Bodyweight Foundations : A guide to starting your bodyweight training journey [Kindle ed.]

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BODY WEIGHT FOUNDATIONS

An introductory guide to getting the most from the gym you were born with – your body.

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– The Author James Lee Founder and Head Coach at Simple Sessions MNU certified Nutritionist James has 8 years experience in the Fitness industry, specializing in bodyweight and strength training.

The scope for progression is enormous and the journey to the high-level bodyweight skills is often one of years, rather than months.

Having worked with a wide range of clients from complete novice to semi-professional athletes, it has become apparent that a solid foundation of mobility, strength and control, beginning with mastering bodyweight movements is essential to reduce injury risk long-term and maintain joint health for life.

However, anyone can utilize bodyweight training to build muscle, strength and skill whether you are training at home or in the gym and most will be able to achieve a relatively high level of skill should they wish, no matter your age or start point.

Bodyweight training is far from easy, it is strength training when done properly. If you are expecting this eBook to be focused on burpees and HIIT training this isn’t for you. I will be showing you how to perform the basic bodyweight movements with good technique and control to enable long-term strength development, not just short-term tiredness each session.

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My aim for this e-book is to provide you with the basic tools that you need to build a solid foundation of movement and control through several key positions from which to develop these more advanced skills safely and effectively. Please take a minute to watch this introductory video.

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– Content s

01  02  03  04  05  06  11  12 

The Setup

Page 5

 arm Up and W Joint Preparation

Page 6

The Foundations and Key Positions

Page 7

Adding Movement and Building Strength Through Range

Page 9

Getting the Reps In

Page 10

Structured Sessions – Initial Weeks

Pages 11–15

Standards for Progression

Page 16

The Next Steps

Page 17

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01 The Setup Key Points

Other Considerations

01 I f you have a body, you can train anywhere, at any time.

01 Do you have any current injuries?

02 F  or any overhead pulling work, make sure whatever you hang from is strong enough so you won’t fall 03 E  nsure that you have enough clearance above/ around so that you won’t hit anything as you are moving 04 W  e highly recommend that you spend 5-10 minutes working through a shoulder specific warm-up and joint preparation sequence prior to training.

Useful Extras 01 C  limbing/gymnastics chalk – to aid with grip, especially when we come on to hanging work.

02 Have you got a history of shoulder, or joint problems? 03 Have you got a history of shoulder, or joint problems? If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the above, we recommend that you speak to your doctor or physio prior to training with the rings to get the go ahead. If you get the all clear, it is imperative that you don’t rush, and progress only once you are completely comfortable with each stage. If you feel like you need more feedback or an individualized approach, feel free to book a consultation call.

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02 Warm-up and Joint Preparation Fail To Prepare, Prepare To Get Injured

Joint Preparation Sequence

The warm-up and joint preparation element of each session is arguably the most important aspect to get right.

01 Our aim is to take all of the joints that we will be using through their full range of motion actively and passively, introducing some low level load throughout this range.

Especially as we progress, the skills that we will perform will require us to have access to our maximum range of motion about all of the joints that we will be using, and the tissues/joints need to be able to move freely. In order for that to happen, we need to have a, focused, full body mobilization sequence. The amount of time you spend on this phase will depend on your level, your injury history and how you feel day-day. Sometimes you may feel tight or movements may not feel smooth, in which case, it is advisable to spend extra time warming up in order to get the most out of your session. The added benefit of a focused warm up process is to get you into the best headspace to concentrate – something that is especially important when we are trying to learn new skills.

02 When it comes to bodyweight training many of the movements can be considered full body, especially the more advanced movements, so developing a good awareness of our body in space is essential. 03 This process will enable you to find out any areas of tightness, or restriction so that we can focus on improving them and possibly adapt our session accordingly. 04 Watch this video for my recommended, full body warm up sequence.

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03 The Foundations and Key Positions Fail To Prepare, Prepare To Get Injured

Key Positions

There are several key positions that you need to master to build a strong foundation of control and stability before progressing on to the next level of skills. I’ve listed them below, with walkthrough videos attached for you to watch and practice.

01 Passive and Active Hang 02 Tall and Elbow Plank 03 Hollow Body/Dish Hold 04 Single-leg Balance 05 Breathe and Brace

If you have any questions or require more information, please ask via e-mail at [email protected] using the subject ‘Bodyweight Foundations Question’.

Primary Movements These two drills are designed to teach you how to control you shoulder blades and rotation of the upper arm. 01 EDPR (elevation, depression, protraction, retraction) 02 IYTW 02 Hip Hinge 02 Squat 02 Lunge (multi directional) 02 Press-up and Regressions 02 Bodyweight Row

build a strong foundation of control and stability

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03 A Ver y Impor tant Point The realm of bodyweight training is enormous, ranging from the absolute basics (which this book covers), handstands, running and utilising equipment such as gym rings or Parallettes (specific ebooks are available to teach the foundations of both of these pieces of kit). In this foundational ebook, I will cover the fundamental positions and movements that will underpin all your future training by providing you with a solid foundation of understanding and movement from which to propel your training. Understanding the basics of how to move your joints, and create tension is an important initial step before considering loading with any form of external weight such as Barbells, Kettlebells, Dumbbells or even more advanced bodyweight movements in order to minimise injury risk and maximise your progression potential.

As a result, if you’re reading this and feel as though it only covers a few select movements, it is by design ad these are the bare essentials. Working through progressions appropriately is key to progressing safely, and as such most movements are beyond the scope of this introductory book. In the follow-on 8 week programme and beyond, you will be able to see how to begin progressing each movement appropriately for your level and goal.

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04

Adding movement and building strength through range Once we have got to grips with the key positions, we can think about adding the next layer and build strength through the ranges that we have developed.

Layer 01 01 P  ress-Ups 02 Bodyweight Row 03 Hanging Knee Raises 04 Active > Passive Hangs 05 Squat, Lunge, Hinge

Layer 02 01 D  ips 02 Chin Ups

Layer 03 (Beyond the Scope of this E-Book) 01 G  ymnastic Skills (Handstands, levers) 02 Single Arm Chin-ups and more 03 Pistol Squats, Single Leg Movements

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05 Getting the Reps In Now we have the basic movements outlined, in order to build we just have to get the reps in – the best way to achieve this is to train these movements several times/week. This is where we build our movement capacity and strength – we can essentially treat this part of the process as you would any other programme, where we are aiming to create progressive overload using various leverage, set, reps and tempo systems to develop and condition good quality movements.

develop and condition good quality movements

The movements outlined on the previous page are the end results. If you are just starting out with the training in general, we are likely to have to regress these movements initially, to enable you to perform sufficient, high quality reps to progress. This is where our initial testing comes into play – we utilize a structured test for each movement to ascertain our start point in order to implement the appropriate regression of each exercise to enable safe and effective progress.

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06

Structured Sessions Two Week s For You to Test Out Step 01 Test Days These initial sessions will give a good indication of your current level and capabilities with this equipment.

Step 02 Two weeks of programming so you can get some practice in and begin to develop the key positions, and start to incorporate the layer 1 movements.

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07

Test Day 01 Block

Exercise

Notes

Warm-Up

CS-10

Full body joint preparation

A1

Dips (Chair, Assisted Or Full)

Max reps, working 1 rep every 3s (record your score - if 0 regress as described).

B1

Chin Ups (Full Or Assisted)

Max reps, working 1 rep every 3s (record your score - if 0 regress as described).

C1

Plank Hold Max Time

Max hold, regress if needed as described.

D1

Bodyweight Squat

Max reps in 2 minutes.

E1

Max Active Hang -> Passive Hang

Max hollow hold, make a not if you have to regress as described.

Test Day 02 Block

Exercise

Notes

Warm-Up

CS-10

Full body joint preparation

A1

Press Ups

Max reps, working 1 rep every 3s (record your score - if 0 regress as described).

B1

Bodyweight Row

Max reps, working 1 rep every 3s (record your score - if 0 regress as described).

C1

Dish Hold

Max hold, regress if needed as described.

D1

Side Plank L+R

Max full hold. Regress as described if needed.

E1

Single Leg Balance L+R

If you get to 30s easily, try with eyes closed.

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08

Session 01 Block

Exercise

Notes

Warm-Up

CS-10

Full body joint preparation

A1

Press Ups

5 minute EMOM Max reps each round, starting a new round every 60s. Record total reps

B1

Bodyweight Row

5 minute EMOM Max reps each round, starting a new round every 60s. Record total reps

C1

Single Leg Balance Box

5 reps/leg

C2

Plank Hold -> Squat Thrust (Or Regression)

4x max reps time (controlled reps, this builds straight arm strength relevant to push ups)

D1

Bodyweight Squat

3s lower, 3s hold, 3s ups x 10 reps

D2

Side-Lying Leg Raise

15 reps/side

D3

V-Ups

10 reps 4 rounds

Session 02 Block

Exercise

Notes

Warm-Up

CS-10

Full body joint preparation

A1

Chin Ups (At Your Tested Level) 5 minute EMOM Max reps each round, starting a new round every 60s. Record total reps

B1

Dips (At Your Tested Level)

5 minute EMOM Max reps each round, starting a new round every 60s. Record total reps

C1

Alternating Reverse Lunges

4 x 30s

C2

Lying Hamstring Curl/Walkout

4 x 30s

D1

Dish Hold

4 x 30s

D2

Iytw

4 x 30s

D3

Side Plank

4 x 30s

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09

Session 03 Block

Exercise

Notes

Warm-Up

CS-10

Full body joint preparation

A1

Atg Split Squat

5x5 reps . To regress, elevate front foot a few inches

A2

Hip Thrusts

10 reps 3s hold at top of each rep

B1

Press Ups (As Last Time)

Take total reps from last session and divide by 5. Aim to hit this number of reps EMOM for the first 4 mins, then max reps on min 5 (you should end up with an improved total vs. last time)

C1

Bodyweight Row

Take total reps from last session and divide by 5. Aim to hit this number of reps EMOM for the first 4 mins, then max reps on min 5 (you should end up with an improved total vs. last time)

D1

Max Reps Active To Passive Hang

4x max reps (assisted if necessary)

D2

Nordic Hamstring Curls (From Hip)

4x 6-10 reps (eccentric only if necessary)

Session 04 Block

Exercise

Notes

Warm-Up

CS-10

Full body joint preparation

A1

Press Ups

Take total reps from last session and divide by 5. Aim to hit this number of reps EMOM for the first 4 mins, then max reps on min 5 (you should end up with an improved total vs. last time)

B1

Bodyweight Row

Take total reps from last session and divide by 5. Aim to hit this number of reps EMOM for the first 4 mins, then max reps on min 5 (you should end up with an improved total vs. last time)

C1

Single Leg Balance Box

5 reps/ leg, try to increase range with each movement compared to last time

C2

Plank Hold -> Squat Thrust (Or Regression)

4x max reps time (controlled reps, this builds straight arm strength relevant to push ups)

D1

Bodyweight Squat

3s lower, 3s hold, 3s ups x 10 reps

D2

Side-Lying Leg Raise

15 reps/side

D3

V-Ups

10 reps 4 rounds

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10

Session 05 Block

Exercise

Notes

Warm-Up

Cs-10

Full body joint preparation

A1

Chin Ups (At Your Tested Level) Take total reps from last session and divide by 5. Aim to hit this number of reps EMOM for the first 4 mins, then max reps on min 5 (you should end up with an improved total vs. last time)

B1

Dips (At Your Tested Level)

Take total reps from last session and divide by 5. Aim to hit this number of reps EMOM for the first 4 mins, then max reps on min 5 (you should end up with an improved total vs. last time)

C1

Alternating Reverse Lunges

4x 45s

C2

Plank Hold -> Squat Thrust (Or Regression)

4x 30-45s

D1

Dish Hold

4x30-40s

D2

Iytw

4x 30-45s

D3

Side Plank

4x 30-45s/side

Session 06 Block

Exercise

Notes

Warm-Up

Cs-10

Full body joint preparation

A1

Atg Split Squat (Regress If Needed)

5x5 reps (aim to get a bit more range this time). To regress, elevate front foot a few inches

A2

Hip Thrusts

12-15 reps 3s hold at top of each rep

B1

Press Ups (As Last Time)

Take total reps from last session and divide by 5. Aim to hit this number of reps EMOM for the first 4 mins, then max reps on min 5 (you should end up with an improved total vs. last time)

C1

Bodyweight Row

Take total reps from last session and divide by 5. Aim to hit this number of reps EMOM for the first 4 mins, then max reps on min 5 (you should end up with an improved total vs. last time)

D1

Max Reps Active To Passive Hang

4x max reps (assisted if necessary)

D2

Nordic Hamstring Curls (From Hip)

4x 6-10 reps (eccentric only if necessary)

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11

Standards for progression to advanced skills Why do we have standards? Our standards enable us to adapt our programming to each individuals level, so that progress is effective. Trying to practice a movement that is too challenging results in a higher injury risk, and more failure - which can often be both demoralizing and inefficient for progress.

Standards Lvl 01 A ble to perform all key positions and foundational movements with good form (holds 10-20s) Lvl 02 Lvl 1 + 10+ full reps of the Layer 1 movements Lvl 03 Lvl 2 + 10+ full reps of Layer 2 movements/ holds for 5-10s. Lvl 04 Lvl 3 + competency at all Layer 3 movements

Be Prepared Depending on your start point, progressing through the initial levels (1-3) is likely to take a few months, maybe longer. As you progress to the more advanced skills, these can take a longtime to master, so patience and consistency are essential. But by taking the time to master each stage, you will be well placed to continue progressing.

patience and consistency are essential

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12 The Next Steps If you want to learn more about how to incorporate effective bodyweight training into your current training or want to dig deeper, and progress your skills, we have just what you need. Our online bodyweight intro programme is the next stage and will take you through structured progressions of all of the above movements, and set you up to take your skills and strength to the next level, whilst allowing you to train from your home or the gym. If you’ve enjoyed this e-book and want to continue your training journey, sign up to the 8-week programme via the button below.

SIGN UP

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