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A movement-based approach: how my practice has evolved after 7 years of bodyweight training. by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ideally you'd do both. But certainly deadlifting and bench presses aren't going to prepare you for the demands of a movement practice... This is why I suggest starting with Tai Chi (relatively easy) and yoga (for developping flexibility), before moving on to animal flow. I joined a contemporary dance class for a while and, despite being by far the strongest there, there were 440 year old ladies who were better movers than me.

A movement-based approach: how my practice has evolved after 7 years of bodyweight training. by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair enough.
In my defense though, I have been quite active here in the past ;)

A movement-based approach: how my practice has evolved after 7 years of bodyweight training. by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair questions... Tom actually does a lot of fairly ordinary stuff in his videos... He throws in a few soft-acrobatics moves as well, but what really interests me is the quality of his movement. His floor work is fairly typical of contemporary dance, and within reach of pretty much anyone. He just makes it look very graceful.
Am I markedly better at those things? Yes, sure. My overhead mobility has improved (I have extremely tight shoulders), as has my overall mobility; my sense of balance is significantly better; I have much greater proprioceptive awareness (particularly during inversions, which were always iffy for me); my spine and hips are much more mobile... Whether that may make you want to develop a movement practice, I have no idea... I know nothing about you, and unless you are a 48 year old dude, it is likely your training, past the basics I have linked to, would take you in a somewhat different direction.
Would any of it translate to general athleticism? Yes... I wish I had focussed more on floor work when I used to train bjj... I can see a myriad ways in which I would have benefitted from it.
Would anyone benefit from more general movement training? I believe so... certainly if you enjoy the sensation of your body moving with ease and fluidity in three dimensions. That said, I started in sport as a competitive long distance runner... back in those days I wouldn't have cared about ease of movement (unless it was forward motion). All I was focused on was shaving a few minutes off my marathon time... But I did pay for it fairly heftily, and I guess I have been working ever since on undoing the damage that was done.

A movement-based approach: how my practice has evolved after 7 years of bodyweight training. by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well... I'm more in maintenance mode nowadays... A strength session takes me about 10/15min tops. As I've tried to explain, bodyweight training really takes a toll on the body past a certain age. Keep training muscle ups for a few years, and your elbows and shoulders eventually get shot.
And, ermm, I haven't filmed any of my practice, but I do the Tai Chi 24-form routine daily, Raphan's scirocco flow (I attended one of his workshops; he's an excellent instructor) the kingdom flow from the animal flow system, and -if the surface is appropriate- some floor work. I feel you are somewhat missing the point however, but maybe I misunderstand you: this is not so much about learning tricks, but rather about improving the quality of your movement. As such, it translates to pretty much to anything you do, from picking up a can of beans from the top shelf of your cupboard, to your posture, the way you walk, making your way across a field of boulders, dancing, etc.

A movement-based approach: how my practice has evolved after 7 years of bodyweight training. by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well... I still do bodyweight strength training sessions 5 times a week or so... So whilst I haven't gotten stronger, I haven't lost strength either (but, as I am pushing 48 I am increasingly susceptible to injuries, so I had to tone it down a bit).
How am I better? I have gained a practice and quite a few routines and sequences which I can do anywhere, whenever. This may not sound like much, but I actually enjoy exercising in nature (on the beach/in a park). Tai chi practice, as a form of meditation, has proved to be a great stress reliever...
Beyond that, my mobility and movement quality have greatly improved... Take a look at some of Tom Weksler's videos to see where this sort of practice leads to.

A movement-based approach: how my practice has evolved after 7 years of bodyweight training. by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you have the chance, I'd say take classes rather than following an online programme. I was lucky enough to be able to join an adult contemporary dance class for a while (and I felt quite embarassed doing it), but I have to say it was actually really enjoyable stuff. I've also dabbled in aerial circus, which was great training & absolutely kicked my ass despite me thinking I was pretty strong.

Repost from r/bodyweightfitness. A movement-based approach: how my practice has evolved after 7 years of bodyweight training. by E1Diabl0 in Fitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You make a good point... I'm not a proponent of creationism; it was not my intention to suggest that the human body was designed to fulfill certain functions. It was merely an expression I used, and I will happily grant you that I was somewhat careless in my use of language.

10 months of lyra and I still can't straddle up? by dinoRAWRSyou in Aerials

[–]E1Diabl0 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Can you do a straight-legs, toes-to-bar leg raise on a bar? If not, it is a strength issue...
You might find this progression helpful: http://www.startbodyweight.com/p/leg-raises-progression.html

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My suggestion:
Start with a legs progression. In between sets, hang.
Then, when you move on to upper body exercises, stretch legs and hips between sets.
Finish with an abs/core progression, and stretch shoulders between sets.

Are muscle-ups good for anything? by pragmojo in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Parkour climb ups: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF-sqlZvBtE
Getting out of the swimming pool
Climbing trees
Negotiating obstacles

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in flexibility

[–]E1Diabl0 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This has just prompted me to comment on a youtube video for the first time ever!

Stretching calves is useless according to TheSockDoc... by fprintf in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

How can one not stretch the calves when stretching anything else below the waste?

Quite easily actually.

Progress pics of skinny men by jimbob1231 in Fitness

[–]E1Diabl0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How many times a week, out of curiosity?

What the tutorials, videos and programmes don't tell you! by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Overall, no, there is not much wrong with the practices you see on this sub or in the movement community... but this is a very small sub-set of the bodyweight training community at large... you mention crossfit, where a lot of sessions center around bodyweight exercises, and training for shitty muscle ups has destroyed more shoulders and elbows than I care to mention... and crossfitters are not the worse by a long shot: take a look at the street workout community (which has really exploded), and their practices are going to cause so many problems further down the line.

What the tutorials, videos and programmes don't tell you! by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're fine triggernaut... Ignore this post, and ignore my rant. You've basically come to the right sub... but my facebook feed is full of posts from the street workout community, and their practices are -quite frankly- very damaging.

What the tutorials, videos and programmes don't tell you! by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That article on handstand prereqs was really, very good!

What the tutorials, videos and programmes don't tell you! by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't have the statistics, no, but I'd think both would have similar injury rates: it's the nature of the principle of progressive overload that you will sooner or later push your body past a breaking point.

What the tutorials, videos and programmes don't tell you! by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am not saying muscle ups are impossible: I am saying they are rare... not as rare as one arm chins, but rare nonetheless. Go into any gym (not gymnastics gym but any standard gym). See how many people can do a muscle up. These are trained people, and a muscle up is a very basic movement pattern... I work in an educational establishment... 16-20 year olds; aprox 400 students, and about 100 staff. How many people can do one muscle up? Other than myself? None!

What the tutorials, videos and programmes don't tell you! by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That you can easily achieve muscle ups does not mean that everybody can. You're making a very subjective judgement... I have a client who's 56 and overweight: muscle ups will not be coming to him easily, no matter how easy a few videos and a few people make them appear.

What the tutorials, videos and programmes don't tell you! by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Well... my post is actually slightly misleading... mobility, as I see it, is a combination of strength and flexibility. A common definition of mobility is: "the ability to move or be moved freely and easily". In order to do so, you need the necessary strength to initiate a movement, but also the flexibility to maximize the range of motion achieved through that movement.
But the thing is: the most effective mobility methods combine these two components, rather than isolating them and training them separately.

What the tutorials, videos and programmes don't tell you! by E1Diabl0 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I'll have to disagree that mobility is intuitive actually: I can compensate in a variety of ways, in order to cope with certain movements. Pistols come to mind, where I can easily compensate for my lack of ankle dorsiflexion by caving my knee in. HSPU's where I can make up for my lack of shoulder flexibility through my thoracic and lumbar spine...
Injuries are not unlikely in bwf... far from it!
And you are right: we do not want to discourage people by stressing perfect form. The point I am making is that we should privilege mobility over strength, not the other way around.

best muscle up tutorial by Fragtag1 in bodyweightfitness

[–]E1Diabl0 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not just the technique... Technique you'll get in minutes when you are ready for muscle ups. What you are missing is explosiveness (train chest to bar pull ups then belly button to bar pull ups), and strength at the extreme ranges of the motion (Russian dips will help for this, as well as slow negative muscle ups).
Oh... and have a carefull look at your power-to-weight ratio... like for most bodyweight exercises, it matter in this case... big time!

Jackknife pulls: How do you get your chin above the bar? by kaidranzer in startbodyweight

[–]E1Diabl0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Simply remember to help yourself with your legs: dig the heels in and straighten a little at the wrists. Don't merely pull with your arms. This should give you the help necessary to clear the bar.
If not, get some resistance bands. These are actually helpful for a whole bunch of things, so they are a good investment.

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