If you want one of the first cool calisthenics skills that many people can actually unlock pretty early, the elbow lever is a great choice. Why? Because it teaches a lot of important things at once: • center of mass • balance point • body tension • how to lift your legs behind you • how to use your posterior chain • confidence putting weight into your hands And the best part is that it also leads into other fun skills later, like the croc lever or one arm elbow lever. 🔥 Why the elbow lever is worth learning The elbow lever is not just a party trick. It teaches you how to understand where your body weight actually is. That matters for almost every other skill. When people first try it, they usually think they need way more strength than they actually do. Most of the time, the issue is not pure strength. It is: • where the elbows are placed • how far forward you lean • whether the legs stay active • whether the body stays tight enough So this is a really good beginner skill because it teaches balance through position, not just brute force. What it helps with later The elbow lever can help you understand: • how to lean forward without panicking • how to hold tension through your core and glutes • how to keep your legs active behind you • how to use your hands as a balance point That makes it helpful for later skills like: • croc lever • crow pose • handstands • planche style leans • other arm balance skills How to start working on it The basic idea is simple: • hands on the floor • elbows press into your stomach or hip area • lean forward • let the legs become lighter • lift the feet off the floor That is the basic concept. At first, you do not need straight legs. You do not need a perfect hold. You just need to start understanding the balance point. Good progressions A simple way to progress it is: • start with your feet still on the floor • lean forward and feel the elbows pressing in • bend the knees and just try to make the feet light • lift one foot for a second

This is for the people who are not “kind of beginners.” This is for the people who are actually beginning. If that is you, good. You are in the right place. You do not need to already know: • how to build a program • what skill to start with • what progression to use • how often to train • what is “optimal” You just need a place to start. ✅ What to do first If you are really beginning, do not try to learn everything at once. Start with just 3 things: • a push movement • a pull movement • a lower body movement That could be as simple as: • wall push-ups or incline push-ups • rows or assisted pull-up work • squats or split squats That is enough. 🧠 What your goal should be right now Not advanced skills. Not the perfect plan. Not training like an athlete on YouTube. Your first goal is: Learn the basics and build consistency. That means: • learning the movements • finding the right level for you • doing it regularly • not quitting because you tried to do too much too fast 🤸 What about skills? You can still play with beginner skills. Good starting ones are: • pike handstand holds • headstands • crow pose • L-sit progressions • elbow lever progressions But think of skills as the fun side right now. Your main focus is still building your base. 🐒 What about mobility? Keep this simple too. You do not need a giant mobility plan. Start with: • a few minutes of stretching • basic mobility work • simple animal movements if you want something more fun A little bit every day is better than one giant session once in a while. 📚 If you want hand-holding, here is the best place to start Go to the Classroom tab and start with the beginner resources there. That is exactly why they are there. To help you stop guessing. To help you stop overthinking. To help you know what to do next. 🙌 One important reminder Please do not compare your chapter 1 to someone else’s chapter 20. A lot of people here are further along. That is great. But they also started somewhere.

@Marian Truly you have inspired me! I did my first wall push ups. Hoping that I can build up very gradually and build strength whilst getting more mobility in my shoulder and not trigger my injury!

A lot of people overcomplicate calisthenics at the beginning. You do not need to learn everything at once. If you want to build a real foundation, focus on the basics of these 3 things: • Strength • Skills • Freedom of movement That is more than enough to get started. 💪 1. The basics of strength If we keep it really simple, the big 3 are: • Push-ups • Pull-ups • Squats These 3 movements will get you very far. They cover the basics of pushing, pulling, and lower body strength. Of course there are lots of other great exercises and progressions. But if you are just starting, these are the main ones to focus on. A few important basics: • Use progressions that match your level • Quality matters more than ego • Give the same muscle groups about 1 day of rest before training them hard again • Progressive overload still matters That last one is important. If your workout is so easy that you could do the exact same thing again later that day with no problem, it probably is not challenging enough. At the beginning, I would rather see: • cleaner reps • better technique • higher rep practice Then later, as you get stronger, the reps can come down as the difficulty goes up. So think: • start around 12 to 15 good reps • later work closer to 8 to 10 as the progression gets harder 🤸 2. The basics of skills When it comes to skills, most people think they need to wait. They usually do not. A lot of people can already start working on beginner skills like: • Handstands • Crow pose • L-sit progressions • Elbow lever • Headstand That does not mean you will master them right away. It means you can start practicing the basics now. The goal with skills is not to destroy yourself. The goal is to build: • control • awareness • balance • confidence • technique That is why skill work is usually better in small amounts more often. 🐒 3. The basics of freedom of movement Freedom of movement is where people often get stuck because they think they need a huge mobility plan.

The first video (in pink) was on Jan 31 2026 where I had noooo idea 🤭 and I got my first full push-up last week but was in pjs and didn’t film it lol. Finally got it on camera today on April 25 🥳 It’s not perfect yet but I’m able to lift my whole body up now! It took less than 3 months to go from zero upper body strength and no knowledge on calisthenics to this! I steadily worked through each progression from ➡️wall pushups ➡️kitchen bench ➡️bedside table ➡️coffee table ➡️knees ➡️negatives ➡️full pushup So grateful for @Brandon Beauchesne-Hebert’s coaching through it all and this beauuuutiful encouraging community we’ve built together. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend booking a clarity call with him to get clear on your goals so you can reach them quickly too :) Next goal = 10 pushups with good form + 1 pull-up! What goal are you currently working on and how’s it going? 😊