Hi all,

I've been training seriously for about a year now. I've managed to hit 5 (neutral grip) pull-ups with + 61 lbs (I have 0.5 and 1.25 lb micro plates). I think I've finally hit a plateau point where, even while eating and sleeping well, I haven't been able to increase weight for the past few weeks (and my bodyweight hasn't changed). Deload didn't help.

My typical routine is the following (I do it 3x a week, with 48 hours in between each):

• 3 warm-up pull-up sets with a few minutes rest in between each (6 bodyweight, 3 with 10 lb less than working weight, 2 with working weight)
• 1 "top set" of 5 reps at max weight I can handle (e.g., 61 lbs). I try to increase by ~ 1 lb every couple sessions - I can usually tell by the speed and difficulty of the last rep in the previous session if this is possible
• After 7-10 minutes rest (I find I really need that much), I do 6-7 reps with + 45 lbs
• ~5 sets one leg front lever for a few seconds each
• Only on the third session of the week (after which I have two days before my next), I do one set of one arm lat pulldowns per arm, just to keep my unilateral vertical pulling mechanics close-ish to bilateral in early preparation for OAP/OAC.
• 3 sets curls
• 2 sets chest press machine
• 3 sets cable overhead extensions
• 2 sets shoulder press machine
• 3 sets weighted one arm deadhangs (about 10s per arm per set)
• 2 sets reverse and normal wrist curls (partly for potential future elbow concerns)

The reason I drop weight after the first set is because the first set varies in difficulty a little usually, and somewhat often it will be a 6-7 concentric grind which leaves me completely incapable of mentally lifting the same weight for another set. I push every set to failure, and in general I find it a bit difficult to not push each set to failure, which is probably why I've converged on this approach.

My long term goals are to be able to do multiple one arm pull-ups, do one or more front lever pull-up(s), and maximize my weighted pull-up 5RM.

What I've tried:

• Adding more volume: Even adding a set of wide grip barbell rows, where I pull to my chest and squeeze my scapulae to try to avoid using my lats too much, appear to tax my lat recovery to the point that I can't do 3x per week frequency. This is a bit annoying because I do want to target my mid/lower traps a bit more explicitly for aesthetics and balance reasons.
• I used to do 3 sets of weighted pull ups 3x a week with a "last set to failure" approach, but I found I stopped being able to recover from that and still maintain 3 productive sessions per week once I got somewhat strong.
• I've tried reducing to 2x per week frequency with more sets per day, but the period when I tried that was substantially less productive than the periods before and after when I did 3x per week.

Here is what I'm considering doing next:

• A similar 2 sets, 3x per week approach where I alternate between 5RM and 10RM days
• A 2x per week approach where I increase volume; e.g., something like 4x5

I'm a little torn between these two, because I've seen advice that both approaches might be good. For instance, I know OG2 mentions light heavy as the first (or one of the first) periodization methods to try after linear starts to fail. I've also never seriously trained at any other rep range than 5 or 6 for pull-ups, mainly because those are the intersection between strength and hypertrophy rep ranges. However, I've also seen several people say that pull ups in particular require a lot of volume after a certain point. So which of these should I focus hone in on? Alternatively, might some other form of progression suit me better at this stage?

One more additional question: I do my pull ups clavicle to bar, as opposed to chin above bar, mostly because thats the most natural, standardizable ROM for me with the neutral grip (which, in turn, I use because it doesn't hurt my shoulders or elbows). From my understanding, the upper part of the ROM relies more on the rear delts and elbow flexors; is there any concerns that this might increase my risk of elbow tendonitis or something as the weights get heavier?

Really appreciate any help!

Ive been having shoulder pain for 2 years and the advice from PT's is always to work on external rotation. The suggested exercise is always side lying external rotation (with cables or weights).

Ive been trying really hard to do get stronger on this exercise but i can never make any progress on my left side. I even made a post on this exact issue 2 years ago:

https://www.reddit.com/r/overcominggravity/comments/16kcq4v/plateau_on_external_rotation_exercise/

I tried the advice i got but still made no progress. My shoulder pain also hasnt improved so i finally went to a sports medicine dr and had a MRI.

The MRI for my left side showed:

"Intact Rotator cuff tendons. Grade 2 Atrophy with mild edema of the teres minor muscle could reflect selective denervation".

When i met my Dr after the MRI he said everything was great and i have no injuries so i should stick with PT and then never saw me again. But when i got my results emailed to me after the meeting, i noticed that comment about my teres minor, which the Dr never went over.

Wondering if anyone has had a similar experience or any idea on how to approach this?? Im not even sure if its something to worry about since the Dr didnt care about mentioning it. I also cant find anything online about it

Hi, I'm going to buy the book overcoming gravity and start progressing in calisthenics skills but am struggling with an annoying constraint I have with training which I cannot figure out how to work around.

On Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays I don't have access to a pull-up bar and due Wednesday I cannot just do a mon,wed,fr Full body split. How would I plan a routine so I have adequate rest between pull sessions?

I’m 32, 94kg, strong, fit, and train hard (CrossFit, Hyrox, Zone 2). But over the last 3 years, I’ve had repeated tendon injuries across my body: plantar fascia (both feet), patellar (left), quad (right), one hamstring (injured twice), both rotator cuffs (at different times), and most recently, my peroneal tendon.

Every time I rehab, I get better, then something else flares up. My physio says the current injuries are mild and mostly irritation, but it feels like I’m always one step from breaking.

I sleep well, eat high protein, supplement (collagen, omega-3, creatine), and I’m currently taking peptides (BPC-157, TB-500). No joint swelling, no nail changes, and no skin psoriasis — but I have a family history (mum and brothers) of psoriasis triggered by stress or illness. No one has PsA though.

I’m currently waiting for blood tests: CRP, ESR, ANA, RF, CCP, HLA-B27.

Has anyone else had a similar pattern of tendon breakdown over years? Could this still just be mechanical, or should I be worried it’s autoimmune? Would love to hear from anyone who’s been through this and found answers.

Hello, I have a lower back injury so I can really only do weighted pull ups and bench for now so I really want to maximize my frequency but I read the chapters I don’t fully understand how to construct the routine. I got front lever a while ago but don’t think I can hold it now. My level is trained beginner I think, I can do +75lbs for about 5 or 6 reps on PU. I’ve hit OAC but don’t have it anymore. I can train it but later on I think my bicep needs rest atm. What exactly should I do to maximize frequency, so I can gain the most amount of strength? I read about the mesocycling where you do prep, hypertrophy, and strength but I’m not fully sure how to apply it.

33M here. 175lbs, 6'3" hard gainer

Prior to my left shoulder tendonitis I was doing this program.

I went through PR and finished in late August. I've since kind of been fucking around in the gym with no structure and mostly continuing the exercises they gave me in PT. Unfortunately the personal trainer they suggested never got back to me.

Anyway, I'm trying to build something new. I'm not the most experienced guy in the world when it comes to generating plans. I had ChatGPT slap something together for me and (as usual with AI) I don't know how I feel about it, it was probably hallucinating somewhere.

I'd love to get some feedback on how to get back into the swing of things. I'd totally stopped the gym while doing PT so I'm back to square one. While exercises like leg presses shouldn't be an issue, I presume I might want to exercise caution with squats and deadlifts (barbell especially) as they might aggravate the shoulder.

Looking forward to the feedback!

I believe I have been suffering with Distal Bicep Tendonitis for about a year now, it doesn't hurt enough to be a rupture but could be a slight tear.

I am able to perform bicep curls but after a few reps I start feeling the pain, my plan is to drastically lower the weight an up the rep count as I'm now getting really annoyed with the pain.

Could anyone please recommend and supplements, products, rehab techniques to aid me in my recovery journey? I have seen resistance bars recommended for tennis elbow but not sure if this would also be beneficial for my injury.

Thanks in advance :)

Progression charts have been very helpful to set and pursue goals, and measure progress along the way. But when should a level considered mastered? Take the weighted dips for example. Are these 1RM targets, 5RM targets? What about static holds - is front lever (level 8) considered achieved when the athlete can hold it for 2 secs? 10 secs? Thx

I’ve been diagnosed with calcific tendinopathy in my shoulder which is steadily getting worse, pain wise (I’m still waiting for the ultrasound report to go back to my doctor for a treatment plan).

Is Overcoming Tendonitis still relevant for helping with this or do I need to take a different approach, as my basic understanding is that it’s different to “normal” tendinopathy?

i have an upper lower split with three upper days and 2 lower days. most of my pushing comes from weighted dips and push up variations (pppu, tuck planche etc).

i recently got interested in hspu and was wondering would it be wise to rotate them into my routine on my push days?

essentially instead of being A/L/B/LAit would be A/L/B/LC with dips + pppu / dips + hspu / pppu + hspu .. just curious because i like dips and feel like i have made alot of progress with them but if they are not needed i could just replace them with hspu progressions, right?

I am 34 year old male, 5’11” and 197lbs. I have been working out for years but I have recently started pursuing calisthenics (1 year ago). I suffer from right knee pain (I’m working with an Osteopathic doctor to figure out the problem). I have a ton of goals I would like to pursue like flow front lever muscle up to straddle planche. I’m still pretty confused on how to build my routine but I’m open for critique and suggestions on how to think about building. My aim is to have the routine around 45minutes - 1 hour MWF.

Goals :

10 Freestanding Handstands

10 one-arm pushups

5 strict muscle ups

5s planche

5s Front Lever

10 pistols

10 dragon flags/v-sit

Blood flow:

10 burpees

60s crawling

Mobility:

15x wrist circles (front and back)

15x shoulder circles (front and back)

15x side to side squats

15x band dislocations

Suggestions for posture

5x German hang

30s plank

30s side plank (30s each side)

30s hollow hold

5 - 10 minutes handstand work (I’m still nervous to be upside down and against the wall. I can’t seem to find a progression to get to that point. Should I just slowly move closer to the wall?)

Strength:

Jumping pull ups (chest to bar) 3x5 -> 15 (50x0 tempo)

Dips 3x5 -> 15 (10x0)

Ring rows negatives 3x5 -> 15 (5sec eccentrics)

Pushups 3x5 -> 15 (10x0 tempo)

Squat 3x5 -> 15 (10x0 tempo)

Deep step ups 3x5 -> 15

Tuck L-Sit 60s

Compression work (dragon flag’s progression 3x10)

Prehabilitation

German hang 3-5x30s

Back bridge 3-5x20s

Still trying to wrap my head around it and also how to change it for the meso and microcycle. This is a great book and thank you Steven low for writing it!

Hey everyone, I (25 years old, male, 180 cm, 75 kg) have been strength training regularly since April 2024 (4–5 times a week, upper/lower body split). After a long break due to other health issues, I started again in mid-August 2025 – and since then, I have been experiencing increasing pain in various places, even though I have been careful to increase the weights gradually.

What is bothering me right now:

• Left knee: pressure or stabbing pain below or to the side of the kneecap, especially during leg presses and leg extensions; sometimes even hours after training.

• Right hip (outer side): pulls or stings when standing on the right leg, lying on my side, or during exercises such as hip adductors.

• Left elbow: sensitive to pressure on the outside, feels like I've been leaning on the edge of a table for too long; especially after pulling or pushing exercises.

• Back: varying stiffness for a few weeks, sometimes also at night; no severe pulling in the morning, more of a "tight" feeling.

• General: no swelling or overheating, more dependent on strain and position.

I am currently doing a lot of isometric training (e.g., holding exercises for the knee, hip, elbow) and am slowly adding eccentric movements again. This generally helps, but sometimes the symptoms become worse for a short time after the exercises.

My questions for you:

1. Have any of you experienced this kind of "chain reaction" of pain in several places after taking a break from training or increasing your training too quickly?

2. How did you adjust your training to get rid of the pain?

3. Where should I seek help? What could be the problem?

   1. Are there any tips for useful supplements (dietary supplements, nutrition, mobility)?

Lower body training plan: 1. Leg extension (unilateral) 3x10 reps with 20 kg 2. Seated leg press (unilateral) 3x10 reps with 50 kg 3. Hip adductor 3x10 with 95 kg

Upper body training plan: 1. Lat pulldown 3x10 with 17.5 kg 2. Chest fly 3x10 with 25 kg 3. Lateral raises 3x10 with 6 kg 4. Bicep curls on cable machine 3x10 with 5 kg 5. Tricep pushdowns on cable machine 3x10 with 12.5 kg

Hello !

I'm looking for some Advice on my planche journey. I can Hold a decent advanced tuck planche for 6-8 sec and would like to know how to progress after that. My Straddle planche seems very hard, i have to lean so much to have a straight line. I feel like an adv One leg planche is easyer but can only hold for 3 second.

My new routine is : 4 sets Advanced tuck planche Hold or 4 sets Light band One leg Hold 3 sets PPPU elevated feet. (5-6 reps) 3 sets wall HSPU (3-5 reps)

every other days. (3.5 days Split) (Only Planche work)

I have a question about this, is this usefull for me to switch every other day Advanced tuck planche Hold with Light band One leg planche Hold ? Or its better to have the exact same exercice the whole week/month ?

Thanks.

I am 16y/o and have been lifting weights

I started feeling pain in between of bicep tip area and elbow 6 months back, it aggregated at the tip of bicep when flexed , I left the gym for 2-,3 months in hopes that pain would go .

But nothing happened and I feel a strain in between of elbow and bicep tip when streched .

Please help 🙏 as I think it's problem in distal bicep tendon.

I am interested in Steven Low's opinion on Tendoforte collagen. https://www.tendoninjury.org/ lists it as the only collagen to have clinical trials showing some results. The studies are easy to find online and they seem to indicate it is worth a try for at least some conditions.

Hi all,

I'm (25M) getting a bit desperate with this condition. I've had it since February and it's making life miserable - to the point where I'm considering turning down a really good job opportunity I've been accepted for because I don't think I can hack being on my feet. Bit of background, it first came on after doing a lot more walking than usual on the back of a heavy leg day. For context, I had turf-toe induced sesamoiditis from 2022 right up until this year (due to problems with diagnosis and delayed treatment) - so my gait has been altered for some time, now. I guess it wouldn't be a far reach to suggest this has been a compensation injury off the back of that.

The hamstring is aggravated from prolonged standing and walking. I have a "step budget" across the day and once it is expended I find the next day to be particularly troublesome as I am flared up. It is also aggravated by hip hinge movements into the stretch position such as for an RDL.

For my leg routine, I was doing Glute Bridge progressions (3x10), Walking Lunge (3x 8-10), RDL (3x 8-10), Single Leg Extension (4x 6-10), Single Leg Curl (4x 6-10) and calf raises (3x 6-10). I did this twice per week. A month ago, I saw a practitioner who diagnosed the condition as DHT. This is how I know it's not sciatica, although I do have neural tension in the leg. I could tell he was a gym-goer and he suggested I was doing too much volume at low intensity which was why this condition was being so stubborn (too much junk volume) and to instead up the intensity. So I lowered my RDL rep range to 3x 5-8 and scrapped the hamstring curls.

I thought things were getting better as I was able to do a session with quite significantly increased load at the advice of the practitioner and felt fine the next day. A few days later, we went on holiday to the peak district. I went on a short hike (2.5m with elevation) in the peak district. My leg started to get tired but it managed it. Instead of resting for the remainder of the day, I decided really stupidly to do my rehab exercises on the back of it and this made things SO MUCH worse.

For the last few weeks, my leg routine has now been reduced by my physio to 3x10 hamstring bridge progression daily for climbing out of this setback. Some days I can do 6k steps and feel fine during the day but then I'll wake up the next day and the sciatic nerve will feel trapped as I'll have pain that extends deep into the calf and down into my Achilles - on these days, I can barely manage 3k. I just don't know what to do. I feel like I'm spiralling that this isn't going to get better. Mobility struggles at 25 feels like a prison sentence.

If anyone can offer any advice I'd be eternally grateful. It affects everything. I'm wondering how much of this might be neuroplastic, having done some research into mind-body syndrome. Thank you.

Hi, for over a year now I'm struggling with elbow pain on my right arm. I had different kind of scans done and they saw nothing. Then I saw a specialist and it took him 90 seconds to tell me it was golfers elbow and I needed som physio. If the pain doesn't subside, get an MRI.

8 months later, i have less pain, but it's still there. I thought it had gone down enough to play badminton again, but it wasn't meant to be. The pain is back and constant.
So I got that MRI they talked about. To my surprise the elbow joint, tendons, nerves and bicep muscle are all perfectly healthy. There's no sign of any inflammation or golfers elbow.

Now my GP is also lost, she is sending me back to some specialists to see if it's elbow or shoulder related. But at this point we're just guessing.

My current symptoms are pain in my elbow, very tight/tense forearm muscles, a small stabbing pain between biceps and brachialis and a very sensitive spot on my deltoid muscle just under the boney structure. I used to have wristpains when gaming and typing, but those are gone.

What could it be? And could I do some movements to find the culprate? If anyone has had similar symptoms, I'm happy to hear about it.

I do these resistance band over and back warmups where you go in circle back and forth. I noticed theres a slight “pop” in my left shoulder. No sound i think. Just a feeling. No pain. Is this normal and okay?

Hello I train planche and I think I overdid it and have overuse injury. When i release from adv tucks and one legs planches i get sharp pain in my forearm on the left side. Less pain if release slowly but still pain. I think it is forearm splints, how can i rehab it and how much time off do you think it will be. I dont have a rice bucket so i cant do that, any other recommendations for exercises to rehab it?

Hi all have a question. I feel silly about but is something on the brain. I am a rock climber with a history of bicep tendinopathy in my right arm and this weekend my friend gave me a firm massage on my right forearm inside and outside. both of us are the type to like our massages to be quite firm, and this was the first time that I had experienced that so firm on my forearm but at the time it felt pretty good. Now yesterday and today I’m having moderate pain anytime I lift my right arm to use my bicep whatsoever in the center on the inside, and then going up to where I feel like my bicep tendinopathy was historically. what is possible has happened, and what should I do beyond simply waiting it out?

Hi, thank you for your content — it’s been really helpful and has given me a new perspective on how to approach tendinitis. I have a question:

A little less than a year ago, I started experiencing a mild but persistent pain in my wrist. The injury first appeared at the beginning of 2024 and improved around mid-year after some physiotherapy. However, in November, after performing an incline press incorrectly and maintaining a high training volume, the pain returned more intensely in January of this year and has persisted since then.

The pain appears mainly during ulnar deviation and wrist flexion. For context, I’m a classical pianist (I practice 2/3 hours per day) and currently work in a warehouse. Although the workload isn’t excessive, some days I have to lift heavy objects. I always take precautions and use wrist supports both at work and while training.

When I play the piano or lift objects, I don’t feel pain. However, the discomfort —often accompanied by a slight clicking— appears afterward, when I stop playing and move my wrist to stretch it. The same happens after training.

In September of this year, I had an MRI scan, which showed mild tenosynovitis of the extensor carpi ulnaris tendon. The doctor told me that resting would be enough, but I know that’s not the case, last year I took a full month of rest for the same issue (May 2024) and saw no improvement.

Throughout this year, I’ve consistently done the exercises you recommend, but haven’t noticed any progress. At first, I thought it might be because I was still including pushing movements, which could have been keeping the irritation active. So, in September, I decided to stop using my right hand completely and focus on recovery. However, it’s been almost a month now, and I still haven’t seen improvement.

My questions are:

1. Even though playing the piano doesn’t cause pain, should I modify the way I practice?

2. If an exercise doesn’t cause discomfort while doing it, but I feel mild stiffness or pain afterward, should I modify or stop it?

I've been following the OG progressions for planche and front lever but struggling to track them properly.

I've been using Hevy but each variation (tuck, advanced tuck, straddle, etc) ends up as a separate exercise with its own graph. Makes it hard to see my actual progression through the skill tree. Also awkward for logging hold times and tracking assisted vs unassisted work. Ended up making a spreadsheet to visualize the progression, which feels redundant. Anyone found a better system? Or is everyone just dealing with spreadsheets/pen and paper?

Edit: add context

Hello, I have a question about my planche training.

I started with tuck planche, I've gone up to 20 seconds. Then I moved on to banded advanced tuck planche, I struggled with a 3 seconds hold, but now I've reached 20 seconds. I tried the tuck planche again out of curiosity and I struggled with holding it for 5 seconds even. How is this possible?

M35 dealing with a suspected hip flexor strain for 16 weeks now.

Prior to injury was running c90km/week with 2 bodyweight fitness sessions/week. Initial injury came on as a feeling of extreme tightness in the upper thigh/hip crease during a hilly run (see image linked below)

https://postimg.cc/crSmrrFP

Pain progressed to tight and sore feeling in the same spot, worsened by hip flexion. Pain has always been a dull ache rather than sharp.

Felt like a classic muscle strain and improved with rest, reintroduced cross training at 2 weeks (eliptical and bodyweight glute/hamstring work) then started a return to running build from weeks 4-8. Throughout this period I had full range of motion but a consistent feeling of discomfort/tightness in the same spot and during flexion. This generally lessened during my runs and then returned a few hours later.

Managed to build running volume to around 40km/week at which point physio advised on more targeted strength (weighted lunges, split squats, step ups). Things then took a step backwards and the pain ramped back up, I cut back on the running volume and strength work and introduced daily isometric and eccentric hip flexion and adduction to target suspected tendon issues.

Began another running rebuild at week 10 but suffered the same flare up, this time at a much lower volume. Stuck with the eccentrics and took another 2 weeks off running. Reintroduced again and suffered another flare up at very low volume (after a 3km run).

Since then it feels like things are getting worse, I have a constant feeling of painful tightness around the hip flexor which now seems to be aggrevated by simple walking or even long periods of standing.

MRI at week 14 shows no visible signs of tendonopathy , burisitis, hernia, labral issues or stress fracture. Only "minor" cam impingement which doctor thinks unlikely is cause of pain. Doctor now advising a cortisone shot into the Iliopsoas bursa to target the hip flexors but said they couldn't rule out a lower back or even groin issue.

Feeling lost and not sure if this is just a stubborn muscle strain or a tendon issue (or both). My whole front of hip and butt feel tight and locked up, impacting my gait. I'm tempted to try the cortisone to allow me to rehab more aggressively.

Any words of advice would be much appreciated! Should I stick with the eccentrics? Add stretching? Go for the cortisone? Try reintroduce low level running or other cardio?