Rule 1: Avoid training for competing goals Rule 2: When to gain, and when to maintain Rule 3: Balance volume and intensity Good, solid advice. You train everything by alternating your emphasis, is how I see it. Something else to keep in mind is that flexibility/mobility training *is* strength training; whether it be building up that neural connection, or bulking up. You're lengthening and strengthening the relevant muscles; building strength in the position. This circles back to rule 1.

Never boring so long as you enjoy making the vids

Exactly my struggle, clicked immediately. Stoked for this episode!

Perfect timing. Was thinking quite a lot about this topic recently

Absolutely love the theme you pushing lately of doing less and being focused on few things at one time. Also enjoying those kind of vlog style reflection videos. Keep it up!

Definitely the topic I needed. Thanks for this !!

Thanks for this. I've been working on my front splits using your follow-along video for a couple of weeks now. So happy with my progress. I couldn't help but feel guilty for scaling my daily yoga practice all the way down.

Really enjoyed this video! I feel like Emmet’s flexibility practice and Philipp and Martina’s Strength practice cover so much in terms of attention to detail in principles to follow to gain. Absolutely love it. Really helps with setting a super solid foundation to my acrobatics practice 😍 Big fan of how you break down topics solidly.

You always answer the important questions, much appreciated

Consistancy and focus is king. At the start of 2020 i wanted the handstand push up. And Planche, Front & Back Lever, 10 rep muscle ups, Handstand. Didnt make much progress in anything (except handstands & muscle ups) 1 1/2 months ago i decided i really wanted the handstand push up. I trained my balance, pike push ups & wall negatives. Basically did the same exercises & workouts only adding reps & increasing intensity (aka progressive overload😉) Today i got a freestanding HSPU (1 rep only, and form need improvement but i did it 4 times in total) Your programs helped out a ton as well😊 This is proof that consistancy leads to fast progress

Recently found that focusing on fewer skills definitely leads to better gains. And I also don't lose skills like I thought I would without training so don't be scared of losing progress in reality there will be transferability and it's good to know maintanance is much easier than you'd think. Absolutely key video thanks Tom and also love the kitchen and love the beach sessions!

This applies to everything not gonna lie. I'm a computer science student, and i honestly realised, that when i am not making progress in my cognitive endeavours, it's probably because i'm overworking and not resting. Stopping and evaluating, taking a step back and see what you can take out, in the long run, is much more efficient and will help you to get done what actually needs to get done. It's all about setting priorities! I LOVE this video!!! I'm here because I am plateauing in handstands since one year and it's frustrating. Well, thanks for the reality check :)

Great topic Tom! A lot of clients struggle with that and me myself have been on that pint of wanting too much as well. But I love that you talk about it so people are less frustrated. I would say too many HS is possible sometimes I feel that my nervous system needs a break. All in all awesome video! Thanks from Germany!

Oh man the drone shots🔥❤️

Tom, thanks for you vids! Do you ever feeled like doing a weekly podcast? Do you have time for that? Maybe with someone else, maybe FFAQ? I would love to hear of that. And not talking only about fitness, just reallife stuff, talking about everything. Love listening to your stories and topics! Greetings Seb

Thank you fot this great video

Kitchen looks great 👍 Love hearing you talk more about minimum effective dose, a lot of people are on the opposite side of that without realizing it.

The quality of this video is so lit

Great tips!

Thanks for this talk! I needed a reminder to focus on slowly building skills and not try to do everything 😅😊

kitchen looks great tom!

Really needed this rn all I've ever tried to is like literally everything at once and it's been occurring to me recently I should really just specialise in what I want to achieve and just leave the other stuff to maintenance

I completely agree, I constantly deal with the issue of doing more because I feel like it is needed to progress! However, I only figured out 12 weeks ago dropping the volume is what makes you progress more sometimes. Wish someone would have pointed me in that direction sooner! Glad you included that within the video, not many people talk about decreasing overall volume.

Really like the simple tile in the backspalsh

Great Video 😃

Very good topic! Currently focused on 3 things: hspu, one arm chinup and a 180kg squat. Havent trained front lever for so long and it actually improved a little, just like the human flag. Free gains baby!

U deserve more subscribers bru💪💪💪

So very very simply: 'focus is important'. Work towards 1 or 2 goals, once you've achieved those, maintain them at a lower training frequency whilst you work at new ones! Good advice Tom, loving your videos as always!

Video came just in time ahh yeaa 💪

Awesome and highly educational video! I'm currently grinding BBR while trying to achieve my first freestanding HS. Additionally I'm doing pancake and compression work roughly once a week. So far I'm making good progress in all three categories, although I'm focussing on BBR since it develops the much needed basics. So I'd say I've been experiencing a lot of "less is more", which feels really nice and even surprising from time to time! Anyways keep grinding on that planche Tom, I'm excited to see what you can accomplish despite being so tall. You're a great inspiration to me since I'm also 1,87m. Cheers!

Enjoy your "realism", Tom -- meaning, letting us into your progressions, ideas, perceptions -- and making clear there are ups and downs. Lots of super hyped video presentations around, reality is as Thomas Edison said "Opportunity Is Missed By Most People Because It Is Dressed in Overalls and Looks Like Work " -- i.e. great accomplishment is 90% sweat and sticking with it, and that is a story filled mostly with patience, perseverance, learning through constant frustration, setback, and failure. And, unrelenting target focus through it all.

Great video! That definitely helped me realize where I'm going wrong in my training right now. I am currently rehabbing from a few knee injuries and surgeries but I've been wanting to stay generally fit and work on learning the handstand. I need to hone in more on one goal cause I haven't been making any progress in months. Do you have any experience with knee injury rehab and training?

Wow the kitchen looks Great 🙌🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👍🏽🇬🇧😁

Hey, First things first: I've been following your channel for quite a long time, and learned a lot of stuff along the way. Thank you for the great content you keep putting on! Now about my training and main goal. For the past few months (4-5) my main goal I've been trying to achieve HS. I would say, that I've had decent amount of progress. I'm at the point where I can hold 6-10s constantly (after kicking to the wall). Trying to work on my ability to kick into HS, and in the meantime keep or increase balance time. My workout routine currently is Monday/Friday(UpperBody) - Wednesday(LowerBody) - RestOfTheDays( practice for HS at least 3times) and usually one day of active rest (playing some sport/bike riding/hiking). UpperSession consists of (chin-ups/pulls-ups, pike push-up, 5-6sets of 7-12reps, ring rows + ring-push-up 3sets, 10-15reps, depending on how I feel (could do some HS holds face-to-wall (2-3sets of 30-45s hold), having one specific exercise for shoulder mobility/strength that I'm doing with either rings or bands, and finishing off with a little visual muscle workout aka ARMS - ring curls and triceps extension of some sort (3 -4sets) (8-12reps)). Handstand Workout include - W1 - focusing on kicking into HS (50-60 kick per leg) and holding at the top for a short time, (P.S. - of my leg kicks needs alot of work - I'm rarely able to kick with it into vertical position), face-to-wall hold 3-4sets, 30-60s Hold , L-sit 3set -20-30s Hold , and some shoulder mobility (I've found on your channel with a stick). - doing this workout once per once per week (taking me around 45-60min of training). W2 - focusing on balancing HS doing back to wall balance cuz I find it easier for me at the moment in 20-25 min of training trying to accumulate as much time as possible of free standing), following this with some standing to tuck-hold on the wall or just face-to-wall hold for 3set until failure, and again L-sit 3 set 20-30sec hold, shoulder mobility with stick or band. P.S - So ye there it is It's quite a lot text here, but I wanted to explain my workout plan so you can give as objective opinion/suggestions as you possibly can. Will be happy to hear your opinion and suggestions. Have a great one!

Great video Tom! I think I’ve been overtraining my flexibility and not allowing for enough rest

Good tips 👍

Hey Tom, your content has made lock down a lot easier! It's also done wonders for my mental health 😁 I was wondering where you got your infrared light lamp from? I've got some minor injuries that I think might benefit from it 😁

Would love if you could explain how we can make our session of straight and bent arm.

Very appropriate video. I am struggling with the same problem, since elders need to cover a larger range of activities. If in a period I look after mobility and flex, I kinda "lose" my few skills. If I train strength, my yoga classes run down the hill. If I try cardio, my strength declines. Yes, maybe I want too many things at the same time. I deeply sympathise. :-)

My condition right now, I am training for muscle ups on pull days, straddle planche on push days (or just anytime) , middle splits either after workout or just on rest days 🤣🤣

Please make a video about your experience with the Vertical Diet!

You should do a video on block periodization for weighted calisthenics my man.

I am sooo here for this video! I am def. guilty of wanting to do it "all"!! :D I decided to focus on 1) handstands (just 5 minutes every day) 2) building upper body strength (3x 30-minute sessions per week) and 3) progressing in ashtanga yoga (second series). Aside from that, I am doing ashtanga primary series (1-2x week) + yin yoga (2x week) which I do mostly for my mental well-being. :D I want to get started on middle splits next but might wait it out a bit because adding that right now would feel like a little too much. :x Really really loved this video! Much love from Berlin! :)

Great video Tom. So if I'm focusing on building my handstand, is it ok to combine it with weighted chinups and would you reccomend doing weighted dips once a week aswell?

Good tips Tom. Some focus is really needed. I'm glad I'm into yoga. We do lots of stuff on flexibility and strength and it never gets boring. We are taught not to expect progress in specific timelines. Things will come when they come as long as you put some work into it. If they don't come then let it be. Yes, our progress is slower and we never get to the level of callisthenics practitioners. That said, I just do yoga and nothing else so I guess I'm not doing contradictory things. I also focus on a few core skills to improve a bit faster in my personal journey. Then the more advanced yoga poses will eventually be accessible. Actually, I have a question for everyone. What is the end goal of our practice? Why do we want to do planche? Handstand? Gain superhuman strength? ...And lose it all when we get old.

Thank you for talking about this! I'm a mess trying to do rehab and prehab, handstands, pull ups, backbends, foam rolling and stretching, doing yoga, ballet and contemporary dance all in one week 🤣

Interesting points, thank Tom. You mentioned developing bend arm strength as a foundation before straight arm skills. Based on this, would you say it’s advisable to achieve HSPU before working towards press-to-handstand?? Thanks

Hi Tom, thanks for the video, I was trying to achieve all those goals at once and now I see how counterproductive this can be. I wanted to ask you how much do you swim per day/week in order not to affect the rest of your trainings

Im tryna get a freestanding handstand, full middle and side splits, straddle back lever and a really clean advanced tuck front lever by the end of the year. Rn im just doing a very conservative GMB coach sommer style approach to sub maximal straight arm holds until i get my overall pressing and pulling strength up.

Hey Tom, what is the brand of you Express coffee machine?

That solid skill flex with the milk leaf on the coffee. Dang. What can't you do Tom hahaha

Bro nice edit

1:22 coffee shot oh yeah i am barista lol

I'm having thoughts on starting my handstand journey along with planche, which I already started about 2 months ago. Nevertheless my focus is strength/hypertrophy. Any suggestions or comments on that? My main doubts are about the conflict between starting do develop the handstand and practicing the planche. Will it put too much stress on my upper body, considering that I`m also doing strength/hypertrophy training? For the record: I have started bodyweight training 10 months ago

Really good video bro!! When it comes to combining different type of trainings, I often fall into the trap of trying to make progress at everything... For instance, I'm currently working on my upper body strenght and skills (mainly Handstand, Front and back lever progressions, weighted pull ups and pike push ups) and at the same time I practice Parkour (which involves a lot of leg and core: flips, jumps, etc)... Those 2 are the main practices I'm working on (Parkour and Calisthenics), plus some yoga, rock climbing and a little bit of trekking here and there... The point is, I freaking love variety of movement and, by the same token, is definitely a lil bit discouraging when I don't see many progress in any of the activities that I mentioned... But what can I expect? hahaha... Anyways, I still trying to figure out how to handle volume, training and intensity in order not to burnout my CNS and keep on with other areas of my life xDDD Nobody said it was easy, right? Cheers to everyone from the far away lands of Chile

Hi Tom I a karate instructor is they a difference between mobility and flexibility also when is it best to do mobility and flexibility excerise as a warm up or during work out or even after? Be great to hear back from you.

This is so true, and calisthenics people are usually more at risk of it, because calisthenics straddles bodybuilding, strength training, mobility and skills.

I do push and pull training 4 times a week + leg training. 2 times a week I train for the planche, and the other two days I train for the muscle up on rings. I always start with the isometric holds (for example the tuck planche) and then I move on with my strenght training specifically for that skill: handstand pushups, pseudo planche pushups etc. Any thoughts on my training scheme, I would love to get some general tips. For that matter, does anyone know a good discord or chalisthenics community where I can talk to other people like you watching this video?

You are super man

Tom hi, Ngl lie this is something I have been struggling for QUITE a bit. Not only in fitness but other aspects of my life where I take on too much and then eventually to the point of 'which plate am I comfortable in breaking' . For the past 11 months, I have been training for -The pancake -Middle Splits -Front Splits -Bodyweight training (have to get a big back) (Thanks for those follow along -also Christians music is good) Working out 5-6 days/week including mobility. along side pharmacy school, podcast, side gigs (yeah I know it's intense) For now and moving forward, the plan is to workout 4 days/week -Bodyweight 2x week (Mon, Thu) -Mobility 2x week (Tue, Fri) As pharmacy school takes priority, planning to study consistently so that when I have exams I don't have to break all the plates, Everything outside pharmacy school, takes the Sunday mornings where I have a good time and do the least amount of 'work' for maximum results. The devil is in the dosage! (longest comment in my history of yt) Best, Atta

Would you say stretching for a front split and a pancake at the same time is a bad idea goals wise? I do your loaded front split stretch 3 times a week and you 15min pancake stretch 3 times a week.

Lately I've been using Andy Galpin's system, which is quite simple. You essentially have 10 points to allocate, which decide how much effort you decide to put into each of your current goals.

Do you think its too much strength work to try to improve planche, frontlever, muscle up and back lever pulls/pull ups at same time? I feel like those skills have decent carry over to each other and with variations you are less injury prone.

I'm curious if there are training approaches/goals that sort of naturally compliment one another, rather than compete with one another? Let's simplify a tad and say the major goals are: strength, power, endurance, flexibility/mobility, and balance. As an example: I'd guess that training for endurance would compete with strength, but it might compliment flexibility or balance. Any thoughts on this?

yeah if done correctly you will get free gains. I would add train in a way you body is built for. I'm Short , fairly lite , built like a Gymnast really. I have Stiff shoulders by nature. especially in flexion. so I trained Front/Back Lever , 1 arm Pull up , Planche. those came easy as my Stuff Shoulders actually helped me. the flag just came when I got strong. handstand and Tuck/Press Handstand is what I'm working on now. I've had handstand for years. it's good but not great. I'm slightly Planched due to stuff shoulders. but cause of my wrist Mobility I compensate lack of Shoulder flexion for extra wrist extension I am finding it a struggle to get Good Shoulder flexion. what is frustrating cause I actually enjoy handstand more then levers. however I'm much more build for Levers. I love the videos. they help 😊

Love from india sir

Hey tom, I‘m a 16-year old teenager who loves to train calisthenics. But I am worried that training too often might stop my growth ( currently 5.9). Can training 5-6 times a week hinder me from growing? Btw love your Videos

Legend has it Tom's next-door neighbours had to pay silly-money premiums when buying their houses.

Core strength training?

Friend!

but how to combine them man? there is not much covered on this subject. let's say my main focus is planche and strenght training, yet i also want to make slow and consistent progress on flexibility. -do i train a little bit flexibility everyday and go about my strenght training? -should i stretch only my upperbody if i trained lower body that day? -should i stretch after, before or during my strength training? in summary, can you make a video on how a training program could look like for someone how wants to progress on both strength and flexibility? keep up the good work bro. love your videos!

I have been training to achieve my first PULL UP.... I have been training for 2 week And I found out that I'm weak at pulling and have weak back, I round at my shoulder when pulling all the way Up and have weak forearms muscles used to pull...... I do negative chin up and assisted chin up and now as a progress I saw I can now pull from dead hang but with little assistance but I round.....What should I do more or less?

Thanks Tom! If Flexibility focused would you recommend a new split now that you have the 60 min follow alongs. Say 3-4 60 min active flex or pnf follow along and 2 more 20 min follow alongside?

^__________^ So high quality scenery

I got a little bit confused, but it seems this warning is meant for me, cuz I want to train for handstands as well as front lever (and after that, muscle up). Is it a bad combination? I thought it would be okay since they seem to have different foci. Am I mistaken?

Guiltyyyy.....

lololol did not excpect you to use the metal gear solid alarm sound

Change your rings Tom :D

🔝🔝🔝🔝

Great Video but I was so distracted by your hair.

Do you think human flags and handstands are competing goals?

I have been training with a personal trainer and coaches for 7 years and I have seen good results, a few months ago I decided to start train with the app I have seen excellent results I feel really good 💪🏻🤸🏻‍♂️ splits handstands rings body weight is the one 🔥

Sooo Tom, you’re a healthy fella. Do you think about using (enough) sunscreen? With your amount of time spent outside, you might want to look into some skin cancer prevention using SPF 50 every 2 hours. Otherwise it’s not a question of if, but more a question of when xoxo

First?

The goal is to be a physical polymath 🤓

4th ;-)

“fewer gains”, please don’t start speaking like Americans.

how is the planche training going :) ?