Calisthenics is described as “gymnastic workouts to realize bodily health and beauty of motion.” However ask any fitness center man or gal, and the reply is solely, “Yeah, they do these bizarre pull-ups and stuff.”
Calisthenics has been rising in recognition since COVID struck, which is why at present, we’re trying on the Motion Athlete App/Program.
Motion Athlete App/Program Overview
Now, not like different applications we’ve reviewed on Noob Positive aspects earlier than, this program isn’t essentially targeted on any time-frame. This program is moderately one that you just purchase into on a month-to-month foundation.
The plan is discovered on their on-line website – The Movement Athlete – and also you’ll merely purchase a month-to-month subscription. They vary from $3.70 – $6.30 per week, relying on how lengthy of a time interval you pay; the extra you purchase, the cheaper it’s.
- Health stage: All ranges
- Length: Indefinitely
- Exercises per week: You determine
- Common exercise period: 45 – 60 minutes
- Gear wanted: Minimal tools
- Aim: Achieve energy and Enhance athleticism
As you’ll be able to see from the knowledge above, this plan isn’t a lot a plan as it’s extra of a steering system so that you can study from. In any case, a plan must be adjustable to your way of life.
That stated, they nonetheless have specifics so that you can do – whether or not that be particular actions and even full exercises.
These specifics are break up into three respective teams:
- Fundamentals: Dips, Pull-ups, Handstands, and so on.
- Intermediate: Headstand, Again Plank, Bridge, and so on.
- Superior: Levers, Ring Actions, Muscle-ups
It’s clear that there’s direct development throughout these actions. In truth, there’s a fantastic deal with progressive overload within the Motion Athlete program, which, in spite of everything, is prime to getting stronger.
One nifty factor about this program is the inclusion of achievements that you just “grasp” or “unlock.” As time (and also you) progress, you’ll grasp particular expertise, after which this system will reward you with considered one of these achievements.
So, the fundamentals of the plan are break up into two sanctions – info and the precise plan.
The Motion Athlete Particulars
The plan is break up into two. One half is solely assets so that you can research and study from. The opposite is simply the exercises.
Sources for You to Examine
Calisthenics is principally centered round two issues: Power and approach. The primary is a protracted and tough factor to grasp, whereas the second … is precisely the identical.
Thought this was gonna be straightforward, did ya? Properly, maintain on to your rings; we’re studying a couple of tips first.
When you’ve bought your program from the nice people at Motion Athlete, you’ll be greeted with a assets net web page with numerous hyperlinks to the left, a few of which embrace:
- Getting Began
- Mobility and Flexibility
- Coaching
As you may guess, this part is so that you can learn, take in, and apply to the coaching. They notice you in all probability aren’t going to be utilizing this platform perpetually, in order that they educate you easy methods to program for your self sooner or later.
As an illustration, the 9 elementary actions part goes into the way you wish to grasp the respective elements of the physique with regard to calisthenics – pushing, pulling, legs, core, and bodyline. These break down into the 9 elementary actions, that are going to be the bottom of all calisthenic actions.
The Coaching part is logically the most important. On this, you’ll discover the whole lot from troubleshooting your progress to easy methods to progressive overload with body weight. You’ll additionally get an introduction to the “TMA System” or The Motion Athlete System.
That is the system this complete plan relies on.
And in contrast to different techniques you may discover or see on-line, this one is personalised for you and primarily based in your objectives. Your objectives and coaching historical past will dictate the whole lot from the progressions to the actions chosen.
There’s even a bit of piece about mindset, which is significant for any athlete or particular person that wishes to do any sport for a very long time interval. I like that loads.
Extra Concerning the Precise Coaching
Now that we have now lined the literary a part of this system, let’s get into the enterprise of doing planches, child.
As talked about earlier than, the entire coaching plan is personalised to your particular objectives and stage of development. However there are nonetheless some fundamentals that everybody ought to grasp – or at the least ought to be capable of grasp in the event that they’re going to name themselves a “Cali” athlete…
These are strikes like L-sits, ahead dips, and pseudo-planche push-ups. Actually not not possible to grasp, however nonetheless important for the development of any calisthenics athlete.
Transferring on from these, you’re met with a bunch of various actions primarily based in your present stage of expertise. You’ll need to grasp these if you wish to progress as a result of a number of these expertise construct into each other.
Every ability has sure actions it is advisable do, sure reps, units, and even isometric holds. Gotta begin coaching for the iron cross sooner or later, proper?
What Do the Exercises Look Like?
You’ll start with the basic actions and transfer on when you attain 100% on all of those. That stated, every exercise “will look the identical”… kinda.
See, each exercise will look one thing like this:
- Step 1: Warmup
- Step 2: Ability work
- Step 3: Power
- Step 4: Cooldown
This does carry the advantage of each exercise being the identical, that means you gained’t be shocked, ever. That stated, a lot of individuals get uninterested in monotony.
One other downside is that it’s important to have the app to see your actions/exercises. This makes zero sense to me. Even to trace actions, it’s important to do it on the app.
I can perceive that, for technical causes, this is smart. Nevertheless, I hate being on my cellphone whereas coaching – it feels a bit pointless to me.
How the Motion Athlete Organizes Issues
One good factor in regards to the webpage model of this system is the truth that you’ll be able to obtain the motion movies, permitting you to observe them, even when you don’t have Wi-Fi.
Every motion can be break up into 4 totally different sections, every with totally different strikes so that you can do:
- Power: We’re straightforward to misjudge hypertrophy for energy, however the two are drastically totally different. Calisthenics is a energy sport, in spite of everything, and to make the largest deal with a motion, the energy development is essential.
- Ability: These shall be smaller and simpler actions that may actually carry over into the primary motion.
- Muscle: Most energy athletes will spend weeks solely specializing in hypertrophy, and so you’ll do some as nicely. Actually isn’t good, but it surely’ll assist. This may permit for the expansion of the muscle in measurement, permitting for higher energy manufacturing potential.
- Endurance: Whereas a one-rep max is cool, you may have to bang out a protracted set in the end. Being able to take action additionally massively will increase your capacity to carry out isometric actions as nicely.
This permits for development on totally different ranges, which in flip lets you grasp expertise a lot sooner as you prepare towards a extra useful, aesthetic physique.
The One Main Gripe…(& a Few Further Redeeming Qualities)
One notable factor in regards to the actions given is that it’s targeted on all the physique. It’s nice to see that there are only a few muscle tissues that aren’t labored or skipped. Apart from legs…
Legs are sometimes neglected by calisthenics athletes however are so vital for actions just like the entrance lever. Your glutes and the posterior chain are important in these, and failing to coach these successfully will lead to gaps in your progress.
That stated, you will progress to do some actually exhausting expertise equivalent to:
- One-arm pull-up
- Entrance lever
- Freestanding handstand push-up
There’s little question that the Movement Athlete program works, particularly when trying on the opinions of the people who’ve adopted it up to now. And as a pleasant bonus, you get entry to a closed Fb group.
This neighborhood will will let you work together with your friends and study and help them to take advantage of your time with the Motion Athlete program.
The opposite very nice factor is the introduction of sustainable coaching.
This isn’t the kind of coaching you go all out for a couple of weeks after which cease, particularly when you’re planning to get ripped. That is one thing you maintain and progress for months on. This makes the plan actually good worth for cash.
You’ll profit extra from this plan when you’re desirous to study. You probably have the need to solely have this system and be instructed what to do, get a personalised coach. This plan is for individuals who wish to change into self-sustaining athletes for years and years to return, so that you higher be able to learn and soak up what they educate you.
4 Motion Athlete App Execs
- You kind a part of a neighborhood: Typically, working by yourself can get actually bland and boring. By working with different athletes, you’ll get a way of progress, which may be very motivating.
- Case research: You may also see the progress different individuals have made, which might help promote the product however will also be motivating… undecided if it is a professional.
- It’s an app: Whereas I could not like the thought of an app within the fitness center, for many, this makes the entire program loads higher and simpler to observe. You’ll do the exercises and easily document the progress in your cellphone.
- It’s progressive: Different applications may say “use 70% of your max” whereas, with this plan, you really do sure actions that construct into more durable ones. This is perhaps since you don’t use weights, but it surely additionally lets you progress in all places you go in life (bear in mind to take your rings!).
4 Motion Athlete Cons
- No audio enter on movies: Whereas the movies are very useful to see how the actions are finished, there isn’t a coach or individual bodily telling you easy methods to do the actions. Missed a step, in my view.
- No diet guides: Different calisthenic plans will really embrace diet guides, particularly as a result of calisthenic athletes run the road of lean-gaining to the max. This plan has zero point out of diet, which is one other missed mark.
- There are actions lacking: Whereas workouts just like the iron cross are exhausting to perform, it actually is feasible. This plan doesn’t have any exceptionally exhausting actions, nor does it have any testing. Meaning no one-rep max pull-up, no one-rep max dip. This can be a nice approach to observe the progress of a energy athlete, which this plan may undoubtedly profit from.
- UX and UI issues: Whereas the dashboard is nice for probably the most half, when you spend a couple of hours on it, you’ll start to note slight issues.
The Motion Athlete App/Program – Remaining Ideas
The motion for body weight coaching plans is an ever-growing one. You possibly can even see the affect sports activities as calisthenics has in CrossFit, as they’re incorporating sure actions into their WODs.
Discovering correct coaching for calisthenics is definitely more durable stated than finished. It actually isn’t as developed as different health actions and suffers barely as a consequence of this reality.
That stated, the Motion Athlete Program is unquestionably a step in the fitting route.
It may be refined barely. Whereas the issues are small, they may actually cease the most-experienced athletes from becoming a member of. The truth that actions are “capped” is form of disappointing, too.
Nevertheless, when you have a look at this plan as a newbie’s plan, it adjustments fully. In that case, it scores nearly completely. It was undoubtedly designed for novices, as there’s a fantastic emphasis on studying the fundamentals – not solely of the abilities – however coaching, on the whole.
The Movement Athlete app is actually good – and even nice – to most. That stated, when you’re somebody banging out planches with ease, you is perhaps higher off spending your cash elsewhere.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
