Your path to high performance is very much like a stairway.

If you want to reach the top, you need to learn to go one step at a time.

Don’t rush right from the start just because you are impatient to reach your goals.

And never, never skip steps.

Skipping steps in fitness and strength training is like skipping steps when you climb stairs. You get tired more quickly, which forces you to stop and recover—like overtraining plateaus. And sometimes you slip because you tried to take on more than you could—like overuse injuries.

You would never think of running all the stairs that lead to the top of a mountain.

Well, your ultimate goal is at the top of a very high mountain, way above the clouds.

So if you run, you’re bound to burn out and fall.

One step at a time. This is the art of going slow to go fast.

Ask Me Anything

If you need help or have a question about your training, please do not hesitate to use this message box.
I will reply personally, and will create more adapted content thanks to you.
The better I understand your challenges, the better this class gets! 🤜🤛

1. This is how I achieved the Human Flag.

Here are the steps I took to achieve the human flag. This is an example of how you can break down any goal and draw your own plan to reach it.

I remember the first time I saw someone do a human flag. I didn’t think it was even possible, and I certainly didn’t think I could do it one day.

But then I saw other people do it and it eventually led to my obsession with movement and calisthenics.

Problem: I didn’t have 10% of the strength it required, and I needed a plan.

Here’s what I did.

1: I studied the movement and where the strength came from. I understood it came mostly from shoulder strength in the lower arm and a solid core.

2: I worked my way up to one-arm push-ups by following a progression of declined push-ups, archer push-ups, assisted one-arm push-ups.

3: I increased my core strength with oblique exercises and side planks and applied progressive overload.

4: Much later, I started incorporating easy variations of the human flag into my routine (that’s where naturally gifted but clueless calisthenics athletes usually tell you to start).

5: I kept increasing the intensity slowly, avoided overtraining at all cost, and trusted the process.

This is how I was eventually able to hold it for 5 seconds although I have a body type that’s considered challenging for this exercise.

I also helped a friend, who was 35 years old at the time and moderately active, go from zero to holding it for 2 seconds in a year and a half. Nobody around him thought he could do it. We followed my plan and proved them wrong.

You are also capable of achieving way more than you think. The key is to break down your goal in small and manageable milestones, go step by step, and trust the process.

2. The truth about short rest times.

We’re often told that we need short rest times to increase strength endurance.

But once again, I’ve found that it’s not the only way, and it is not how a lot of athletes (like gymnasts) train.

Performing sets of 15 or more reps, and resting enough to recover from the burn between each of them, has proven more effective for me at increasing the number of reps I can do in one set—or the weight I can lift for 15 reps.

Resting enough means I can take up to 3 minutes to recover between my strength endurance sets. Shorter, fixed 60 seconds rest time never worked for me. It used to make me progress much slower, or even stall, although it is the common rule.

There is sometimes a big difference between what sport scientists recommend and what D1 coaches actually use. Always try both options for yourself, and when in doubt, listen to the latter.

Summary: to increase strength endurance, try doing 3 sets of 15 reps at the highest intensity you can handle, and rest 3 minutes between them.

3. The magic rep.

If you’re not seeing any progress, it might be because you never reach the magic rep.

In every exercise and every set you do, there is one rep that makes all the difference. Let me explain.

Progress happens through challenge. As you’ve noticed, you don’t really feel much challenge in the first few reps of a set.

It’s the last few, the ones that are really hard, that induce improvements in strength or muscle size.

So there’s one rep which is like the threshold from where you start getting the benefits of an exercise. The first repetitions build up to it, those you do after make you better.

Many people, especially beginners who can’t tell what they are really capable of yet, stop before reaching that point—and therefore make very little progress.

Everything you do before you reach the magic rep doesn’t count, it’s every rep you do after that takes you closer to your goals. Remember this the next time you feel like taking it easy.

4. 3 reasons to do Step-ups.

1: You can't cheat like with squats. Once you put your foot on the bench, your knee is at 90° and that's where you have to push from. You always get the same angle and full range of motion.

2: It's a great way to build unilateral power, prevent or fix muscle imbalances, and unlike many other one-leg exercises, this one requires very little balance.

3: You can add an explosiveness component to it by raising the opposite knee as fast as possible. This is great if you're doing this as part of a conditioning program for running or another sport.

Here I am doing step-ups on Technogym Bench, with dumbbells conveniently stored inside in case I need some extra challenge.

I hope you found some useful tips and motivation in today's edition.

Please share your feedback and help me improve my content for everyone!

A great way to do this is by replying to this email and let me know whatever is on your mind.

Thanks for reading and see you next week!

- Nico

Get your personalized Bodyweight Strength program in just a few minutes with Enso Calisthenics!