Strength benchmarks for tricking

• Deadlift and Squat 2x your body weight


• Bench press 1.25x your body weight.


• Be able to do more than 10 good pullups and 20 good dips

Voila

Striving beyond these benchmarks will get in the way of your tricking.  If you cannot do these benchmarks, then striving to achieve them will be good for your tricking.  The benefits of reaching these benchmarks include better resilience to injury, more explosiveness, improved recovery capacity, more flexibility (since flexibility is dependent on strength), and better extension on tricks (IE - cleaner tricks).  And probably some more stuff too.

Now, don't get too excited about the benefits of strength training for tricking, because they are terminal in my experience.  I noticed that further focus on strength gains past those bench marks I listed above have just gotten in the way of my tricking progress.  I reached those strength bench marks in 2004 when I was 18 years old.  Back track my video uploads and you'll notice my absolute tricking aptitude hasn't improved since then, in fact it's declined.

My advice for pure novice regarding strength for tricking

If you have never done any physical activity in your life and you want to start tricking, by all means get at it!  While you are doing this, I would highly, highly, every-so very highly recommend you get a gym membership and start working on your strength and flexibility too.  You might want to do this first for a few months.  Get used to moving your body.  Reach those bench marks I listed above while you work on your tricks, any untrained person can likely reach them within 2 years of a normal training load.

My advice for tricksters regarding strength for tricking

Unless you are gifted, you will likely find value in reaching those strength goals for the reasons I mentioned above in blue text.  Once you have reached these benchmarks, continue strength training in a remedial manner, as needed for maintaining these benchmarks, rehab and prehab.

My advice for strength traininers who want to learn to trick

If you can't do those bench marks, then reach them already!  And while you work on those numbers, put in some time to learn some tricks.  It's time to get explosive and agile through tricking.  And you should be excited about it too, because tricking is great for strength training.  From my experience, tricking has helped my strength training way more than strength training has helped my tricking.  So get into tricking!

My advice for tricksters who want to get buff

If you've already been tricking for awhile and you want to get buff now, then you need to reach those benchmarks and go beyond them.  You need to be ready for your tricking to be humbled because getting bigger means harder tricks.  You will also need to focus on bodybuilding methodologies (IE - body part split and isolation work).  The work will be harder and you will find that as you get bigger the worse your tricking will get, but if you keep at it intelligently you will balance out in the long run with both beautiful tricks and a bad-ass physique.  This is what Acrobolix is all about, it's not easy, but it's worth it.