You are currently exploring the Fundamentals Library , which is designed to provide a basic overview of the topics that are covered in other longer articles. This article is a part of the Exercise Selection section.
Novice Stage
The novice stage is marked by rapid gains in strength, muscle mass, coordination, and flexibility, with the body responding quickly to training. However, it is also characterized by:
- Underdeveloped basic motor patterns
- Behavioural fragility
- Connective tissue not used to higher loads
For that reason, the exercise selection recommendations in that stage differ from those in post-novice stage.
SIP Assessment
Let's outline some general rules for exercise selection in the novice phase using ourSIP framework. At this stage, specificity and individuality are not as important. The primary goal is to build a solid foundation of strength, coordination, and overall fitness.
This means that exercises don't need to be highly specific to the athlete's goals or tailored to their individual characteristics. Instead, the focus should be on selecting practical exercises that remove barriers to training and allow the athlete to progress consistently.
Exercises should also not be overly complex or focused on a single, very specific aspect of performance, as novice athletes generally have coordination problems, and one of the goals of this phase is to build some mental, as well as neuromuscular, understanding of how to perform the basic patterns.
In this phase, practicality becomes even more important, especially for early novices. That is because the main goal in this phase is to establish a routine and build the confidence of an athlete in their ability to perform basic movements. We want to remove any limitations that might get in their way.
Early Novice - Exercise Selection
Using the hierarchical exercises classification, let’s set up some ground rules. In the first few months of training, which marks the very early part of the novice phase, we will basically only need a single exercise category, which will be “main” using the nomenclature from the classification.
The main exercises we perform will achieve all goals that a person in that stage needs. We don’t need supplementary exercises because we don’t have any specific weaknesses to focus on (in a ribbing way we could say that we are one big weakness).
We don’t need specific hypertrophy focused work because the body of an athlete at this stage will likely grow just as much from simple, general exercises. The objective of this phase is to simply get accustomed to these exercises, get coordinated in them, and feel the muscles being stimulated in some capacity.
When selecting exercises for beginners, compound movements should form the core of the program . These are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once and provide the most bang for the buck in terms of strength and muscle development.
Simplicity is also important, as it allows the athlete to focus on mastering basic techniques without getting overwhelmed by complexity. The exercises should not be too unstable, too technical, and they should utilize larger ranges of motion available in the joints, which on their own can obviously be individualized to an athlete's anthropometry and flexibility.
Based on the biomechanical exercises classification , the main exercise categories to focus on for early novices include:
- Vertical (Upward) Push
- Horizontal or Vertical (Downward) Push
- Vertical Pull
- Horizontal Pull
- Squat
- Hinge or Thrust
For calisthenics athletes, I would generally recommend using bodyweight exercises, as they have the potential to transfer better to more specific exercises later on than classic weight exercises. This is also probably the only phase where most people will be able to use bodyweight exercises for their compound lower body training. In the later stages, it will usually be necessary to introduce weight training in some elements of the program.
These movement patterns are the foundation of most calisthenics skills and provide a well-rounded approach to strength development. Essentially, there isn't a single muscle that isn't targeted in some way by these exercises. Below is a sample selection:
| Exercise Type | Calisthenics | General Training |
|---|---|---|
| Vertical (Upward) Push | Knee Pike Push Up | Smith Machine Overhead Press |
| Horizontal / Vertical (Downward) Push | Weighted Push Up | Machine Chest Press |
| Vertical Pull | Band Assisted Pull Up | Lat Pulldown |
| Horizontal Pull | Bent Knee Rings Row | Cable Rows |
| Squat | Split Squat | Leg Press |
| Hinge / Thrust | Glute Bridge | Romanian Deadlift |
Later Novice - Exercise Selection
As athletes progress into the later part of the novice phase, the simplicity of exercise selection should be maintained. The focus should still be on compound movements and mastering basic techniques.
However, this is also the time when we can begin to introduce exercises that are specific to the skills the athlete wants to develop. These exercises won't be the main focus yet, but they will give the athlete a first taste of how the skill feels and what specific demands it places on the body.
The recommendation is to choose exercises that strike a balance between being easy and sufficiently challenging. They should be challenging enough to introduce new demands, but not so complex as to overwhelm the athlete.
For example, if the goal is to achieve planche, incorporating exercises such as planche leans or scapular push ups would be appropriate. If the goal is front lever, exercises such as straight arm mini pulls or inverted hangs would be appropriate. These exercises begin to bridge the gap between general strength training and skill-specific training, helping the athlete transition smoothly into more advanced work.
In addition to skill-specific exercises, novice athletes should begin to incorporate exercises that promote muscle growth in a more targeted fashion. For the upper body, this may include movements such as:
- Curl
- Elbow Extension
- Flye
- Reverse Flye
- Front or Lateral Raise
For the lower body and core, it can include exercises like:
- Knee Extension
- Knee Flexion
- Crunche or Leg Raise
- Back Extension
At this stage, specificity and individuality are less critical. The fact that we include single-joint exercises at all will already target previously under-stimulated areas. While the primary focus remains on compound movements, adding a few targeted hypertrophy exercises can help extend the novice phase and sustain progress.
Below is a chart that includes simulated progression of previous exercises and added choices for new categories, indicated by colors:
| Exercise Type | Calisthenics | General Training |
|---|---|---|
| Vertical (Upward) Push | Wall Handstand Push Up | Standing Military Press |
| Horizontal / Vertical (Downward) Push | Weighted Dip | Bench Press |
| Vertical Pull | Weighted Pull Up | Lat Pulldown |
| Horizontal Pull | Single Arm Ring Row | Cable Rows |
| Squat | Pistol Squat | Barbell Back Squat |
| Hinge / Thrust | Single Leg Glute Bridge | Romanian Deadlift |
| Specific[Front Lever] | Retraction Depression | - |
| Specific [Back Lever] | Skin The Cat | - |
| Curl | Pelican Curl | Hammer Curl |
| Elbow Extension | Tricep Push Up | Overhead Tricep Extension |
| Flye | Ring Bulgarian Push Up | Pec Deck |
| Reverse Flye | Ring Reverse Flye | Reverse Fly |
| Front / Lateral Raise | - | Dumbbell Lateral Raise |
| Knee Extension | Sissy Squat | Machine Leg Extension |
| Knee Flexion | Band Assisted Nordic Curl | Machine Lying Leg Curl |
| Crunch / Leg Raise | Hollow Body Hold | Cable Crunch |
| Back Extension | Superman Hold | GHD Back Extension |
What Changes Post Novice Stage?
As you can see, in the context of exercise selection, the later novice phase includes just about everything you would consider a complete workout.
What changes in the post-novice stage in that context is the emphasis on specific skill training and the shift in the hierarchy of the separate SIP components.
In terms of general training, however, the only thing that really changes is specificity in terms of the lifts we want to train (if the goal is strength) and specificity in terms of how precisely we want to target specific muscle groups (if the goal is hypertrophy).
