Leon Thorley

Leon Thorley Calisthenics / Streetlifting
Handstands
Flexibility
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26/12/2025

Resistance bands are one of the most versatile tools for progressive overload.
�For beginners, they reduce the intensity of movements, making challenging exercises like pull-ups, dips, and push-ups more achievable while still effectively engaging the muscles.�For advanced athletes, bands allow for technical refinement by targeting weak points and improving control.

By adjusting band usage, you can train for different goals.�Reducing assistance over time builds strength, adding pauses increases time under tension for hypertrophy, and using bands to accelerate the concentric phase improves explosive power.�Tailoring band use to your goals helps maximise long-term progress.

23/12/2025

Level Up Your Chin Ups With These Progressions!

Once you’ve mastered basic chin-ups, it’s time to increase the challenge.
�Adding pauses at the top builds control and increases time under tension. Changing your grip width shifts the emphasis between your biceps and back, making each variation more demanding.�For continued strength gains, begin adding weight in small increments and focus on slow, controlled eccentrics to maximise muscle tension.

These progressions help you build stronger, cleaner chin-ups while improving control, stability, and muscle growth.

19/12/2025

If your chin-ups aren’t improving, it’s probably not a strength issue — it’s a technique issue.
�In this short, I break down the most common chin-up mistakes that reduce muscle activation and stall progress, and how to fix them with better control, positioning, and smarter regressions.�Slow, controlled reps with proper shoulder positioning will always outperform rushed reps with momentum.
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16/12/2025

Most people rush their chin-ups and miss out on serious strength gains.
�The real progress happens when you slow the movement down.

Pausing at the top and controlling the lowering phase increases time under tension, which is one of the most effective ways to build strength, muscle, and control — especially for beginners.

Slowing the eccentric also:�• Improves pulling strength�• Builds better control through the full range�• Strengthens the elbows and shoulders�• Reduces reliance on momentum

If you want stronger, cleaner chin-ups that actually transfer to pull-ups and advanced calisthenics skills, this is a detail you can’t ignore.

Slow reps. Full control. Real strength.

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12/12/2025

Mastering the chin-up is one of the smartest moves a beginner can make.
Unlike machines that isolate muscles, the chin-up teaches your body how to work as a unit — your biceps, lats, rhomboids, grip, and core all fire together. This creates real, transferable strength that carries over into pull-ups, rows, and almost every upper-body movement.

For beginners, the chin-up also builds confidence fast. You’re lifting your entire body, developing control, stability, and body awareness with every rep. And because it’s a compound exercise, you get more progress in less time — stronger arms, a stronger back, and a stronger foundation for all calisthenics skills.

ChinUp

09/12/2025

The chin-up is one of the most powerful upper-body exercises you can do.
Your biceps and lats do most of the heavy lifting, but the rhomboids, traps, and even your core work hard to stabilise your body. This makes the chin-up a true compound movement — perfect for building strength, size, and control across your entire upper body.

If you want bigger biceps, stronger lats, and better overall pulling strength, you need chin-ups in your routine.

02/12/2025

Struggling to get stronger at pull-ups? Training the bottom half and top half separately is one of the fastest ways to improve your full pull-up strength, control, and stability.

In this video, I break down exactly how to program both variations:
�• Perform them at the end of your workout�• Aim for 3 sets of 6–8 reps with full control�• Beginners: Start with 4–6 clean reps�• Advanced lifters: Add a 2–3 second slow eccentric

By isolating each phase, you build strength where it matters most — reducing injury risk, improving technique, and accelerating your pull-up progress.

Train smarter. Build strength faster.

28/11/2025

This is the portion where most people lose control because the upper back has to do the majority of the work instead of momentum.

In this range, the rhomboids and the middle and lower traps take over.
These muscles are responsible for pulling your shoulder blades back and down — the key to actually finishing a pull-up with proper form.

Strengthening the top half also trains the biceps in their strongest position, giving you more control in the last few inches of the rep and during the slow lowering phase.

Focusing on this section forces you to eliminate common errors like shrugging, swinging, or flaring your elbows, and it builds the scapular control you need for clean, strict reps.

By mastering the top half, you improve your ability to lock out the movement, control the descent, and build the upper-back strength required for strong, consistent full pull-ups.


25/11/2025

Most beginners struggle with the bottom half of the pull-up — and there’s a reason.
�This phase demands high engagement from the lats, teres major, brachialis, and biceps, making it the weakest part of the movement for many.

Starting from a dead hang not only builds explosive strength but also improves shoulder stability by activating the lower traps and serratus anterior, helping prevent rounded shoulders and common injuries.

If you want stronger, cleaner, and more controlled pull-ups, mastering this bottom phase is non-negotiable. Train it, build it, and watch your full pull-up strength take off.

21/11/2025

Once you’ve mastered the basic bodyweight row, it’s time to level up.
�Here are four simple but highly effective progressions to increase difficulty and keep building strength.

• Elevate Your Feet — increases resistance and upper-body loading.�• Change Your Grip — underhand for more biceps, narrow or wide for different back emphasis.�• Add Weight — a vest or weighted backpack boosts intensity.�• Slow Down Your Reps — controlled tempo increases time under tension and muscle activation.

Use these progressions to build more pulling strength, improve muscle engagement, and keep your training challenging and effective.

18/11/2025

To build strength safely and effectively, mastering proper bodyweight row form is essential.
�Start with a thumbless grip slightly wider than shoulder-width, lean back to a 45° angle, and keep your body straight.�Pull your chest toward the bar while squeezing your shoulder blades together, then lower yourself with control.

This technique improves back strength, grip, core stability, and overall pulling power — whether you’re training for pull-ups, calisthenics skills, or general upper-body development.

14/11/2025

The thumbless grip is a favourite among advanced street lifters and here’s why.

By placing your thumb on the same side as your fingers, you force your forearms, brachioradialis, wrist flexors, and extensors to work much harder.

This variation builds superior grip strength, endurance, and control, making it a powerful tool for anyone serious about calisthenics or street lifting.

Try both grips and see which one feels better for your training goals.

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