Podkatchka - Russian Strength Circuit

The Podkatchka is a classical gymnastics strength circuit performed using 5-12 stations.

I've recieved the information about the Podkatchka from a good friend and an ex-belarussian gymnast, Yuri Raviz. Yuri teaches gymnastics here in Israel and his aproach to training is somewhat old school.

I should mention I do not agree with all of the material brought here, instead of critisizing it, I simply provide you with the information, nothing more, nothing less. You decide if it is usefull to you.

The upper body Podkatchka is usualy divided into two diffrent workouts performed in alternating days:

A. Bent Arm Podkatchka

B. Locked Arm Podkatchka

Here is the bent arm version: (First go through exercises A1,A2... and then go to B1,B2... rest 90-180 seconds between stations)

A1. Ring Muscle Ups 15 reps

A2. PBar swinging dips to handstand 10 reps (20 dips - on the way in and out)

A3. Parallettes L-sit press to handstand with bent arms 10 reps

A4. Floor Cobra Presses - Press from cobra stretch into handstand 10 reps

A5. Rope climb in straddle-L-Sit 2-5 reps X6 meters, no rest and dont touch the floor.

A6. Bar Ice Cream Makers 10-20 reps, as slow as possible

B1. Ring Kip-Ups 10 reps

B2. Pbar L-sit Dips 10-15 Reps (harder than it seems - keep heels level with glutes, full ROM)

B3. Parallettes Handstand Push ups 10-15 reps (full ROM)

B4. Floor Straddle L-sit Press to Handstand 10 reps

B5. Rope Reverse Chemeleon Climb 2-5 sets X 6 Meters

B6. Bar Ecc one arm chin ups - 5 reps per side X 5 second lowerings

Go through the Podkatchka one time, try to decrease rest intervals as you improve.

The russians use assistance at the start of the training process and decrease it as the gymnast evolves and improves.

Enjoy,

Ido.

3 questions; whats a cobra press? whats a chamelion climb? and are you going to post the straight armed version?

aw0n0 said:

3 questions; whats a cobra press? whats a chamelion climb? and are you going to post the straight armed version?

Really? No please? No thank you? The people who contribute to this forum do so for free, and as such deserve at least a little respect and politeness - both of which are also free.

Thanks,

George.

Hi Ido,

Thanks for sharing some more insights into training methodology. It would be great if you found time to post the straight arm Podkatchka when it's convenient for you. I also wondered if you'd mind expanding on a few of the exercises? I have included my guesses, in case it helps?

Floor Cobra Presses: This sounds like it might be similar to one of the progressions in Coach Sommer's Bowers progressions (thread here) - #6 Chest roll to handstand. Would that be the case?

Rope Reverse Chameleon Climb: I have seen a reverse rope climb with someone climbing with their back to the rope, kind of pulling the rope down to behind their head/neck (

Thanks again for your time,

George.

Cobra Stretch Press to Handstand

It is exactly like Coach Sommer's 'chest roll to handstand'. Start in a Cobra stretch, swing down with an arched lower back into your hands and from there press into handstand leading with the heels. Straighten the lower back while aproaching handstand, lower back and repeat.

Reverse Chameleon Rope Climb

This is a rope climb version that comes from the circus world. It involves climbing the rope while completely upside down. (like a candle stick position)

Also, both feet should be pressed tightly into the rope, using the inside of the foot in inversion position. The feet should be organized one on top of the other, similarly to the hands. While you climb, use a synchronized motion of elavating both one hand and the same side foot.

Keep the body pressed tightly against the rope, and in hollow position, make your best not to pike.

A video will be posted shortly.

Lol George you're a bangin mod.

Anyways this is a very interesting post Ido, thanks for putting it up. I was wondering though why the rest intervals seem so short. I'm probably just idiotic and missed the answer to this question in some other post, but I havent really been on much. I was under the influence that strength training rest intervals should be 2-5 minutes; and this is described as a classical strength routine. Sorry for the inconvenience, especially if this question has been answered already.

Hi Ido,

Thanks for clearing those few points up. Looking forward to the video.

Cheers,

George.

Hi Raizen,

Raizen said:

...I was wondering though why the rest intervals seem so short...

Raizen said:

...I was under the influence that strength training rest intervals should be 2-5 minutes; and this is described as a classical strength routine...

I had a think about this, and the post I was going to direct you to was one you had already posted on ...and so probably didn't clear things up for you. I am still finding my feet with the finer points of gymnastic conditioning, and my guess would be that the difference is contained in the detail: classical gymnastics strength circuit, and there is more of an endurance component required compared to ...powerlifting, for example.

Especially since the reps per set are well above the 1-3 range usually recommended for pure strength work, and Ido said that the idea is to reduce the rest intervals over time.

Maybe someone will be able to answer this a little more definitely, and in more detail?

Cheers,

George.

Rest intevals of 5 minutes are for maximal strength work. This is far from maximal strength - we are talking about 10 reps per set, minimum!

For some people the Podkatchka I posted is over their heads. It is just an example of taking some basic gymnastics elements and putting them into a circuit of conditioning, much like the afordmentioned 'Hungarian' circuit by coach Sommer.

The confusion lies in the fact that most exercises will be maximal in nature for the average joe, but this was performed by 15-17 year old kids that were training hard for 10 years already....

It is just their conditioning, and the russians often use it as a WARM UP BEFORE their technical training!

If you are ABLE to complete the circuit, but you are SHUT DOWN by it completely and cant go on due to fatigue, once again, it is over your head, at least as a conditioning circuit.

Be careful about applying things as written. Learn from it, change it according to your level and needs and then apply it.

Ah ok, that does make more sense. thanks both of you for the insight.

...man, thats a little more extreme than my average warmup

Reverse Chameleon Rope Climb Video

Enjoy.

The Straight Arm Podkatchka

Here is the straight arm podkatchka strength circuit.

This should be performed in alternating days to the bent arm podkatchka.

Follow the same guidelines I posted before for the execution.

A1 Ring Teeter Totter - from an inverted hang go down to full front lever and hold for 3 seconds. Pull back to inverted hang and go down into full back lever, hold for 3 seconds, pull back to inverted hang and repeat for 3-5 reps

A2 Floor Domino exercise - go into a handstand. A parner will grab you by the toes (pointed!) and lower you close to the floor, while you are keeping a straight body and an open shoulder angle. (not pushup position, but what is called 'japanese push up') Hold for 5 seconds. the partner will lift you back up into handstand, keep a straight body. Turn your hands to the outside one after the other. The partner will now lower you to towards your back, as close to the floor as you can hold. Keep an open shoulder angle and straight body. Push into the ground with your hands and use your thumbs for extra pressure. Do not arch. Hold for 5 seconds. The parnter will lift you back into handstand. Repeat for 3 reps.

A3 Swedish Ladder straight arm dragon flags. 5-10 reps. Lower slowly towards the floor and pull back up. This is a completely diffrent experience than the normal bent arms dragon flags. Use the lowest bar in the ladder for grip and keep an open shoulder angle.

A4 Parallettes L-sit press handstand 10 reps

A5 Rings 360 degrees circle pull - hang on the rings, pull through a f-lever into inverted into back lever into skin the cat and back with a straight body. Beginners - use a slight swing before. perform 5 reps. Gymnasts were 'encourged' to perform as slowly as possible.

A6 Pbars swing to handstand from support, lower slowly into planche/straddle planche, hold for 3 seconds, drop from the planche into a swing and return to handstand. Repeat for 5-10 reps.

A7 Abdominals - sit on the edge of a pommel horse with a partner securing your legs. Hold a 10 kg plate behind your neck. Lower from a sitting position back into an arch, sit up back and perform 3 reps. lower into a hollow position, hold for 10 seconds, repeat 3 times. (9 total reps and 3 times 10 seconds static hollow holds)

A8 Lower back - put your thighs on a pommel horse facing down, while a partner secures your ankles. start with the upper body down, (90 degree angle in your hips) take a 10 kg - 20 kg plate behind your neck and perform 3 reps of hyperextensions into the highest position you can achieve. After the third rep lower into a straight body position and perform 20 gentle rotations (10 in each direction) around the vertical axis of your body. Repeat 3 times for a total of 9 reps and 3 X 20 rotations.

B1 Rings Cross pull outs + statics. This exercise can either be performed with straps but also with a 10 kg plate strapped to your ankles or without straps, normal grip, no added weight. Perform 3 pull outs, hold a 3 second cross and repeat 3 times. The gymnasts would often compete inside the group in a cross competition. Some of Yuri's memories of those competitions include 30-50 seconds cross holds and a normal grip cross. (no false grip)

B2 High Bar short kip ups from support. Start with a support on a high bar. Lower back and down into a pike position, kip up back to support. perform 10-15 reps.

B3 Floor press handstand from pike. 10-15 reps. just touch the floor with your toes and up you go back.

B4 Parallettes straddle l-sit to straddle planche. hold each position for 3 seconds and perform 3-5 total reps.

B5 Pbars L-sit, V-sit combo. Perfom a supported l-sit on the pbars. hold for 3 seconds, lift hips up into v-sit/manna hold for 3 seconds and repeat for 3-5 reps.

B6 Swedish Ladder hanging leg raises. attach 10 kg plate to ankles and perform 10-20 reps.

B7 Abs - like A7,

B8 Lower back - like A8

Not an easy Podkatchka. It was performed:

1.In the mornings, after 2-3 Km run in the cold and jumping and bounding exercises outside. After the podkatchka, some extreme stretching and off to breakfast.

2. As warm ups sometimes to check if the gymnasts could perform under fatigued conditions.

3. Twice a week for 3-5 straight rounds of the complete podkatchka - what was called 'strength training session'. Usualy afterwards the gymnasts would head for the local sauna, the coach would make them go to the highest step (the hottest) and would put a bucket of water on the stove. They were 'encourged' to go to the shock pool and repeat this sequence for a couple of rounds for recovery purposes.

4. As a strength maintainance routine for in season and pre competitive scenerios.

Enjoy.

Great posts and video, Ido. Thank you for sharing. Much to reflect upon here.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

This program is ridiculously similar to the one use by (maybe he is former coach now...) Jnr MAG French Coach (Henrry Picolo... spelling is probably off). Interesting that i think, i would image the French took it from the Russians. This is also a very similar program to what Arkaev has written about in his book "How to Create Champions" ,in principle more then exercises.

Good point Ido Portal about how people need " Be careful about applying things as written. Learn from it, change it according to your level and needs and then apply it" all to often we want a magical cure for fast results, sadlly i have never come across one.

Anyways thanks for sharing this Ido Portal.

Ido Portal said:

The Podkatchka is a classical gymnastics strength circuit performed using 5-12 stations.

I've recieved the information about the Podkatchka from a good friend and an ex-belarussian gymnast, Yuri Raviz. Yuri teaches gymnastics here in Israel and his aproach to training is somewhat old school.

I should mention I do not agree with all of the material brought here, instead of critisizing it, I simply provide you with the information, nothing more, nothing less. You decide if it is usefull to you.

The upper body Podkatchka is usualy divided into two diffrent workouts performed in alternating days:

A. Bent Arm Podkatchka

B. Locked Arm Podkatchka

Here is the bent arm version: (First go through exercises A1,A2... and then go to B1,B2... rest 90-180 seconds between stations)

A1. Ring Muscle Ups 15 reps

A2. PBar swinging dips to handstand 10 reps (20 dips - on the way in and out)

A3. Parallettes L-sit press to handstand with bent arms 10 reps

A4. Floor Cobra Presses - Press from cobra stretch into handstand 10 reps

A5. Rope climb in straddle-L-Sit 2-5 reps X6 meters, no rest and dont touch the floor.

A6. Bar Ice Cream Makers 10-20 reps, as slow as possible

B1. Ring Kip-Ups 10 reps

B2. Pbar L-sit Dips 10-15 Reps (harder than it seems - keep heels level with glutes, full ROM)

B3. Parallettes Handstand Push ups 10-15 reps (full ROM)

B4. Floor Straddle L-sit Press to Handstand 10 reps

B5. Rope Reverse Chemeleon Climb 2-5 sets X 6 Meters

B6. Bar Ecc one arm chin ups - 5 reps per side X 5 second lowerings

Go through the Podkatchka one time, try to decrease rest intervals as you improve.

The russians use assistance at the start of the training process and decrease it as the gymnast evolves and improves.

Enjoy,

Ido.

****************Seems like a stupid question but would not this make a GREAT fat loss protocol?

Brandon Green