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Handstand progress

I was at the swimming pool today, did some handstands and a friend of mine took pictures of me doing them. Can hold it for like 5-10 seconds maybe more, and it feels really really good, I like it so much!!

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Half a year in training

I started my journey exacly half a year ago with body-weight excercises only. This is my progress from beginning to today.

Achieved some of my goals already but I am not satisfied, I still feel like I am a novice and maybe some steps away from calling myself a beginner. Getting the kettlebell confirmed this to me. 

Much more to go, much more to achieve, much more to gain, much more to explore.

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Just did it!

Damn this day is great. Was playing football with a couple of friends in the park and trained my handstand nearby as i allways do and today it just worked. Got my first free handstand done. Could hold it for about 5-10 seconds I don't know but it felt great and like an eternity! Sad i did not have my camera on record.

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Count to five.

Got new shoes this day as a present for myself because I am half-a-year in training on monday. I put them on and fell in love with them at the first second. Never know how I could live without them.

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Welcome to the family

Here is my newest toy. Let's get serious. 24 kg Kettlebell, feels soooo heavy, but i need to try it now!

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That's my handstand at the moment. If I keep improving like this i have small hopes that I can get one this year!

Thanks again to Jason for his hints, they work wonders.

[bowsneiko]

Master Class Program completed

Today I got one of my near future goals done. I completed the Master Class Program from You are your own gym. Now I am twenty weeks in training and on Monday the next program begins. It will be a mix from Master Class and Chief Class, because I dont have the requirements for the Chief Class yet.

This will be my next goal: get ready to start Chief Class in ten weeks.

My handstand is also getting "better and better". Thanks to the tips I can hold it for about 4-5 seconds now and I am doing some without the wall for help. 

My running statistic is close to my goal but I am not under 20 minutes. My record is 20:19 for 5 km but that is not my "normal performance". So there is still room to improve!

That's it for the moment, have a wonderful weekend.

[bowsneiko]

As promised, the video with special thanks to http://jasonudo.tumblr.com/ for his hints. I know it's not a miracle and I suddenly can hold the handstand. But squeezing my but and abs tight and focus on it feels just better because somehow I gain more control.

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Week nine: finished

Just finished week nine of my training schedule. Preparing for my last week of Master Class. Also next week I have my jubilee of twenty weeks in training. Then I can restart the Master Class and mix it up with some exercises of Chief Class. Hope this will fit me.

Still I was outside having some runs while we had good weather in germany and I am kind of stucked around 21 minutes for 5 kilometers. Sad but true, need to improve there a bit, but it's more a cardio problem than a strenth problem. I just run out of air.

And finally I want to give special thanks to http://jasonudo.tumblr.com/ for his nice advice on how to improve my handstand. I will upload a video trying to implemet his hints into my  handstand. But really, thanks a lot for your insight!!!

[bowsneiko]

This is where I am at the moment with my handstand.

I can control it a bit, but I am far from being stable. I think I need more core  and shoulder strenth and keep practice the handstand. Because doing the handstand is the best handstand training I guess.

If anyone could give hints on what i should improve, feel free to AMA me. Thanks in advice!

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Checkpoint reached: week eight

Just passed week eight of my training schedule, still two weeks to go. Nothing really new happend, I am just keeping in my mind that the only easy day was yesterday.

I was mixing my training up a bit so I could focus more on core and shoulder strenth. I really need more strenth in my lower back and in my abs for better control during the handstand. Therefore I was planking around.

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Week 7 completed. It's springtime

Completed week seven sucessfully on friday last week. I regret that I did not train as much handstand as I wanted to, but I felt a little hurt in my left elbow that made me worry. Therefore I decided not to train as hard as I want to cure the elbow and dont need to take a break.

Now the bad-pain is gone and the good-pain is here again!

Furthermore it's finally springtime in Stuttgart, Germany and I could open my lovely gym. This is where you will find me often this summer. It's a forest-playground for kids, but hey, there is a bar!

I would love to have a streetworkout place like I saw in a lot of youtube-videos but here they don't exist. So I am working with what I have. And hope that I improve over time.

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Week six completed

Just completed week six of my guided program. Still four weeks to go and i am feeling very good. I also kept training my frog stand and i am getting used to balance on my hands in this stand. So i reach now about 30 seconds or more. I also play with it a lot to get the knowlede of how to react when i get in disbalance. Also i was doing some handstand attempts against my door and i know they look discusting, but that's where i am now.

Sometimes i can hold it for about 2-5 seconds without using the wall, and it just feels great! The effort pays off and i'll just take step after step.

I'll get my handstand done for sure.

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Achievement unlocked: Week five & Frog Stand

Finished week five of the Master Class.

Also i tried to get some more balance for my handstand, therefore a friend showed me at the weekend the Frog Stand to get more familiar with balancing on my hands.

I know, that the form isn't perfect, but for my first attempts it's okay and I feel good on it. I also can hold it for about 10-20 seconds which made me absolutely happy!

It's the little things that counts towards my goal.

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Where i came from, and where i will go to

I started with calisthenics 15 weeks ago as a total novice. I really did literally no sport for about three years. To get started i used the guided program "First Class" from Mark Laurens book "You are your own gym". After ten weeks I completed the program without droping any of the training-days. Right now I am in week five of the next guided programm "Master Class".

This is where i am now, still a total novice!

So my goals for the near future are:

Complete "Master Class" without droping a training-day

Learn Handstand, and Handstand-pushup

run 5 km in ~ 20 min