This is a realistic time frame for you to unlock calisthenics skills

I have been coaching in-person and online for 12 years now.
I believe any coach with some skin in the game and integrity to go along with it would tell you the same.

Don't let social media's 'picture of reality' misguide you. I am not saying everything you see online, including insane physiques and feats of strength, must be inherently fake. I am saying you might have to consider a different time frame or adjust the goal for yourself.

Calisthenics is a sport dominated by smaller-framed, lighter-weight athletes. One of the main reasons is - they see more success (on an absolute scale) doing it, they receive positive feedback, and they stick to it.

You also have great, larger-framed ambassadors of the sport who have been doing it for years, like Daniel Vadnal, Tyson Edwards, Tom Merrick, and more.

It's not a coincidence neither can do some of the highest-ranked, most difficult gymnastic skills. These guys were JUST AS INVESTED in their craft as the lighter, smaller-framed athletes. They just happen to deal with different circumstances.

Don't take the 'average person' as an insult. When I say ‘Average’, I mean mostly in terms of genetic proclivity towards maximum strength and height

The average person needs to consider a different time frame. Believe me, sticking to this time frame would still represent top 1% strength:

I just googled US average height and found out it is 5'9" or 175 cm. You might have to adjust the time frame accordingly!

Starting from scratch, it takes 1-2 years to build a solid base of strength and fitness. Getting into a healthy BF percentage. 3x10 Ring Dips. 3x10 Ring Chin-Ups. 3x10 barbell squats with BW on the bar. Full range of motion. Running perhaps. Sprinting. etc.

From there, unlocking A-Level Strength takes an additional 1-2 years of training. Straddle Planche, Front Lever, Back Lever, Handstands, HSPU, Presses to HS, etc.

Meaning, for someone DEDICATING a big chunk of their life to physical development, it could take 4 years of doing EVERYTHING RIGHT to unlock the A-Level Skills. I repeat - dedicating a big piece of your day and doing everything right.

Rarely do we do everything right starting from scratch. A nagging injury pops up because we rushed the process. We digress and try different things. We take forced breaks from training. All of which are common. All of which prolong the process.

For reference, at the testimonials tab you'll find one of my 1:1 online coaching students - Igal. We started working together around January 2022. Igal is 190 cm tall, weighing around 85-90 kg. BIG GUY! Igal had roughly 3x5 ring dips and ring chin ups to start the coaching process with.

Igal, just about a month ago unlocked all A-Level Skills! One arm chin ups, straddle planche, full front lever, Full range freestanding HSPU, 60 second Handstand Holds, and more. about 3 years into calisthenics. Remember - this is with professional programming and my guidance all throughout. 

*If you are interested in online coaching to gain strength and skills - check out the coaching section.

Gymnastics Code Of Points is the official rule book for professional gymnastics officiating. The COP has gymnastics skills on rings valued and divided to different groups in terms of level of difficulty. The groups are named from A to F; A being the easiest skills, F being the hardest skills.

Bear in mind, most gymnasts agree some skills are easier than others although they are grouped under the same level of difficulty (full front lever and full back lever are both A-level skills). In addition, everyone has their own strength and weaknesses (pushing vs pulling, for instance).

I already mentioned some A Level Skills: floor/Parallel Bar straddle planche, Press to HS, full front lever, full back lever, and more.

Here are some of the more advanced skills on rings. I don't expect you to understand the terminology. You can watch this youtube video instead.

B Level Skills: full planche on floor or PBars, Iron Cross on rings, Straddle planche on rings, 

C Level skills: full planche on rings, Inverted Cross on Rings, V-Cross on rings, Cross press to L-sit on rings, Inverted Muscle Up (elevator on rings)

D Level skills: Maltese on rings, Iron Cross press to Planche on rings, Azarian, Back Lever press to Iron cross, 

E Level skills: Iron Cross press to Maltese, Van Gelders, Victorian, Maltese press to Inverted Cross

F Level skills: Zanettis (back lever press to planche, no momentum), Tulloch 2 (hang straight arm pull to Victorian) and other nasty stuff.

As you can see... We all could easily entertain the rest of your life with gymnastic strength considering the difficulty of the top skills.

When I started training, I didn't have so many reference points to compare myself against. I also didn't know much about calisthenics because information was limited. I saw an old video of Ido Portal in the pouring rain doing a HSPU. I thought it looked cool. It inspired me. I started calisthenics.

I didn't know what a Maltese was, so I wasn't worried about training it. I didn't have social media 24/7 in my face throwing high level athletes at me to comparing myself against. Calisthenics had little exposure back then, and significantly less recreational participants. It was easier for me, in that sense.

Nowadays, it is easy for people to become impatient because social media makes the highly-ambitious seem trivial or easy to achieve. In reality, these are rare feats of human ability.

I wanted to give you an honest, general time frame to work against and also the reassurance YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK. Long lasting, meaningful physical adaptations take time. 

Focus on getting 0.1% better every workout by adding a rep, or any tiny form of progressive overload.  Be patient and apply it over the course of months and years. Soon you will unlock all the super human strength you desire.

Refael.