Overcoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength (Second Edition) Kindle Edition

As someone who never did organized gymnastics in my youth I'm finding the joy of body weight fitness later in life... I've been messing around with handstands and other more difficult yoga holds. After plateauing and not finding a way around my lack of consistency in handstand (after several months of consistent practice) I decided to add some strength/gymnastic type exercises to my workouts.This initially consisted with a lot internet reading, youtube watching and self practice, while I did improve I feel like I could do better. So I set out to find a book (or program) that breaks down gymnastics training progressions. The first edition of the book sounded good, but disorganized - after a little research I found that the second edition was only a few weeks away from release. I so decided to wait and get this book as soon as released. What can I say other than wow... I had NO CLUE how much I didn't know when it came to the subject of body weight training/skills progression. The amount of information in detail, the coverage of all topics relating to the subject.. just wow - this book is worth every penny of the $50 I paid.The best part is that not only does the book expertly cover topics of gymnastic progression, but also programming workouts to reach a progression goal, injury awareness/avoidance/rehabilitation, and so much more.The author is the real deal. This is a guy who did gymnastics a college level and went on to get his PhD in Physical Therapy. He clearly has a deep passion and understanding for the topics covered and I'm really impressed with what he put together. I've also visited his reddit sub and while I've never personally asked him a question, the author is in there answering questions all the time - if you're considering learning more about body weight fitness and or gymnastics progression look no further, this is the book.

This book has been nothing short of life-changing for me. After a few months of diligent practice, I am stronger, leaner, and more flexible than I have ever been in my entire life. I have dropped over 25 lbs and have put on a considerable amount of muscle. For the first time in my life I have a six pack, which I did not have even doing a P90X/Insanity hybrid, but that's not the best part. The strength gains that I have made are nothing short of phenomenal. I have increased my big 3 lifts by over 50 lbs, without even working on them! I am able to do single leg squats, handstands, L-sit ring muscle-ups, single-arm push-ups, straddle back lever, tuck planche, and even the elbow lever, as pictured on the cover. I could not do anything close to this before I bought this book. However, the progressions outlined in the book for these exercises are by far the hardest thing that I have ever done physically. It does not compare to any off-the-shelf program in terms of shear difficulty, so be prepared to fail, alot. The author does, however, teach you the necessary concepts of how to tailor your program specifically for your goals and abilities, which will enable you to progress, without injury, much faster and achieve far greater results than anything you can buy from an infomercial. Although, it does require a bit more work on the user's end in terms of programming and assessment. Short of finding an actual coach, this book delivers in way that I hitherto simply would not have believed possible. PS: I would recommend buying an ab wheel, rings, parallettes, pull-up bar, dip bar, and a 20 ft rope. These are the tools I am using in my progressions, in addition to barbells for certain exercises, i.e. push press to develop strength for the handstand. I wouldn't say that all this equipment is absolutely necessary, but it is a tremendous asset. If you're on a budget, I'd say just buy, or make, some rings. Rings are mandatory IMO.UPDATE: After 9 months of gymnastics training, I have lost about 60 lbs total, going from 237 lbs down to 177 lbs, and going from 24% body fat down to 11%. I am currently working on the inverted muscle up aka "elevator" as well as the iron cross, and I am very close to achieving both. Aside from hurting my leg due to falling off my p-bars, I have not sustained any injuries and all of the programming and progression advice in the book has paid off tremendously. Of course I have been training between 1-5 hours per day, 6-7 days per week, and using a very strict diet/sleep schedule, so my results may not be typical for most. My life has been completely changed and I can only imagine what another 9 months of training will bring.

This juggernaut of a book (just look at the number of pages) is the best bodyweight book I've come across. I waited for it to come out after hearing there was going to be a second edition. I wasn't disappointed. The author seriously put a lot of energy in this book. It is accessible (with some concentration), technical, and thorough.I got this book because I wanted to understand bodyweight exercises at a deeper level and be able to integrate them into my workout routine. This book gave me the tools to do that. If you are obsessively methodical like I am, this is a good book.Personally, I also like to integrate freeweights for some workout components (particularly legs). If this is you too, then I would seriously recommend two books in addition to this one: Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, 3rd edition Practical Programming for Strength Training

Overcoming Gravity is the body weight equivalent of Mark Rippetoe's "Starting Strength" on barbell training, and Thomas Kurz''s "Stretching Scientifically" on flexibility training. It teaches you everything you need to know in a systematic manner.Steven Low has a very neutral and simple writing style, and he is very careful to make it clear when he is stating his own opinions and preferences. While not the most "exciting" writing style, it is easy to read and understand, which is important when we are dealing with these complex topics.The first 300 or so pages are theory on how strength training works in general, things to consider when doing body weight and ring training, how to structure a program based on your current skill set, and so on.The book aims at the beginner, but has plenty of juicy material for the advanced athlete.The last 300 pages are instructions and progressions for a wealth of different exercises. The best thing about this part of the book is the overview it gives you. You'll always know how to find easier/harder exercises for your current needs. The "worst" thing is because it covers so many exercises, it doesn't go into much detail. I currently struggle with the Muscle Up transition, and the book provides very little detail on what to do here in specific. BUT! There is a whole new chapter in this second edition teaching you "Methods of progression", which has made it much easier for me to think up my own assistance exercises.All in all, this book is much recommended. If you are into exercise, don't skip this one. It is one of THE base books to have. With that said, it won't be "the final book". I can warmly recommend doing further research on specific exercises and goals you are currently trying to master.Not a perfect book, but easily a 5 out of 5.

Most of this thick tome is really about designing workout routines and progressions, which I am sure would be of great value to a personal trainer. There is sadly not that much detail about the different exercises themselves however.The exercise diagrams are nicely done and they stand out more clearly than some of the more typical black and white photos some books use, but more of them would be helpful and much more explanation as to setting up and conducting the exercises would be helpful. The reader ends up having to resort to the net to actually figure most of the details out, which is disappointing for such a thick book. For example the "L-sit progression" even level one can be hard to obtain for a beginner with not much core strength, so a more thorough.. getting started, ways to practice etc. would be much appreciated!Many sections of the book have clearly been carelessly copied and pasted for example:"Begin with your arm straight andextend it straight out horizontally with your palm down. (If you do both arms simultaneously, your body willform a “T”.)"And in the next section:"Begin with your arm straight and extend itstraight out, horizontally, with your palm down. If you do both arm simultaneously, your body will form a“ Y”"The author makes many references in the text to websites, which are already out of date and of no use.Perhaps the most heinous unforgivable thing about the book however is the lack of a rear index, this is actually quite hard to comprehend! A bad index for cross referencing is one thing, but completely lacking?! This is further compounded by the frequent references to exercises that are not included at all, or are hidden away in later chapters, for example the "rice bucket exercises" becomes quite infamous ...now where oh where was that explained.

Good book, boyfriend loves it. Me not so much, not because of the book, but because he is using me as a training test!Side note, if you don’t love the book, the sheer size of it would make it a great weapon for any over eager eyes in the gym ladies!

The best calisthenic book there is by far, very detailed, and you would never need another due to the size and detail. Every exercise is touched upon with great progressions. My only moan is the flimsy paper cover which is the same as a piece of paper. This means that it will very easily become dog-eared and will rip with only minimal use. I have however decided to back this with a hard adhesive cover and will not use before this arrives.cover ,to protect. 5 stars anyway as it is the most comprehensive calisthenics book there is.

Very technical read but worth the money. All progressions clearly laid out. Be prepared to be humbled by how weak you are compared to how strong you think you are - this stuff is hard, so be prepared for the long haul ...