The Definitive Guide to Bar Calisthenics
By Al Kavadlo
Downloadable MP4 Video: 51 mins
eBook also available
Master The Art of Bar Athletics and Forge the Upper Body of Your Dreams—Without the Need for Weights, Machines or Gym Memberships!
Personal trainer and bar-athlete extraordinaire, Al Kavadlo believes you don’t need a gym membership or any fancy equipment to get in the best shape of your life. All you need to build a strong, muscular upper body is a simple pull-up bar.
In Raising the Bar: The Definitive Guide to Pull-up Bar Calisthenics, Kavadlo breaks down every type of exercise you can do with a pull-up bar. From the basic two arm hang, to the mighty muscle-up, all the way to the elusive one arm pull-up, the “bar master” takes you step by expert step through everything you need to do to build the chiseled frame you’ve always wanted.
Whether you’re a die-hard calisthenics enthusiast or just looking to get in the best shape of your life, Raising the Bar will meet all your expectations—and then some!
"With Raising The Bar, Al Kavadlo has put forth the perfect primal pull-up program. Al's progressions and demonstrations make even the most challenging exercises attainable. Anyone who is serious about pull-ups should get this DVD."—Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint
"This DVD is the ultimate training course on bar athletics, masterminded and presented by the man who—for my two cent’s worth—is the greatest calisthenics coach alive today. Raising the Bar is motivational and looks cool as hell, but more important than that, it’s an incredible source of instruction."—Paul “Coach” Wade, author of Convict Conditioning
"Al Kavadlo consistently puts out the best info on calisthenics and bodyweight training. His book, Raising the Bar is a killer introduction into the world of the Bar Athlete. Now with the release of the accompanying DVD, Al has truly raised the bar to a whole new level. The DVD combines solid info along with fun and entertainment, as only Al can."—Mike Fitch, creator of The Animal Flow Workout
Master The Art of Bar Athletics and Forge the Upper Body of Your Dreams—Without the Need for Weights, Machines or Gym Memberships!
The message is clear: you can earn yourself a stunning upper body with just 3 basic moves and 1 super-simple, yet amazingly versatile tool.
And what’s even better, this 3 + 1 formula for upper body magnificence hides enough variety to keep you challenged and surging to new heights for a lifetime of cool moves and ever-tougher progressions!
Cast in the "concrete jungle" of urban scaffolding and graffiti-laden, blasted walls—and sourced from iconic bar-athlete destinations like Tompkins Square Park, NYC—Raising the Bar rewards you with an inspiring new vision of what the human body can achieve.
Embrace Al Kavadlo’s vision, pick up the challenge, share the Quest, follow directions—and the Holy Grail of supreme upper body fitness is yours for the taking.
Raise the bar of your self-image, raise the bar on what it means to be a man, raise the bar on your fortitude, raise the bar on your toughness—and BE THIS:
• Stride down the mean streets with a whole new swagger—your etched set of washboard abs, your righteous pecs, your gnarling forearms and your whipcord frame broadcasting a newfound strength and an animal vitality.
• Enter a room and command immediate, primal respect from male and female alike—as you exude a quiet sense of confidence and raw power.
All this from a bar and 3 basic moves…
A word of warning to the wise, though: you’ll discover drills included in Raising the Bar that take the wildest skill and the greatest of functional strength to pull off. Like any true quest there are dragons to be faced here at your peril.
Be inspired by the ultimate vision of human performance you’ll see in the playful yet detail-packed instructional sequences—but as Al Kavadlo would be the first to recommend, find a strong band of training brothers and a solid training mentor if you are intent on attaining the greatest of feats that lie before you in Raising the Bar.
Feel Better, Look Better and Sure-as-Heck Move Better—Guaranteed
Check out what you’ll possess when you invest in Al Kavadlo’s ultimate upper body training program:
Pull-up or Shut-up
Well put indeed, Al! Al’s pull-up program is NOT for shirkers or wannabes. If you’re ready to get to serious work and ready to grab your bar, then be our guest.
Like so many of us, Al chased his own endless parade of shiny balls that promised one get-fit-quick scheme after another. But when all was said and done, Al returned to what had worked best for him in the first place:
Bar + Bodyweight = Back to Basics
Al tried it all—you name it—and returned to the source of all that is good, to the mother ship: pull-ups, pull-ups and then more pull-ups…
Ah, pull-ups, yes, the great equalizer, "the purest way to measure or train pound-for-pound strength…"
To each his own in the strength game, but the bar will take you as far as you could ever dream for upper body physical development—if you let it and let Al show you how…
Many females have an almost visceral fear of the pull-up. Al confronts this fear and the associated myths that drive that fear. Women, if you’ve been scared/on the fence about engaging with pull-ups, here is all you need to inspire you into pull-up action.
The 3 best exercises for a novice to incorporate as a precursor to successful pull-ups
This golden tip for your negatives could immensely enhance your strength development
The surefire master tip for pull-up weaklings
This progressive Australian pull-up is a great secret for working toward the standard pull-up
The single greatest error you can make with your pull-ups
This "jumping" tip could be the magic strategy that propels you to push-up glory
The perfect assist—and how not to sabotage your partner’s progress
The key muscle to zero in on for ultimate success in the pull-up
The very best grip position for fastest grip development
Oh Dip!
The next great move to master for upper frame magnificence is the Dip. Again, Al Kavadlo takes you deep and wide, serving up the complete menu of dip progressions and variants you’ll need to etch out your concrete triceps, chest and shoulders, while blasting your core.
Dip Novice? Then start your progressions with this drill for the best foundation
Parallel Dips are one of the best possible exercises for either gender. See why here
Straight Bar Dips—this challenging yet under-utilized variation will scorch extra toughness into your upper frame while prepping you perfectly for the muscle-up
Now say hello to the monstrous full-body killer, The Korean Dip—don’t say you weren’t warned!
Plyo-Dips Anyone? Anyone? Whether you run for the hills at the very idea, or you have skin in the game, check out the wow factor for champion level dipping
Hard Core Training
Those in the know (and those not trying to sell you a gizmo) all agree: if you can master the Hanging Leg Raise, you have mastered all you really need to stun the world with your brutish, hyper-functional six-pack.
Al Kavadlo gives the blueprint for Hanging Leg Raise mastery—just follow and get stronger.
The first progression on the path to HLR godhood starts here
And here’s a perfect second progression, The Hanging Bicycle
Ignore this crucial secret for HLR progress at your peril
From the L-Hold to the incredible V-Hold—do if you dare!
How to perform the One-arm Hanging Leg Raise for reps—and enter the bodyweight masters’ Hall of Fame
Advanced Pull-ups
As promised, there’s a whole wide world of fun and challenge lurking within the one Big Move that is the Pull-up in all its greatness. You may not have ever wished to BE a monkey, but you gotta feel humbled when you watch a chimp bounding around in the branches. You have to envy the amazing tensile strength and the power-acrobatics that the chimp can pull off with a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders.
Well, jump into Al’s Advanced Pull-ups program and even the most brazen of high-flying chimps might bare his teeth at you in a gesture of grudging respect—and that’s nothing to the adulation and envy you’ll garner from the hominids-in-suits and other mere mortals who cross your path.
The advantages of the Head Banger Pull-up
The dread Commando Pull-up—another great weapon to stack in your arsenal
The very cool Archer Pull-up will speed you on your way to the bullseye of a One-arm Pull-up
Bang out some of these Typewriters for stronger shoulders and a more powerful core
Get down with the little-known X pull-up
Master the startling L-sit Pull-up—and be proud
To kip or not to kip? The more advanced you want to be, the more you should know how to best incorporate judicious kipping. Learn how and why here (One of the best secrets comes from your early childhood)
These Plyo Pull-ups will help you develop the perfect combo of strength, power and confidence in your freestyle workouts
Enter the Muscle-up
Intensity, your name is "Muscle-up". So, if you want to add a full-auto burst of intensity to your calisthenics, make friends with Muscle-up and he’ll never let you down…
With its unique demand for both pulling and pushing power, the Muscle-up can single-handedly build serious strength and sculpt a powerful upper body—and it does a serious number on your abs while you’re not looking. According to Al, then—and who am I to argue?—"the Muscle-up is truly the ultimate upper body exercise."
And who better to school you in the joys of the Muscle-up than Al?
Employ these two "cheaters" as a fantastic precursor to success in the Muscle-up
Use this False Grip, for an easier transition between the pull-up and dip phases of the Muscle-up
How to employ the essential "S" shape for a successful Muscle-up
Close-grip and wide-grip Muscle-ups for an even greater challenge
Employ this special false grip for slow Muscle-ups—for better leverage and to really cook your forearms
How to develop monstrous grip strength and total body control, with the Muscle-up on parallel bars
Behold the intimidation factor of the Muscle-over
Only for the brave and very skilled: the Standing Muscle-over
How to generate explosive power with the Reverse Grip Muscle-up
Welcome to the extreme challenge of the Switchblade Muscle-up
For those who like to live dangerously: the badass-beyond-belief 360 Muscle-up
Handstands and Shoulder Health
Could you be so obsessively in love with your pull-ups that you’re setting yourself up for serious shoulder problems and other dysfunctions—by not balancing your pull-up work with "equal and opposite" training in pressing?
Al Kavadlo’s pressing chapter will ensure that you maintain the necessary balance not only for shoulder health but for the highest levels of upper body fitness. The advice here is golden and essential for any serious bar athlete. Achieve the advanced drills in this section and you will be at the pinnacle of human performance.
How to use Shoulder Rollouts as the perfect warm-up before an upper body workout
How to perform the Frogstand—the perfect precursor for a freestanding handstand
Wall walking: another excellent progression for training into a handstand
Special tips for maintaining balance in the freestanding handstand
The Press to Handstand—a much more challenging way to get into a freestanding handstand push-up
Very risky! The Handstand on the Bars requires tremendous control and grip strength. Check it out
Golden tips for acing the One-handed Handstand—and upping your personal wow factor
The Pike Push-up: a brilliant way to ease into the Handstand Push-up
The prerequisites for the Freestanding Handstand Push-up, for tremendous strength and balance
The Handstand Push-up on Parallel Bars, for a bigger range of motion
The Holy Grail of Push-ups: Can it be done? The One-arm Handstand Push-up invitational
Lever or Leave ’Er
Only those with a burning passion for building bodyweight strength should proceed with body lever training. Are you that man of passion? If not, step aside—you have more than enough already to aim for and contend with. If yes, then please proceed into the dizzy realms of the hyper-achiever…
How to develop formidable strength in your core and enviable strength in your arms, chest, back and abs
The Elbow Lever, hard enough, but the perfect progression toward a full Lever
Advanced training tips for the perfect Elbow Lever
The very challenging feat of the One-arm Elbow Lever—subtle tips for best success
The Back Lever: as close as you may get to flying—a fun, functional and badass move that will build total body strength
The High Angle Back Lever: check out the musculature you could achieve with this evil move!
The Bent Knee Back Lever: a great way for newcomers to get a feel for the exercise
The Front Lever: one of the most difficult and coolest calisthenics exercises you can ever perform—it’s like laying down on air
The Straddle Front Lever: here’s a nifty way to add weight, yet make your Front Lever easier
Chapter Eight: Zen and the One-arm Pull-up
Gandhi said: "Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will". Now this I love—and never was truer word spoken than when confronting the one-in-10,000 or some say the one-in-100,00 achievement of the One-arm Pull-up.
Al clearly possesses that indomitable will, because he owns the One-arm Pull-up. Want to join him in the rare air where champions roam? Al gives you all the training tips you need—now you supply the necessary Will!
Pay close attention: here are the minimum prerequisites you should have under your belt, before embarking on the One-arm Pull-up challenge
One-arm Hangs—the next step on the road to One-arm Pull-up glory!
The Self Assist will move you inexorably closer to the ultimate goal
This cunning tip can make the One-arm Pull-up that much more attainable
Secrets for squeezing the juice out of those final freakish inches
