Most people overcomplicate calisthenics. They think they need 20 different drills, 3-hour workouts, or advanced progressions before they can even start making progress. But the truth? If you only mastered pull-ups, push-ups, hollow body hold, and the bodyweight squat, really mastered them, you’d unlock a ridiculous number of skills and set the foundation for almost everything else. Why? Because each of these basics is a “gateway” movement. - Pull-ups → lead to muscle-ups, front lever, back lever, human flag, climbing strength. - Push-ups → progress to dips, handstands, planche, push-up variations, even press handstands. - Hollow body hold → core integration for EVERYTHING: L-sits, levers, handstands, planche, flips. - Bodyweight squat → pistol squats, explosive jumps, flows, obstacle landings, mobility for acrobatics. Now here’s the kicker: you don’t even need to change the exercise. If all you did was push these to their limit. Full range of motion, weighted variations, longer holds, slower tempos, you’d still build insane strength, mobility, and control. I’ve seen athletes who only did weighted pull-ups and push-ups for years… step into Ninja Warrior, and instantly adapt to skills most people grind for. That’s the compounding effect of real basics. Obviously, when you get into specific skills, there are specific exercises in Israel that will get you there faster. Pike push-ups will get you to handstand push-ups faster than regular push-ups. However, consistency beats complexity. And mastering these four moves will unlock more than you think. 👉 Which of these four basics do you feel is your strongest right now — and which one needs the most work?

Ok y’all, serious debate time 🤔… is it calisthenics or callisthenics?

Most people think the pistol squat is just about leg strength. The honest answer is that it is about Strength. There is a small 10% part that isn’t. So if negatives or assisted feels easy, this might be what you’re missing. Back in my parkour days, I could jump rooftops but still tipped over sideways every time I tried a pistol. The missing piece wasn’t strength—it was balance and control. I needed to lean a little bit more forward and put more weight in my toes then into my heels that seem to work. Here are two other things you can try if mobility or balance might be an issue. 1. Counter Balance Pistols – hold a weight in your hands to help you have your centre or gravity more forward. 2. Heel Assisted Pistols – place something on your heels just like you would use to assist in a squat if ankle mobility is stopping you. Why does this matter long-term? Because there are other factors, besides just Strength that people have to work with. In this case, there’s a little bit of balance, a little bit of mobility and a little bit of control. When trying to figure out, what’s the best way to help it’s stuff to try to find answers as many the answers are to help as many people as possible. As a coach, it’s hard to help every single person with every single solution, this is why talking together helps find the proper answer That’s the shift that makes hybrid calisthenics fun: you stop muscling through and start moving with mastery. 👉 Where do you usually get stuck on pistols—strength, balance, or mobility?

Got to thinking would you guys recommend a resting squat and doing hanging every day. What are your thoughts?

Most people are afraid of training too much. Burnout. Injury. Overtraining. But here’s the truth: almost nobody is overtraining. Most are under-training, under-recovering, and under-planning. Gymnasts put 5 hours a day, 5 days a week and it takes years to burnout. What holds people back isn’t training too much — it’s not building smart habits. If training and fitness aren’t part of your daily rhythm yet, don’t start with a 2-hour plan. Start with 5 minutes a day. That 5 minutes — push-ups, pull-ups, squats — will do more for consistency than any giant program you can’t stick with. For strength training, the real sweet spot is 24–48 hours between hitting the same muscle group. That’s when you recover, adapt, and come back stronger. And if your goal is a handstand? Spending hours stretching your splits isn’t the fast track. Put that time into drills that build balance, scapula control, and body alignment. 1 minute a day in handstands will get you towards your goal faster than waiting one training a week. Stop worrying about “overtraining.” You’ll know when you’re anywhere near it. Until then, focus on recovery, smart programming, and daily habits. That’s how you unlock your potential. ➡️ Comment “FRAMEWORK” below and I’ll set up a training plan for you with these ideals. 👉 Do you think you’re holding yourself back more from doing too much… or not doing enough?