Grind Style Calisthenics

by Matt Schifferle

  Focusing on progression will give you the best chances of success. Whether you hit failure or not is more of a matter of circumstance in your quest to hit a higher number of reps or improve your technique.

  What if you can’t do any more reps?

  Inevitably, you’ll reach a point where you’ll feel you can't perform any more reps no matter what you do. This plateau is very natural and it's not necessarily a sign that you've actually plateaued or that the program is no longer working.

  One of the most important lessons I can teach you is that you can only do more reps once you’ve improved the reps you can already do . If you’re struggling to add reps, then it’s a perfect opportunity to work on rep quality rather than rep quantity.

  Sometimes I'll give clients what I call a freeze workout . This strategy is when I purposely "freeze" their workouts, and they are not allowed to increase the reps or resistance of their exercises. The self-imposed plateau forces them to work within the reps they are doing and work on weak links or improve their technical proficiency. There are many ways you can improve the quality of a set, but here are some of the most common variables you can address.

  Range of motion

  This variable is one of the most common types of technical breakdown. You start off performing big and strong reps, but the last few reps are shorter and more shallow. While all ranges do produce some benefit, the general rule is that the more range of motion you use, the better the benefit.

  Total body control

  Your technique and body position is a big influence on the resistance against a muscle. In an effort to squeeze out an extra rep or two, the mind will subtly change the position of the body to make the exercise a little bit easier. While this can help you get an extra rep or two, know that those compromised reps were not the same as the earlier reps. There's nothing wrong with using a little “Body English” sometimes, just know it's happening so you can minimize it over time.

  Tension control

  Sometimes, your mind can revert to old tension control habits as the stress of the set starts to build up. Some muscles may relax a bit; others might overcompensate, and so on. If you notice this, make it a point to maintain the same tension control through the full set.

  Breathing

  Controlled breathing is another thing that can deteriorate. Namely, are you holding your breath and looking like you're trying to pass a kidney stone on those last few reps? Trying to maintain focused breathing and facial expressions can improve the quality of your reps.

  Speed

  Lastly, you may notice a change in your speed or tempo. Try to maintain a steady pace throughout the set. When it comes to building muscle, use a speed that allows you to maintain tension in the muscle without having to use a lot of momentum to make the reps easier. At the same time, there’s no need to move at a super slow pace that can make the exercise feel tedious. Spending 2 seconds during the lifting and lowering phase of each rep with a half second pause at the top and bottom works well for most people.

  Overall, pay close attention to how your technique changes during a set. If you're stuck at doing ten pull-ups, I'm sure your first and last rep are not the same from a technical standpoint. Pay attention to how your technique erodes. How are the reps different throughout the set? Where is the quality of the set starting to deteriorate? Is your body position changing? Does your speed and tempo change? How does your range of motion compare over the set? However, you answer those questions is the answer to what you need to work on to make progress. So if you're range of motion is decreasing on the last few reps, then the goal of the next workout is to "backfill" the very reps themselves by improving the quality of the later reps.

  All of these strategies can help you progress the grind phase of your workout, which is where you'll achieve most of your results. If you're feeling adventurous, there's yet one more phase you use to put a nice finishing touch at the end of your workout.

  Phase 4 Hypertrophy

  I like to think of this as sort of a "free play" phase like back when I used to take swimming lessons as a kid. Most of the class was structured around lessons, but the last 15 minutes of the class was free time when we could mess around and run off the diving board or go down the water slide.

  As kids, we loved it, and the instructors were brilliant because giving us kids some creative playtime had several benefits. It helped us develop a sense of creative autonomy, so we got used to making choices for ourselves. We also worked on little things we didn't feel were addressed during the lesson.

  I loved to challenge myself to see how far I could swim underwater. Lastly, "free time" was fun and it left us feeling like swimming lessons were an enjoyable experience so we looked forward to the next class. So consider this phase as your chance to play around and finish the workout with a cherry on top.

  There are several options you have for this phase. One fun toy is to employ a "finisher," which is where you use a regressed technique from your grind phase, and you drive your muscles to a super high level of fatigue. For example, you might finish your leg workout with a set of jump squats, or lunges for distance to make your legs suffer. Alternatively, you might hold a plank for 30 seconds to make your abs beg for mercy.

  Another option is to practice some exercises that focus tension in specific muscles, sort of like isolation exercises bodybuilders use. Maybe you'll finish your pushing workout with a set of chest flys or hit your biceps with some concentration curls after your pulling workout.

  Whatever you do, be sure this last phase is somewhat brief. Remember that the grind phase should be where you invest most of your effort. You should come to this phase with just a little bit left in the tank so one or two hard sets should be about all you can handle. This phase is also optional. If you're running short on time, energy or motivation feel free to skip it.

  So that is the basic structure of a GSC workout routine. To recap: it's about practicing tension control, working on stability, doing a few hard grind sets and then finishing off with some specialized work or exhaustive finishers.

  It may sound like a lot, but it's not that much. The first two sets only take a minute or two and the grind phase usually takes about 10-15 minutes or so depending on how much recovery you need between sets. From there, it's more of a matter of how many exercises you chose to do in a workout. Now, let's dive further into the exercise methodology of the GSC program.

  Chapter 4

  The Six Tension Chains for Complete Physical Development

  Some programs work your muscles and other's work your movements. GSC uses a blend of the two called Chain Training , which I go over in more detail in my book Smart Bodyweight Training. If you haven't caught that book here is the general idea behind it.

  Chain training is more of a mental focus toward your training than the actual use of the body. It doesn't focus on working individual muscle groups like in bodybuilding or physical therapy. It's also not about taking an athletic approach to training where you focus on movements or doing physical activity.

  Both muscle and movement training are perfectly valid as they each help your mind focus on how to use muscle tension. In muscle training, you're focusing your mind on placing tension in a select muscle to create an aesthetic balance or to shore up a weak link that may be causing dysfunction. Movement training is best for those looking to perform better and using tension to satisfy a standard of physical performance.

  Chain Training is the blend of the two where you focus on sending tension through a specific tension chain of muscles to improve physical performance in basic movements. Each of these tension chains is the collection of muscles responsible for the activity. You focus on putting tension in the muscles to accomplish the task at hand. In this way, it's a combination of both movement and muscle training at the same time.

  This mental focus ensures you gain the benefits of both approaches. You can selectively place tension in the muscles you want to grow while building the coordination that will improve your functio
nal performance.

  This mindset is why GSC workouts are broken down into working your various tension chains rather than identifying with specific muscles or movements. Although, you'll probably find each tension chain may classify as a "leg day" or "back and biceps day" depending on your definition. So without further ado, let's take a look at the six tension chains in the body. First, we'll take a look at your three movement chains. These are the three tension chains which are responsible for the movement and locomotion you experience daily.

  Squat chain

  Your foundational movement chain is your squat chain. It’s comprised of every muscle from your waist down including your hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves and even the muscles in your feet.

  The functional purpose of your squat chain is to do everything from walking and running to stepping up and crouching down. Anything that you do with your legs involves your squat chain. Even everyday actions like standing still or getting out of your car require your squat chain.

  Push chain

  Your push chain includes your chest, shoulders, triceps, and the extensor muscles in your forearm. The primary function of your push chain is to move your hands away from your torso in any direction. The most common motions include pushing against an object, like when opening a door, punching, and reaching up above you.

  Pull chain

  Your pull chain is on the opposite end of the functional spectrum from your push chain. It includes all of the muscles in your back, your shoulders, biceps and your forearm muscles that close your hand into a grip.

  While the push chain is about pushing your hands away from your torso, your pull chain pulls your hands closer to your torso in any direction. This action naturally occurs when you pull something to yourself or pull yourself upward, but it's also involved in all forms of carrying and holding onto something.

  Your three movement chains comprise most of the muscles in your body and will cover the majority of physical actions you do in sport and life. Just working these three chains will do a lot, but they still leave a few cracks in your functional foundation.

  That’s where the three support chains come in. These three chains are the typical muscle chains often referred to in kinesiology and physiology disciplines. Unlike the movement chains, they use their involved muscles to flow tension along the entire length of your body.

  Functionally, the support chains are somewhat in opposition to your movement chains. Movement chains are about dynamic movement first and isometric support second. For example, rock climbing may use your squat and pull chain to move yourself up a rock face while you use your flexion and extension chain to hold yourself to the wall. Meanwhile, support chains primarily provide control for your body first and dynamic movement second. Consider picking up and moving an object like a box of books. When you pick up the box, your pull chain is providing support while your extension chain is responsible for most of the motion of picking something up. After that, you use your extension chain to support your body as your squat chain dynamically engages to move you around.

  Understanding this helps you optimality condition each of the chains. Focusing on movement first and support second is the best way to train your movement chains. The best way to train your support chains is with support first and movement second. There are plenty of exceptions, but this is generally how to train these respective chains best. Let's explore your support chains in more detail.

  Extension chain

  Your extension chain runs along your entire backside from the top of your head down to the bottom of your feet and includes your toe flexors, calves, hamstrings, glutes, spine erectors, and the muscles in the back of your neck.

  Its primary function is to extend your body into an upright position and help you bend backward. Much of the time, it's working to help you maintain an upright posture without bending forward.

  Flexion chain

  Your flexion chain is the opposite in function and physiology to your extension chain. It's a chain that runs along the front side of your body, including the front of your neck, abdominals, hip flexors, quads, and the muscles in your shins.

  Functionally, this is your "abdominal" chain that helps you flex your body forward like when you sit up out of bed or lift your legs. It plays a dominant supportive role by maintaining a straight posture when gravity is pulling your hips down and forward like when doing push-ups or slouching forward.

  Lateral chain

  Your lateral chain comprises several of the muscles in both your flexion and extension chain, but the use of tension is different due to your relationship to the resistance on your body. Some of the most notable muscles include the adductors and abductors in your hips, obliques, spinal erectors, and shoulder muscles. Some of your more prominent back muscles, like your lats, can also play a role in your lateral stability.

  From a functional standpoint, your lateral chain does a lot, including twisting and rotational movements. It also helps to provide lateral support during unilateral activities where you use one limb differently than another.

  Putting this all together, GSC uses these tension chains to make sure you involve every major muscle group in an efficient functional way. Workouts aren't broken up into muscle groups or movements but rather tension chains, which makes them both streamlined and effective. So, without further ado, let's start to explore each of the tension chains in more detail, and the best progressive exercises you can use to make that chain stronger.

  Chapter 5

  Grind Style Leg Training

  We begin the exercise journey with the most functionally fundamental tension chain, your squat chain.

  This tension chain includes every muscle in your lower body, but it also uses some tension in your core and upper body for stability. All muscles in this chain play multiple roles, including locomotion, balance and stability. Also, your squat chain is capable of a wide range of functional speeds. Kicking, sprinting, and jumping all require explosive power while standing and holding a stance use tension for isometric control.

  This is also one of the most potent tension chains for helping you burn calories and manage your weight. Nearly all high-calorie expenditure activities use your legs to generate a lot of power for long bouts of time. Just over half of all of your total muscle mass resides in your lower body, and one of the best ways to burn many calories is to work as much muscle as possible at a given time. Therefore, the stronger and healthier your legs are, the easier it's going to be to burn calories.

  In addition, few motions have as much of a positive influence on your functional performance as the squatting movement pattern. It’s the perfect blend of strength, stability and mobility to enhance your ability to perform any activity you do on your feet. When your legs are stronger, you become stronger overall. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. You can build up your core and upper body all you like, but if your legs are weak then you will be weak as a whole.

  While this is one of the most powerful tension chains, it's also one of the most dysfunctional due to modern living habits. Most notably, sitting in chairs and cars has caused destructive tension habits to take root in even seasoned athletes. Tight ankles and hips exacerbate knee pain, lethargy and compromise your overall balance. Even poor posture can be traced back to dysfunctional tension habits in the lower body.

  All of these reasons and more are why the GSC approach to leg training can be so vital. Tension control and stability are not just about helping you build muscle and strength, but also help rebalance your squat chain. You'll find the holistic approach will loosen up your joints which helps stress evaporates from your lower back and knees. There's a lot at stake here, so let's get right into how to effectively work your squat chain with the four phases of a GSC workout.

  Tension control phase exercises for the squat chain

  #1 Standing tight

  This technique is one of the most fundamental tension control exercises for the lower body. It's called standing tight because you're mainly just standing
there while tensing your entire leg. Your whole leg should feel like it's just turned to stone.

  You can practice this with both legs at once, but I find it’s easier to shift your weight from one leg to the other so you can focus your mental energy on one leg at a time.

  The key to this exercise is to try to tense every muscle in your entire leg, including your hips and feet. You want to feel like you're wearing a stocking of tension from your waist to your toes. Leave no muscle relaxed.

  #2 Squat tight

  All tension control exercises for movement chains involve tensing your muscles at both ends of the range of motion you will be working in. Tensing at the top and bottom ensures you can effectively control the tension from top to bottom and everywhere in between.

  Naturally, the bottom position for your squat chain is in a crouched { or squatted } position with your ankle, knee, and hip flexed as much as possible. Once you're in this position, your goal is to tense up your entire squat chain. Doing so can be more difficult than the top position because it's usually harder to put tension into an elongated muscle. The squatted position involves flexing some muscles while elongating others at the same time. For example, your hamstrings stretch as your hips flex, but they also shorten as your knees flex.

  This push / pull action of the squat does require a decent amount of coordination and is one of the reasons why many people have difficulty maintaining tension in a squatting position.

  Dysfunctional tension habits are another big reason why people lose tension control at the bottom of the squat. Unfortunately, the most popular recommendation is to avoid getting into a deep squat or lunge, and this only enables the imbalances, and sometimes even makes them worse. After a while, some people find they can only move within a small range of motion without aggravating their joints or losing balance.