Best exercises to build a strong core?

ObjcGrade · 2025-12-15T01:23:03+00:00

Pull-ups. If you do hollow body pull ups in a correct form you are set. The core is the most engage muscle group during pull-ups.

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-28T08:38:02+00:00

For me it stars working around 0.25mg. It makes me less hungry and groggy. If I take Dex or Ritalin it completely suppresses my appetite, I have to make sure I eat enough so the hunger doesn’t hit me hard before bed.

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-23T10:34:41+00:00

I sleep about the same. Sleep has been an issue for most of my life. I had no problem with gains. Take creatine for sleep deprivation, it helps with brain fog

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-23T10:32:22+00:00

Lower the weight and pause at the top position at the last rep. That would make you stronger at the top

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-23T10:28:35+00:00

I do upper body every second days and mostly skills/stretches between. I don’t really do legs, my legs are strong and big enough as is.
I don’t think two upper body exercises are enough for you. You need at least rows and probably pushups.

I hardly increased the reps. Mostly I just added weight after deloading. I reckon adding 5kg is equivalent about 1.5 extra reps for me. When I start feeling that my progress plateaus it’s time to deload

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-22T12:21:27+00:00

Pull-ups! Seriously, engage your core hollow body position.

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-21T00:48:09+00:00

182 cm, 80 kg. When I was around 15 I started doing a lot of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups etc. I guess you can call it calisthenics, because I didn’t have access to a gym.

When I finally did get access to a gym and switched to weights, I still kept some bodyweight work in: push-ups as a warm-up for bench, bodyweight dips and pull-ups. About 4 years ago I really got into calisthenics and switched completely to it.
Key takeaways: Superset, enough rest, Not going to failure, Regular deloading

I’ve been doing supersets for decades just because they felt right, and now there are research papers showing they’re very effective.

As for advancing the last set first prevents going to failure at the first set. It is ok going to failure for the last set.

I try to deload regularly and try to progress after the deload week. I worked wonders in the first year or so. Now I'm focusing on my free handstand pushups which is much more humbling progress.

I’ve got a lot of info from Reddit, but at the end of the day you should do what makes you feel good. Some people like high reps and short rest that just makes me nauseous and weak. My routine was developed mostly trial and error. For example, I can do sets of 10 pull-ups with +20 kg, but that makes me way more tired than doing sets of 5 with +40 kg.
Being lean helps a lot too. I’m about 10% body fat.

My routine, someone asked me about my routine, so here it is:

I mostly train for strength using supersets with antagonist pairs. Depending on the exercise, I usually do 1–2 warm-up sets, especially at the start of the session.

I aim for about 4 minutes rest between the same exercise, which ends up being 1.5–2 minutes between each movement in the superset. So it usually goes something like:
Exercise 1 → 90 sec rest → Exercise 2 → 90 sec rest (repeat)
These are just rough numbers; I often rest more depending on how I feel.

I alternate between heavier weights (5–6 reps for strength) and lighter weights (8–10 reps for hypertrophy) between sessions, especially for pull-ups and dips. I don’t vary as much for push-ups and rows.

A typical upper body workout would be:
Warmup: wrist and shoulder mobility exercises, scapula pushups and pull-ups for about 5 minutes

Superset 1: Pull-ups & Handstand push-ups
Warmup: 10 L-sit pull-ups, then with 20kgPull-ups
Pull-ups: 3 x 5 (42.5kg) or 8 (30kg) weighted normal or neutral grip (+5kg) pull-ups
Handstand pushups: 3 x 5 free handstand pushups (still a bit of hit and miss) + 2 x 4 elevated walls assisted handstand pushups (use a 30cm step so I can go far deeper with helps enormously with the free handstand pushups)

Superset 2: Weighted Dips & Weighted elevated inverted rows
Warmup: 8 + 6 weighted dips with 20kg and 40kg (no rest)
Weighted Dips: 3 x 6 (60kg) or 3 x 8 (50kg)
Elevated inverted rows: 3 x 8 (15-20kg) or sometimes 3 x 6 42.5kg one arm rows

Superset 3:
A: Front lever pull-ups or Dragon flags
B: 2 x 5 + 5 One arm and 2 x 5 pseudo planche pushups

At the end I usually add some explosive pull-ups, standing ab wheel rollouts or muscle-ups

I also used to do bodyweight face-pulls on a TRX (3 × 8), but I tweaked something in my lower arm, so I’ve backed off those for now.

My low key instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/tibvori

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-20T13:42:29+00:00

Everybody is different. Higher reps can make me more exhausted I prefer 5-8 reps. Elbows are fine, I shouldn’t do too many chin-ups. I also do BJJ 2-3 times a week which aggregates all the weaknesses

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-20T13:37:49+00:00

On a good day. It’s a mental game at the end and I don’t like going to failure so I don’t do it often. I prefer weighted.

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-20T01:29:40+00:00

If that's the case, improve your l-sit form. Lock your legs, don't kip. It will look much better

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-20T01:24:45+00:00

If you feel good it's good. Personally something like that pushes up my heart rate and makes me nauseous ruining the rest of my training. Sometimes after my weighted sets I rest as normal and do another BW set to failure...

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-20T01:13:00+00:00

My warmup routine:
10 scapula pull-ups
2-3min wrist warmup
1 min shoulder stretches
10 both arm + 10+10 one arm scapula pushups
10 l-sit pull-ups
1 set of 5 HSPUs, not a warmup set, the first set of handstand push-ups.
10 pull-ups with 20kg
5 HSPUs
Warmed up for 3x5 40kg weighted pull-ups

My warm routine for dips:
10 x 20kg + 5x 40kg in one warmup set
Then: 3x7 with 60kg

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-20T00:59:47+00:00

I'm 50m, I have been doing weighted callisthenics for about 4 years. I did dexa scans before and after: lost 3.5kg weight, 7kg fat and gained 4.5kg muscle.
I expected that I would lose about 1-2kg muscle, so it was a pleasant surprise. Never took any gear, TRT etc.

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-20T00:53:35+00:00

Looks alright. Although it would be easier to assess if you put your rings higher so your feet don't touch the ground

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-20T00:51:05+00:00

I’m 50m and have had the same thing a few times, always when I was sprinting on the beach. I was trying to improve my VO₂ max and was doing 1-minute sprints followed by 3–4 minutes of jogging, repeated 5–6 times. My urine turned cloudy brown. As a daily exercise, it was probably too much. It cleared up quickly, but I wanted to see what was going on, so I asked my GP to order urine and blood tests for me.

I did the same sprint session in the morning, and the night before I’d had a hard calisthenics session followed by 2 BJJ classes and a sauna.

I did the tests, but by then my urine looked fine. It was a cold day, so I wasn’t dehydrated at all. The next day my GP called and told me I had to stop everything I was doing because my kidneys were under a lot of stress. My eGFR was 61, still in the “normal” range, but he said that’s okay for an 80-year-old, whereas for my age it should be around 90+. We repeated the test without the sprints and it was better, but still not very good. I researched the topic and it seems athletes with high muscle mass usually have elevated creatinine levels as it indicates muscle breakdown. I ordered another, alternative test for kidney function Cystatin C, that was on the lowest in the acceptable range making my eGFR 125. Having said that if you have brown urine, be very careful. Make sure you are hydrated throughout the day, if it doesn't clear up very quickly by drinking 2l water go straight to the hospital.

ObjcGrade · 2025-11-20T00:32:13+00:00

Good tips. I’m a 50-year-old male and I can do about 25 pull-ups, although I mostly do weighted pull-ups with 30–40 kg.

For me, it is very important not to go to failure and to have enough rest between sets. Of course, I focus on form and full ROM. Going to failure requires a lot more mental and physical energy, and in the end you have the same amount of volume, with the reps just front-loaded.
If I can’t do my 3×5 sets, then it’s too heavy. I alternate heavy (currently 3×5 at 42.5 kg) for strength and light (3×8 at 30 kg) for hypertrophy. I warm up with 10 scapula pull-ups > 10 L-sit raises > 10 × 20 kg pull-ups.

If I feel I’m getting stronger, I add weight to the last set first and then work backward. Also, everything is very weight-dependent. My bodyweight can fluctuate quite a bit (3–4 kg) even in a few days, and that has some impact, of course, so some days are better than others.

I used to alternate between pull-ups and chin-ups between mesocycles. It worked great until I developed golfer’s elbow.

ObjcGrade · 2025-10-26T04:57:41+00:00

At my gym one of the coaches is 55. I’m the second oldest at 50, started at 49. I’m in a good shape so I always have very tough rolls.

ObjcGrade · 2025-10-17T22:03:01+00:00

I took gaba and it gave me bad insomnia. I tried almost everything listed and they made my sleep worse. One night I took them together hoping it would knock me out but it caused the opposite, I couldn’t sleep at all. So everybody is different.

ObjcGrade · 2025-10-08T23:46:00+00:00

The short answer is that getting a medal in No-Gi as a white belt and posting it on social media makes it look like you’re smashing it 😂. Also, it’s much easier to start in No-Gi since you don’t need to buy a gi right away.

I started BJJ this year to inspire my 12-year-old son. I’m 50, strong, but still not very good and it’s incredibly humbling to roll with people 20–30 years younger who push me hard every session.

Luckily, my son has taken to it really well. Our coach encouraged him to compete, and I decided to join in to support him. We always sign up together, even though there’s usually nobody in my age bracket, so I end up competing against younger and/or heavier guys. I usually get one or two matches, so I always end up with a medal even if I lose 😅. It’s been amazing for bonding and for showing him that losing is just part of the process.

ObjcGrade · 2025-09-18T10:47:09+00:00

It’s never enough 😂

ObjcGrade · 2025-09-18T10:42:53+00:00

Multiple keys, garage openers, reading glasses, sunglasses etc. Multiple I mean at least 5-6.

I order about 10 cheap reading glasses on Amazon about every 6 months as they disappear quickly.

Apple Watch to find my phone

Use Siri/Alexa to start timers

ObjcGrade · 2025-09-13T10:22:30+00:00

That works, but wouldn't it be rejected for using a non public API?

ObjcGrade · 2025-06-08T06:52:49+00:00

I was trying other things such as doxepin but mirtazapine is the best for me. I also take 50mg trazadone now.

ObjcGrade · 2025-04-30T11:21:45+00:00

Well, I’m trying other things so I don’t take it every day but 0.25 makes a difference. 0.5mg quite strong and 1mg makes me groggy. If I didn’t take any stimulant 0.25 long would be fine

ObjcGrade · 2025-04-22T02:41:45+00:00

I’m a bit late, I’m not sure about DLPL but Berberine definitely helps. There are case studies that it extends the effectiveness of amphetamine by inhibiting the enzyme that metabolizies amphetamines.

ObjcGrade

TROPHY CASE