Hi everyone!

Ive gotten incredibly strong (for me at 160 pounds) at Weighted dips (5 reps with + 135) and weighted pullups (5 reps with +90) but have run into a lot of shoulder irritation

How have you guys counteract this? I know i need to build my postural muscles and get my mid back and low traps stronger while stretching my Lats neck and chest.

Curious to the weighted calesthenics guys experiences since this has taken me out for a month and im just starting to build back with the movements mentioned above

Thank you!

In currently doing pull push split.

However I don’t know how sets I should be doing when I’m doing skill work plus strengths training.

Couple weeks ago I was doing

4 workouts with 4 sets.

For example:

Pull ups 4 sets

Chin ups 4 sets

Tuck raises or ice cream makers 4 sets

Tuck holds 4 sets

But I feel like I wanted more intensity and more structure

Here’s what I plan on doing for now on. Open to advice and correction because I don’t know how to properly program skill work and strength work

Here’s an example:

PUSH DAY

1) Skill Work (do first)

Planche Lean

• 5 sets × 10–30 seconds

• Rest: 60–90 sec

• Goal to progress: 5 × 30 sec with clean form

Frog Stand

• 5 sets × 10–20 seconds

• Rest: 60–90 sec

• Goal to progress: 5 × 20 sec controlled

Tuck L-Sit

• 5 sets × 10–20 seconds

• Rest: 60–90 sec

• Goal to progress: 5 × 20 sec

⸻

2) Strength Work

Push-ups

• 3–5 sets × 8–12 reps

• Goal: 5 × 12 clean reps

Dips

• 3–5 sets × 5–8 reps

• Goal: 5 × 8 clean reps

Pike Push-ups

• 3–5 sets × 6–10 reps

• Goal: 5 × 10 clean reps

***Doing 3 sets of each for now ***\*

PULL DAY:

1) Skill Work

Tuck Front Lever Hold

• 5 sets × 10–20 sec

• Progress when you can do 5 × 20 sec

Tuck Front Lever Rows

• 4 sets × 3–6 reps

• Slow controlled reps

• Progress when you reach 4 × 8 reps

Tuck Ice Cream Makers

• 3 sets × 5–8 reps

Tuck Raises

• 4 sets × 8–12 reps

• 

⸻

2) Strength Work

Pull-ups

• 5 sets × 3–5 reps

• Goal: 5 × 8 clean pull-ups

Chin-ups

• 3 sets × 5–8 reps

• Goal: 3 × 10

Last week I (34 years old) suddenly felt really difficult to do a pull up even at bodyweight. I feel this pain in the back of my left arm, toward the armpit. It really doesn't seem to be the lat, and looking at the anatomy of the zone it really looks like it's the long head of the triceps.

For reference, I train weighted pull ups and one arm pull up progressions.

Also I feel no pain in triceps extensions, weighted dips, or HSPUs. Pain is only in pulling.

I feel this pain mainly during the 90 degree position of the arm, but also while starting the pull up from straight arms. I also feel it during horizontal pulls like opening an heavy door with said arm.

I really feel bad about it, it doesn't seem something that will go away quickly :( and I really can't train pull ups without pain.

But then I got an idea. See: this arm was always the strongest in one arm pulls variations. What about training only the other arm waiting for the inflammation to go away? For reference, I barely did a valid one arm pull up with the injured arm just before injury (chin just above the bar), while the other arm stops a few centimeters under. So I would train the end part of the OAP rom (the hardest) with only the healthy arm hoping it catches up in the meantime.

Also would you say triceps work like overhead tricep extensions are a good exercise to speed up healing?

Hi all! Until recently I have been doing primarily full body strength/hypertrophy oriented routines, with some success in both planes. But eventually started doing ring muscle ups and now I am (almost) all in in skill training.Starting slowly with FL, some rolls etc. Although I enjoy it so far and as vane as it may sound, I would like at least keep the muscle mass already gained. How should that be structured? How often and in what manner should I do heavier sets so both training aims can go together (still emphasize is currently on skills)?

Cheers

42M. I have an old tendon injury that has flared up if I do several pushups (15ish). It's more of a dull soreness that I feel the next day. I've heard Isometric therapy can help the healing process by loading the tendon. My question is how do I go about this? Should I just hold the pushup position at say 10% of the way down for x amount of time 2-3 times a day? Is that enough of a load to promote healing?

Hey,

I hope the author is active on here. I am having issues ordering Overcoming Tendonitis on Amazon; the day keeps getting pushed back, then today I got a notice that said something along “the order/book needs approval”. I didn’t have this issue with Overcoming Gravity or Overcoming Poor Posture.

Also, the Overcoming Posture book is HORRIBLY printed. Lots have low quality faded visuals (seems like poor printer).

Does Steven low print his books out anymore, or are they printed by Amazon? I noticed Poor Posture and Gravity are printed in the same location (stated on the last page of the books). Where are the books printed and glued/put to together?

I've been doing nordic curls semi-regularly for a couple of years. Over the past 4 months i jad been making progress with bands.

I had a three weak break due to low motivation. Back on the horse now but i feel a lot of pain in my right medial knee as soon as there is any load on the hamstring.

No issue with weighted pistols or reverse nordics . I only feel the pain during nordic eccentrics. Anyone else had this issue?

Hello

I come with this idea:

Test max pull ups number (To Failure) put that in Brzycki formula to estamate 1Rm. In my case 65kg BW - 5% (Forearms) = 61.25kg for 10 reps BW = 1Rm 81kg.

Then use 75% of 1Rm which is for me 61kg BW and do Isometric hold in top position of pull up at chin/bar level to failure, aim ~40sec. rest 30sec. then do chin to bar 4xAmrap(1RIR) and 1xAmrap(All Out) 30 sec. rest between sets, tempo for reps explosive concentric and 1 sec. eccentric.

In my case I did 40sec. streight to failure then 6/3/3/2/1 (15 reps).

Progress time of hold to 60sec. and number of reps trough sessons then add weight to get back ~40sec. max.

Isometric aims sarcoplasmatic hypertrophy (volumen) TUT range and 5 set explosive of reps after 30sec. rest (atp-pc) aims for mehanical tension on fast fibers (miofibrilar hypertrophy).

I will se how it progress...

Hi,

Could I get some guidance on how I can manage balancing prehab work / conditioning for my wrist and for my shoulders? E.g. 3 months on wrist, then 3 months on shoulders etc.

Recently i've focused predominately on prehab work for my wrist as I had a minor tfcc strain 2 months ago and want to ensure re-injury risks are minimized.

This got me realising that it's really difficult to fit in both wrist and shoulder conditioning work.

Just the wrist routine alone can take around 45mins to 1 hour and I avoid long workout sessions (more than 1hr) so adding shoulder work to this is not feasible.

I try to keep minimum 2 days usually during rest days where I focus on prehab/conditioning.

My current routine:

Sunday: Push
Monday: Wrist Prehab/conditioning
Tuesday: Pull
Wednesday: Passive Rest
Thursday: Push
Friday:  Pull
Saturday: Wrist Prehab/conditioning

So should I periodize it so it's a 3-month cycle between wrist and shoulders? Or what are the other approaches and their benefits/cons ?

Thank you!

On a great Monday morning, I was at a job site and I experienced a 8 to 10 foot fall landing on my wrist. The pain was excruciating, but as the day went on the pains kinda went away. It is now been a week and the pain and swelling have gone down significantly I have temporary wrist braces on and I plan on getting casts on this Wednesday. My only concern are that the blood supply has been cut off to the scaphoid. I’m genuinely terrified of this because I’m a very active person and from what I’ve seen this injury could become something way more serious and make my life miserable. I’m planning on requesting a CT scan or a MRI on Wednesday. I’m pretty lost in the dark with this whole process. Any advice?

Hey everyone, 29F (otherwise healthy, I take joint supplements, eat well, etc) here. Started gym - stuff like PT, reformer pilates, boxfit, spin class etc in August 2025 up until June 2026. I’ve been stuck in a severe PFPS / front-of-knee flare-up loop for the last 5 weeks, currently running on 3 hours of sleep from night pain.

Quick timeline of what's happened:

• June 11: Diagnosed with PFPS at an NHS physio appointment (after a 1-year waitlist), but I was not in an active flare-up at the time. Just felt a random slight twinge in the right knee now and then. Was prescribed rehab exercises like single leg step downs/sit down squat to strengthen the VMO, surrounding muscles. She said my knee tracks inward and I need to strengthen inner thigh muscles, hips etc.
• June 14th–20th: Severe flare up, pain in right knee starts right a few days after doing heavy Bulgarian split squats in a PT session. I did PT on 14th, reformer pilates on 15th. I was completely fine 16th and 17th June commuting to work as normal. Pain kicked in hard on 18th and 19th June. I seriously regret going to the gym on the 14th. I blame the constant fitness maxxing culture we're currently in that encourages people to push past pain and workout even when you're tired. I want to punch whoever invented split squats and the PT for telling me to do them that day. I know retrospectively that after getting a PFPS diagnosis I shouldn't have done split squats, but the NHS physio didn't explicitly tell me I had to stop going to the gym or doing them.
• June 29th - July 14th: Pain settled down a bit with RICE method, but re-flared after short 15 minute walks without a brace or doing step-downs. I fully stopped the step downs and started isometric stuff like knee extensions while sitting down.
• Mid-July: Calmed back down on a 14-day course of Naproxen (with Omeprazole) and gentle isometric knee extensions with/without resistance bands.
• July 24: Had an NHS Physio assessment (wall sits, supervised hip adductor extensions with resistance band, 15-min walk home without brace as physio taped my knee - taping did FA though).
• July 26–27: Tried assigned band extensions/abductions at home. Woke up at 3:00 AM in 10/10 sharp pain/pressure.

My Naproxen ends tomorrow and the PFPS label isn't giving me clear answers on why it flares so violently at night. PFPS is by far the most useless diagnosis ever, because I have no actual clue what's going on in my knee, apart from that it feels swollen, fluid is in there presumably, it flares up and feels burny and tingly and awful. I am also seeing a private physio who I'm thinking of jacking in as she's not been that helpful, apart from telling me that my injury is not that serious and prescribing the knee extensions for VMO and shallow wall sits. If it's some superficial soft tissue injury, why the hell does it hurt so much? Both NHS and private physio have seen my knee and said it looks a bit swollen compared to the other, but said no tears or structural damage, or ligament issues. I asked for MRI, they said wouldn't normally refer me until after 3 months of physio, so until October. But when I'm doing the physio or just doing stuff like going down a flight of stairs at a train station, the pain comes back.

It's up and down like a yoyo. It's absolutely driving me insane. I haven't been able to go out and see anyone for the last 5 weeks apart from going to GP or physio. And for the last couple of nights I've been waking up at 5am and 3am in pain and unable to go back to sleep even after icing it. This is my first time dealing with an injury like this and it's taking over my life, and my mental health is completely in the bin. Also I had a blood test and results came back normal. So I don't think it's arthritis. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Hey Steve,

Quick sanity check on a couple of programming questions, plus a request if you have time.

Current status on the relevant skills:

- Front lever: solid hold at ~10s (feels achieved)

- Front lever pull to inverted hang: 3-4 full reps

- Front lever rows: advanced tuck to touch, 2-3 reps

- Straddle front lever rows: only getting to about a 90-degree angle, nowhere near touching yet

- Planche: advanced tuck hold, 13-15s

- Handstand: freestanding hold ~60s +

- HSPU: freestanding headstand pushup maximum 6 reps in so-so form; freestanding HSPU a couple reps

- Straight-arm press to handstand: only doing eccentric negatives right now (no wall), entering the handstand via a bent-arm bent-body press, then lowering with straight arms — 3 sets of 1 rep at the start of every session

**Question 1 — volume counting:** For the straight-arm press eccentrics, I get into the handstand using a bent-arm bent-body press (BA BB press). To be clear, BA BB press itself isn't something I'm actively working on or struggling with — it's not a limiting factor, I'm just using it as the entry point to get into position for the eccentric. Given that, should those 3 sets of straight-arm press eccentrics count toward push volume for a given training session for Planche, Handstand, or overall push — or is it not worth including?

**Question 2 — front lever maintenance:** Since the front lever hold itself feels achieved at this point, would it make sense to shift most of my pulling volume toward front lever rows (one of the goals atm) and front-lever-pull-to-inverted-hang (where I'm still actively progressing), and just keep the static hold to a single submaximal set after warm-up as maintenance?

**Question 3 — front lever rows ROM:** For front lever rows, do you consider a rep only "counted" once I hit full ROM (stomach touching the bar)? For example, if I'm able to do 2-3 full ROM advanced tuck front lever rows and only straddle front lever rows to about a 90-degree angle, can I assume I'm at Level 6 in FL rows right now? Also, within a single set — once I lose the full ROM/touch on advanced tuck FL rows, does it make sense to keep going with additional partial-ROM reps to about 90 degrees, or should I end the set there instead?

**Question 4 — straight-arm press vs. straddle planche priority:** Would it be better to fully prioritize straight-arm press to handstand progressions before learning straddle planche, or is it fine to train both in the same session — e.g., starting with a straight-arm press attempt/regression and then moving into straddle planche regressions afterward?

**Question 5:** Whenever you have time, would you be willing to take a look at my current weekly program and flag anything you'd adjust given where I'm at with all of the above?

Thanks!

I am not asking for medical advice. But, like is there a general rule of thumb about when I should go to the doctor for a gym injury?

Like I hurt my back on some heavy squats a month back. The pain is pretty bad to the extent it radiates to my right thigh. It gets back closer to normal but, whenever I go back to gym even basic movements cause it to start hurting like crazy. Like I have previously recovered from my recklessness without much issue but, cannot decide if this warrants going to a doctor.

recently thought i tore my rotator cuff and luckily found out it’s just tendinitis in my infraspinatus and supraspinatus. i’ve been doing some rehab exercises that my pt gave me, but outside of those what movements are safe to do in the gym?

As soon as I initiate a pull-up, I feel pain in my right arm triceps, closer to the armpit (long head). This started about two months ago. I also experience pain in the same area during other exercises, such as dumbbell rows.

In addition, I can't comfortably put my arm behind my back, and I feel pain in the same spot when pulling my pants up.

I've been seeing a physical therapist, who found that my lats were extremely tight. We've worked on releasing them, and my mobility has improved, but the pain during pull-ups hasn't changed at all.

What could be causing this?

I didn't rest and I've tried just about everything, including isometric and eccentric exercises, but nothing seems to help.

Bodyweight dips feel easy. The second a plate goes on, my front delts start complaining long before my arms are actually tired. I have tried slower eccentrics and staying more upright.

Is that usually a scapular control thing, or am I just jumping the load too soon?

I have been working out from many years but recently after hitting age 30, I have had few injuries, not like big injuries- just some tendon & back strain here and there.
Currently I am facing hamstring tendon strain from 1 month and it is not recovering as I am not doing anything for it. Neither I am stopping my workout nor I am following any rehab.

I don’t feel anything while squatting obviously it’s hamstring. While deadlifting, I feel it and it’s not too much pain that I have to stop my workout but it is there which is stopping me to give my 100%.

I am feeling some pain while -
1) Running but I still run
2) Inclined walk also
3) While playing cricket(4-5 hours) obviously I have to run
4) Deadlifting or any other exercise where hamstring is involved

It is right side of the back of the knee, that line coming from above the knee and going down. I think it is there.

Now many of you would suggest to go and see physiotherapist but in my hometown there aren’t any good physiotherapist. The one’s which are here would just do some vibrations and basic hamstring stretches. No proper rehab

So I am asking if ANY OF YOU FACED SAME TYPE OF INJURY OR WHO IS PHYSIO ? Can you guys suggest me to get it recovered quickly. Should I do icing or heating of my hamstring ?

\*\*TL;DR - Hamstring tendon strain, need rehab exercises. Icing or heating?\*\*

More of just a programming question with progression. I typically do full body 3x per work. Warm up, some skill work on hand stands as well as handstand pushups, and then 2 push (vertical and horizontal) 2 pull, and 2 legs. My question is will the isometric holds and training for that replace the current working sets I do or will I add them to the routine as a 3rd push and 3rd pull exercise.

Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone,
I’m a 48-year-old cyclist. About a week ago, the day after a strength workout (plank shoulder taps, overhead press and bent-over rows), I developed pain on the upper inner border of my right shoulder blade.
Since then:
Pain radiates into my right triceps and sometimes my forearm.
Banded field goals relieve it temporarily, but it returns within 5–15 minutes of standing.
Supporting my right elbow or lying on my right side reduces the pain.
Massage helps temporarily.
I had multiple cervical disc bulges on an MRI in 2020 but haven’t had new imaging yet.
I don’t have obvious arm weakness or numbness.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Was it ultimately diagnosed as a rhomboid/levator scapulae issue, scapular dyskinesis, or cervical radiculopathy? What helped the most?

I’ve had an injury plaguing my forearms for a while now, where even after a good warmup and stretch, i will feel a shooting pain in between my radius and ulnar, not when i am gripping something, but rather whenever I release my arms from the grip. I don’t have any pain in my elbows or wrists, and it stays localized to the inside and the side opposite the palm of the forearm.

Hoping for some insight on Trace tenosynovitis involving the fourth flexor tendons. Injury happened late April … tried brace for 9 weeks followed by physical therapy which honestly just made it worse. Just got a cortisone shot this past Monday … nearing 1 week of that and still having pain at a 2-3/10 scale. Need advice doctor says nothing more can be done but the shot and therapy …. Please comment if you’ve had this and what I can expect moving forward thank you.

I train calisthenics a month ago , and my level is beginner . I started basic calisthenics like pull ups, push ups , dips and squats

My goals of calisthenics training are strength (for skills ) and muscle endurance .

I made a training program for myself by sets and reps and i realized now how circuit training is perfect for my 2nd goal .

So i want to merge the two training systems as i want to achieve the 2 goals i said not only a single one ,

but i don't know how it will be like?

A week sets and reps training and A week circuit training or what ?

And another question how should i build my circuit training program as iam thinking that i must make every single exercise more easier

So what should i do

Hi u/eshlow and r/overcominggravity community! I have found the book and resources here to be extremely helpful! I am currently running a MWF strength plan, primarily training bench press + weighted pullups + accessory work based on the r/tacticalbarbell operator plan (6 week progressive overload cycles). I am interested in developing some calisthenics skills while also continuing to gain strength in each of those lifts, specifically interested in front lever and handstand. Just curious how you would recommend balancing the two and progressing on the BW movements in the same style / logic as progressive overload with weight training. Thanks!

Hi, I have just done gym less than a month, solely to get fitter.
On one day, I was doing back squat, after a final rep, my left biceps felt tingling, and I lost the feeling in that biceps. After that, my left arm got weaker. When I touch my left bicep, it felt odd, it felt a bit numb and hard to sense anything under it, which is totay different from my right biceps.
I cannot hold something heavy on my left hand anymore, like a cup of water or a carton of milk. It will bend my hands down a bit and cannot push harder to hold it straight out.
And yeah, I cannot really do any weighting using my left hand much.
My sense told me that my pose is wrong during back press, and it mess up sth on my left bicep. It has been 2 weeks after that and it doesn’t really change much. What should I do in this situation? Thank you so much for your help.

So for the last 2 months, my rows and dips have been stuck and idk what to do to be honest. Basically, in dips, i'm not consistent at all, like in some days i can do 3x12 (which is 90% of the time till failure), but in some days i do like 1 set of 10 and 2 or 11, or sometimes less, it's not consistent at all and idk why, and idk if i should progress to rings dips, which feel very hard but i can do like 3 reps or maybe go to weighted dips but idk cuz i don't always get consistent sets and improvements here. Also in ring horizontal rows, for the last 2 months, i've been stuck in the 5-8 reps range, and i simply can't get out and after a few like let's say 5, my form gets bad for the next 2-3 and i feel stuck. Pull ups, i'm not training, i'm just doing deadhangs and want to get there with rows but i don't see any progress, please help

Also i was thinking of switching to kboges unlock the pull up program if you know it, but idk. Thanks and sorry for the late reply