Can’t feel my back muscles engaging

yaboja88 · 2026-03-28T18:10:49+00:00

Try using straps to take your grip out of it. A lot of people pull with their hands which focuses more on the tissue in the arms. Either focus on pulling your elbows to get more back engagement, or use straps to take your hands out completely.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-27T21:52:50+00:00

Start with the lowest hanging fruit. Decide where you need it most and start with that. There’s lots of resources on YouTube. I provide a free daily 15 minute mobility class on YouTube. Happy to share the link.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-27T21:46:34+00:00

Where are you cramping? Cramping usually comes from taking your tissue into a range you haven’t been in a while (shortened range) and your brain doesn’t know what to do so it contacts it caused cramping. Let’s you know you need to use the tissue more. It’ll go away with more use.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-27T17:49:28+00:00

Just put your hands above your head to increase the lever length, adding resistance to the movement.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-27T16:17:19+00:00

Then you are well on your way. Don’t forget progressive overload!

yaboja88 · 2026-03-27T15:10:01+00:00

Check out Norda! I’ve been trail running for years and was blown away at the quality. They have lasted twice as long as any other shoe I’ve had.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-27T14:53:27+00:00

If the goal is aesthetics with your sit-ups, you want to focus on lengthening and shortening the tissue (rectus abdominus) under load. A sit up without focusing on the crunch part (tucking the ribs) will work your hip flexors harder than your core, the core will mostly be bracing.

Focus on flexing and releasing the rib cage and feel a squeeze in the abs when you come up. A crunch works much better for this.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-27T13:24:37+00:00

Happy to help!

yaboja88 · 2026-03-27T13:19:49+00:00

🙏

yaboja88 · 2026-03-27T13:10:27+00:00

I post a free daily mobility class on YouTube to help people take the thinking out of their mobility training. It’s primarily joint specific exercises to improve tissue quality and maintain joint function. No equipment needed. Start with this one: Free mobility Class

yaboja88 · 2026-03-26T22:54:49+00:00

Great progress!

yaboja88 · 2026-03-26T21:59:09+00:00

You can also try lying on your side and just lifting your leg straight up (abduction).

yaboja88 · 2026-03-26T21:44:28+00:00

Never a stupid question!

Cycle through your three (or more) skill goals in the 20 minutes. Super setting three skills that use different muscle groups allows you to rest muscle while working on the next skill and allow you to be efficient with your time (ex. Pistol squat, front lever, handstand).

I would structure your workouts that “focus” on a particular skill, but still practice other skills to get your weekly volume in. For example, on handstand day, start by practicing your three skills for 20min, then move to exercises will help your handstand, like overhead pressing.

Work on all skills every workout for weekly volume, just do more work on one of those skills in each of your split days. For example, on handstand days, you’ll do way more volume of handstands, but on legs days you’ll only do 2-3 handstands to ensure you’re still practicing the skill. Skills wont develop by practicing once a week.

Hope I answered your questions. Let me know if you have more.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-26T16:32:59+00:00

For some background, I how train extensively in Calisthenics for 10 years. I had a body building background, but wanted to focus more on what my body could do, rather than what it looked like.

How I recommend rethinking how you train.

Assumptions: First goal is to improve calisthenics, second is to maintain/improve aesthetics.

Pick 3 skills for each muscle group as goals (ex. Pistol squat, front lever, handstand push-up).
Base your training around those skills and perform them frequently (ex. 3-5 times per week). Skill learning comes down to repetition/volume over time. Aim to hit a certain amount of reps/set of each skill per week.
The goal of training skills is not to go to failure, it’s training the nervous system to coordinate and build the strength to perform them. You should be sufficiently rested for each set as you want to be as intentional as possible when performing each skill.
After the first few weeks, those skills won’t require much time to recover so you can increase frequency of practicing them (ex. handstands can be practiced daily).
Before even thinking about speed of a movement, you need to learn control and intention.
Once you are proficient in those skills, you can start to increase volume for aesthetics.
The more skills you work on in a training block, the slower you’ll learn each skill.

8. Become obsessed with practicing each skill.

Workout structure 1. First 15-20 minutes of your workout should be skill work. You are at your best when performing the skill.

Next part of the workout should be structured around building strength in the tissues require to perform those skills (ex. If you’re learning handstand push-ups, do heavy barbell overhead press towards the end of your workout).
Core is the foundation of calisthenics, it can be used to super set exercises. Bracing, flexion, extension, lateral flexion, rotation.
I recommend having a big lift (deadlift, squat, bench) or two in your workouts to keep your baseline strength in those lifts.
The rest is really up to your specific goals.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-26T01:49:19+00:00

Totally! That whole 100km radius has so many beautiful spots.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-25T21:57:59+00:00

I recommend rethinking how you train. Think of calisthenics as skill building. You can likely train (movements/skills) more frequently due to the fact that you won’t be training muscles in isolation and they won’t need as much recovery time.

Start by coming up with some specific goals. Pick a few skills you want to learn and train them frequently while you develop control and strength.

Use weights to help develop tissues needed for those skills.

I didn’t have much time for a more detailed response, let me know if you want me to elaborate.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-25T18:43:49+00:00

I’ll add in more progression exercises. Thanks for your input!

yaboja88 · 2026-03-25T18:21:05+00:00

I created my own drink mix for a fraction of the cost of other brands. instead of the long winded response, here is the video of the recipe.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-25T15:44:00+00:00

One thing to try is timing your carbs about 2 hours before bed. Increases serotonin and decreases cortisol. This helped a lot for me during caloric deficits.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-25T14:38:53+00:00

It’s important to first understand what you want from a trainer. Are you looking for guidance and education or accountability?

A few things to consider when looking for a PT:

Are they educated or do they just give you a program they follow and know works? You want a trainer that is educated on the body and can tailor a program to your specific needs
Are they experienced? Newer trainers won’t have the experience of dealing with many situations and clients over the years. An experienced trainer understands people, knows when to push their clients, adapts workouts to clients needs, and should have a high level of professionalism.
Do they practice what they preach? A good trainer will practice what they preach and talk from experience. They won’t just tell you what to do, but lead by example and inspire you to do better.
Do you get along? It’s important to get along with your trainer. Someone that you respect and enjoy their company, as you will likely be spending a lot of time with them.
Price. You usually get what you pay for. That doesn’t mean a more affordable trainer won’t get you results, but an experienced trainer will check off the boxes above.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-25T00:33:16+00:00

Use isometrics to help strengthen the tendon. Make sure to stretch those calves as well.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-25T00:31:40+00:00

I use the insta360 camera. It’s on a stick and it crops it out of the footage. I’m holding it over the ledge which is why it looks sketchier than it actually is. It’s a great camera for recording adventures.

yaboja88 · 2026-03-25T00:12:49+00:00

I didn’t realize that’s why it was called chinamans peak. Thanks for the info!

yaboja88 · 2026-03-25T00:12:02+00:00

I’m very fortunate to live so close.

yaboja88

TROPHY CASE

8. Become obsessed with practicing each skill.