Simon Ata (aka Simonster) is a world leader in bodyweight training. Starting gymnastics at an early age, he became passionate about mastering control of the body and immersed himself in the world of bodyweight strength training. Attaining a Bachelor of Physiotherapy degree alongside personal training qualifications, furthered his understanding of the body from an academic side and accelerated his training methods and skill.

About the program

This is a four-week program to get to your first set of back-to-back (-to back) chin-ups. While the focus is on building a strong back, I have included lower body, core and pushing exercises to make sure the program trains all of the bodies major muscle groups. As a beginner, it is important to understand that programming should still incorporate balance, even with a highly specific, i.e. we still train all our major muscle groups, despite the primary goal being developing back strength.

Getting the most out of each workout

Calisthenics requires a high level of technical proficiency. At the beginning of each workout, we’ll give you one principle to think about that applies to all of the exercises in the workout. The three principles we’ll be reinforcing during this program are; range of motion (develop strength throughout the entire movement), tempo (to make sure you have control throughout the full ROM) and shoulder position (to make sure the correct muscles are being engaged). At the end of the program, these things should become second nature.

Overload, not variety

Getting strong is less about the continuous introduction of new exercises and more about increasing the intensity of each exercise. While many programs focus on different exercises each workout, this program uses a handful of highly effective exercises and makes them more difficult each week. This is known as progressive overload (the most important principle of exercise science). You’ll be focusing on beating what you did last week.

Weekly overview

Back exercises in this program

Rows (Horizontal pulling)

Chins (vertical pulling)

Levers (straight-arm pulling)

Getting feedback

If you have any questions about the programming or exercises used in the program, please post them in the questions selection below and it will be answered within 24hours.

START WORKOUT ONE

The post The Beginner Back Program appeared first on BASEBLOCKS DIGITAL.

During this session, try and focus on the range of motion (ROM). You are only as strong as the range you train in (range-specificity). A common technical fault of beginners is focusing on increasing the reps, rather than strengthening the entire ROM. To avoid this pitfall, try and make sure that your arms are fully extended between reps.

Workout summary

*Rep ranges for each week are in corresponding tables below.

1a. Band chin-up

1b. Single leg hip bridge

Perform this superset 3 times w/1min rest.

2a. Front lever raise

2b. Plank

Perform this superset 3 times w/1min rest.

3a. Rows: Max reps

3b. Reverse lunge: 10ea

Perform this superset 3 times w/1min rest.

4a. Scap rows

4b. Reverse pushup

Perform this superset 3 times w/1min rest

Workout recap.

Strength is angle-specific. You should have focused on working through the full ROM. If you are unable to complete the desired reps with full ROM, this is known as ‘technical failure’ and it’s time to stop the set (the great thing about training is you can always try again next week).

The post Workout One (45mins): Full ROM appeared first on BASEBLOCKS DIGITAL.

In workout one, we focused on developing strength throughout the full ROM because strength has joint angle specificity. In today’s workout, you will try and focus on controlled negatives for 3-5seconds (also known as ‘eccentrics’). Negatives are the lowering portion of an exercise – the part where you move in the same direction of gravity, e.g. lowering in a push-up, lowering in a squat, lowering in a chin-up.

We are stronger during the lowering part of an exercise, making it easier to control, even as a beginner. By moving through the full ROM at an even speed, it ensures we don’t favor parts of the movement where we naturally stronger.

Workout summary

1a. Band pull-ups

1b. Squat jumps

Perform this superset 3 times w/1min rest.

2a. Front lever raise

2b. Hollow body hold

Perform this superset 3 times w/1min rest.

3a. Rows

3b. Chair dips

Perform this superset 3 times w/1min30sec rest

4a. Scap pull-ups

4b. Reverse lunge

Perform this superset 3 times w/1min rest

Workout recap.

The exercises may have felt tougher than usual – don’t worry. Under unregulated conditions, lowering in an exercise would take 1-2seconds. Today, you have increased the duration of each exercise by prolonging the negative for 3-5seconds. It’s worth it – you’re developing strength throughout every part of each exercise!

The post Workout Two (45mins): Controlled Negatives appeared first on BASEBLOCKS DIGITAL.

We want to be able to control where our range of motion comes from. In today’s workout, we’ll be focusing on packed shoulders. Packed shoulders develop strength in the muscles around your shoulder blades (scapula retractors). Beginners often lack ‘scapula awareness’. That is, they may move past the end range of the movement by letting their shoulders roll forward. Think about keeping your chest spread and shoulders back and down!

Workout summary

*Rep ranges for each week are in corresponding tables below.

1a. Eccentric chin-up

1b. Single leg hip bridge

Perform this superset 3 times w/1.5mins rest

2a. Rows

2b. Single leg deadlift

Perform this superset 3times w/1min rest.

3a. Band chin-ups

3b. Squats

Perform this superset 3 times w/1min rest

4a. Front lever raise

4b. Hollow body hold

4b. Plank

Perform this superset 3 times w/1min rest

5a. Scap pull-ups

5b. V-ups

Perform this superset 3 times w/1min rest

6a. Scap rows

6b. Squat Hold

Perform this superset 3 times w/1min rest

Workout recap

You’re beginning to develop fine motor control! Keeping your shoulders packed while straightening your arms is like rubbing your tummy and scratching your head. Being able to control your scap retractors is going to be especially important with your lever training later down the line!

The post Workout Three (50mins): Packed shoulders appeared first on BASEBLOCKS DIGITAL.

This program should have introduced the importance of progressive overload and consistency. Training isn’t about a wide range of exercises early on. It is about developing a foundation through exercises that develop your major muscle groups effectively, and performing these exercises regularly enough that you begin your next workout after you have recovered (typically 48hours).

You were also introduced to three exercise principles, some of which should be applied to all of the exercises you perform from now on.

Full range of motion (ROM): strength is only developed throughout the range you perform the exercise in (joint-angle specificity)
Controlled negatives/eccentrics: we won’t always control the lowering tempo in intermediate/advanced programs. Performing the exercise is hard enough, let alone counting to 3 or 5 at the same time!
Packed shoulders: develop scapula control (retraction and depression) which should be used prior (or held throughout) all pulling exercises.

Chin-up test

Testing is an important part of programming used to monitor progress objectively. Because we don’t max out in every exercise, and when we do perform exercises using an AMRAP protocol, we may carry some pre-fatigue from exercises performed earlier in the workout that use the same muscle groups.

We want to perform tests without any fatigue, to give us an accurate indicator of our top-level performance. While we do want to perform the absolute maximum number of repetitions, it is on condition that technique is performed strictly. Go to dead hang between reps and make sure your chin goes over the bar, otherwise it doesn’t count!

Start position

End position

Fails.

What’s next?

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