programs

How to use our programs and which one is right for you.

So you’ve read our articles and navigated through our app but still don’t know where to start?

Don’t worry, after reading this article you should be ready to start your calisthenics journey with us.

First of all, it is important to assess your mobility. You might be strong from training with weights for years but that doesn’t mean you are ready to train in a full range of motion like we do in calisthenics and other bodyweight disciplines. It would be a good idea to simply follow our Standard Full Body Warm-up, as well as Shoulders Prehab/Rehab and Knees Prehab/Rehab (videos below) and see how comfortable you are with every move. We also recommend filming yourself as you may not be aware of how you move and of the mistakes you could make. How we move doesn’t always look the same as it feels, and it is very important to make sure you perform every movement properly.

It is not a big problem if you don’t move exactly like on the videos, the programs are meant to get you there. But if you feel like there is more than just room for progress, and rather more serious mobility issues, it would be better to start with the “Preparation” program. This program might seem too easy (and sometimes not very exciting) if you are already active, but following it will help you progress much faster and more safely in the future. Think of it as a special training that will prepare your future self to become a bodyweight strength machine, rather than just prehab or rehab work.

When you are ready for real strength training, you could pick a level that feels relevant to your current fitness condition and try the first few workouts of the first week. If this is too hard, regress to a previous level, if this is too easy, try a more advanced program.

Now that you have determined a starting point, follow every workout diligently and complete the first week. At the end of the first week, you will find yourself in one of the 3 following situations.

If you feel like this was still a little too hard and you couldn’t complete some of the exercises, repeat the current week until you feel comfortable.

If you were able to complete every exercise although it was hard, you are ready to move on to the next week. In this case, the next week might be a bit too hard, however you will be allowed to repeat it as many times as you need until you can complete all the workouts.

If you feel like the first week was a bit easy, remember you picked this program because the next level was too hard. Just continue the program, it will get more difficult in the following weeks.

Repeat this weekly assessment after every week of the program. Now you guessed it, our 4-week programs don’t always take 4 weeks to complete, but actually as long as you need. You might spend up to 12 weeks on the same program until you are ready for a higher level.

However, If you still don’t feel ready for the higher level after 12 weeks, this is probably a sign that you lack some basics and it would be good to try an easier program for 4 weeks or incorporate a few tutorials in your current program (see article “Tutorials”).

If you completed a program within 4 weeks with relative ease, it might simply be because you got stronger along the way. See if you are now able to complete a harder program, or repeat the current program while incorporating tutorials in it.

Another important point to remember when trying to find a program that fits you is that a program that makes you strong doesn’t necessarily make you tired, and vice versa. It is a mistake to think that pain and exhaustion are definite signs that a program is effective. Rather than focusing on how tired you feel, focus on how an exercise challenges your strength. When assessing whether a program is effective, you shouldn’t just look at how much pain and sweat you got, but rather how much your performance and strength have progressed.

If you are still in doubt, you can always follow every program in order of difficulty (see label below program title), and repeat every week which is too challenging until you feel comfortable and are ready to progress. Don’t hesitate to include tutorials when you don’t feel ready yet for the next level, and continue in this manner until you can complete the most advanced program.

You can never go wrong by starting from level 1 and going through every single progression. In fact, every student doing this will surely get the best results and most complete body!