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Hello everyone, I have a few inquiries.I'm male, 28 years old, not big but not skinny. I'm 5'7, about 17-18% bodyfat and somewhere around 140-143 lbs.I practice bodyweight exercises / calisthenics / gymnastics strength exclusively because I'm really passionate about it and have goals that will take years to achieve and am not willing nor want to go to a gym. I'm currently more focused on building strength than skills, but still practice them. This means I'm willing to add weight to my training via belt and backpack in the future when required. I must also mention that my training is by no means light or easy, to me at least. It lasts between 1-1:30hrs depending on day, and for all exercises I use whichever variation that I can only do in a 5-12 rep range, good form, full extension, proper rest times, etc. It's always tiring and makes me feel the burn, but not to the point of dying though.My current short term goals are to shed fat to 10-12% and build some muscle mass. Since I'm still somewhat a noob in resistance training, I think this is fairly possible with something like CBL.Now my doubts about a "milder" version:At the beginning of the year I was doing mostly Primal/Paleo and unconsciously eating more carbs on training days and in the evening, and lower carb the other days, but not ultra low. Sometimes big amounts, sometimes moderate, but never as much as CBL suggests. In this time, I was shedding fat like crazy and building muscle and strength consistently. This was working great for me.I got a new job and that stopped me from training and eating right completely. Gained a lot of fat back but didn't lose much strength. I was fed up and quit, and decided to try a Keto diet. Did strict Keto for 6 months. It helped me with insulin resistance I think, but I didn't lose any fat, and lost A LOT of strength. It definitely slow down my metabolism and testosterone.I fully restarted my training about 2 months ago, and I almost did no progress in strength, which led me to be fed up with Keto.About 3 weeks ago I started adding carbs again, in a sort of CNS way, and this week, I started following a CBL protocol. So far I've not gained any fat. I think I may have even lost some. Strength has gone up somewhat, and recovery is significantly faster, and libido has gone up too hee hee!So my concern is (sorry for the wall of text): Should I stick to CBL protocol (a lot of carbs on those days) with my training? or would a "milder" version of CBL would work great, given that I don't have huge muscles and a similar protocol was working wonders for me in the past?Thanks in advance, love Kiefer's work!
Not gonna lie.. TL;DR so I skimmed.But basically, if you're only doing bodyweight workouts, I'd keep the carb loads more moderated. You won't really be taking advantage of the GLUT effect, so smaller loads will probably be warranted. Make sure you're eating enough, start with 100g of carbs post training and asses how it's working after a week or two, then tweak up/down.
Why don't you do barbell training in addition to what you do now? It will only help you with your goals. Strength is extremely important in gymnastics.
Why don't you do barbell training in addition to what you do now? It will only help you with your goals. Strength is extremely important in gymnastics.
I know, but I can't get a gym membership where I live, and if I have extra time I honestly prefer to work more on my gymnastic skills and/or strength.I do have a barbell with weights that I use to squat, but it's not heavy enough to do 5x5 and the sort.Would doing my bodyweight strength training with a weighted vest/belt to the point where I can only do 5 reps per set not work?Thanks for the answers.
Why don't you do barbell training in addition to what you do now? It will only help you with your goals. Strength is extremely important in gymnastics.
I know, but I can't get a gym membership where I live, and if I have extra time I honestly prefer to work more on my gymnastic skills and/or strength.I do have a barbell with weights that I use to squat, but it's not heavy enough to do 5x5 and the sort.Would doing my bodyweight strength training with a weighted vest/belt to the point where I can only do 5 reps per set not work?Thanks for the answers.
As long as resistance is challenging enough and you can progressively overload the weights, it should be fine.I never trained for gymnastics, but just like any other sport, often you need to focus on general physical preparedness when you are first starting. While practicing the movements that are specific to your sport must always be done, ONLY practicing them is not something that is appropriate for a beginner. That is what advanced athletes do.It would probably benefit your gymnastics better if you strength trained at least twice a week instead of only doing your gymnastics skill work. Even if that means doing a little bit less skill work.
Why don't you do barbell training in addition to what you do now? It will only help you with your goals. Strength is extremely important in gymnastics.
I know, but I can't get a gym membership where I live, and if I have extra time I honestly prefer to work more on my gymnastic skills and/or strength.I do have a barbell with weights that I use to squat, but it's not heavy enough to do 5x5 and the sort.Would doing my bodyweight strength training with a weighted vest/belt to the point where I can only do 5 reps per set not work?Thanks for the answers.
As long as resistance is challenging enough and you can progressively overload the weights, it should be fine.I never trained for gymnastics, but just like any other sport, often you need to focus on general physical preparedness when you are first starting. While practicing the movements that are specific to your sport must always be done, ONLY practicing them is not something that is appropriate for a beginner. That is what advanced athletes do.It would probably benefit your gymnastics better if you strength trained at least twice a week instead of only doing your gymnastics skill work. Even if that means doing a little bit less skill work.
Yes, that's what I do. Since I'm still a beginner, I focus more on all the conditioning and strength training, and dedicate just enough time for skills practice, which for now are only handstand, L-sit and Ring support plus the usual bodyline drills. Not tumbling or nothing crazy. What I do is not gymnastics per-se, but I've taken a lot from it. I would describe what I do as mostly Calisthenics (complete body push-pull and squats), with a Gymnastics approach conditioning and some of its skills.
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