Whether you’re the athlete who’s been doing ring rows for three years straight, or you wince every time you see handstand push-ups programmed because you know you’ll be stacking AbMats to the ceiling, this comprehensive series is designed to finally get you moving toward those elusive Rx movements.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll dive deep into every major gymnastics skill that shows up in your workouts, from the kipping pull-up that everyone else seems to make look effortless, to the handstand walk that turns you into a wobbly mess every single time. But this isn’t just another collection of impossible-looking progressions. This series will teach you the systematic approach to breaking down complex skills into manageable pieces, understanding the four foundational pillars that support all gymnastics movements (shapes, tension, flexibility, and strength), and most importantly, how to build real confidence while working toward your first strict pull-up, handstand push-up, or muscle-up.
Each installment will cover not just the movements themselves, but why certain progressions actually work while others keep you stuck in the same place, what you should be practicing outside of class time, and how to modify workouts so you’re actually building the skills instead of just surviving them. You’ll learn when banded assistance is helping you versus when it’s holding you back, how to structure your own practice sessions to accelerate progress, and why understanding the difference between skill work and strength work can revolutionize your training. By the end of this series, you’ll have a clear roadmap from where you are now to eventually hitting those movements Rx, transforming those frustrating workout moments into opportunities to show off skills you never thought you’d master.
This series includes the following posts:
Let’s Talk About Kipping Pull-Ups
Toes-to-Bar Made Simple: The Ultimate Guide to Mastering This Key CrossFit Skill
Get Your First Handstand Push-Up
Stop Wishing, Start Training: How to Finally Get Your Bar Muscle-Up
Mastering the Handstand Walk: Drills, Scaling Options, and Progressions for CrossFit Athletes
How to Get Your First Ring Muscle-Up: Strength, Progressions, and Drills
Butterfly Pull-Ups: Should You Add Them to Your Training?
Mastering CrossFit Gymnastics: How to Build Strength, Stability, and Confidence
About the Author
Pamela Gagnon is the co-creator of Performance Plus Programming and the Get Your First Strict Pull-Up program. She is a four-time Masters CrossFit Games athlete and a former D1 gymnast. As a CF-L2, Gagnon was a lead coach for eight years with the CrossFit Gymnastics Course. She currently writes gymnastics programming for CrossFit Mayhem.
The Complete CrossFit Gymnastics Series