 50day program in the back of the book for those who don't want to put their own together.  Very challenging though!

[161803398874989]

HS Yeap, he knows the stuff !

Not just HS!

[darthgall]

Hey,

Read both You Are Your Own Gym (YAYOG) and Convict Conditioning (CC).

 

My opinions:

 

The good:

I like CC because it's very easy to operationalize. In other words, there's a concrete plan, with concrete steps and concrete targets/goals, and a concrete next step to take.

I like YAYOG because it seems to me that it's built to develop both strength and conditioning (more sprint-type conditioning than marathon-type conditioning, I think), which seems to me to be a more "holistic" or functional, well-rounded fitness program to me.

 

The not so good:

CC does pure strength, and not much conditioning. Also, some of the progressions are ridiculously easy, but some are really, really hard (going from close squats to uneven squats is really hard for me right now).

YAYOG does not really have a specific, ironed out program (to be fair: I'm talking about the book; I have the iphone app, and suspect it's more strucutred there, but haven't delved into it).

 

My experience:

CC has done a ton of good for me... but I suspect it's b/c it's a simple, idiot-proof program that made a ton of sense to me, clicked with me, and I therefore stuck with it for quite a while... months at a time, which is longer than I've stuck with any single program before. For that alone, it gets a gold ribbon for me.

 

But I'd love to mix in some more conditioning. Which leads me to...

 

I guess Mark Lauren has a new book out called "Body By You", which is geared towards women, but it's a fully laid out program, telling exactly what to do, and with small steps between. From what I've seen (I've not read the whole book, only excerpts/web discussions) one step in CC would take three or more steps in BBY.

 

Frankly, even though it's geared towards women, I'm considering picking it up, because some of the harder exercises in CC are getting tougher and tougher to progress in; each one seems like a quantum leap up, and this may help me break them down into smaller steps, and I suspect it'll work in more conditioning than CC.

 

So, when I finally get that genie out of the bottle, I'm going to ask for a men's version of BBY, with progressive exercises and conditioning, and laid out in an easy-to-understand, four-days-a-week routine...

 

Mick.

[jfreaksho]

I had a lot of success with CC, but have had to add my own steps- for instance, 1/2 Uneven Squats (to a bench).  3-Point Pushups (1 arm, feet spread).

 

I learned a lot about progression, and finding appropriate ways to make the exercises a little more difficult.  I learned that my upper back is way weaker than it ought to be- I'm terrible at pullups, HSPU, and leg raises (because of my lack of grip and issues holding the bar for long enough).  Bridges just don't seem to be moving forward at all.

 

I am now stronger and faster than I've been in 12 years.  That means my broken kneecap from 7 years ago is better now, from CC, than it has been from anything else I've done to rehab it.

 

The lack of conditioning never bothered me.  I knew it was a strength program, and he's pretty clear about that from the beginning.  I did a lot of walking and some sprinting at the time when I started it, and worked that on my own.

 

My issues with it:

There are a lot of spots where people get stuck, and a lot of people don't remember the part where he talks about finding the way to continuously be working for harder exercises.  They get stuck on one level, and get frustrated, rather than finding something in the middle that they can do.

 

For the military, I need to do a 2-minute pushup test.  As Waldo said above, to build strength endurance, once you have the strength, you must continuously work the endurance aspect of it, as it fades so fast.  I can do several 3-point pushups with either hand, and controlled negatives with my feet together, but my pushup score is never quite where I want it to be.  Once you get to a certain point in CC, I have to intentionally include endurance work on top of the strength work.

[AegisofTheLight]

Hey guys, newbie here so I am certainly no expert but a book that I just got that I really love coming from a beginners standpoint is Pushing The Limits! by Al Kavadlo.  For a long time I have had trouble in the BW world trying to get results and trying to stick with it.  This book has a metric ton of pictures, it is probably more pictures than words to be honest.  The great thing about it is the huge amount of progressions and variations for different exercises to reach the more difficult one or just to keep it interesting.  A downside is that it is not a how-to kind of book, there is no set workout schedule, it is more of a here is what you can do kind of book.  

 

Has anyone else read it? Thoughts?   

 

Oh and also can we post links here? was looking around and I couldn't find any rules for the forums, maybe I am just stupid though.  I have a link with GMB (gold medal bodies) interviewing Al Kavadlo about the book if anyone is interested.

 

AoTL

[bigm141414]

Oh and also can we post links here? was looking around and I couldn't find any rules for the forums, maybe I am just stupid though.  I have a link with GMB (gold medal bodies) interviewing Al Kavadlo about the book if anyone is interested.

Links are fine. Except for self promotional purposes (eg you come to the boards for the sole purpose of redirecting traffic to your site).

[AegisofTheLight]

Links are fine. Except for self promotional purposes (eg you come to the boards for the sole purpose of redirecting traffic to your site).

Thanks!  http://www.goldmedalbodies.com/pushing-limits-al-kavadlo-interview/ 

Here is the link plus the guy smiles in all his pictures which I love personally and makes it ten times better.

 

AoTL 

[jfreaksho]

Al Kavadlo (and his brother) were the demonstrators for the pictures in Convict Conditioning 2.  I haven't read his new book, but his website has a lot of good videos, mostly done in a park in NYC.  Sometimes he works/competes with BarStarzz (maybe only one "z"), which is a group of guys that do pretty amazing bodyweight things as well, mostly on the bar.

 

I also bought his second book, Raising the Bar, which I found to be pretty good.  It's not as structured as CC, but goes through a lot more varieties of exercises that can be done with bars, both single and dual.

[Danio Zg]

Al is a very cool guy. He is always ready to help and is quite active on Dragon Door, MDA and his own forum...

[Vector]

I like the book. It's very good, and the programs in it will certainly work. I love the app as well.

Most people could do very well with just the app, if they were willing to do some homework as needed...no instruction, but great videos that are embedded (don't need to be online). I use the app for exercise ideas.

[tee-jay]

I heard about the book at a time when I was particularly broke, so I got the app for cheap. Not once have I thought "Man, I wish I had the book too." For pure workout walkthroughs, the app is more than sufficient. I've been doing the exercises shown and, as others have said, it's great and leaves my muscles sore every day. That said, I just recently started getting into shape, so if you're already extremely fit, you might have a different experience.

[RangerinTraining]

I've done the first 2 yayog program's (10 weeks each). I was much stronger, fitter and more flexible afterwards. Everyday life tasks just feel a bit easier. Don't see much downside!

I haven't done the routines on the other books but can definitely say that yayog works

[lyranedara]

YAYOG is a great place to start, as is Never Gymless from Ross. As for online resources:

 

Fitness 666 - progressions/regressions

Al Kavadlo  - tutorials

Global Bodyweight Training - advanced tutorials and unique exercises

My Mad Methods - unconventional training (bodyweight, sandbag, kettlebell)

Progressive Calisthenics - relatively new blog from Dragon Door

 

As mentioned, Gold Medal Bodies has a ton of info on their blog as well.

[asdf]

Instead of starting new topic I will post my question here, cause it's about books anyway:

So:

 

Can someone please tell me what book about BODYWEIGHT TRAINING I should read first, second and third and so on to get most knowledge for me?

 

By "for me" I mean I have only pull up bar and barbell with some weights (not that they will be needed during BW training). Plus my main intrest for now is to get stronger and a bit bigger but also more informed about how my body works, how to avoid injuries and health in general    Yes I know its a lot.

 

I have Overcoming Gravity although I see there is lots info about training with rings and I dont know if there is point for me to read it. Also I see others are saying something about: Convict Conditioning and YAYOG.

 

So maybe someone who knows about it, could make a list 1,2,3,... with recommended books ? 

Pretty please .... 

Check out You Are Your Own Gym by Mark Lauren. It's a no frills approach to bodyweight training. No store bought equipment necessary to complete the workouts. If you have a pullup bar, that's really all the equipment you'll need. I've been using it since June and have seen good results in strength and muscles development. I highly recommend it as something worth reading from cover to cover and trying out for a while among other book. It short, compact, well written with quality contend and also happens to be dirt cheap on Amazon, which is a definite plus. I wouldn't say it's the light at the end of the tunnel for BW training,  but its definitely worth picking up.

 

Best of luck!

[Vector]

I'd start with YAYOG, and the app that goes with it. Good progressions, enough info, good workable programs. Cheap, too. If you have the pull up bar and a few weights, you can do YAYOG no problem. I like the app for the exercise videos, these can really help on some things. Really well rounded program.

The Fitness 666 site is great. I refer to it frequently. His progressions and training plan are sound and easy to follow. He doesn't have clear programming for the direct core work of YAYOG.

I love Never Gymless by Ross, but I wouldn't start someone there. Ross is awesome, I have all his books, he's great when you want to really get into serious condition, but he requires more work study wise to implement.

Not impressed by CC, didn't like the writing and some of the progressions don't really make sense to me. Some of the claims are absurd, as well.

I also like that with Mark Lauren and Ross you can see that they practice what they preach at a very high level.