Bodyweight Exercise Challenges

In this thread, we will list various different body weight exercises divided by tiers of difficulty. With each exercise there will be a current record held by anyone on this forum. This will give some initiative to surpass your current limitations and work to beat the current record.

This is something that could be a lot of fun, judging by the competitive nature of a lot of people here.

The main reason I chose bodyweight exercises is because it's something everyone can compete it, regardless of experience or weight class. It's something we're all capable of doing.



1. No cheating - There will be instructional videos added for each exercise to give you the exact form to follow.

2. Prove it - If you're planning on competing at an exercise to top the current record holder, you'll need some type of video proof. Nowadays, most people if not everyone has a phone with the capability of taking video. If you're worried about privacy, you can upload the video to YouTube as unlisted and send the video to either Reach, Reincarnate or Myself. We will update the current leader upon viewing the video. Otherwise, you can feel free to just post your achievements here. It's all in good fun regardless of what you choose to do.

3. Keep it civilized - Obviously this is going to be competitive. Discussions can be had, but please keep it civilized.

4. Standards - Static holds should be held for at least 10 seconds with perfect form for them to count. e.g. no you can't planche if you throw yourself up in the air, bend your knees 2 seconds in and then flail around and hit the ground 1 second later.

Any of the repetition exercises, I think 2 clean full ROM reps should be done with good form. The second one to demonstrate mastery.

Oh, and finally: Rings > Floor > Bar when it comes to the difficulty of these moves. Obviously all three are acceptable but someone doing a harder variation will take position over an easier variation.

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

Tier 4

Tier 5

Tier 6

Tier 7

Tier 8

The leader for each exercise will be updated when it actually applies. As of right now, there are none. Will work on either hotlinking YouTube videos on each exercise, or embedding the youtube videos directly into the thread when I have a little more time. Until then, feel free to use Google to find a demonstration of each exercise.

This list was created in consultation with a gymnast. If you think some of the items are out of order feel free to critique the list.

If you have any other bodyweight to add to this list, throw them in the responses. One of us will update and associate each added exercise to the appropriate tier of difficulty.

However, note that philsophically this list was created with STRENGTH as the primary factor in determining the tiers. Skill and balance are always factors, but strength is key in being able to progress through this list. Moves that require more skill / balance than strength were purposely left out of the list (e.g. I will not be adding things like walking handstands. Yes, they're hard but not because they require a lot of strength to do).

Finally, I want to emphasize that this is for FUN, so stay safe and don't feel pressured into trying higher tier moves before you're ready. Most people will take months to get to Tier 3+ and to reach higher tiers it can take years of practice.