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Day 1 - Straight arm strength

The goal for this day will be to safely introduce straight arm movements while strengthening the
muscles, tendons and ligaments required to achieve tuck planche, tuck front lever and tuck
back lever. Maintaining proper form on this day is the top priority. It is very easy to cheat these
movements by slightly bending the elbows or losing scapular positioning. Rushing these skills
will almost certainly result in injury. Please crawl before you run on these.

Warm up
A) Wrists - extension, exion and neutral

20-30s in each position

B) Core 6/6+ shapes - hollow, arch, plank, reverse plank, L side plank, R side plank

30s in each position, build up to 60s each

C) Core compressions - pike and straddle compression / pulses

30s / 10r in each shape

D) Hangs - exion (pronated, supinated, eagle) extension (German hangs)

optional (hollow+arch)

30s in each hang position, build up to 60s each

The warm up will be the same each day, keeping it consistent will help you get a gauge for
where the wrists, elbows and shoulders are at for the day, as well as the core compression and
grip strength.

Strength circuit
A1) Handstand progression x 30s

A2) Hanging leg lift progression x 3-6r

A3) Planche progression x 10-12s

A4) Front lever progression x 10-12s

A5) Back lever progression x 10-12s

Rest 30s between exercises, 60s between rounds

Repeat for 6 rounds

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 Day 2 - Bent arm strength - vertical focus
The focus of our training on this day will be to improve our vertical pressing and pulling
strength. Ring dips are one of the best exercises we can do for overall pressing strength, and a
crucial part of learning the ring muscle up down the road. The chin up will be doing the same
for our overall pulling strength, while simultaneously conditioning the core and biceps for our
straight arm lever work. We will look to develop some overhead pressing strength and
awareness utilizing the pike push up.

Warm up
A) Wrists - extension, exion and neutral

20-30s in each position

B) Core 6/6+ shapes - hollow, arch, plank, reverse plank, L side plank, R side plank

30s in each position, build up to 60s each

C) Core compressions - pike and straddle compression / pulses

30s / 10r in each shape

D) Hangs - exion (pronated, supinated, eagle) extension (German hangs)

optional (hollow+arch)

30s in each hang position, build up to 60s each

The warm up will be the same each day, keeping it consistent will help you get a gauge for
where the wrists, elbows and shoulders are at for the day, as well as the core compression and
grip strength.

Strength circuit
A1) Handstand progression x 30s

A2) Hanging leg lift x3-6r

A3) Dip progression x3-6r

A4) Chin up progression x 3-6r

A5) Pike push up x 3-6r

Rest 30s between exercises, 60s between rounds

Repeat for 6 rounds

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 Day 3 - Handstand and L sits
The focus of this day will be to gain strength and awareness in the handstand position,
condition the core with hanging leg lifts and L sit variations, while learning to press into
shoulder extension with the manna.

Warm up
A) Wrists - extension, exion and neutral

20-30s in each position

B) Core 6/6+ shapes - hollow, arch, plank, reverse plank, L side plank, R side plank

30s in each position, build up to 60s each

C) Core compressions - pike and straddle compression / pulses

30s / 10r in each shape

D) Hangs - exion (pronated, supinated, eagle) extension (German hangs)

optional (hollow+arch)

30s in each hang position, build up to 60s each

The warm up will be the same each day, keeping it consistent will help you get a gauge for
where the wrists, elbows and shoulders are at for the day, as well as the core compression and
grip strength.

Strength circuit
A1) Handstand progression x 30s

A2) Hanging leg lift x3-6r

A3) L sit progression x 10-15s

A4) Manna progression x 15-30s

A5) Straddle L progression x 10-15s

Rest 30s between exercises, 60s between rounds

Repeat for 6 rounds

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 Day 4 - Bent arm strength - horizontal focus
The focus of our training on this day will be to improve our horizontal pressing and pulling
strength. The push up will be preparing us for further planche and handstand push up
progressions, while the row will be preparing us for false grip pulling on the rings. This is crucial
for any type of muscle up programing in the future. We will also look to gain awareness of
being inverted with bent arms in either our shoulder stand or headstand positions.

Warm up
A) Wrists - extension, exion and neutral

20-30s in each position

B) Core 6/6+ shapes - hollow, arch, plank, reverse plank, L side plank, R side plank

30s in each position, build up to 60s each

C) Core compressions - pike and straddle compression / pulses

30s / 10r in each shape

D) Hangs - exion (pronated, supinated, eagle) extension (German hangs)

optional (hollow+arch)

30s in each hang position, build up to 60s each

The warm up will be the same each day, keeping it consistent will help you get a gauge for
where the wrists, elbows and shoulders are at for the day, as well as the core compression and
grip strength.

Strength circuit
A1) Handstand progression x 30s

A2) Hanging leg lift x3-6r

A3) Push up progression x3-6r

A4) Row progression x 3-6r

A5) Shoulder stand / headstand x 15s / 30s

Rest 30s between exercises, 60s between rounds

Repeat for 6 rounds

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 O day / rest day / leg day / cardio
If hitting legs, I would advise staying away from heavy deadlifts on this program. Stick with sti
leg variations with sub maximal weight. Deadlifts are very taxing on the nervous system, and
we will need everything we’ve got for our straight arm skills. Squats don’t seem to be as harsh
from my experience when trying to blend the two disciplines, but it will be a juggling act. If your
goal is solely gymnastic strength training I would use this as a rest day until you’re comfortable
with the movements and the back to back upper days. Feel free to customize this day to t
your goals and schedule. Try to remember recovery is the priority however. A simple 5x5r squat
day with some leg curls, calf raises and a nice run is more than enough for maintenance if
you’re just currently dabbling in the gymnastics world.

Rep schemes and forms of progression

When it comes to rep work I’m all about form. Chasing reps as a form of progression is very
hard to gauge due to ego and the desire for wanting progression faster than it can actually
occur. That being said, I like sticking to isometric holds of 10-12s with perfect form, and 3-6
reps in the same fashion. I would much rather you preform sets of 3 reps on L sit chin ups, with
perfect lock outs and l sit height, than shooting for 10 reps and letting the shape and form
deteriorate on each rep. I would make sure your form is perfect and that the skill can be done
with moderate intensity before making the jump up to the next shape/progression, especially
when it comes to the straight arm movements. Give your joints and tendons time to adapt, and
the strength/muscle will follow in due time. With wall stands, I would shoot for 30s to begin
with and then add 5s once the holds become moderate intensity. The ease of your handstand
holds will be determined by your mobility and ability to stack over the hands so keep that in
mind as it does di er from the bent arm and straight arm strength skills.

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 Program splits

3 days / week schedule - beginner

Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun

SA O BAV O HS O O

BAH O SA O BAV O O

HS O BAH O SA O O

BAV O HS O BAH O O

Repeat

The 3 days / week schedule is where I recommend for all of those who have no handstand or
straight arm skill experience. It allows for a day o in between workouts and also gives you the
weekends o for other activities or a leg day. I would avoid heavy deadlifts on any o day that
is followed by a workout, try to schedule those in for Saturdays if you do plan on training them
with this program.

4 days / week schedule - intermediate

Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun

SA BAV O HS BAH o O

Repeat

The 4 days / week schedule is what I would then switch to after a month or two of the beginner
3 day schedule. I would also be ne with those who have some straight arm calisthenics
experience starting here. The concern with this split is the back to back upper body days. This
will become second nature as you dive deeper into gymnastics training but at rst it de nitely
takes some getting use to, regardless of if you’re in relatively good shape or not. Feel free to
add in an extra day o in between workouts as needed, don’t force yourself into a workout if
the elbows and shoulders are telling you otherwise.

5 days / week schedule - advanced

Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun

SA BAV HS O SA BAH O

Repeat

The 5 days / week schedule is for those who have gone through the 4 day split for at least one
solid month and are looking to bump up the frequency of the straight arm skills. Same thing
goes here with o days, feel free to sprinkle an additional o day in whenever necessary. Once
again, please do not rush into this format if the elbows and shoulders are telling you otherwise.

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 ***Warning*** ***Warning*** ***Warning*** ***Warning*** ***Warning*** ***Warning***

Use this program at your own risk

Exercise is not without its risks, and this or any other exercise program may result in
injury. They include but are not limited to: risk of injury, aggravation of a pre-existing
condition, or adverse e ect of over-exertion such as muscle strain, abnormal blood
pressure, fainting, disorders of heartbeat, and very rare instances of heart attack and/or
death. To reduce the risk of injury, before beginning this or any exercise program, please
consult a healthcare provider for appropriate exercise prescription and safety
precautions. The exercise instruction and advice presented are in no way intended as a
substitute for medical consultation. Joseph Maher and the Mahermovement team
disclaim any liability from and in connection with this program. As with any exercise
program, if at any point during your workout you begin to feel faint, dizzy, or have
physical discomfort, you should stop immediately and consult a physician.

***Warning*** ***Warning*** ***Warning*** ***Warning*** ***Warning*** ***Warning***

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