Static Holds for Increased Strength

Front Lever (flat back)

Tuck Planche (back curved)

As you can see from the above pictures my brain is about to explode. What is also evident is that I am holding specific positions for an extended period of time. Static holds work by making you contract multiple muscles in given conditions over an extended period of time. This translates into strength. But what is strength? The simplest definition of strength is "generating force under specific conditions." Gymnasts are able to develop superhuman strength by utilizing these techniques. Doing any general movement on gymnastic rings will also develop strength due to the core strength that is required e.g. ring dips, ring pushups etc. I have seen bodybuilders and meat heads do 200+ lbs on the lat pulldown machine and yet can't even do a set of 10 pullups much less even get into the front lever position. What good is strength if you can't even use it? Movements such as these require TRUE strength not just mindlessly throwing weight around for a predetermined amount of reps or sets.

The static hold I am performing in the first picture is called a front lever. A front lever is executed by holding yourself parallel to the ground contracting both your back muscles as well as locking out your arms by flexing your triceps. Ironically enough this is the specific function of the tricep; however, the contraction here is much more intense than skull crushers or dips. Arms must be locked or the hold isn't legitimate. The way to do this hold is to think of pushing your hands down toward your waist while pulling with your back muscles to maintain parallel to the floor.

The second static hold I am performing is called a tuck planche. This requires great upper body strength as I have to bring my hips up toward my shoulders while maintaining my balance and also trying to keep my arms straight throughout the hold. Here my arms aren't completely locked out so it looks like I have some work to do. The next hold I will advance to will be a planche like the one in the picture, but with my back completely flat. This greatly increases the contraction of the muscles used and requires a bit more balance as well.

Using bodyweight exercises to develop strength is known as progressive bodyweight conditioning. But how do we increase the difficulty of bodyweight exercises when all we can use is our own weight against us? The answer is decreasing the amount of leverage we have available to us. Just like with having your legs raised during a pushup does this not make it more difficult? Yes, since we now have to push up a greater percentage of our bodyweight. The legs make an excellent counter weight when it comes to doing bodyweight exercises. Try doing a regular pullup versus one with your legs extended. Much more difficult. Same goes with static holds. A planche with your legs straight out is immensely more demanding than a tuck planche or a front lever vs. a straddle front lever.

The key to progressing with static holds is achieving 60 seconds of work per hold. At first you may only be able to do 5 seconds which would equate to 12 sets of 5 seconds. The important thing is a total of 60 seconds in as many or as little sets as it takes. Once you become proficient at your holds you may be able to do 30 seconds=2X30 second holds=60 seconds total. The ultimate goal is being able to maintain a static hold for 60 seconds consecutively. Trust me it won't be easy, but once you get the hang of it your maximum time for a single hold will increase it just takes practice. Also, take as much rest as you need between sets your muscles won't be used to maintaining this level of tension. As far as how often to do these holds I would recommend no more than 3 times a week i.e. MWF or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday etc.

Take your time! And don't get frustrated gymnasts are able to develop this sort of strength through YEARS of bodyweight conditioning not days or even weeks. I have been doing static holds for 6 months and have finally achieved a 60 second hold in the front lever. I also do lots of other strength and conditioning exercises such as kettlebells and CrossFit which can carry over into other such movements. Give these static holds a try and they will help you become strong in ways you never even imagined.


P.S. If you are really intent on learning these exercises look up an author named Christopher Sommer. He has a book that goes into great depth and detail about the benefits of progressive bodyweight conditioning.

Burn It Off With Morning Cardio

A lot of my blogs are about burning fat and getting leaner, so here is another one. One of the most popular ways to lean out is by doing some sort of cardio in the morning before you have ate anything. This is an effective strategy, but must be performed correctly or you will BURN OFF YOUR MUSCLE. The general idea is to do your cardio, or weights(not recommended), while you have not ate anything since the night before. This means your body is probably going to be pretty low in its glycogen storage. Since there is no stored glycogen to burn, your body will go after stored energy- FAT! I have been doing this for many years and besides the fact that I have completely transformed by body by dropping more than 20% body fat it also makes you feel great for the rest of the day. Here are a few strategies for doing this correctly.

Keep it moderate to low intensity- When you do low to moderate intensity cardio with your HR in between 50 and 70 percent of your max HR, you will burn about 85% of calories from fat; however, when your HR is between 70% or higher you will tend to burn 55% or less calories from fat. This means that you are burning up muscle. The higher intensity cardio is essential for increasing endurance and your VO2 max, but let's save that for another day when you are properly fueled. (calculate your max HR by subtracting your age from 220)(1)

Try Interval training- interval training is a great form of cardio to do in the morning because it can be very intense, but also allows your heart rate to stay in the correct range. Interval training, for those who don't know what it is, is when you perform your exercise very intensely for a short time then take a short rest, usually equal to the intense period, and repeat. The down time allows your HR to drop back down and prevent muscle wasting. Most weight training could be considered interval training. My favorite form of cardio, considered interval training, would be kettlebell long sets. I usually perform between 2-5 min sets and take about 1-2 min rests between sets. This feels great and gets the entire body involved.
(fun 5 min set I performed the other morning ->)

Try yoga- I have recently started adding yoga to my morning cardio and this is the best I have EVER felt. MOST yoga is not very high intensity, but is still a great workout. Yoga requires balance, strength, flexibility, and muscular endurance. By combining this with your cardio you are loosening your muscles for the rest of the day and allowing for better blood flow. It is a great way to cool down and will provide some intense core exercises. 

Supplement- just because you are trying to exercise on an empty stomach it does not mean that you shouldn't take some supplements to aid in your fat burning. One of the most important supplements to take is carnitine, Carnitine helps the body burn more fat for energy and helps prevent the use of muscle for energy. Take 1-3g before exercise. You can also add some stimulants to your morning stack to help burn more fat and also sweat out some toxins. Most stimulants, like yohimbine, are much more effective when your body is not excreting insulin.

Try adding some morning cardio to your routine while it is still warm out in the morning. It is hard to get it in during the winter months, unless you are someone who lives in a warmer climate than Cincinnati- and in that case I am jealous. Apply these tips and see if they help you shed some unwanted fat.

(1) Monitoring exercise intensity using heart rate. American Council on Exercise. http://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/fitfacts_display.aspx?itemid=38. Accessed Aug. 4, 2008