Straight arm day once per week?

M

mudmixer

New member
I'm making good progress on the recommended routine. I'm working on archer pull ups & rows, ring dips and pike push ups. I also do the recommended 5x2 reps of skin the cat after warm up.

At 40, I look better than probably ever, so thanks to everyone who contributes here.

In general, I'm happy with sticking to the basics to have a really good foundation before adding in specific skill training. Right now, the only skill I train is L-sit. My wrists have been hurting, so I stopped working on handstand. I play fiddle, so I can't afford wrist pain, and I'm not young anymore, so I and want to take things carefully. I do wrist prehab every workout and on most rest days.

So, I was wondering if a good stepping stone towards calisthenic skills would be to substitute 1 RR session per week with a straight arm session (2x RR + 1 straight arm day).

Also, if this is a good idea, where can I find a good routine? I know some great exercises that I add at the end of the RR, but I want to make sure I'm also practicing equivalent antagonistic exercises. Most of the straight arm exercises I do (time permitting) I got from FitnessFAQs and Gymnastics Method – and they leave my arms sore for days, which is why I think I could improve better by dedicating a day to it.

Apart from skin the cat and archer rows/pull ups, I make sure to train straight arm stuff just once a week and usually have a two-day rest after.

Look forward to any good tips or recommended routines!

For background, Gymnastics Method made a nice video about how gymnasts get big biceps & upper bodies through straight arm exercise:
 
@jermyn Would you say I should give up the archer rows in favor of the arc rows or alternate? Rows are currently my only false grip practice.

BTW, when I say archer pull ups, I'm following the advice you provide on mixed-grip chin ups, so thanks for that.
 
@mudmixer I'd definitely use the Arc Rows. You'll gain the Archer Rows for free AND progress towards your first Front Lever without having to add more work. That's great because recovery is limited.

I'm so happy to hear you added the Mixed Grip Chin-Ups! Those are great! Combined with Bodyweight Arc Rows (and later Front Lever Rows), they're even better because you basically worked towards being able to pull your entire bodyweight in whatever direction you want!
 
@jermyn Sounds great, thanks for the tip.

By the way, was doing lean forward push ups, but switched to PPU when my wrists were hurting.
I still do one single set of lean forward push ups at the end of most workouts.
 
@mudmixer I've had a deltoid attachment injury since I fell on ice last February, and after not being able to do things for months I finally went to doing straight arm exercises. The attachment has gotten the rest it needs (still a problem) but I've been pleased how much is possible with straight arms.

The video OP linked is quite good and my routine will definitely benefit from some of those additions.

So, yes OP, straight arm workouts can make a difference. Enjoy your music!
 
@mudmixer The exercises mentioned in that video look really challenging and should absolutely work, but I don't really see the benefit of straight arm stuff unless it alleviates strain on an injured tissue, or it's specific to some skill you want to progress on.

He's established a bit of a false causal relationship here in making the argument that: gymnasts do a lot of straight arm work and gymnasts have big biceps, therefore straight arm work grows big biceps.

This is probably true in the case of gymnasts who do a lot of general strength training and specific straight arm work, but they're not doing straight arm work to develop their biceps. They're doing it to gain the specific adaptations they need to be able to perform various movements in their routines.

We know from a lot of science that to illicit hypertrophy, you have to do something that causes muscle damage, which encourages the body to rebuild said muscle a little bit stronger. We also know that eccentric muscle contractions (lengthening of the muscle under load) do the most muscle damage and tends to lead to the greatest hypertrophic stimulus of the 3 types of contraction.

So, a movement like a bicep curl with a slow eccentric portion will probably result in greater hypertrophic gains than some of the straight arm movements he mentioned even if done at the same relative intensity, as the bicep is simply going through less range of motion with most of those movements given that the elbow is locked.

It'd undoubtedly be effective, but it seems to be contrary to your goals as you've stated that you're focusing on the basics, yet straight arm work is specific to various straight arm gymnastics skills, and probably a less efficient use of your time if the goal is to build general strength and put on muscle.

Do it if you enjoy it, but movements like the bicep curl and tricep extension are and will always be the most effective and efficient ways to build arm size and strength.
 
@oliver19 I agree with you, however straight arm work does provide the benefit of strengthening connective tissue especially in the elbows which I just don’t think bicep curls can achieve.

I personally do some straight arm work, and a bicep curl to get the best of both.
 
@sandy67 I do a lot of straight arm workouts. When I do them the area where my bicep connects to where my elbow is aches for days when do my ring stuff. Does that mean my tendons and ligaments are strengthening?
 
@thundergirl96 Usually the strengthening is slow and gradual. And it should not hurt or ache! I would recommend you lower the intensity and give the elbow a break.

The way I gauge progression is by progressively overloading my bicep curls, and by increasing my time in certain straight arm holds (rto, front lever, etc)

Take it easy and work your way up to harder straight arm movements. Slow and steady :)
 
@oliver19 In my experience, I find most of the “big muscle building” things arrive from working with rings and not necessarily straight arm skills. Ofc it’s a different matter if it’s about sa skills on rings. That adds further intensity to the subject.
 
@oliver19 Actually I heard there's but weak evidence to suggest that damage to muscle fibres is what stimulates hypertrophy, and rather that intramuscular tension is the main driver and muscle damage is an unavoidable byproduct. Muscle damage is what causes DOMS but there's no evidence to suggest that DOMS is a direct indicator of muscle adaptation.
 
@revalexandergerber Yes, I've heard something about that. It was found that the more muscle damaged caused by a workout, the more muscle protein synthesis will be induced. However, there's a difference between MPS in order to repair the damage and MPS to build muscle. Only once the damage is repaired is new muscle built. If you do too much damage, all of the muscle MPS will be spent on recovery and not adaptations.
 
@mudmixer I am 52 and have never stopped working out since 1987, bruv and I look hot AF.

As my tools I use a dumb-bell at 20 Kg, not sure about the lbs here, and body-weight exercises. Stopped with splits as it is too demanding, but I work out twice a day.

Thus, I can recommend never stopping to work on your physique, it is worth it. Am looking forward to the next 52 years...rock on!!
 
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