The One-Hand Balance

The One-Hand Balance

"The experience gained in learning a one-hand balance can play a very important part in your gymnastics program, both in practice and in competition. For the feeling and coordination necessary to balance on one hand will increase your gymnastic ability on all other apparatus. In competition, a one-hand balance can be used to advantage in your free calisthenics or parallel bar routine. In free calisthenics, a one-hand balance on the floor is rated high in difficulty and will bring you points if you hold it for at least three counts, holding your other hand to your side and using good form."

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The Daily Calisthenic Workout

Daily Calisthenics

Regardless of how you train, it makes sense to perform a daily calisthenic workout. The workout should not be strenuous but should serve only as a form of activity to increase blood flow to the muscles and joints. This, in turn, will flush away waste products and enhance recovery from previous workouts.

Five to ten minutes of exercises like arm swings, toe touches, bodyweight squats and breathing exercises will do nicely.

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Combat Conditioning by Matt Furey

Combat Conditioning by Matt Furey
Sure, a lot of people "coulda" done it, but Matt Furey is the one who actually did it -- he wrote Combat Conditioning,THE book on bodyweight calisthenics, and brought this intensely productive and useful form of training back to the public eye after it had all but become extinct.

The strength of this program is its simplicity -- 50 simple, yet effective bodyweight exercises incorporating elements of Ancient Indian Physical Culture, Wrestling, Gymnastics, Old Gym Class Favorites and more than a few "Special" exercises passed down from "The God of Wrestling", Karl Gotch.

If you think bodyweight training is "too easy to be effective," all I have to say is try it... And please keep in mind that almost all of the oldtime strength writers, including Alan Calvert, George Jowett, Earle E. Liederman and Joe Bonomo included bodyweight training in their respective training programs.

On the left you'll see the first edition of Combat Conditioning published in 2000, and on the right, the revised and expanded edition, published in 2004.

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The Farmer Burns School of Wrestling and Physical Culture

The Farmer Burns School of Wrestling and Physical Culture

It had to be quite an experience to train at the Farmer Burns School of Wrestling and Physical Culture. Farmer Burns believed that every athlete should train like a wrestler - and I agree. The bulk of the training was, I'm sure wrestling -- holds, take-downs, blocks, breaks and plenty of sparring. Of course, the "Old Farmer" knew that wrestling was only "part" of what made a good wrestler -- physical training was important too.

He had his students throw the medicine ball around, hit the speed bag, jump rope, use light dumbbells, develop their chests with breathing exercises, use traveling rings, swing indian clubs, climb ropes, and do enough calisthenics in order to make them stronger, tougher and more conditioned than any man willing to step in the ring with them.

The advertisement above is from 1920.

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Frank Gotch

Frank Gotch
He defeated George Hackenschmidt twice, and the likes of Tom Jenkins, Benjamin Roller and Stanislaus Zbyszko on his way to holding the Heavyweight Championship longer than any man before or since.

It was his technique that made him a Champion (Gotch's feared step-over-toe-hold was nearly impossible to defend) but it was his training that made him a Legend.

There have been few wrestlers since then who trained more seriously than Gotch... and he trained just like a wrestler should.

Calisthenics, road work and sparing gave Gotch a killer's heart and an advantage in every single match.

The "Old Farmer" Farmer Burns understood the game of wrestling better than anyone and trained his student to be the best.

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