I can honestly say that these three secrets in calisthenics that I am going to share with you are not my own. I first learned about these from Tony Horton, founder of P90X. So I need to give credit where credit is due. Thanks Tony.
These laws are not earth shattering, nor are they revolutionary. They can, however, make the difference between success or failure.
The three irrefutable laws to succeed in Calisthenics are:
1) Variety
2) Consistency
3) Intensity
The order of course can vary, but the importance of each is without a doubt essential to your success.
Let’s briefly cover each, this post should be relatively short, as I suspect the vast majority of you are already doing your own abbreviated version of this. But for those unaware of these three laws this article is for you.
Variety
When it comes to training, our bodies can quite easily adapt to whatever it is we are doing and in the process we find that we become rather stagnant. Your “workouts” also known as training are forms of movements and if you are not varying your movements/exercises than you can find yourself in the dreaded rut, where doing just one thing over and over is, well pure insanity.
Think of it this way, change is just another word for growth and if you are not changing you are not growing. A lot of the old trite sayings, like variety is the spice of life, are trite because they are true.
Ways to vary of your calisthenics workouts is by mixing up the following: exercises, reps/sets, and performance physiology.
Exercises: can vary in the form and style, for example pike presses for shoulder training or handstand pushups. There are a ton of exercises, don’t just keep on doing the same boring exercises, change it up. Try something new!
Reps/Sets: This is my person favorite. I vary it up, by changing up the sets and reps. I try to focus on reps overall, doing 3-4 exercises and counting that as 1 set, and then resting for 2-3 minutes. Or cycling through 2 “sets” and resting. In the end, my goal can vary depending on the day, but I like to hit a maximum of 100 reps per body part that I am focused on improving my performance. I training for performance and how well I can control a specific move.
Here’s a nice little table that I reference quite often when it comes to reps/sets/rest:
| Desired Outcome | Growth Vs Strength | Reps Per Set | Rest Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explosive Power | Strength | 4-7 Reps | 3+ Minutes |
| Peak Strength (Myofibrillar Hypertrophy/Functional) | Strength | 1-3 Reps | 5+ Minutes |
| Strength (Myofibrillar Hypertrophy/Functional) | Strength | 4-6 Reps | 2-3 Minutes |
| Hypertrophy (Sarcoplasmic/Non-Functional) | Growth | 8-12 Reps | 60-90 Seconds |
| Muscle Endurance (Sarcoplasmic/Non-Functional) | Growth | 12-20+ Reps | 30-60 Seconds |
Performance physiology: I am not sure what else to call this, but this is basically, how you use your body during a specific movement, like hand grips, postures, leg positioning, head position, balancing, etc.
Consistency
Training on a regular basis is fundamental to your success. It’s like anything in life, the more you do something, eventually the better you become. Keep a regular schedule of when you plan on working out and actually stick to it. You don’t improve by sitting on the couch and doing nothing.
You need to workout out on a daily basis.
Be consistent actually prepares your body for a state of perpetual activity, granted you have incorporated this into a habit of more than 90 days. It’s been said that it takes a person roughly 30 days to form a habit, but I have found that when it comes to actually making it something long lasting, 90 days is a good rule of thumb.
A great way I like to make my training consistent is by making them fun. I mean, if it’s not fun, who the heck is going to do anything. I use a HIIT interval timer.
The timer is based on HIIT Tabata training, which is a 2:1 ratio of exercise versus rest. For example, if you plan to workout 30 seconds at 100% effort than you will rest for 15 seconds (2:1 ratio). This is app is super simple and FREE. Just set the timer for the amount of sets or “rounds” and the exercise versus rest times and you are good to go.
What I love about this timer is that there is a sound that goes off at the final 2 second mark of each set. It is loud enough to let you know that the intervals are changing. This is especially helpful when you are using your mobile phone to play music as I always do. The music continues to play as the timer sounds off when you need to be active or rest. It’s sort of like having someone to workout with that keeps you on track.I love it. And best of all its FUN!
Another helpful tip to be more consistent, is to plan ahead. It’s like that saying, if you fail to plan you are planning for failure. Plan your days and times that you are going to workout. As life is constantly changing and things can come up that can throw your best plans to the waste side, you also need to be flexible. I love to workout in the morning but sometimes things come up unexpected that I need to shift my workout schedule to the afternoon. Or if I have to miss a day because I am busy the whole day, I designate that day as my rest day, and move around the schedule to accommodate the new day off, instead of resting on my normal rest day, I workout on that day.
Intensity
You are training to be the best version that you can be. What’s the use of leaving your best on the sidelines?
So many people do just barely enough to get by. They live their whole lives that way. Just squeaking by. For me, it’s a complete travesty to go through life living to just get by. I would rather fail living the life I want versus succeed living a life that others want me to live.
Only Those Who Are Willing To Risk Going Too Far Can Possibly Find Out How Far One Can Go.
– Eric Thomas
I am reminded of a speech that Jim Carey gave during a commencement address to Maharishi University of Management‘s class of 2014. Here’s a transcript of the video below:
So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality. What we really want seems impossibly out of reach and ridiculous to expect, so we never dare to ask the universe for it. I’m saying, I’m the proof that you can ask the universe for it — please! (applause) And if it doesn’t happen for you right away, it’s only because the universe is so busy fulfilling my order. It’s party size! (laughter)
My father could have been a great comedian, but he didn’t believe that was possible for him, and so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an accountant, and when I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job and our family had to do whatever we could to survive.
I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love. (applause)
For me, Intensity is about giving it your all. Only you will know at the end of the day whether or not you gave it your all. Only you. There’s no report card, there’s no reward or prize or medallion, there’s no great celebration, there’s not even anyone who will applaud you when you give it your all. Actually, most likely you will be all alone, when you do. But so is life, Intensity is about, living up to your true potential. Ask yourself, “Compared to you and the very best you have to offer, not to anyone else, but comparing you to you, did you live to your true potential and give it all you could?”
My hope is that your answer will be a resounding YES!
In conclusion, these are the three irrefutable laws to succeed in Calisthenics and in life:
1) Variety
2) Consistency
3) Intensity
