$ ./lab --radar
Like a tech radar, but for training: the videos, research, methods and tools that shape how I train, and where each sits right now.
Part of how I train now.
Evidence-informed skill tutorials from a physiotherapist. My first stop for lever and planche progressions.
Clear cues, sensible volume and no hype. The front lever and planche videos are the ones I’ve rewatched most.
youtube.comFront LeverPlancheHandstandBack Lever
Frequent, sub-maximal practice spread through the day, never to failure. How I got muscle-ups consistent.
One or two crisp muscle-up singles a day did more than grinding sets. It suits skills that are mostly nervous-system work.
artofmanliness.comMuscle-upRing Pull-ups and One-Arm Chin-upHandstand
Gymnasts balance mainly with wrist torque, correcting with a delay of roughly 160–240 ms.
The paper behind my ‘balance is a control loop’ note. Small, early corrections beat big late ones.
repository.lboro.ac.ukHandstand
Steven Low's book is the backbone of my tracking: every family on this site is a column of its progression chart.
Dense, systematic and honest about how long elite skills take. The programming chapters are as useful as the chart; read them before inventing your own routine.
openlibrary.orgHandstandPlancheFront LeverBack Lever
Endurance athletes do roughly 80% of sessions easy and a small slice hard.
The reason my running is mostly zone 2 with one interval session: easy enough not to steal from skill work.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
The best beginner programme I know, and the best model of a golden path: defaults, progressions and clear advice on when to leave.
I ran it for my first year and still use its warm-up. It’s where most of my novice-band ticks on the chart came from.
Plain-English reviews of training research: volume, frequency, periodisation.
Where I check whether a programming idea has any evidence behind it before I spend a mesocycle on it.
strongerbyscience.comWeighted Pull-upsWeighted DipsOverhead Press (relative load)
Tendons adapt to loading over months, and load magnitude matters more than contraction type.
The reason I take deloads seriously: muscle gets ahead of the tissue that holds it together.
sportsmedicine-open.springeropen.com
Trying it in a block; worth your time.
A database of calisthenics and street-workout competitions and athletes.
The closest thing to a calendar for street workout, where events are announced late and mostly on Instagram.
calibase.org
The CrossFit news newsletter: season dates, semifinal results, Games coverage.
How I keep the competitions page up to date without following every athlete.
morningchalkup.barbend.com
Lab work suggests connective tissue responds to a few minutes of loading followed by hours of rest.
The evidence is mostly engineered tissue, not big human trials, but it matches my experience of short, frequent handstand practice. Trialling twice-daily 10-minute sessions.
humanperformancealliance.orgHandstandMuscle-upRing Pull-ups and One-Arm Chin-up
A three-part progression from headstand base to freestanding presses, with a strong warning not to rush the feet-elevated stage.
Close to how I’m approaching freestanding headstand push-ups now: own the bottom position before chasing the full range.
strongfirst.comHandstand Push-up
Interesting; reading or watching before I commit.
Long-running calisthenics channel with clear progression videos for the classic skills.
Solid technique breakdowns; I dip in for specific skills rather than following programmes.
youtube.comMuscle-upFront Lever
How the freestanding HSPU shows up in competition, and what separates athletes who can do them under fatigue.
Good for standards and common faults; less useful for building the strength from scratch.
games.crossfit.comHandstand Push-up
Hampton's channel: friendly, beginner-first calisthenics with a focus on long-term consistency.
Not where I go for advanced skills, but the best thing to send a friend who’s just starting.
HYROX calendars, World Championship coverage and race analysis.
Useful for race dates; I double-check anything important on hyrox.com.
hybridfitnessmedia.com
Most handstand load goes through the heel of the hand, and nearly everyone leans towards their dominant side.
Fifteen gymnasts, one hold: small, but it changed how I think about wrist prep and hand placement.
iro.uiowa.eduHandstandHandstand Push-up
Confirms the wrist strategy is used most of the time, with hips and shoulders taking over for bigger disturbances.
Open access and readable. Useful for thinking about why entries that start off-balance need a different fix.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.govHandstand
A physio's progression for handstand push-ups that leans on slow eccentrics before full reps.
Pairs well with my parallettes wall work. The 3–5 second negatives are the bit I’m stealing.
thebarbellphysio.comHandstand Push-upOverhead Press (relative load)
Things I tried and stopped, or would steer people away from.
A free app that runs the Recommended Routine with progressions built in.
Fine for beginners. I’ve moved to my own spreadsheet plus my training app, because no app tracked skill ladders the way I wanted.
Spamming banded muscle-ups to 'learn' the transition.
It gave me sore forearms, not muscle-ups. Strict strength, slow negatives and a few crisp reps worked far better.
Treating every skill session as a test.
My old pattern: plateau, frustration, overtraining. Now maxes happen at the end of a deload, and everything else is practice.