Kartik has been one of my most consistent and hardworking clients for a long time, so he’s no stranger to pull-ups and dips.
Despite a shoulder injury from before we met, Kartik’s built a considerable amount of upper-body strength and power in recent years and he’s now stronger and healthier than he’s ever been.
Always seeking to challenge my clients, Kartik and I decided it was time for him to begin training for his first muscle-up. After a few sessions spent practicing explosive pull-ups, straight bar dips and assisted muscle-ups, Kartik was ready to try the real deal. There were lots of unsuccessful attempts, but Kartik persevered and finally achieved his first muscle-up!
It's normal for one arm to come over first when you're learning to do a muscle-up
It wasn’t the best looking muscle-up, but nobody’s first one ever is. It’s normal to have to kick your legs and throw one arm over before the other when you’re first learning to get the movement pattern down. Do whatever you need to in the beginning – with practice you’ll learn to keep your legs straight and make the movement fluid. Don’t get hung up on perfecting your form before you can even do a single rep.
Now that Kartik got the first one out of the way, we can work towards improving his form. Check back this summer for an update on Kartik’s training and watch the video below to see his triumphant break-through moment:
When I first met Katie, she had worked with trainers before, but hadn’t been able to maintain long term fitness. Like many people, she seesawed back and forth with her dedication and often let life get in the way of her health. As a result, she was never able to make any significant gains in her strength and endurance.
Having shed a considerable amount of fat and built a healthy amount of lean muscle since we began training, Katie now recognizes that fitness can only be maintained with dedication and consistency. There are going to be bumps in the road, but Katie knows to keep the car moving.
When Katie and I started working out together, the idea of her doing a pull-up was out of the question, but now she can do one with confidence! We’ve also started working on more advanced leg exercises, like pistol squats.
You might not know it by looking at him, but John is one hell of an athlete, having completed multiple marathons and Ironmans. Since his last marathon, however, John had gotten lax with his training and diet. Nothing lasts forever; if you don’t use it – you lose it!
A few months ago, John decided it was time to get serious again and enlisted me as his trainer. John has since lost over 25 pounds; his conditioning is coming back and he says he feels stronger than ever. Not bad for a guy who just celebrated his 40th birthday!
John loves healthy competition, so when he heard about the 100 Rep Challenge he wanted to give it a shot. I designed the following 100 rep workout to test John’s strength, conditioning and balance.
When I met Betsy last October, it had been a while since she had last worked out. As a former varsity tennis player, however, she was able to jump back in quickly, immediately becoming one of my most committed and consistent clients.
During the months that we trained together, Betsy made significant progress in her strength, endurance and agility. When she left NYC for California in February, we felt optimistic that she could continue building on the foundation we created.
Betsy recently got word that I was going to be in San Francisco for a wedding this week and she made sure to get a workout in with me. I was excited for the chance to see her and equally excited to see that she’s still got it! Betsy has been working hard and staying fit.
At first Betsy was a bit apprehensive, but with a little practice she quickly loosened up and started to get the hang of it. This is often the case when starting out. Parkour is as much psychological as it is physical – the challenge is more often in the mind.
Alex is the most recent addition to my roster of personal training clients. In only a few short months, he has seen huge improvements in his strength, coordination and energy level.
Having never done any strength training before, Alex and I have been spending most of our sessions focusing on the fundamentals of body-weight training. Alex has built the strength to do push-ups and dips and we’ve even began working some plyometrics into our sessions.
Alex recently remarked that even though he’s gained a few pounds since we began our workouts, his pants are actually looser in the waist. His T-shirts, however, are fitting tighter around his arms and chest. Alex is starting to get diesel!
Check out this video clip from one of our recent outdoor workout sessions:
Al Kavadlo is not liable for any injuries or damages that individuals might incur by attempting to perform any of the exercises or feats of strength depicted or discussed on this website. Any individual attempting to does so at their own risk. Consult with your physician before beginning an exercise regimen.
Kartik has been one of my most consistent and hardworking clients for a long time, so he’s no stranger to pull-ups and dips. 
