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.
Fatigue
Fatigue is an objective, temporary, reversible reduction in performance that is the result of several mechanisms. It is a by-product of a training stimulus that occurs alongside adaptations (as described by the fitness-fatigue model).
The mechanisms include both peripheral and central nervous systems, and they are highly interrelated.
Fatigability Factors
The magnitude of fatigue produced by a training session has a crucial impact on training programming. When it comes to factors that influence fatigue, there are:
- Intrinsic to exercise (exercise mechanics)
- Extrinsic to exercise (programming variables)
- individual
The more fatiguing the exercise is due to its mechanical nature, the more it must be compensated for by reducing the fatigability due to extrinsic factors (for example, by reducing the volume) or reducing the frequency of training.
Calisthenics Skills - Fatigue Index Chart
Factors such as the muscle used, the length of the muscle, the mode of contraction, and the complexity of the exercise will all contribute to the overall fatigue of the exercise.
It is important to note that the difficulty of the skill is not a factor, as this is entirely relative to the level of an athlete. How fatiguing a skill is and how difficult a skill is to perform are two completely separate things.
In general, we can divide skills into 4 groups:
- Lowly Fatigable (handstand, l-sit / v-sit, muscle up)
- Moderately Fatigable (front lever, handstand push up, 90-degree push up, handstand press)
- Highly Fatigable (planche, impossible dip, one arm chin/pull up)
- Very Highly Fatigable (back lever, iron cross, hefesto)
The lowly fatiguing skills are Handstand, L-Sit and V-Sit and Muscle Up. Handstand is primarily dependent on coordination and if we take care of our wrists, it is not really a fatiguing exercise.
In L-Sit and V-Sit, the limiting factor usually lies in flexibility, and the tension spreads out to different muscles during their execution (although V-sit is certainly on the border of this category).
Muscle up on the other hand is very dependent on technique and speed. We can really only do a couple of repetitions before we can only perform pull ups afterwards, and if we don’t continue we don’t produce much fatigue during the set (it is like stopping our pull ups at 10 reps in reserve).
Moderately fatiguing skills are Front Lever, Handstand Push Up, 90 Degree Push Up, Handstand Press as well as Human Flag. These skills are either highly dependent on coordination, or their other characteristics don’t make them as fatiguing.
Highly fatiguing skills are Planche, Impossible Dip, One Arm Chin Up / Pull Up. This is where the skills become very dependent on strength in its pure form, and also they involve generally more fatigable muscles.
Very highly fatiguing skills are Back Lever, Iron Cross and Hefesto - which in my opinion is the most fatiguing skill on that list. Here, we get the full package of a very targeted effort towards specific muscle groups that are also highly fatigable. On top of it, the demand is large at lengthened conditions. Also, joints are put under a significant pressure in all of these exercises.
According to this hypothesized classification, given all factors equal - the more fatigable the exercise, the less frequently it can be effectively trained (if we only used specific exercises). Remember to use this only as a helpful reference and not as a very strict, set in stone guideline.
