Advanced3 days/weekNo equipment

Advanced Bodyweight Strength (3 Days)

Pistol squats, handstand push-ups and Nordic curls for serious bodyweight strength.

Days per week: 3
Session length: ~50 min
Equipment: No equipment
Experience: Advanced
Goal: Get stronger, Build muscle
Run it for: 8–12 weeks

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Overview

For experienced athletes who want to keep getting stronger without a gym. Every exercise is a hard, low-rep skill: pistol squats, handstand push-ups against a wall, archer and pseudo planche push-ups, Nordic curls and dragon flags.

Three full-body sessions rotate between heavy strength skills and higher-rep muscle work, with plenty of rest so every rep is high quality.

Who it's for

Experienced bodyweight athletes (30+ push-ups, deep single-leg squats to a box)
Lifters stuck without a gym who want to keep their strength
Calisthenics fans working toward skills like the pistol and the handstand push-up

Not ideal if…

Beginners and intermediates. Run the 4-Day Calisthenics Upper/Lower first.
Anyone with wrist or shoulder problems. Handstand and planche work load those joints heavily.

Weekly schedule

Day A Monday, Day B Wednesday, Day C Friday.

MonStrength A
TueRest
WedStrength B
ThuRest
FriStrength C
SatRest
SunRest

The workouts

Strength A

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Pistol squat	4	5 per leg
Archer push-up	4	6 per side
Inverted row (under a sturdy table)	4	10
Nordic curl (feet under a couch)	3	5
Handstand push-up (against a wall)	3	5
Dragon flag	3	5

Strength B

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bulgarian split squat (back foot on a chair)	3	15 per leg
Pseudo planche push-up	4	8
Inverted row (under a sturdy table)	4	12
Sissy squat	3	12
Handstand push-up (against a wall)	3	6
Tuck L-sit	3	15 sec

Strength C

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Pistol squat	3	6 per leg
Plyometric push-ups	3	8
Inverted row (under a sturdy table)	3	10
Nordic curl (feet under a couch)	3	5
Diamond push-ups	3	12
V-up	3	12

How to run it

Warm up: 5 minutes of easy movement (marching, arm circles, bodyweight squats), then one easier set of the first exercise.
Choosing a weight: Pick the version of each exercise you can do for the target reps with good form and about 2–3 reps left in the tank. Use easier versions (incline push-ups, shallower lunges) until you can.
Rest between sets: 2–3 minutes on pistols, handstand push-ups, archer push-ups and Nordic curls; 60–90 seconds on the rest.
Progression: Add a rep per set each week until you hit the top of the range, then make it harder: hold a backpack for pistols, lower slower on Nordic curls, lean further forward on pseudo planche push-ups, or deepen the range on handstand push-ups. In Progress, Progressive Reps is already on for every rep-based exercise: each time you hit the target on every set, the next session's target goes up by one rep. You can change the increment or turn it off on any exercise.
How long to run it: Follow it for 8–12 weeks, as long as you keep making progress. If most of your lifts stall for two weeks in a row, take an easier week at about 60% of your usual weights, then keep going.
Track every session: Write down the weight and reps for every set. You need last session's numbers to know what to do today, and seeing them climb is the best motivation there is.

Tips

Warm up your wrists and shoulders for 5 minutes before handstand and planche work.
Quality beats quantity. Stop a set when your form breaks, even if you're short of the target.
Not there yet on pistols? Squat down to a chair on one leg and lower the box over time.

Questions

Can I get as strong with bodyweight as with weights?

For upper-body pushing and core strength, advanced bodyweight skills are extremely demanding. Legs are harder to load with bodyweight alone, so pistols and Nordic curls are key here.

I can't do a handstand push-up yet. What should I do?

Do slow negatives against the wall: kick up into a handstand and lower yourself as slowly as you can, then reset. Decline push-ups with your feet as high as possible also build the strength.

Why are there table rows on every day?

Without a bar, rows are the best way to train your back. If you have a pull-up bar, swap in pull-ups.

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