ДАВАЙ
FROM ZERO TO
TRAINING
CALISTHENICS
HEFESTO
PROGRAM
By Daïlong Huynh
• Complete program
• Technical advices
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CALISTHENICS
CALISTHENICS
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ДАВАЙ
1-PRINCIPLES
CALISTHENICS
PRESENTATION
The Back Lever Hefesto is an advanced calisthenics skill. This skill mainly focus on biceps,
shoulders and forearm strength. You also need to have a good shoulders and wrists mobility
because of the specific range of motion.
This skill combine flexibility and strength, so it makes it dangerous. So make sure to always
have enough muscles and joins conditioning before going on an harder level. To prevent joins
injuries I advice you to always have a very good warm up and to train your flexibility regularly
(dislocate shoulders with a stick, wrists stretching, etc). To decrease muscles injuries risk, my
advice is to don’t train it more than 3 times per week ; more will be useless and dangerous.
In general I recommend you to train it once per week. I also recommend you to take a break
sometimes. Don’t be afraid to stop training it for 2 or 3 weeks, it will helps your body to recover
and you can even progress. So in the trainings bellow, do the main training, and if you really
want to focus on this skill, you just have to add a 2nd or 3rd training.
TECHNIQUE
Back lever hefesto :
Start from supinated full back lever position. Keep your arms straight and use a false grip.
Your grip width should be shoulders width. Keep your shoulders, hips and feets aligned.
Pull your body up. Use your biceps, shoulders, and forearms. Bent your arms and keep your
elbows on the sides (not too close = only biceps activation, and not to much on the side = only
shoulders activation). Keep your shoulders, hips and feets aligned.
At the top, when your glutes touch the bar, relax your shoulders, open your chest and let
your body “fall” along the bar : it will help you to put your elbows over the bar.
Then you can do the korean dips to finish it. But it’s not obliged, particularly if you want to
continue your combo.
Tuck back lever hefesto (this isn’t a final skill but it can help you to progress) :
Same rules as the back lever hefesto but with tucked legs. But if you want to make it easier
you can help you with a kip. Just straight your legs and open your chest when you feel it becomes
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1-PRINCIPLES
CALISTHENICS
harder and you’re almost at the top. This kip will help you to finish the movement, which is one of
the hardest part.
Deadhang hefesto
Almost same rules as the back lever hefesto. But instead of keeping your body horizontal, just
let him fall throughout the movement and try to be the most vertical you can. As the tuck hefesto,
you can also make it easier thanks to the kip. Start by pulling your glutes up. And just straighten
your body and open your chest when you feel it becomes harder and you’re almost at the top. This
kip will help you to finish the movement, which is one of the hardest part.
MINDSET
As a lot of calisthenics skills, back lever hefesto is a high level movement ; but that’s not a reason
to think that it’s impossible ! Keep in mind that this skill is easy if you train it correctly. This is not
that hard for the human body, and some peoples who are humans like you, can do much much
harder. The most important is to have fun and believe in what you do. If you do something you
don’t like or you unconsciously think is useless, it won’t work. So do the things you like and in
which you believe. And in each reps of each sets you’ll do, remember your main goal, and go as
hard as you want that goal.
LEVELS
This program is divided in 4 main levels. They will help you to understand where you are in
your evolution. Be very careful to do the workouts that fit your level. If not, it can be useless or
dangerous.
Level 1 : 0 to 30 dips (You just started calisthenics, you need to have good basics and build
muscles)
Level 2 : 30 dips to first tuck hefesto (You have good basics, you’re ready to learn your first
hefesto)
Level 3 : tuck hefesto to reps in tuck hefesto (You can do a tuck hefesto and you want to do
more reps and learn back lever hefesto)
Level 4 : tuck Hefesto to clean back Lever hefesto (You have some reps in tuck hefesto or
bad form back hefesto and you need to clean it and do combos)
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CALISTHENICS
TRAINING METHODS
There are too many ways to learn a skill : attempts, max, combos, weights, loops, progressions,
etc… All of these methods are more or less useful, safe and hard ; and their utility isn’t the same
for each skill. In this program we will use one which is a mix of all. It is done to be as much
complete, safe, useful and easy to understand as possible.
Here we will work thanks to a cycle with 4 main steps :
TECHNIQUE
(1st week)
improve strength
and technique
mainly with
attempts with BW
trainings.
VOLUME
RESISTANCE
(2nd week)
(3d week)
build strength and
muscles thanks
to high intensity
trainings
build endurance
and strength with
harder trainings to
have strong basics.
REST
(4th week)
let the body recover,
understand new
strength and prepare
for higher level. Full
rest or little attempts
few times.
Do that for one month, then go on a higher level. BUT DON’T WORRY : sometimes it takes
more or less time to progress ; so even if you don’t progress don’t give up and don’t skip steps
! Just restart that cycle as long as you need to. In calisthenics and specifically for this skill,
progress are not continuous. In general your progression curve will looks more like a staircase
than a straight line (you don’t progress for a while, then you suddenly level up, etc).
ADAPTATIONS
The following workouts were thought to be as much complete as possible and affordable for
everyone, so there only is bodyweight exercises. However, it is not a personalized coaching, so
it might be possible that you won’t be able to so some exercises for different reasons (you don’t
have the material, you are injured, you don’t like it, or just you want to change it). You can also
have some additional material (dumbbells, machines, etc). That’s why I made the table just
below, where you can pick up exercices you need. It will help you to know which muscle it’s
focused on, and the level of intensity.
This is the list of all the exercises you can use in your workouts. It isn’t the list of all the exercices
possibles, they are those which are in my opinion the most useful and general. Keep in mind
that almost each one of them can be done with additional weight (hips, ankle, bag, jacket, etc)
or with a rubber band loop.
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VOCABULARY
Tuck : bent legs, knees close to the chest
Slow : slow, controlled
Deadhang : body hanging in vertical position
Full : legs straight, legs together
ROM : range of motion
Negative : from final position, control slowly to go to start position
Australian : body straight inclined with feets on the ground
Touch : body in contact with the bar
Superset : do 2, 3 exercises without rest
Dropset : do 2, 3, exercises from hardest to easiest without rest
Hold : holding a static position
False grip : put your wrist on the bar/ring to grab it with more strength
Reps : répétitons
BW : bodyweight
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EXERCISES DESCRIPTION / ADVICES
Attempts : In general I recommend you to start your workout with “attempts”. It can be just one
movement or a combo. Here are some ideas of what I mean (from the easiest to the hardest) :
negative hefesto with a rubber band loop
half ROM tuck hefesto
tuck hefesto on rings
bad form back lever hefesto
max hold supinated back lever touch
3 tuck hefesto
half ROM back lever hefesto + 2 deadhang hefesto
slow back lever hefesto + 5s hold supinated back lever touch + 2 back lever hefesto
10s back lever hold + 3 back lever hefesto
etc...
Hefesto negative : start at the top, then slowly go down to straight arm hang position. Go as
slow as you can. You can do it with additional weight (hips, ankle, jacket) or with a rubber band
loop. You can do it in tuck, deadhang or full back lever position.
Hefesto half ROM : start from the middle or from the hanging position, then pull do do the
half of the range of motion. If you can, try to add deadstop at the middle position. You can do
it with additional weight (hips, ankle, jacket) or with a rubber band loop. You can do it in tuck,
deadhang or full back lever position.
Back lever to maltese lean on rings : start from back lever position with feets on the floor, then
push with straight arms to maltese with feets on the floor position. You can adjust the difficulty
by putting the rings higher or lower and by putting you feets more or less forward. You can do
it with additional weight (hips, bag, jacket) or with a rubber band loop.
Supinated back lever touch hold : hold your body close to the bar and try to maintain the
contact between your glutes and the bar. You can do it with additional weight (hips, ankle,
jacket).
Pronated back lever pullups : pull your body up and try to go as high as possible. You can do
it with additional weight (hips, ankle, jacket). You can do it in tuck or full back lever position.
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Lean maltese reps : go in maltese position with feets on the floor, try to go as low and forward
as you can. Hold few seconds (3-10 s) and push with shoulders to go up. You can do it with
additional weight (hips, bag, jacket) or with a rubber band loop.
Australian hefesto curl : do the hefesto movement but with feets on the floor. You can hang to
rings, or a parallel bar or ropes ; and you can adjust the difficulty by putting them more or less
high and by putting you feets more or less forward. You can do it with additional weight (hips,
bag, jacket) or with a rubber band loop.
Deep korean dips : do dips with the bar behind your back and try to go as low as you can. You
can do it with additional weight (hips, ankle, jacket).
Dips : Start from straight arm position and go down till you shoulders are at the level of your
elbows. You can do it with additional weight (hips, ankle, bag, jacket).
Australian biceps curl : from supinated front lever position with feets on the floor, pull your
body up with your biceps. Be careful and try to move only the forearm and not the elbow. You
can do it with additional weight (hips, bag, jacket).
Pseudo pushups : do pushups with hands at the level of your hips and with supinated grip. You
can do it with additional weight (hips, bag, jacket).
Chinups : focus as much as possible on the biceps activation. Think to pull your shoulders up
instead of your elbows down. You can do it with additional weight (hips, ankle, bag, jacket) or
with a rubber band loop.
Pushups : try to go as low as possible. You can do it with additional weight (hips, bag, jacket).
Biceps curls : you can train it with different range of motion (elbows behind, or in front of, or
close to the body). You can use dumbbells or a rubber band loop or machines.
Back lever to maltese with weights : You can use dumbbells or a rubber band loop or machines.
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ДАВАЙ
Program
CALISTHENICS
LEVEL 1
• MAIN TRAINING
• 2ND TRAINING
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Program
CALISTHENICS
CALISTHENICS
NIVEAU
LEVEL 21
• 3RD TRAINING
You can, and I recommend you, to adapt this/those trainings to your training plan : As I explained before it’s good to follow this method divided in different period. One period usually lasts a week, but it
can be less or more (2 days or 2 weeks, etc). It depends on how you feel. BUT no need to change all the
workout ! The idea is to do the same thing but with different intensity : it will make more sense to your
body to progress. I explain just below how to do it :
TECHNIQUE (1st week) : focus more on bodyweight and technique strength. So here you can do more
australian hefesto sets and less light exercises like pushups and dips. You need to have all your strength so take
5 minutes rest between each set.
VOLUME (2nd week) : focus more the high intensity of your trainings. So you can take less rest to tire
your muscles faster : 1 or 2 minutes.
RESISTANCE (3d week) : focus on resistance and strength. So you can add additional weight to make
exercises harder. You can also do more sets (+2-5) or more training (+1).
REST (4th week) : you can totally rest or just do some attempts trainings (for example australian hefesto curl or hefesto with a big rubber band loop). Take 5 or 10 minutes rest and don’t do more than 5 sets per
training.
YOU CAN GO ON THE NEXT LEVEL WHEN YOU ARE ABLE TO DO 30 DIPS.
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ДАВАЙ
Program
CALISTHENICS
CALISTHENICS
LEVEL 2
• MAIN TRAINING
• 2ND TRAINING
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ДАВАЙ
Program
CALISTHENICS
LEVEL 2
• 3RD TRAINING
You can, and I recommend you, to adapt this/those trainings to your training plan : As I explained before
it’s good to follow this method divided in different period. One period usually lasts a week, but it can be
less or more (2 days or 2 weeks, etc). It depends on how you feel. BUT no need to change all the workout
! The idea is to do the same thing but with different intensity : it will make more sense to your body to
progress. I explain just below how to do it :
TECHNIQUE (1st week) : focus more on bodyweight and technique strength. So here you can do more
hefesto attempts sets and less light exercises like dips. Use rubber band loops for that. You need to have all your
strength so take 5 minutes rest between each set.
VOLUME (2nd week) : focus more the high intensity of your trainings. So you can take less rest to tire
your muscles faster : 1 or 2 minutes.
RESISTANCE (3d week) : focus on resistance and strength. So you can add additional weight to make
exercises harder. You can also do more sets (+2-5) or more training (+1).
REST (4th week) : you can totally rest or just do some attempts trainings (for example half ROM hefesto or hefesto with a rubber band loop). Take 5 or 10 minutes rest and don’t do more than 5 sets per training.
YOU CAN GO ON THE NEXT LEVEL WHEN YOU ARE ABLE TO DO A HEFESTO FROM TUCK BACK LEVER POSITION.
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ДАВАЙ
Program
CALISTHENICS
LEVEL 2
• MAIN TRAINING
• 2ND TRAINING
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ДАВАЙ
Program
CALISTHENICS
LEVEL 3
• 3RD TRAINING
You can, and I recommend you, to adapt this/those trainings to your training plan : As I explained before it’s good to follow this method divided in different period. One period usually lasts a week, but it
can be less or more (2 days or 2 weeks, etc). It depends on how you feel. BUT no need to change all the
workout ! The idea is to do the same thing but with different intensity : it will make more sense to your
body to progress. I explain just below how to do it :
TECHNIQUE (1st week) : focus more on bodyweight and technique strength. So here you can do more
hefesto rep attempts and combos sets and less strengthening exercises like australian hefesto curl, dips, pseudo
pushups, etc. You can also use rubber band loops to attempts harder combos. You need to have all your strength so take 5 minutes rest between each set.
VOLUME (2nd week) : focus more the high intensity of your trainings. So you can take less rest to tire
your muscles faster : 1 or 2 minutes.
RESISTANCE (3d week) : focus on resistance and strength. So you can add additional weight to make
exercises harder. You can also do more sets (+2-5) or more training (+1).
REST (4th week) : you can totally rest or just do some attempts trainings (for example hefesto combo
BW or with a rubber band loop). Take 5 or 10 minutes rest and don’t do more than 5 sets per training.
YOU CAN GO ON THE NEXT LEVEL WHEN YOU ARE ABLE TO DO 2-3 REPS HEFESTO FROM TUCK
BACK LEVER POSITION, OR YOU CAN DO A BACK LEVER HEFESTO WITH BAD FORM.
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ДАВАЙ
Program
CALISTHENICS
LEVEL 4
• MAIN TRAINING
• 2ND TRAINING
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ДАВАЙ
Program
CALISTHENICS
LEVEL 4
• 3RD TRAINING
You can, and I recommend you, to adapt this/those trainings to your training plan : As I explained before it’s good to follow this method divided in different period. One period usually lasts a week, but it
can be less or more (2 days or 2 weeks, etc). It depends on how you feel. BUT no need to change all the
workout ! The idea is to do the same thing but with different intensity : it will make more sense to your
body to progress. I explain just below how to do it :
TECHNIQUE (1st week) : focus more on bodyweight and technique strength. So here you can do more
hefesto combos attempts sets and less strengthening exercises like back lever to maltese lean on rings, supinated back lever touch hold, etc. You need to have all your strength so take 5 minutes rest between each set.
VOLUME (2nd week) : focus more the high intensity of your trainings. So you can take less rest to tire
your muscles faster : 1 or 2 minutes.
RESISTANCE (3d week) : focus on resistance and strength. So you can add additional weight to make
exercises harder. You can also do more sets (+2-5) or more training (+1).
REST (4th week) : you can totally rest or just do some attempts trainings (for example hefesto combo).
Take 5 or 10 minutes rest and don’t do more than 5 sets per training.
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HEFESTO VARIATIONS
• There is a lot of hefesto variations (pronated grip hefesto, vertical grip hefesto, close grip hefesto, cripta grip
hefesto, wide grip hefesto, reverse grip hefesto, etc).
• Before you start training them, make sure to have at least 3 clean reps in back lever hefesto. If you start before
it will be a waste of time and you will have more risk to be injured.
• Most of the time, variations are just about joins strength and mobility improvement. If you want a new variation, the most useful way to learn it is by attempting.
• You just have to get used to it. If your mobility doesn’t allow you to try it, or if you have any kind of pain, you
can work thanks to hanging position. Hold you maximum in deadhang or back lever position with the grip you
want. I also recommend you to work on specific mobility exercises (for example to learn the close grip hefesto,
work on shoulders dislocation and on wrists flexibility).
BUT WARNING ! As the hefesto is a dangerous skill, hefesto variations are even more. So be very careful and don’t attempt them too much.
All sports practice includes risks, DavaiCalisthenics, as well as its entire team, cannot be held responsible, and hereby disclaims all liability in
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