In this article you will learn what hefesto calisthenics is, its progressions and tips
What is hefesto calisthenics?
The hefesto is an advanced calisthenics movement that, just like muscle up, uses both pushing and pulling muscles. It’s a compound movement that works every muscle group in our body, especially biceps, and requires great shoulder and wrist mobility.
To perform hefesto start in german hang and pull yourself over the bar.
Prerequisites
Hefesto is an advanced calisthenics skill that requires a solid foundation before starting. Otherwise, you won’t see much progress and you can even get injured. I would suggest these prerequisites before starting with hefesto:
- muscle ups – 5 reps
- back lever – 5 seconds hold
Progressions
4 progression to help you master hefesto calisthenics.
Skin the cat
Skin the cat is a transition from passive hang to german hang, which is a starting position of hefesto. It will improve shoulder mobility and build strength in the muscles involved.
Korean dips
Korean dip is an upper part of the hefesto, therefore mastering korean dips is necessary to achieve hefesto
Hefesto negatives
As with any calisthenics exercise, negatives are great progression. Negatives are the downward half of the movement, where you lower yourself from above the bar. Start in the top position of the hefesto and slowly lower yourself down with the slow and controlled movement
Band assisted hefesto
Attach a resistance band to the bar and put it on the feet. With the assistance of the resistance band, the movement pattern is the same but the exercise requires significantly less strength.
Tips
Few tips to help you progress faster
grip width
The grip should be wider than the shoulders, but how wide it depends for everyone. Try different grip widths, and find the one that suits you best. Generally the wider the grip the harder it will be.
Scapula position
Proper scapula activation plays a very important role in hefesto calisthenics. While doing hefesto focus on scapula activation. Learn how to properly control your scapula.
Prevent injury
Hefesto requires great shoulder mobility and puts on them a lot of stress. Be careful while training it. Remember to always warm up before training and to fully recover after.
Variations
If you have already mastered the hefesto you can try these advanced variations.
Back lever hefesto
As the name says it’s hefesto with the back lever as starting position.
Entrada de angel
Much more difficult exercise, although it looks similar. It’s wide grip hefesto with elbows turned inward, which completely changes the difficulty level.
Here you can see the actual difference between wide grip hefesto and etrada de angel