I know what you might be thinking, "Advanced muscle-ups? Aren't muscle-ups already an advanced exercise?" Yes, the muscle-up is a fairly advanced exercise by itself, but with practice, muscle-ups will eventually become manageable. That's when it's time to raise the bar! Plyo Muscle-ups If you know about plyometrics, it's easy to figure out what a plyo muscle-up might look like. To do this move, keep pushing… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Pull-ups!

Having a strong core is an essential component of fitness; the plank is the most simple and fundamental core building exercise you can do. The term "core" generally refers to your abs, lower back and obliques. When holding a plank, you engage all of these muscles. Whether your focus is bodyweight training, weight training, yoga or anything else really, the plank is likely to come up… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises

Vaulting is a technique used to hurdle an object (often with a running start). Unlike a track and field hurdle, however, you use your arms when you perform a vault. There are countless variations on the basic vault (one arm, two arms, 360 degree turns, etc) but the idea remains the same - get your body over a sturdy object quickly and efficiently. Parkour Vaulting Another great… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises

Jumping jacks are one of the most well known bodyweight exercises out there, but when was the last time that you actually did any? Just like jumping rope, the jumping jack (technically referred to as the "side-straddle-hop") is a low intensity plyometric exercise that involves your entire body. And like jumping rope, jumping jacks can turn into a serious cardio workout if done for a long… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Strength and Conditioning

The pistol squat is one of my favorite bodyweight exercises. Pistols are challenging on many levels, requiring core strength, leg strength and flexibility. I often get asked about this exercise, so I decided a formal tutorial was in order. Once you've gotten comfortable with two-legged squats, you're ready to learn the pistol. I like to break it down into three phases. Pistol Squat… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Working Out Your Legs

Instead of using weights to do resistance training, try using a buddy! Manual resistance is a great way to add a fun, new challenge to a workout. Manual resistance simply means that instead of using weights to oppose your muscles, you are using another person. So grab a friend and let's go! Here are 3 exercises that you can try using manual resistance: Partner push-up: Have your partner place their… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Strength and Conditioning

Last year, I posted a muscle-up tutorial that explained how to perform the muscle-up on a pull-up bar. Since then, several people have inquired about learning to perform this skill on gymnastics rings. Performing muscle-ups on rings may at first seem a lot harder to someone who is used to doing the exercise on a bar, but once one acclimates to the subtle differences in… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Pull-ups!

A few months back, I started learning some beginner parkour moves, such as precision jumps and underbars. I've been practicing a lot since then and I recently began incorporating some more difficult moves into my repertoire, like cat jumps and rail walking. Cat Jumps Cat jumps involve jumping up onto an obstacle like a fence or a wall that is too tall to climb. When the traceur… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises

While there's no such thing as true mastery, it's great to strive for ideals as long as we realize they are just that--something to reach for. On the road to superior fitness, it is good to have a sense of your place so you can determine the logical way to progress. In gymnastics (which is just a highly advanced style of body-weight training) skills are generally ranked… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Strength and Conditioning

The one arm chin-up has been my favorite feat of strength since the first time I ever saw one performed. It's a beautiful display of strength, power and control. Anyone who can do a one arm chin-up has automatically earned my respect, for to perform this move takes discipline, patience and determination. No matter how strong you are, you simply cannot acquire this skill without lots and… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Pull-ups!