Overcoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength

by Steven Low

Commonly referred to by readers as an "exercise Bible," Overcoming Gravity is a comprehensive guide that provides a gold mine of information for gymnastics and bodyweight strength training within its large 8.5"x11" size and nearly 600 pages. Steven Low takes the reader on a journey through logically constructing a strength-oriented bodyweight workout routine. With a highly systematic approach, he delves into the physiology behind strength training equips the reader to adequately prepare their body for the rigors of bodyweight training. This book covers much ground that other books do not, offering information health and injury management, factors that contribute to a successful routine, and actual program implementation. If you prefer your health and fitness books to include scientific data, comprehensive sample programming, and effective recommendations, Overcoming Gravity is the ideal choice for your library. This Second Edition has been revised, expanded, and re-organized to read easier, provide more content, and offer easily accessible next-steps for beginner, intermediate, and advanced populations. Notable improvements from the first edition include the For a book preview including Table of Contents, Introduction, Chapter 1-3, and Charts, Note : This book does not contain primary gymnastics skill work like cartwheels, tumbling, swings, giants, etc. v2.1 4/17/17: ~25 editing and illustration errors are fixed. v2.2 5/2/17: Page 38 missing fixed. Page

Genres: Fitness, Health, Nonfiction, Sports, Reference, Bodies, Self Help

1150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 12, 2011

Reviews

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most under-rated gems out there. Far superior to other body weight/calisthenic books that are heavy on the marketing and so-so on the actual content.

The instructions on progressing to a one arm pull-up alone, were worth the cost. Tips and progressions I've never read about before. And no, it's not using a towel btw.

This is like getting a contestant on American Ninja Warrior show you exactly how to develop the same skill set. And this book is huge, more than 500 pages and covers almost every aspect of bodyweight training you can think of. Cannot recommend this one enough. If this book was marketed the way others in its category are...it would take the top spot. Get this for calisthenics and read tactical barbell and starting strength for the weights and you'll be unstoppable.

One caveat, if you're an absolute beginner (i.e. struggle with push-ups, can't do one pull-up) it might seem a little technical and complicated, and you may want to start off with something simpler.

[Sol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This and Never Gymless are the premier bodyweight books on the market right now imo. This would've gotten 5 stars but it's a little too dense. The material needs to be a little more user-friendly, but the content is gold.

I've spent over a decade in the professional S&C community, and these are my other top rated books for getting into amazing shape:

Strength:
Practical Programming by Rippetoe

Conditioning:
Tactical Barbell 2: Conditioning (K Black)
Full Throttle Conditioning (Ross Enamait)

Put the above books into practice, and you will easily be fitter and stronger than 95% of the general population.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is more like a textbook for the initiated. It was recommended by someone to me as someone interested in bodyweight exercises.

I trudged through it, but I can say that I have no idea what I read. It was a technical manual for those already in the know. There's no way someone new to the idea of bodyweight exercises will understand this.

[Franck Chauvel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was mistaken about this book: It is about gymnastics (rings, parallel bars, etc.) in the first place but not really about training without equipment as I initially thought. Most exercises require rings (thought some can be performed on the ground as well).

This said, the text is comprehensive and includes very interesting chapters about how to train for strength, how to plan your workouts, what exercises to select, how to recover from injuries, etc. The last third is a catalogue of exercises, which I found harder to read from cover to cover—who wants to read a catalogue anyway?

As a conclusion, I think this looks a definitive reference for gymnasts, but seems less suited for those who simply want equipment-free training.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unpretentious WYSIWYG approach to bodyweight / gymnastics / calisthenics training, most particularly upper-body isometrics, pushes, pulls, and balances.

Low is a long-time practitioner and former gymnastics competitor as well a physical therapist, so he brings great amounts of technical (biomechanics, physiology) to the table. The book is heavy on text, yet written in a conversational readable way. When there are photos, they show Low himself just doing his thing without polish, b/w photos, no filters, wearing sweat pants and glasses. I liked this approach more than the ridiculous influencers on *insert social media here*. Good charts, progressions, and the highlight for me were his chapters on prehab/rehab for major joint injuries. Not particularly beginner-friendly, but easy enough to keep up with Google's help. This is a reference manual to return to again and again.

[Gonzalo Zamora Galleguillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Siento que este libro me abrió mucho los ojos respecto a las rutinas y la ciencia detrás del ejercicio en general. Lo seguiré usando y ya me ayudó a hacerme una rutina nueva.

[Ferdinand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually, it is not a book that you read once and then put back in the shelf. It's a workbook. It not only gives a scientifically founded overview of the training-scientific basics of strength training in general and body weight training in particular. It offers a clear strategy for your own training planning and continuous measurement of the set goals through the progression tables. The author is a former gymnast, studied biochemistry and holds a Ph.D. in physical therapy. I think he knows what he is talking about. Absolutely recommendable for anyone who is interested in callisthenics or body weight training.

[Winson · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good for bodyweight training very in depth, highly recommend reading first half for the theory and the exploring up to level of strength for exercise technique in the second half. more in depth second half is fun to see what is actually possible

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interest in calisthenics/gymnastics/bodyweight fitness has surged in the last few years with a global community of practitioners. Most exercises can be done with a mere $30 investment in gymnast rings, which can be hung from a thick tree branch, basement joist, pull-up bar, neglected soccer goal, forklift, playground equipment, etc. Barriers are minimal and you get a challenging workout while avoiding the gym -- big pluses for me. Over a million of these athletes convene on reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness where plenty of good advice and encouragement is given, but as with any message board, loud and uninformed posters also speak freely and sometimes create a muddled picture re what path one should follow to advance in gymnastic skills. Fortunately, quite a few knowledgeable posters also weigh in, among them Steven Low, who completed a doctorate in physical therapy, and so has verifiable expertise in addition to a wealth of experience.

The recommendations Low provides here on how to structure and progress in gymnastics are now the final word for me. This comes as quite a relief after my two or so years of juggling sometimes conflicting information from various posters, youtubers, and scientific studies. The movements described range from basic push-ups to the iron cross. (To give you an idea of how thorough Low gets, six prerequisites for the iron cross are given, each of which also has a detailed progression described.) So, highly recommended for intermediate/advanced practitioners who want to build the theoretical background so that they may confidently and independently do their own programming. Beginners might be overwhelmed by the wealth of information but could also benefit from it with patience (r/bodyweightfitness is a more manageable starting point).

[PJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life. Right after Hurrican Maria struck PR in 2017, I was stuck at home with no water or power for 3 months. This book guided me through my bodyweight fitness journey which is still going strong to this day. I myself have become stronger, and have trained friends with it who have gone on to become stronger too. It is a never ending trove of knowledge that I regurlarly consult to this day.

[Noritaka Hara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read for all body weight and calisthenics practitioners

[jesse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reference book more than anything else. Push, pull, squat and jump exercises are described and how exercising impacts the body. The author, Low goes on to explain how you set up a realistic training schedule that helps you stick to it and incrementally increase repetitions or difficulty for progression. Technical stuff like how concentric (muscle is shortened) and eccentric (=negative; the muscle is lengthened) muscle contractions can help or hinder your progress is illustrated. Isometric exercises (holding in position without any movement) are greatly underestimated for newbies. Lots of descriptions of how stuff exercises impact your body on a biological level. Examples on how to progress if you cannot do a e.g. a pushup are given with plenty of illustrations.

This is a very dry, thorough and detailed reference book for interested gym rats and physiotherapists, I imagine.

[Raz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! Overall it is a very comprehensive book that emphasizes particularly strength training with bodyweight, you can think of it as a two-part book, the first part's main objective is to teach you the scientific background and how to actually build a training plan and progress towards chosen goals.
(of course, it goes way more than that but that's the general direction)
the second part (about 300 pages) are all can be considered resources, on how to actually progress within movements and perform them correctly with good technique.

The book can bit overwhelming in it's both size and the use of scientific lingo.
but if one is making the effort to go through it, I promise it will pay dividends in the future for him.

[Петър Стойков · Rating 3 out of 5]

Систематизираният подход към тренировките е важен както във вдигането на тежести, така и във всички други спортове, включително и фитнеса със собственото тяло. Тази книга е може би основополагаща за този спорт, но е предназначена главно за треньорите по него.

Също както Starting Strength тя по-скоро не е писана да бъде четена от самите трениращи и има и същите недостатъци като нея - практическите съвети са нарядко и случайно разхвърляни из текста, който иначе е основно теория без особено приложение за трениращия.

[Ranulph24 · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book on how to choose the right Trainings goals and how to create a schedule to achieve them.

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extrem ausführliches Buch, eher geeignet für Leute, die sich bereits etwas auskennen. Bietet viele Progressionen einiger Übungen, von denen ich vorher noch nicht gehört hatte. Die deutsche Übersetzung ist leider so steif, wie es der Titel vermuten lässt.

[Albert Chang · Rating 4 out of 5]

All around a great book. Second edition should be coming out spring of 2014, so if you're looking to buy, you may want to wait. The biggest reasons to get this book is for learning how to include BWF into your GPP and it has some examples of progressions.

There are other books that delve deeper into progressions and broke them up even more. For me this wouldn't necessarily be the first book I reach for to learn how to be able to perform a certain move. But the thing about progressions is that there is no one way. You read a lot of books, see a lot of coaches, and watch a lot of videos. There are a lot of different ways to break down a difficult move; this is even truer as the difficulty increases. The most important thing to learn in this area would be on how to break down a movement or static position so you can figure out on your own what you need to get there.

The biggest value in this book is programming. It basically gives you a framework and some templates to work off of. It covers how to set goals and how to create a program (periodization, testing, how movements should be included, and progressing) to reach it.

Is it appropriate for beginners? I think so, but I also like to dive into the deep end of any new subject without feeling intimidated. Even without my prior knowledge, I would have a good grasp in what I needed to do.

[Blake Townes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the second edition of this book. It is the calisthenics bible. This book can change your life if you put in the work. It is extremely thorough, but well worth the money. If you want to create your own routine and become well-versed with calisthenics(body weight) workouts. You may need a space where you can hang gymnastic rings(about 20-30 bucks on amazon), but it truly can change your physique. Staying consistent is vital to your success. You must find motivation to do the exercises since you may be doing 98% of the work by yourself. Even better if you can find a workout buddy. This book teaches you how to create your own routine and has great pictures of each move that you wish to complete. My favorite thing about calisthenics is the skills are progression based vs weightlifting which can become very monotonous, meaning you will be doing more complex body movements/flexibility vs just adding or decreasing weight. I know the male gymnast has a "non-bravado image" associated with it, but the male gymnast body is one of the most highly desired by females. Don't believe me, look it up. I will be referencing this book for many years to come.

[Nicușor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very technical book with a lot of useful material, yet I would not recommend it for novices since sometimes it uses concepts that are to advanced (even I felt confused at some points).

The book is composed of three parts. The first one is the most important, the author talks about everything dealing with exercises (strength vs endurance) with emphasis on strength training.
The second part deals with injuries. I just read some passages from this part since it was of no real interest to me.
The last and biggest part consists of several appendixes with detailed explanation of various progression routines and exercises.

I would recommend this book to those who already had experience with bodyweight training and want a more stable knowledge foundation.

[James Watt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been informed by my LMT sweetheart that Steven's grasp of anatomy is lacking (and out-and-out incorrect in parts) but that's really not where this book shines anyway. His careful breakdown of all the various progressions, and his description of how to create a useful plan that will lead to progress have been extremely helpful. Coming from gymnasticsbody.com and learning what I know from there, this was very useful at answering a few questions, and helping to clarify how I wanted to structure my workout time... I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in body weight progressions.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really remarkable book. I'm primarily a weightlifter, but picked this up because my gym is temporarily closed and I wanted to do some bodyweight training to maintain my strength. I thought I was pretty strong, but some of the progressions in this book are hard! The discussion of periodization is also the best I have seen in any fitness related book and valuable even if you plan on sticking to weightlifting and not doing bodyweight training. I will definitely continue to incorporate some of the bodyweight skills I learned from this book into my routines even after the gyms open again.

[Diego Petrucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro pressoché perfetto. Un manuale su come costruire una bilanciata serie di esercizi, il numero di ripetizioni giusto per i più svariati scopi, la prevenzione delle lesioni e come approcciarsi alla loro cura. In più è IL manuale sulle progressioni, ce ne sono a decine per tutti gli esercizi bodyweight.

A chi lo consiglio: a chi ha un'infarinatura di allenamento bodyweight, magari uno che ha già letto You Are Your Own Gim e vuole continuare per questa strada magari sconfinando nella ginnastica e negli esercizi più complessi.

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been using this book for a few months now. Having been doing body weight training for a few years, mainly as a way to get in exercise while travelling and a busy family and work schedule. So on picking up this book I was familiar with a few different bodyweight variations, mainly around rows, pull-ups, push-ups and dips. This book was a whole new level!

Pros
• The density of information is huge. I needed to re-read multiple sections to get the full meaning. There is not much repetition at all;
• The book is structured to give explanations for training advice and multiple options if available. I can see myself referring back to this book often when I need assistance to improve, modify, or trouble shoot. One good example is progression, the book outlines progression for intra-exercise, within the same exercise (e.g., number of reps), and inter-exercise, to harder exercises (e.g.,moving from pushups to wide arm push ups); by giving nine intra-exercise progressions (Linear progression, linear repetition progression, repetition addition, last set to failure, additional set, rest pause, density, tempo change, and frequency modifications) and nine inter-exercise progressions (weight addition, assistance, eccentric exercises, momentum and extra range of motion, exercise modification, additional sets with decreased rest times, hybrid sets, hybrid sets with eccentrics, and simple hybrid sets). And, these are the simple progressions! Steven then goes on to discuss periodisation;
• Breadth of information is great as is the depth and explainations, which leaves you feeling that you can build an justify a bodyweight routine. I think Steven Low met his goal of the book, which was to “…teach you how to construct effective routines to progress you toward your personal goals.”; and
• There is recommendations of further reading for more in-depth information within the chapters.

Cons
• If you are new to bodyweight or just looking for something to get you started and not interested in more in-depth understanding, then you might get frustrated. You really need to read a large portion of the book in order to start using it and at points I felt overwhelmed with the amount of information I was presented with. I can see people giving up before they start;
• Hard to understand some elements as a beginner or draw out the gems without multiple readings and really studying (I think this is the best word) the book. I found it hard to implement the information in the book in regards to the best way to progress from my start point (a lowly level 1/3 in most exercises) to even an Intermediate level. Don’t get me wrong, the information is there, but I found it hard to synthesis into actionable content in some instances. For example, I was eight weeks in and reading another section of the book (Chapter 9:strength work, which goes through the detail of strength based exercises) when I found the following near the back of the chapter “…specific core exercises for your back were not included…this is based on the assumption that you are performing adequate lower back work using weights for your lower body. As mentioned in previous chapters…”. There is no such note in the beginners routine construction chapters that I could find, and the only such reference ‘in previous chapters’ I could find is in Chapter 1 when discussing that weights are superior for lower body work.

Think of it as a Textbook
If you are looking for something to give you a more in-depth and broader understanding of bodyweight training. A book that allows you to start to make informed decisions about your own training and even others, and a book that you will come back to as you progress in your training; then this is the book for you. If you are looking to just “get fit” and started with bodyweight training but aren’t interested in going into too much depth, then you might find this book overwhelming or large parts unused or unread.

[Harry Harman]

perfect practice makes perfect.

high threshold motor units (HTMUs)

LTMUs innervate Type I fibers, which are your slow-twitch, and are red in color because of the enormous quantity of mitochondria within them.

MTMUs innervate Type IIa fibers, which are your adaptable fibers, are pink in color.

HTMUs innervate Type IIx fibers, which are your fast-twitch fibers, and are white in color.

If your goal is strength and hypertrophy, you will want to execute movements as explosively as possible with good technique.

hypertrophy = size of muscle

L-sit, V-sit, and manna progression

Here are some examples of high quality goals: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Perform 10 dips on parallel bars with good form. Run 400 meters in 60 seconds. Reduce body fat to 15%. Put on 10 pounds of muscle. Lose 10 pounds of fat.

Here are some examples of low quality goals: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Improve on dips. Run without getting winded. Lose weight. Gain muscle mass. Get fit.

SMART model of goal-setting: • • • • • Specific Measurable Action-Oriented Realistic Time-Bound

There are some caveats with bodyweight training that require coaching in order to make good progress or avoid injuries. For example, for connective tissue integrity, it is generally best to work toward back lever before working toward front lever. It is also best to work both of those levers before you work one-arm chin-ups or iron cross.

Pg 71 chart

the sympathetic nervous system is termed the fight or flight system, whereas the parasympathetic nervous system is termed the rest and digest system.

protein synthesis, which adds muscle mass, takes place over a 48-72 hour period following a workout.

eat like there is a famine coming.

Pg 115 The sedentary can be divided into two categories:

rhabdomyolysis is a life-threatening condition

• 52 weeks * 2 workouts per week = ~100 workouts with the planche in a year.
• 52 weeks * 3 workouts per week = ~150 workouts with the planche in a year.

The athlete who chose a split routine with two pushing workouts per week is behind our athlete by 50 planche workouts.

not linearly cumulative. an extra three months of training on a planche at the earliest stages can be almost another progression level

pulling exercises move the weight closer to your center of mass, while pushing exercises move the weight away from your center of mass.

Since frequency is the key to making the fastest progress toward your chosen goals, it is best to select a routine template that allows for the most frequency in the shortest time, as long as there are no injury concerns. If you are a beginner and bodyweight strength is your focus, full-body workouts are the best template for making progress

good warm-up. You must raise core temperature so the chemical reactions in your muscles take place faster, leading to better contractile function and activation of the nervous system. Burpees are an excellent choice because they are a full-body exercise that rapidly increases your heart rate.

[Max McKinnon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this mostly for the handstand progressions which is quite good. The various ways to make it easier and the one tip of “do handstands every day” and “go for more volume at lower progressions rather than lucky maximum holds at the hardest progression” I have been doing with some good success. The tip of putting the armpits forward is also really useful. I held a handstand in the wind with several corrections for about 15 seconds yesterday. This is almost a month of doing handstands every day

Overall the book is way too big, way too detailed on the beginner sections, then way too in the weeds on the biology and terms that have no context or meaning and come off like pseudoscience, without examples of how to actually apply the knowledge and leverage it to have a better workout. Then it’s very sparse on the important sections, such as example workouts from experts and example progressions.

It reads like it’s written for a beginner, but the best workout plan for a beginner is the one that happens, and the book suffers from way too much irrelevant and unorganized information if it’s for a beginner. (Ironically the book mentions this point)

[Ben Tipper · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would be good if it was 300 pages shorter. As it stands there's so much duplicative information and so much to read that it becomes challenging to find what you're looking for. I read the whole thing, skimming sections, and it took a lot of time and perhaps I'm biased but I felt like I gained relatively little out of it compared to other textbooks and training materials I've read. It is fairly gymnastics-specific. The skill trees and particularly the charts placing skills into levels are very useful.

One nugget I pulled from here that I've been using is the idea of a "skills work" portion of an exercise session. After a warmup, before a workout, practicing movements that require a good bit of coordination. Just how strength, hypertrophy, and endurance are typically specifically targeted in other parts of an exercise session, a skills start would specifically target recruitment and activation. That's smart.

[Lloyd Faulkner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really technical and a bear to get through, but once you digest the info it's a gold mine. Not a book for beginners to bodyweight training - if you prefer that, I'd recommend starting with Convict Calisthenics or Complete Calisthenics instead, or even /r/bodyweightfitness, which have simpler breakdowns. After reading those and watching my daughter in gymnastics, I became more interested in how gymnasts train, which is what led me to this book. His credentials are legit.

Of particular interest to me are the author's climbing tips, linked from his subreddit. A man after my own heart.

[Jamie Sutherland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed and in-depth look into bodyweight training. I have re-read it for refreshing programming and structure for an upcoming obstacle race I'll be training for. Some of the book emphasises gymnastics and highly skilled moves, and other parts on what the author thinks the reader wants to do because it's cool. I'm looking for functionality and strength.

There are possibly other, better suited books out there, but the section on injury recovery and lifestyle factors, as well as the very extensive appendix section with detailed cues, pictures and progressions are such a valuable resource.

I've marked this 4 stars only because of some of the number crunching to be a bit unnecessary to what I needed, and the focus being slightly skewed to what I require.

I've seen others hail this as the bible of bodyweight training, and to be honest, I find it hard to disagree.

[Maksym · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been brilliant to plan a bodyweight routine in the absence of gyms and explained a lot about exercise routine construction that is also useful outside of gymnastics. I appreciate the emphasis on injury prehabilitation and rehabilitation as it's often overlooked. I eventually bought a physical copy for reference of exercise techniques and to review my routine after I complete a cycle. The author is very active on Reddit and I learned a few extra bits from his comments on people's routines on r/overcominggravity.

[Tin Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overcoming Gravity was absolutely overwhelming as the first ever book I picked about Calisthenics. It contains a lot of information and is written in a very accessible way. I especially liked the frequent nudge to make your own routine and your own plan.

I would recommend this book only to body weight enthusiasts. If you are not motivated enough you will probably drop it pretty soon after you open it.

What I took from this book is a framework for defining what I want from Calisthenics. While I was reading, I set my mind on a couple of progressions that I wanted to learn.