The Bodyweight Strength Checklist: Common Mistakes and Solutions

A few square feet of floor and your own body. Enough equipment to get remarkably strong. Also enough equipment to make every mistake on the following list.

Pavel’s The Naked Warrior demonstrated how much strength you can build around just two exercises: the one-arm pushup and the pistol. The depth is in the details—lessons that remain central to StrongFirst’s bodyweight curriculum; yet even with this “no equipment,” there are plenty of ways to overlook the essentials, follow what is “usually done,” and get in your own way.

“We’re not saying you are wrong—we are saying we’re right.”

Below is a brief sample of some common mistakes and their solutions.

Fearing That One-Arm Pushups or One-Legged Squats Are Beyond Your Reach

You may have seen these respectable strength skills, tried them, and—failed. Fair enough. You would probably fail a piano audition, too, if your preparation consisted of watching someone play. Don’t just try them—learn them.

If your current rep max for the one-arm pushup or one-legged squat is zero, I have two pieces of great news for you. First, there is a lot of room for improvement. Second, we have a time-tested blueprint to get virtually anyone from zero to hero. You may not get there tomorrow, or next week. But you will be getting stronger in the process—way stronger.

Mark Benito discovered StrongFirst at 60, with four decades of sedentary work behind him. Three years later, he met the StrongFirst Bodyweight Instructor Certification (SFB) standards—including, among other skills, one-arm pushup and one-legged squat tests. At 66, he earned his StrongFirst Elite certification, and just a few months shy of his 69th birthday, he did a strict one-arm/one-leg pushup. My wife Justyna’s student Maruška did her first chin-up at 68(!). How impressive is that? Strength is a decision—and a skill.

Skipping the Foundation

Why do we spend so much time on the StrongFirst plank or the hardstyle two-arm pushup when we are aiming for a one-arm pushup? Why practice the hollow position on the floor when our goal is a pullup? Why spend so much time on exercises for the ankles, knees, and hips? If your mobility, stability, body control, or basic strength is inadequate, you will hit the wall soon enough.

For example, the StrongFirst plank and the hollow position are drills you will return to again and again, both in your practice and in your teaching. The regular hardstyle two-arm pushup is an excellent platform for learning the foundational strength skills in a more manageable setting. Give them the attention they deserve.

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Mindless Reps Instead of Mindful Practice

Bodyweight strength training is a mindfulness practice. There is no external tool—a kettlebell, dumbbell, or barbell—to occupy your attention. You get to pay attention to yourself, and the details matter. We use bodyweight skills as a platform for learning general strength skills—and we use no tool as our main tool.

The legendary Rickson Gracie speaks of “invisible jiu-jitsu:” subtle details of connection, balance, and weight distribution that are difficult to see but unmistakable when felt. Chinese martial arts have their “internal schools,” too.

There is a useful parallel here: some of the details that can change your strength practice are barely visible to the eye. Pelvic floor engagement, breathing, tongue position, selective tension—and relaxation!—where you direct your eyes, and how you coordinate all of the above. Gradually layer these “internal” skills into your practice. The Fox from The Little Prince was right: “What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Chasing Progressions and Variations Instead of Building Strength Skills

You can find an endless array of progressions and variations online, and they certainly have their value. You can also get lost in endless “random acts of variety.” Again, our focus is on the universal skills: rooting, wedging, alignment, feed-forward tension, irradiation, the active negative, the corkscrew, power breathing… The list goes on. If you’re unfamiliar with any of these principles, don’t worry—learn how to build total-body tension in the free module of our new online course.

One of the first pages of our SFB manual summarizes them as StrongFirst Action Principles. At the very first SFB certification, Pavel said of this page, “It took me 20 years.” Mastering it is your (home)work in progress. Those invisible, internal, “secret” strength skills are essential to long-term progress. Changing the exercise gives you something new to do. Improving the way you perform it gives you something to carry into every subsequent progression.

Doing High-Rep Sets to Failure Instead of Building Strength

There are reasons to do high-rep pushups or squats, provided you use good technique and a sound program, but that is a topic for another time. Our focus here is strength.

We usually stick to 2–4 reps per set. To accumulate quality volume, instead of more reps, we do more sets, or use ladders: 1, 2, 3; 1, 2, 3; 1, 2, 3, and so on. Apart from peaking or testing, we rarely approach our repetition maximum. We typically perform one-third to two-thirds of the maximum number of strict reps we could do with the chosen variation, never going to failure; e.g., 2–3 reps with a 6RM.

“The general idea in planning strength training sessions is to have the athlete do as much work as possible while being as fresh as possible,” states Vladimir Zatsiorsky. Smart programming, such as grease the groove (GTG), helps put this principle into practice. The keys are the right variation for the right intensity, using low-rep sets or ladders to accumulate quality volume, resting enough between sets, keeping reps in reserve, and observing the StrongFirst “stop signs.”

Progressing Too Fast Instead of Using a Patient Progression

You may be able to squeeze out a couple of shaky one-arm pushups today. But you may also have selected a progression that is too difficult to permit high-quality practice. Too difficult, too soon—“Patience, my young Padawan!”

Zatsiorsky reports that the average weight top Soviet weightlifters trained with was only 75% of their maximum, about 10RM. For our practice, the aim is a manageable challenge, with reps in reserve—a variation or progression that is just right.

As for the progression, renowned gymnastics coach Christopher Sommer requires his students to meet defined standards before moving to the next variation. The prescribed repetitions, sets, or hold times must be earned.

A patient step cycle is one of the most useful options for beginning and intermediate strength athletes—Kettlebell Simple & Sinister fans know. Practice at a manageable level, give yourself time to adapt, then take the jump. This provides a firm foundation and gives you time to consolidate your gains. Resist the temptation to change something just because yesterday’s practice went well.

Chasing Feats Instead of Lifts

As cool as a one-arm chin-up looks on Instagram, the return on the time invested is relatively small for most trainees seeking general strength. A regular chin-up or pullup with half your bodyweight added? Tremendous.

There is nothing wrong with pursuing a feat that interests you. Just consider what you are getting for the time and effort involved. Our recommendation is to focus on getting stronger at a small number of fundamental bodyweight “big lifts.” Be selective about feats that collect plenty of “likes” but offer little additional benefit for your goals.

Training Only Bilaterally

The barbell big three—bench press, back squat, and deadlift—are great. But what if your left arm is stronger than your right? What if your right ankle has less mobility than your left? If you miss or ignore meaningful left-right asymmetries and imbalances, you may be robbing yourself of strength and setting yourself up for future injuries. Don’t ask me how I know.

Our partner system, Functional Movement Systems^® (FMS), identifies previous injury as the leading risk factor for future injury, followed by movement asymmetry and deficits in motor control. That gives us good reason to pay attention to what each side can do. This is also one reason Gray Cook, a co-founder of FMS, is a fan of The Naked Warrior: its work on symmetry and reflexive stability. Practice appropriate unilateral exercises, compare the two sides, and address the differences that compromise your movement. Move better and get stronger.

Neglecting Isometric Drills

Various forms of static positions have plenty to offer, because we know that isometric strength gains can carry over beyond the trained angle. In Knapik et al. (1983), subjects gained strength at the trained elbow angle and at the tested angles 20 degrees to either side. Our SFB manual also highlights Soviet research on training isometrics in a stretched position. Zatsiorsky and Raitsin (1974) report that subjects who trained in the stretched position improved their full squat poundage 50% more than those who performed their isometrics near lockout.

Our bodyweight strength system explores many variations: from a negative to an isometric hold, from relaxation to an isometric contraction, and from a negative through an isometric hold into the positive—the static-dynamic method. Very powerful weapons against weakness in your arsenal.

Ignoring Relative Strength and Letting Bodyweight Go Unchecked

You may be able to deadlift an elephant, yet remain “vertically challenged” when asked to perform a single pullup. Or bench press a house, but struggle with a couple of strict pushups without sagging or piking. Your strength relative to your bodyweight deserves some attention.

The options: get freaking strong, or lose some weight—swings, steak, and vegetables—or, our favorite option if you have weight to lose, lose some weight and get freaking strong. StrongFirst bodyweight strength training does keep an eye on, well, your bodyweight.

Thinking That You Cannot Build Muscle with Bodyweight Exercises

Unless your goal is to qualify for Mr. Olympia, yes, you can—just look at gymnasts. As Pavel writes in an upcoming book, accumulating volume with low-rep sets performed far from failure may not be the fastest way to build muscle, but it is a great way to build quality muscle; not only looking great, but also being stronger than you look, without spending the next few days sore and miserable or sacrificing your health long-term.

Ignoring External Load—Assuming “Bodyweight” Means You Can Never Add Weight

Yes, there are many smart ways to progress and get very strong without adding external load or repetitions; with that said, why not also progress by adding some weight? The options are plentiful: a weighted vest, kettlebell, dumbbell, sandbag, or barbell plate. If adding a little weight lets you keep practicing a productive exercise and continue getting stronger, use it.

Missing the Big Pull in Bodyweight-Only Training

Some calisthenics purists boast that they have never touched a weight. Well, too bad. They are missing out. Although you can build impressive strength and a fine physique using bodyweight exercises alone, there may still be some chinks in the armor.

We recommend adding a “big pull,” a loaded hip hinge: the kettlebell swing, clean, or snatch; the dumbbell clean or overhead swing; or the barbell deadlift. Another great option is the one-legged deadlift with a kettlebell, dumbbell, or barbell.

Yes, you can strengthen your posterior chain with bodyweight exercises, but training a muscle and training a movement—such as lifting a weight off the floor—are two different things.

Failing to Exploit Transfer

As great as it is to perform a strict one-arm—or one-arm/one-leg—pushup, the goal for most of us is to become an all-around strong gent or gal. People who master our fundamental bodyweight strength skills often notice tremendous transfer to other modalities: the SFG II military press, the SFL lifts, and plenty of other strength feats beyond the certification tests.

Not Celebrating Small Wins—from Zero to One

The one-arm pushup, one-legged squat, strict pullup, or handstand pushup are valuable goals. But why not celebrate the stepping stones?

What is the difference between zero and one? A universe. Celebrate your first strict pushup—your first strict rep that actually deserves to be counted.

Last but Not Least

…actually, this should be at the top of the list: not knowing where you are—or where to start. My esteemed colleague and bodyweight strength mentor Karen Smith, StrongFirst Certified Master Instructor, will give you the exact blueprint in the next article, plus much more. Please subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss it.

If what you have just read feels unfamiliar, chin up. As Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

We will help you do better—and get stronger.