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Legal & Author Information
Copyright Information:
Johnston, Owen
The Minimalist Guide to Functional Strength
Fitness Instruction, 3rd Edition
Copyright 2014/5
All Rights Reserved. This version of the book may be freely distributed or
copied for personal or classroom use, but may not be modifed or used for proft.
It may also be posted on any reputable website as long as you do not ofer the
book for sale.
Author & Publisher - Owen Johnston
Editor - T.O.D. Johnston
Book Home Page – http://www.strengthtrainingpdf.com
For a free one-page list of resources I highly recommend, visit the site
below and click on the link in the top menu that says 'Training Resources'.
http://www.strengthcalisthenics.com/
The above site also has free videos, as well as information about my classes
and qualifcations.
FREE Downloads:
http://tiny.cc/pdfbooks
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Disclaimer
This book is intended for people of good health and physical condition. The
training methods and advice in this book may not be for everyone. Always
consult your physician before starting a new exercise program. I am not a
physician, and as such, nothing in this book should in any way be taken as
medical advice or a substitute for medical advice. Also, this book should not be
used to replace advice from your personal physician.
Physical activity always carries with it a risk of injury. When you practice
the training methods in this book, always practice proper safety precaution, use
proper technique, and apply common sense. The author can not assume any
responsibility for any injury, illness, loss or damage that may result from
following the training methods in this book.
Lastly, this book is not a replacement for formal instruction. Be sure to
seek out a competent, qualifed instructor who may carefully observe your
progress and provide feedback. This book is intended primarily to be a
supplement to, not a replacement for, formal training.
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Table of Contents
About the book - 5
Author Profle - 6
Fitness 101 - 7
Transform your life! - 10
Thoughts on Training - 11
Specifcity in Training and Setting Goals - 12
Calisthenics Exercises using Benches - 13
An Essay on Flexibility - 15
Building up to full pullups - 18
Dead hang gymnastics pullovers - 21
One Arm Pullup Training - 23
Gymnastics Backbend Tips - 26
Mobility work – tension fexibility exercises - 27
Karate approach to calisthenics - 28
Lever regressions - 33
Abdominal training basics - 35
Methods of progression in calisthenics - 36
All about progressive calisthenics - 38
Progressive Calisthenics Lifestyle - 39
Progressive Calisthenics for Strength - 40
Ultimate Leg Training - 49
Calf Training - 50
Poetry in Motion - 51
Integrating Basic Gymnastics with other types of - 52
Body Weight Strength Training
Odd Object Training for Strength - 59
Old Time Strongmen - Training and Resources - 64
Sandbag training for functional, real world strength - 66
Caveman Conditioning: - 67
Uncivilized, Minimalist Training Methods
Street Workouts – minimalist training, anywhere - 69
Calisthenics Program Design for Beginners - 75
Calisthenics Program Design for Advanced Athletes - 79
Calisthenics Programs - - 81
workouts from remedial through advanced
Calisthenics Progressions - 99
“Cheat sheet” section - 114
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About the Minimalist Guide to Functional Strength
“Train hard, train heavy, train progressively, and train smart.”
- Brooks Kubik
“You need to be as powerful and functional as you possibly can be, for a
long time into your old age. Calisthenics can give you that.”
- Paul Wade
This book is based on my continuing research and teaching experience. I
believe in continuously updating one's knowledge base and expertise, and as
such, I am constantly refning my teaching methods. As such, this book is
intended to represent the most up to date information possible regarding how I
teach ftness to my students.
Keep in mind that this book is not meant to be a comprehensive text on
ftness and health. Consult your physician before starting an exercise program,
and be sure to contact a certifed ftness trainer to help you discover a nutrition
and exercise plan that suits your lifestyle and individual needs.
The primary focus of this book is progressive calisthenics, a minimalist and
non-dogmatic approach to strength training. Simple, minimalistic training using
calisthenics work to build coordination and neuromuscular strength. Gymnasts,
acrobats, boxers, wrestlers, and martial artists who have a lot of experience are
generally familiar with advanced calisthenics that build high levels of functional
strength. Like weight training, calisthenics can also be made progressively
harder.
Instead of stacking on more weight plates, you modify various "intensity
variables" or "tougheners" to make an exercise harder on your body. Such
tougheners include range of motion, inter-set rest, body positioning, leverage,
unilaterality or bilaterality (using one hand or two hands; using one foot or two
feet), etc. Look to gymnastics progressions for some ideas. Old school
progressive calisthenics and traditional martial arts training methods also
include a lot of ways to modify exercise techniques to regress (make easier) or
progress (make harder).
In old school calisthenics, the goal is to build joint integrity, overall health,
coordination, and raw "brute" strength, using tested techniques. These
techniques are treated as skills to be worked diligently for as long as they
yielded coordination and postural improvements, and strength gains. In this way,
such training can beneft martial arts training.
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Author Profle
I am a PCC instructor with over 10 years of experience in martial arts and
ftness. My passion for ftness started at about the same time I began my martial
arts journey. I trained with many types of athletes over the years and learned
about many types of strength and conditioning, but calisthenics became my
primary passion. I eventually became certifed as a personal trainer in March
2013. I became a PCC instructor in 2014, after attending the PCC workshop in
Alexandria, VA. I have served as the strength & conditioning coach at Olympia
Gymnastics since April 2014 and as a gymnastics coach since August 2014.
Why do I love what I do? I suppose I could say that I’m almost religious
about karate and body weight training in general, especially progressive
calisthenics and gymnastics. It’s very Zen when you focus on a movement,
become one with it, and your body is just smoothly transforming into the
technique you’re practicing – whether a gymnastics pullover or a kata! Defnitely
an art, and poetry in motion, like skating or surfng! I can understand why
skaters and surfers are often almost religious about what they do. I’m always
looking for that “transcendent rep” near the end of the set, that I pour my heart
and soul into, all of my focus, like fnding my way down the rabbit hole and
through the other side, only to fnd myself transformed. Sweating and squeezing
out all of my emotions, pouring them onto the bar, foor, mat, wall, or pavement!
That is living and defnitely a spiritual experience :)
Qualifcations and Experience
- Black belt certifcation in Heiwado karate under Japan International Karate
Center
- Certifed Progressive Calisthenics Instructor through Dragon Door
- Certifed gymnastics instructor through USA gym since August 2014
- Formally teaching martial arts since 2004
- Have ofered my services as a personal trainer since March 2013, when I
became certifed through ISSA
- Have served as a personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach, and karate
instructor at Olympia Gymnastics since April 2014; serving as a gymnastics
coach since August 2014
- Experience in boxing, running martial arts training camps, and many types of
physical ftness training and exercises
- Have taught many students how to improve self confdence and ftness levels
If you would like to view full info on my qualifcations, schedule a class or
free initial consultation, or contact me for any other reason, please visit my
calisthenics webpage and click on my name at the top left. A free one-page list of
training resources is also included on the page. Simply visit the site and click on
“Training Resources” in the top menu. If you are visiting the mobile version of
the site, you can fnd a link to the site menu in the top post.
http://www.strengthcalisthenics.com
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Fitness 101 – A Basic Tutorial
This is meant to be a concise article summarizing the benefts of exercise,
advice, and links to quality resources that will give you a good headstart, as well
as a recommended exercise list at the end. Just keep in mind that getting into
shape and improving your lifestyle habits (including nutrition, rest, scheduling,
etc.) take a long term, disciplined approach.
There are many benefts to exercise, including burning calories, elevating
your mood, and heart disease prevention. Using cardio training to improve your
ftness also improves your circulatory system, strengthens your heart and lungs,
improves bone density, which all help immensely not just with other types of
exercise, but life in general! Benefts to lifestyle include improved mood, stress /
depression relief, better posture, being able to fall asleep quicker, as well as
sleeping more deeply.
Not only that, strength training helps not only build your muscle mass and
strength, but also your endurance, and performance of daily activities such as
lifting, carrying, and walking. Your fexibility is also enhanced, which helps to
prevent back pain, and pulling muscles. Not only that, even your ligaments and
tendons adapt to training, and become stronger, and less prone to injury. The
additional muscle and bone density gained in training also help in reducing
injury to joints.
The metabolism defnitely gets a boost with efective training, which
results in improved body composition. The end result will be more muscle and
less body fat. More muscle doesn't necessarily mean a big, bulky look - but
regular, efective exercise will (as a rule) result in improved muscle tone.
Since this is not meant to be a comprehensive article, keep in mind that
there is a lot more to understanding ftness than I can condense into just a few
pages. Nutrition and lifestyle changes are two important topics to consider when
starting a new ftness program. Also, it's a good idea to talk to a certifed ftness
trainer who can help you fgure out the best options and routines. Lastly, if you're
new to ftness, you'll want to get at least a basic idea about nutrition, body
mechanics, and ftness concepts. As such, feel free to read hand selected articles
I've linked to from my Fitness Links page. Simply point your web browser to
calisthenics page and click on “Fitness Links” near the top.
http://www.strengthcalisthenics.com
My calisthenics page also has plenty of YouTube playlists of martial arts
and ftness videos that I highly recommend.
If you're just starting out, I recommend calisthenics, also known as body
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weight training. Calisthenics train the whole body – muscles and joints. This
means no equipment required, so you can practice the exercises anywhere.
Practicing calisthenics builds functional strength and muscle tone very naturally.
It also boosts the metabolism. Even if you're already in shape, easier calisthenics
exercises can help train your whole body, strengthen any weak areas, and
rehabilitate joints.
I personally teach my own unique approach to calisthenics, which is given
a general description in the article “Progressive Calisthenics for Strength”. I
would highly recommend progressive calisthenics to anyone trying to get into
shape. It's an approach, not a set routine! Once you understand the basic
concepts, you can become your own coach.
Before starting a program, though, be sure to fnd a workout partner you
trust, or talk to a certifed ftness trainer. Gradually introduce more protein into
your diet from natural sources if needed. (Nuts, grains, cheese, milk, etc.)
Change up your routines up once in a while if it helps you stay motivated.
Also, what you do outside of the gym or exercise in general is just as important,
such as making any necessary lifestyle changes, as well as getting the right
nutrition and rest. Always try to eat fresh and drink things like water, tea, fruit
smoothies etc instead of sodas.
If you want to bulk up, work up to heavy weight and/or hard calisthenics
exercises with low reps. If you want to tone up, you will want to start burning of
any unhealthy weight, while also building muscle in challenging strength
sessions. The key is to burn more calories than you take in. Remember to have a
small, nutritious meal after a hard workout, such as a protein shake and a piece
of fruit. Also, always give your body enough recovery time after a workout.
Moderately heavy to heavy amounts of lifting should be done every other day to
allow time to recover. ("Heavy" depending upon what level of training you are
at.)
Need to lose weight? Get out and get movin'! Get any kind of cardio you
can ft into your daily routine. Do laundry, some yard work, walk the dog,
whatever! Get on the bike, jog, take an aerobics class...The list goes on! Find a
friend to go outside and get active with - have fun with it!
Remember to set realistic goals - such as allowing a few months to achieve
the right look. Feel free to research other exercises as needed to help train for
your own personal performance goals, and talk to your ftness instructor for
ideas on how to tweak your routine. Always warm up and stretch properly before
you begin your workout. Warmups should usually include joint rotations, which
oil up the joints, and some kind of aerobic activity, such as skipping rope,
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walking, or jogging. Aerobic activity warms up your body temperature and
increases blood fowing. This helps to improve your muscular performance and
'elasticity', which helps to prevent injury (such as pulling a muscle).
If you do not stretch correctly, injuries can occur, so always start slowly if
you are new to fexibility training. Start with a few minutes of static stretching,
which is used to stretch out the muscles while the body is at rest, then move onto
dynamic stretching. Remember to do light aerobic activity such as walking or
jogging and some more static stretching, at the end of your workout to cool down
the body. View the pages below for static and dynamic stretching -
www.brianmac.co.uk/stretch.htm
www.brianmac.co.uk/dynamic.htm
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Transform your life!
With time, patience, proper training, proper nutrition, and proper attention
to lifestyle factors, almost anyone can transform their body and their life. It takes
a lot of time and dedication – it could take at least a full year to achieve a trim,
proportioned, ft look. Yes, of course you will see some results within two weeks
if you’re training at least twice a week and watching your nutrition.
But to get a whole new body – trimming down while building up the
muscles – is a long term, dificult process. It takes time to replace old habits with
new ones. You also have to pay a lot of attention to nutrition, losing weight slowly
(instead of too quickly), learning how to train (skill), building up the stamina and
strength for truly intense training, while not over training. Over training fatigues
mind and body, slowing your progress, and over training also leads to injury.
Certainly, you do want to train hard, but allow for recovery. Push past your
comfort zone, but not to injury.
The fortunate thing, though, is that hard work builds not just strength, but
willpower and confdence as well. It takes guts and tenacity to train hard! Most
people give up too easily, before they see results. Don’t give up! Climb that
mountain!
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