achieving advanced bodyweight strength isn't going to happen by accident it requires consistency and
addressing areas of weakness most people experience slow progress by trying these
moves failing getting frustrated or getting injured the secret to calisthenics strength
lies in developing scapular control I want to teach you how to increase calisthenics strength
for vertical plane exercises for my beginners wanting to improve their overhead strength and
stability get started with pike shoulder taps doing these in a pike position is perfect for
using proper activation and execution set up in an l-shape and open the shoulders as much
as you can we're aiming to get into and maintain maximum shoulder flexion as you alternate sides
you're going to concentrate on shrugging the shoulders up as hard as you can keep a smooth
consistent tempo when swapping between sides a sign of good muscular control is when the hands
lands softly on the ground the pike shoulder tap is going to develop strength in the upper
traps this muscle is important for overhead range of motion and scapular stability especially in
handstands speaking of handstands that's our next progression for today place the hands as close to
the wall as you can manage without arching the lower back apply the exact same form cues as
before shrugging up as hard as possible during the set if the upward rotators and elevators of
the scapula aren't strong the shoulders will not be able to open doing shoulder taps in a handstand
is ideal for Cal stacks this is because the exercise uses body weight loading in a relevant
position for our needs if you're struggling to do these gracefully or for enough volume reduce the
intensity by doing elbow taps until you improve let's continue vertical scapular strength with the
shrug the mechanics of this is pretty simple keeping straight elbows at all times is point
number one doing this isolates the movement to the shoulder blades without compensation
while keeping the scapula retracted lower down and elevate the shoulders towards the ears when rising
up push the shoulders down towards the waist of course because the range of motion is so small we
need to make things harder use a dip belt and add weight to stress stimulate and force adaptation to
the scapular stabilizers the main muscles working here to depress the scapula are the traps lats and
pecs the basic scalpel is an absolute must for anyone serious about cars thanks this small but
important straight arm scapular strength exercise makes a difference for pull-up strength if you're
someone who's feeling weak and not explosive starting your reps this is a game changer pay
attention to how shrugging on the way down and up keep that in mind for successful scale pulse
following my advice from before and wait to actually get lasting benefits go as heavy as you
can while controlling through range to increase vertical scapular control adding complexity and
increased range of motion is useful the arch active hang is great preparation for full range
of motion front lever training you're going to feel this in the entire posterior chain of the
body the mid-back the lower back and definitely the posterior legs progressively increase range
of motion as you get stronger with the eventual goal being to pull until the bar smashes into
the waist don't forget to arch the lower back or forcefully cuing retraction and depression
we're going to finish up by improving scapular strength specifically for horizontal calisthenics
exercises the single arm SCAP pushup is a humbling exercise to improve protraction strength keep the
elbow lock straight and only move the scapula into retraction and protraction it's really tempting
to arch and hollow the upper back with scout push-ups just move at the SCAF and you're going
to be sweet if you prefer to be more efficient with your time to arms cap push-ups using a band
are a great alternative make sure not to rush or mindlessly go through the motions most people do
Scout push-ups too fast and then they wonder why they're not getting stronger pausing at the peak
of protraction is highly recommended and makes a world of difference if you feel the serratus
anterior on the ribcage and the PEC minor on the chest you're doing these correctly
last but not least we can't forget about horizontal retracts and strength I'd like
to share with you the horizontal scapular pull this is a very underused and unknown scapular
exercise by now you understand the principles straight arms combined with a pause in peak
scapular retraction for maximum gains if you're someone who's struggling with setting the scapula
especially in exercises such as front levers definitely definitely give this a go mastering
the scapula is the secret to reaching advanced bodyweight strength if you want to level up your
training visit Fitness faq.com to download the number one online calisthenics programs