Issue 148
December 2016
There’s nothing like catching up with old friends, so no trip to New York would be complete without an afternoon in the park training with inked, Brooklyn-based calisthenics guru, Al Kavadlo.
Kavadlo has sculpted a training routine that’s perfect to help you get stronger – whether you’re a pro fighter or a part-time keep-fitter. All you need is a park playground.
NEW YORK STREET WORKOUT
1) SINGLE-LEG SQUAT - 20 reps x 2 sets (10 each leg)
Stand in front of a bench with one leg locked straight in front of you and squat with the other until your butt touches the bench, then rise back up.
2) RAISED PUSH-UP - 25 reps x 2 sets
Get into a push-up position with your arms about shoulder-width apart feet perched on top of a bench. Do a push-up, powering through your chest and shoulders.
3) BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT - 20 reps x 2 sets (10 each leg)
With the toes of one foot on top of a bench, do a deep lunge until the knee of your raised leg touches the ground – if possible. Then slowly raise back to the starting position.
4) COMMANDO PULL-UP - 8 reps x 2 sets
Hold the bar with two hands directly above your head, do a pull-up and slip your head to the side until your shoulder touches the bar. Alternate sides on each rep.
5) HANGING LEG RAISE - 6 reps x 2 sets
Graba bar with an overhand grip and keep your legs straight. Keep your core tight and use your abs to raise your feet toward your shoulders. Lower them to the start position slowly.
6) INVERTED ROW - 10 reps x 2 sets
Hang under a bar that’s about waist height with an overhand grip that’s slightly wider than shoulder-width. Keep legs extended. Now pull yourself up until your chest touches the bar.
7) HIP BRIDGE - 10 reps x 2 sets
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Raise your hips so only your shoulder blades and feet are touching the ground.
8) HANGING KNEE RAISE - 10 reps x 2 sets
Hang from the bar with your body and arms straight, then raise your knees. Exhale as you do this movement and hold the contraction for about a second.
QUICK TIPS
International Sports Science Association (ISSA) coach Josh Bryant has these tips to improve your bodyweight training intensity.
FOCUS ON THE NEGATIVE
Lower yourself with control and feel the muscle fibers you target. Concentration on the negative of a movement increases intensity and a greater mind-muscle connection. If a set of six pull-ups is easy, try five with five-second negatives.
MOVE FROM THE MIDLINE
The greater the distance between the muscles you’re targeting and what you are trying to lift, the less your mechanical advantage. For push-ups, if you put your hands on the floor in front of your head, they instantly become more difficult.
USE PAUSED REPS
Pause at the bottom of the movement for one second, and nearly half of the elastic-like energy that assists you is gone. After five seconds, it’s pretty much annihilated. A one-second pause will force your body to recruit new muscle fibers.
GO UNILATERAL
So you’re having an easy time with pull-ups? Go ahead and try doing them one-handed.
They’ll be tougher because you’ll have a lot more to lift. This approach will also require and build better balance and core stability.
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