@MjFrancis
Hows your routine if you don't mind me asking? I know you do some bw stuff but do you also lift weights? I've seen you post stuff regarding 5/3/1 so I guess it's that?
Just curious since I've been long time interested to add some calithenics to my routine add some point. Probably when I'm lower on bf%.
Having a lower bodyfat percentage will help to perform the more difficult bodyweight calisthenics but there are appropriately leveraged movements for everyone. It's never too early to start, but everyone's progression will follow in it's own time. It will obviously be easier if you start out without excess baggage.
As for my current routine I'm about through the first wave of a modified fullbody 5/3/1 routine (NOT Wendler-approved). As it is I've substituted a few movements with replacements geared towards my own goals - i.e. weighted pull-ups for Kroc rows & dips for db bench - stuff like that.
The key is to insert them intelligently and with purpose. I'm still working on this one but I am getting better. As a result of this question I've taken it upon myself to pen a long-winded reflection on what I've been doing since the bodyweight OP was written.
---
I've stated it before, but
brevity is not my strong point:
Squats: Mobility, active flexibility, strength endurance and raw strength are all qualities cultivated by a good regimen of pistol squats. That being said, raw strength reaches a peak very early on. Anyone who reps 225lbs in the barbell squat should have the strength to pistol squat, and adding weight to the pistol is more difficult than not. I prefer to add weight to other exercises rather than rely on pistols as a leg strengthener. If you can pistol and want to use it as a primary leg movement work your way up to 1x20 on each leg. Eventually you can do it for time, but be patient as you work your way up. Form is paramount.
I only use bodyweight squats as a stepping stone towards pistols or as a warm-up for any other leg movement. Strength endurance for the legs is better left for other conditioning regimens - I've been doing stadium step sprints, but hiking, jogging, running, or damn near anything else is better than squatting for minutes on end. Worries about high repetitions and possible injury aside, it's fucking
boring.
Chin-ups: Weighted or otherwise, one of the best all-around upper body movements. The back, arms and abs are all hit and it's a great indicator of someone's strength-to-weight ratio. Easy to add weight for raw strength or for reps for endurance. Everyone should be doing these. I recommend using neutral-grip (hands facing one another on parallel bars) or rings for most of your reps if you do at least 100 reps a week. I don't recommend training for strength and endurance simultaneously, as chins are demanding enough that I recommend deloading reps/weight every 4-6 weeks and working your way back up. A dip belt is a must for adding weight systematically.
Push-ups: I just flat out don't do push-ups. I don't need to take any sort of endurance test and I get bored when a set takes longer than a minute. When I take on one-arm push-up training I'll do one-arm incline sets for low reps as I build the skill-specific motor patterns. If I couldn't do dips push-ups would make a fine replacement, though. Nothing wrong with building endurance, and the strength required to work your way towards a one-arm pushup is not to be underestimated.
Dips: Can be loaded with weight or for reps as a strength builder for the shoulders, triceps and chest. Provides great bang for your training economy buck, especially if you are relying on a bar for your upper body training. Lots of bodyweight variations to make it more difficult in addition to being easily loaded with weight on a dip belt to increase the intensity. If your shoulders can't take these for whatever reason I'd fall back on push-ups.
Hanging leg raises: Bar none the most awesome abdominal exercise with the possible exception of the Dragon Flag. There is a variation for every skill level. Every one. Just increase the ROM or the leverage as you improve! Knees to your chest, 90 degrees parallel, feet above head, even side to side - the leg raise has it all. It's never left my programs even as I've manipulated the leverage, time under tension, sets and reps.
Programming is more clear to me now than it once was. I'd recommend a high frequency low rep routine 5-6 days a week (i.e. Pavel's GTG) above all else to gain strength with bodyweight calisthenics. Recovery is still important, but you're never going to failure in your quest for strength with GTG.
After cultivating a decent base of strength I've used the following routine on vacations or extended trips away from a gym. The only equipment required was a bar:
Pistol squats: 5 x 5 (each leg)
Pull-ups: 5 x 8-12
Dips: 5 x 10-20
Hanging leg raises: 5x10 or 10x5
I suspect this would work alright as a 3x/week program since this covers most of your bases for training (squat/pull/push/core). You could include a few accessory movements or substitute push-ups for dips, too. Every movement can be made easier: squats for pistols, Australian pull-ups for pull-ups, push-ups on knees for dips, and planks or leg raises on the ground for hanging leg raises. Conversely, there are more difficult variations to move on to once these have been mastered. Muscle-up training, lever practice or twenty rep squat attempts come to mind; alternatively one of these could be placed at the beginning of a workout after you've warmed up.
By and large, though, the high frequency low rep approach with varying leverage is my top recommendation for bodyweight calisthenics.
Cultivate strength and worry about the rest later (not much different than barbell training). Conditioning and mobility work should be accommodated, too. Conditioning is best at 3x or 4x/week and if I can get away with it I do mobility work
daily. This doesn't mean doing 90 minutes of hot yoga every fucking day but do something to improve your active flexibility on a daily basis - I prefer the Trifecta as described in Convict Conditioning 2 though I do yoga throughout the week, too.
---
If you've bothered to read any of this and learned anything, my time spent writing it has been vindicated. Thank you.