Al Kavadlo - Latest Comments

Re: My Book

Heinrich Schmid — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:24:24 -0000

Just ordered your book, can't wait for it! =)

Greetings From Germany

Re: Wrist Push-ups

littlesigh — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 10:12:17 -0000

Essentially yes, I was in much younger then 26 in 82 when it all started and I was pretty good at continuing to practice MA but that fell off after about 8 years. I have still done and can still do the back of wrist style in all directions pain, other than the obvious discomfort...lol. I have not tried the rapid flipping we use to do but might on a padded surface. It is not as easy as it use to be!

So yeah..no issues from doing the back of wrist PU. I feel it toughened up the backs of my wrist and made them stronger. You can also see how this could help the back of wrist strike...which is something I still use in practice on the bag.

Thanks for all you good work Al! Which I would have had this site back then! At 55 I can still do hand stands ! Oh speaking of that we would do hand stands and switch to fist stands and then back to hands...I could only manage 2-3 before I fell but my Master could do it all day...he was amazing...still is!

Cheers

Re: Wrist Push-ups

Al Kavadlo — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 07:28:28 -0000

Thanks for sharing that story, Dave! So just to be clear, you've been doing wrist push-ups since the 80's without any issues or injuries, right?

Re: Wrist Push-ups

littlesigh — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:45:01 -0000

Ah the old wrist push ups! I was first introduced to these in the 80's when I first went into Kuk Sool Won (Korean MA). Master Lim would do these rapidly flipping between regular and back wrist...that piqued my interest! We did them finger pointing in, back and forward! Wide and narrow... When I was younger and in more practice I would challenge all comers to PU contest..but only if done "my way" ...snickering.... And when I pulled out this technique most would say yeah right!...
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!, I still do a few now and then for practice!
Dave

Re: Sifting Through the Madness

Al Kavadlo — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:49:10 -0000

Thanks for the comment, Aatif. I'm glad this post got you thinking and I like your " listen, analyze and respond" philosophy. It's amazing how many people will skip the "listen and analyze" part and go straight to the "respond" part. Also, glad you saw the AA magazine!

Re: Sifting Through the Madness

Aatif Naziri — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:31:50 -0000

Good stuff Al. Like most stuff, thinking and reasoning also needs practice. Most people struggle with the idea of "question everything" and some take it so far that they go off in the world of doubt, paranoia and conspiracies. I guess our minds are trained to look for that silver bullet solution to everything (like the vampire movies, nothing kills the vampire but that magical silver bullet, sorry I digress) hence the confusion and chaos over diet, exercise, supplements etc etc. We are looking for that magic pill, that magic exercise or that magic diet that will give us the body we all want. Of course there are those among us who are able to organize and institutionalize this chaos and come up with that coveted magic diet, magic workout and that magic pill and in the process fatten there wallets. But there are also among us, who dare to say that hey! every thing that you need in terms of diet and exercise doesn't have to be complicated and convoluted....how dare you, Al.

Don't want this post to get too long, but I wanted to share a couple of thoughts and ideas that have assisted my evolution into becoming a better thinker or I should say a better human being (work in progress), because that, I think is the ultimate goal. If you practice and implement this simple formula in your daily life it will pretty soon become part of you and it will eventually become as easy as breathing. The simple formula is "Listen, Analyze and the Respond". Its very simple but we all struggle with it and we have all heard how important listening is, so the next question is how do you become a better listener? My experience tells me that it all starts with caring, you have to care so much about what is being said that you have to immerse yourself into every word, every sentence, and listen to what you hear not only from your perspective but from the other person's perspective, once you care enough to listen to what is being said, only then you can completely understand and comprehend what is being said. And once you do that, only then you can conclude upon a response that is based on logic, reasoning and intuition.

Hey Al, by the way I was on a American Airlines flight the other day and I flipped through their magazine and I saw a picture of a tattooed bald guy doing leg raises on a bar, I was like wait a minute, I've seen this guy somewhere before!

Re: Advanced Pistol Squatting

Al Kavadlo — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:11:07 -0000

Hey Brian - improving your flexibility takes lots of practice and patience. I might do a post specifically on hamstring flexibility at some point, but in the meantime, check out my other posts on flexibility, like this one: http://www.alkavadlo.com/2010/...

Re: Advanced Pistol Squatting

Brian John — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:35:09 -0000

hey Al, I was wondering if you have any advice on hamstring flexibility, because it is really bothering me that I can't get that leg fully extended in the bottom position!

Re: All About the Human Flag (Part One)

Al Kavadlo — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:35:53 -0000

Give it a shot, ya bum! :)

Re: Pull-up Battle

Al Kavadlo — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:33:04 -0000

Thanks!

Re: All About the Human Flag (Part One)

bum — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:28:39 -0000

Thanks for the flag tip. I'll try that method of starting with a vertical. Always found it too hard to hold for over one second! : /

Re: Pull-up Battle

bum — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:23:15 -0000

badass guys! inspiring.

Re: Diet and Exercise (Part Two)

Al Kavadlo — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:08:57 -0000

There are pros and cons to oats. Overall I'd say there are a lot of better food choices, but there are certainly a lot of worse choices as well. Here's a great article on the subject: http://www.marksdailyapple.com...

Re: Assessing Your Fitness (Part One: Strength)

Al Kavadlo — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:00:12 -0000

Practice! FYI, handstand push-ups are great for building overhead pressing strength: http://www.alkavadlo.com/2011/...

Re: Diet and Exercise (Part Two)

AustinYAYOG — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:13:45 -0000

What is your opinion of steel cut oats? They have really improved by cholesterol (total and HDL/LDL ratio) and triglycerides.

Re: Pistol Squats

Al Kavadlo — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:31:08 -0000

Thanks, Roger!

Re: Pistol Squats

1roger1 — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:20:42 -0000

Al, I stumbled upon your sight a month ago and really appreciate all you have to offer. It's not ubber whelming with a lot of flash and music. I find the tutorials most helpful and enjoy your upbeat approach vs the muscle head-ed ones.
Kuddos,
Roger Mursick (USMC-ret) and professional Standup. www.rogermursick.com

Re: Assessing Your Fitness (Part One: Strength)

Anirban — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:24:56 -0000

I am up there with all the tests except for the clean and press numbers and I can actually do squats with more than 90% bodyweight in the hips to heel style. What should I do for the press?

Re: Assessing Your Fitness (Part One: Strength)

Anirban — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:21:41 -0000

U r probably lying as the imbalance is too clear!

Re: All About Triceps Dips

Al Kavadlo — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:29:08 -0000

Go as low as you can on those dips! As long as you stay consistent, the 20 pull-ups program will work for most people.

Re: All About Triceps Dips

reincarnate100 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:51:25 -0000

Hey Al, how far should I be going down on Straight Bar Dips (I'm training to do my first real Muscle-up!). I'm trying to go to my mid-chest! Is this good? Also the bar I am using can turn slightly while going down, making it a bit harder, what is your opinion on that? P.S. I'm planning to use the workouts on twentypullups.com but do Straight Bar Dips with instead, do you think this is a good idea? Thanks!

Re: All Kinds of Pull-ups

Al Kavadlo — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:27:35 -0000

Thanks, Ali! It takes lots of practice and dedication to progress to plyo push-ups. I've got a couple of push-up articles and videos here on this blog that discuss plyos. if you do a search you'll find them.

Re: All Kinds of Pull-ups

Ali — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:34:08 -0000

love your work. I have one question though. How does one progress to a plyo push up.

Re: Convict Conditioning 2

Al Kavadlo — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:56:02 -0000

Thanks! While reading the book isn't going to magically fix your calves, I definitely think you should pick up a copy. There's a lot of good info in there you could benefit from, both calf and otherwise.

Re: Convict Conditioning 2

JDBoelter — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:13:13 -0000

Hi Al,

I'm primarily interested in CC2 for the information on calf training - I've always had skinny calves and as I've gotten past 40+ I seem to have picked up some knots and trigger points that keep me from running and jumping rope. Without giving the game away, can you give me an idea of how are the calf progressions are structured and if you think they could help?

Love the site - you and your brother are the best possible proof of how good BW can be as a fitness and conditioning method!