The Naked Warrior

It works! My physical strength is up!! I feel good. I have more POWER.
I am a pioneer missionary in Thailand, I am constantly on the look out for simple and totally effective methods on how to improve life. I learned a lot from this book! Thumbs up. I have myself discovered "secrets" how to improve my life, I have written two Kindle books myself: one on gum disease (An Amazing Alternative Treatment for Periodontal Disease) and one on the, as I describe them, best body deodorant in the world (ALL THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT CRYSTAL DEODORANT). So, as an expert on real life secrets and improvements I can tell: I LOVE THIS BOOK!

I have done standard weight lifting for over 35 years. Pavel has some strange exercises which just don't make sense to do and it appears you could get hurt from doing the exercises. It's like he makes up exercises. I learned more off the internet with standard kettlebell exercises. I recommend Scott Laidler's ab workout online, the hybridathlete.com FTS kettlebell program but I won't do some of the warmups and I plan on modifying the program a little and 22 kick-____ kettlebell exercises by Laura Schwecherl online. these are all free.

I tried to follow the ideas faithfully, but didn't get much out of it. After about a month of daily exercise I somewhat improved my pistols, but had zero progress with pushups. When I went back to my usual HIIT training, I began making real progress again. My conclusion is that to be fit you simply need to exercise as much as possible and push yourself as hard as possible. There's no cheat way around this. Pain and soreness is OK, and it does indicate progress.

I am also uneasy about the constant references to this mysterious Russian/Soviet thing in the book. I mean, come on, Russia is just one large country with a turbulent history, not an alien world inhabited by some tough bearded blokes throwing around their kettlebells.

I followed the instructions in the book and got to the point of being able to to 12 one armed pushups in a row, and 5 one legged squats. The programme made me marvelously strong and I'm thrilled that it uses no equipment whatsoever, so I can do it no matter where I am, including in other countries or outside. It is a work of genius. The exercises feel very nice if you do them in the proper gentle progressions you are supposed to do them, and you get stronger and stronger and more and more fit! These two exercises almost replace an entire gym filled with equipment. Three parts of your body that they don't develop are the lower back, the calves, and the lats. The book recommends you find some way to do chinups and something resembling deadlifts or cleans a few times a week. I had no problem finding something useable as a chinup bar and some heavy object to pick up and set down repeatedly. There is no one perfect workout routine, but this one certainly grants enormous strength and it does so with no equipment at all and a very modest time commitment. BRILLIANT! and FUN!

I'm about 100kg in weight. Doing a one arm pushup loads about 70kg onto my one arm, which means that it is like doing 140kg bench-like press with two arms. That's frankly a lot of weight being pressed by me, and it uses zero equipment, can be done ANYWHERE, and it's within reason perfectly SAFE, unlike a bench press which can be dangerous if you drop it on yourself. Also, unlike the bench press, the one arm pushup exercises a whole chain of muscles through your abs down to your toes!

I do recognize the kind of criticisms other reviewers have noted about the overly verbose nature of the book, self-promotion etc, but at the end of the day what matters is that I have been convinced of the value of doing one armed pushups and one legged squats, and I am in GREAT shape because of it! These exercises trim the body down beautifully while making it super strong.

I'm just thrilled with this method!

Also, to respond to those reviewers claiming that Pavel says that this is "THE WAY" to workout, well, frankly, he does NOT do that. He actually mentions many other exercises and programmes and other coaches and systems with approval. What "The Naked Warrior" is, is a simple, two exercise programme that takes very little time out of your day, that you can do anywhere, anytime, to become very strong even though Pavel clearly points out that it has to miss certain important things like pulling strength.

I really enjoy all the ancient Greco-Roman statues and images in the book to sell the idea of the ancient bodyweight way of training.

None of this stuff was every really forgotten, but it's nice in our convoluted modern age to see someone put the wisdom of the ancients back on our bookshelves and into our living rooms.

I love the book. Thank you Pavel!

This book teaches--and teaches very well, I might add--two exercises: the One-Armed Pushup and the Pistol (One-Legged Squat). That's it. Don't expect more because there isn't any more. These are good exercises though and fairly difficult ones and, as some reviewers have pointed out, most people won't be able to do them at first. Of course. Why would you buy a book or start a program if you could already do everything in it? Pavel does gives you good progressions to get there and, perhaps more importantly, good tips and advice to carry over into other strength regimens. So far, so good.

On the negative side, Pavel is not as clear as he should be that this is meant to be a short-term program, something you do for a little while, to get a skill/strength boost before returning to some more conventional regimen. I'd say two weeks is about right. Beyond that, there is a risk of repetitive stress injury and, as Pavel admits, other essential movements left untrained.

So, if you're looking for what this book offers--mastery of two good exercises and some tips and philosophy to apply to other programs--then buy it; it does do what it says it will do. On the other hand, if you want something more comprehensive and long-term, look elsewhere.

Finally, as almost all the other reviewers have pointed out, the book is very expensive, given what it is and what it contains. This is true for all of Pavel's and all of Dragon Door's products. I bought my copy of Naked Warrior at a used book store for eight bucks and I'm glad I did. I think I'd be a lot less happy with the purchase if I'd paid full price.

Beginners may be "disappointed" that The Naked Warrior does not list countless sets, reps and routines. But herein lies the main reason why most beginners remain beginners. The main message Pavel gets across is that your strength will only increase past the beginner level if you make your training, whether with weights or without; a practice and not a workout. The secret is to progressively increase your contractile force, not exhaust yourself. This is the best advice. And it is not a spoiler to anyone wanting to get this book; there is much more detail on how exactly do this with only two simple "bodyweight power-lifts" which, when exploited will strengthen and build your body way beyond even the strongest men. If you also apply his serious instruction to dead lifts, dips and chins etc, then you will truly become a superman. I give this book a full five stars for it's cutting to the chase and giving the strength enthusiast fresh yet fundamental information that you will not find anywhere else in this "fitness-crazed" yet still clueless fitness & bodybuilding pretty boy and girl book market. BONUS: and I use this little known secret (I wonder if anyone else read between the lines on this one) on myself and my clients to great advantage: one limbed "lifts" once broken in, can be trained hard as one rests an injured limb- great way to get the "knock-on-effect" when you would otherwise lose months of productive strength training or muscle mass. Brilliant if I may say so myself!

I purchased the Naked Warrior so I could get back into strength training after a grade 2 separated shoulder. The whole idea was to have a simple no excuses strength regime to get the whole left side of my body (the side which I broke my shoulder on) as strong as my right with the two unilateral exercises in the book. Although typical bodybuilding logic would question how these two "circus exercises" would strengthen anyone, after practicing the progressions to these moves I have found the total body tension and breathing techniques taught by Pavel (my new hero) to be useful in every type of exercise I engaged in. Even pull-ups (which are neglected in this program) were stronger for me because I learned how to engage all the musculature of my body properly with these two simple - but extremely difficult exercises.

This book is not just about callisthenics, the techniques taught in it are applicable to all strength sports. Would highly recommend anyone who is interested in getting stronger to read this book!

Pavel is pretty hyped up in the Strength & Conditioning world. He's got good credentials and, more importantly, a great gimmick. The whole Evil Russian thing gets them in by the truckload. I, for one, am happy enough to see Pavel enjoying the fruits of capitalism.

Aside from all the marketing drivel, Pavel's onto something with this book. It's all about the one armed pushup and one legged squat. Two great exercises which are very hard to master, but fantastically useful in your program.

What I like most about this book is the details on how to progress to the point where you can perform the exercises. This is a subject that I haven't seen adequately covered before.

From here, Pavel shows variations which he contends make for a whole body workout. I don't know about the WHOLE body, but he comes close. He also makes good points about the use of tension and how relatively ineffective calithenic exercises with high reps are.

This is a good book, but loses points due to high price and incessant marketing drivel.

Pavel's naked warrior is an absolute goldmine of information. Some people may be disappointed that the book does not cover dozens or hundreds of different exercises. Pavel's book covers only 2 exercises: the one-handed pushup and the one-legged squat. However, the other information surrounding it is absolutely golden.

I'm a very inquisitive and analytical person. I like to know why I'm doing what I'm doing. If I don't understand why, I won't do it. Pavel tells you WHAT to do, and WHY it works.

His idea of greasing the groove alone should be worth triple the price of this book. To give you an idea, I implemented greasing the groove for pushups, and went from being able to do only about 35 up to 71 in a matter of 4 weeks. I implemented greasing the groove with deadlifts, and went from a 1RM of 280 up to 325 in about 6 weeks.

I can not say enough good things about this book.

Pavel is controversial. Some people love him and some hate him. Pavel's book really delivers results that other books don't! I have experienced gains in strength and flexiblity. If you can do a one legged squat while holding a 20-40lbs weight on your chest, then don't buy this book. If you want to be truly strong not just look strong BUY THIS BOOK!

One reviewer suggested that you look up the 2 exercises on the net and start doing them. Well, if it were only that easy!!

What Pavel offers is.....1# SERIOUS TIPS starting from couch potato strength to being able to do these very hard exercises. I go to a gym and the pro's(with exercise science degrees)there can't even do them. These exercises are tough really tough. My advice is stick with it, don't rush be patient, it will take a few months or maybe longer. Use the props like a box or bench to assist strength development.

2# He is able to communicate deep internal muscular control without sounding new agey. That alone makes this book very valuable, especially for the martial artist. For a martial artist doing Sanchin kata, T'ai Chi or Yoga ,you will be taken to a level that most teachers don't teach or don't know.

3# He also imparts many exercise science concepts into plain English. Which again is amazing since he is Russian. I have learned many concepts like proprioception, antagonist muscles and many others. Not only do you learn these terms but he teaches you how to directly apply them to your training. I have no time to sift through a scientific textbook to pull out these concepts.

Maybe I am a slow learner but The large print and repetitive bullit points really help beat these concepts into your head.
So I love the format of the book. One reason I decided to review this book was after 6 months of owning it I kept coming to reread it and marking it up with my pen.

Pavel's whole philosophy towards exercise is NOT mindless repetitions of any exercise it is about increasing your sensitivity of learning. Getting stronger through Building skill. He does use his concepts over in other videos and book. His philosophy is widely applicable to many types of training thus extremely effective and efficient.

Good Luck

Learn about Positve support neural networking in your hands and feet. Learn why it's important to train without wearing gloves and shoes (or flat Chuck Taylors). Learn how to breath properly and learn how to "Zip up" your body to create relaxed tension. Further your knowledge with Pavel's excellent training method. Also get "Enter the Kettlebell: Stength Secrets of the Soviet Supermen." Book/DVD.

Pavel's latest is really an elaboration on earlier principles explored in his other books, but applied here to only two body weight exercises. Principles that were introduced in ptp such as body tension and power breathing are explored more indepth here. The book isn't long, but you wouldn't want anymore info to digest, because what it talks about is very focused and complex. What's here is more than worth the measley 40 bucks. I've done matt furey's combat conditioning hindu squats/pushups and gotten good results, but eventually my joints started to click in ways that I wasn't going to be able to work through, and I was never able to perform the 1 leg squat, even though I could do a couple hundred reps straight. After applying the nw principles I was able to fire off five full pistons (1 leg squats) after a couple of days. Don't make the mistake of assuming that since you know the two exercises revealed in the book that it would pointless to buy it. The exercises really only serve as a teaching device for the principles.

This book is great for someone that is looking for a mental edge and new approach to training, using only the bare essentials.

High rep pull-ups and push-ups were getting boring and counter productive. I did not feel strong. Moreover, I felt worn out. I was looking for something new.

I Googled an article on how to max the USMC pull-up test. The author's recommendation was to do a set a day of pull-ups. The set should be about 75% of the total number that you could do. After a few weeks I add another rep. This worked well for two six week periods. Each time I would get to about 14 reps a day, but after about 6 weeks my body needed something new (I would max out at about 22 reps).

The author kept mentioning someone by the name of Pavel and something called "Greasing the Grove". It sounded interesting, so I dug around and found this book, "The Naked Warror".

The things I like most about this book:

1. Greasing the Grove is an excellent way to build strength quickly without burning-out the muscles;

2. Tension = Strength - the analogy to a tow-truck pulling a car out of the ditch was illuminating;

3. The story about Pavel's father-in-law doing multiple pull-up sets of 5 reps through each day, resulting in a new PR of 20 was very interesting to me;

4. The One Arm Push-up - a great way to develop strength throughout the body;

5. The brief bit on the Door Pull-ups - should have used these in the past instead of missing a workout because of no pull-up bar.

The things I do not like about the book:

1. The Navy Seal Dive-Bombers - never liked them that much;

2. Pavel should have included a pure pull-up write up - he teases us with the story of his father-in-law and the door pull-ups at the end of the book, but why not go into more details about how one could set a new PR or do one-armed pull-ups.

The results have good so far. I have been able to do one-arm pushups, but do mostly assisted one-arm pushups (incline or on the floor hanging onto something) in order to develop the body to handle the stress better. I have even tried doing the pistols. Not sure if I have the right body type or flexibility to pull the pistols off. I will probably get back into sumo-dead lifting. I have been working towards a one-arm pull-up. Expect to do one before the end of the year. Will also try the multiple pull-up sets of 5 reps eventually to see if I can set a new PR. I feel fresher and stronger since going on the Naked Warrior Program.

I liked the book enough that I will be buying my brother one for Christmas. Would like to see Pavel come out with a book on pull-ups.

I have always been something of a scrawny weakling. Actually for many years I have hated my body with a passion. My father gave me this book one day and in a very short amount of time that changed. I have strength comparable to that of men over twice my size. I have even outperformed men much larger than myself in the amount of weight I can lift. I cannot wait to get more of Pavel's books and videos. You have got to get this book! There is no equipment needed for the training you will get in this book.

The results are staggering! I'm so impressed with the simplicity and the brilliance of Pavel's program. The guidelines and the diagrams make this course complete. The value of being in super condition has been vital for my business success and for my sense of well being. The investment in this book was one of the best fitness investments I've ever made. Anyone looking for the secrets of the super strong need not look any further than The Naked Warrior.

Many have written about training for strength, few have done it as well as Comrade Pavel. I have read other reviews that fault his testomonials, yet this is a proven formulae among self help books. It shows that others have done what you wish to do. I remember when the 4 minute mile was said to be humanly impossible, yet after 1 person ran it it became almost common place. Reading what an expert can do is one thing. Reading how ordinary folks like yourself have followed the experst plan and achieved the goals you strive for is quite another.

I have also found reviewers that cited the lack of many exercises as a negative. Yet the 2 he uses are superior body strength training tools. No where does he say don't practice any other exercises, I incorporated his two along with my regular practice. (Weight training, running and martial arts) You will note the term I use and that Pavel introduces in the book "practice" instead of work out. There are many reasons for that.....but you need to read the book and discover them for yourself.

All in all the book is a very good one for the person who is serious about getting strong.

This was my first book by Pavel. I accidentally happened upon it in a bookstore and bought a copy for a friend. Naturally; I read it first, decided to keep it, and bought a second copy as the gift. The excersizes are tough; but they improve balance, total body tension, and useful strength. A chronic shoulder injury is currently retarding my progress in the one armed push up, but the principles in "The Naked Warrior", "Power to the People", and "Relax into Stretch" are helping me with other excersizes that I can do despite my rotator cuff tear. I have found the deadlift especially rewarding. There is some overlap in each of these books, but each of them have been undeniably instrumental in my motivation, technique and continued strength gains.

I've always performed exercises blindly, just doing what everyone else does. However, in this book, Pavel explains the importance of technique and paying attention to every detai. This knowledge enabled me to have greater focus and stresses me to ask questions whenever I am working out. Am I tensing the body correctly? Am I performing full muscle contraction for every rep? With the correct mindset, the possibilities are endless when it comes to strength training.
Pavel only focuses on two exercises in this book, the one arm pushup and pistols. If you are looking for a wide range of exercises to do, this is not for you. However, the ones he chooses are two core exercises which should NOT be neglected in any workout.

As a very busy mother of two and entrepreneur Pavel's "The Naked Warrior" is a godsend to me. I don't often have long breaks during the day to exercise but I know how important it is. Thanks to this book, I have tons of new exercises I can do in minutes between emails. Pavel covers nuances of positions to get the most out of each exercise too. I can tell proper execution of exercise is important to him...so I feel safe doing all of the exercises I've tried so far. Forget exercise trends. This book is destined to be a classic.

Another in depth, myth-busting book on fitness and strength training from Pavel Tsatsouline. It's always a pleasure to read his unique, well researched books.
I encountered a lot of new training ideas I'd never seen anywhere else before and am looking forward to trying some of them out. It's great to have tested, proven strength training routines that don't depend on expensive equipment or trips to the gym. Pavel is a great antidote to the steroid pumped ego-maniacs who pose as strength training experts.

The formatting is terrible. There are spaces within words. Words don't have spaces between them. There are graphics that seem to come out of no where that I couldn't identify. I contacted the store about it, they said they would call me back but did not. Oh, and they removed my first review of this book.

In my opinion, besides "Beyond Bodybuilding", this book is the best "value for money" by Pavel so far. Two hundred something pages are saturated with information. Explanations on how and why are thorough and comprehensive. Description of techniques of exercises are not missing the smallest detail. Highly recommended for training freaks.

I continue to be amazed, several month after reading Naked Warrior, at just how effective the exercises in it are while not requiring any equipment at all. I've had to cut back on my ab work since incorporating the one-legged squat as shown in Naked Warrior because it taxes my midsection so thoroughly! And my performance on pullups, an exercise mentioned only in passing in Naked Warrior, has also improved - the techniques given in Naked Warrior can be applied to any endeavor in which strength is important.
If your goal is to become stronger, this is a book you should read - enough said.

Finally there's a way to exercise without buying a ton of expensive equipment, travelling with a gym, or needing to find a gym. All you need is YOU. This is what the ancient Greeks and Romans did to look like gods. I'm sure it's good enough for you and me today. HIGHY reccomended. - Joe Vitale [...]

This program is elegant in it's simplicity and effectiveness. I've been on the road for the past 2 months all over Asia. This program was my core workout program during that time. I could literally do it anywhere since no specail equipment was needed and was able to increase the difficulty of the program as I got stronger. I've seen many approaches to training but Pavel has a gift for givng you the raw meat that gets result.

Like most Pavel's Dragon Door products, this program is big on hype and skimpy on substance. What could be a great program for natural strength, amounts to little in the way of routines, explanations and big on fluff, pictures and advertisements.

Furthermore, I question the safety of the 'pistols' one legged squat, regardless of one's age (and definitely not for those of us over 50!). Be especially careful of his advocating holding one's breath during the lift (ValSalva technique)! This reduces venous return to the heart and will increase arterial blood pressure dangerously!

Save your money and get Jeff Martone's Pullups for Tactical Athletes, or Steve Maxwell's 300 Workout.

I bought this book along with John Petersons Pushing Yourself To Power. I have to say I greatly prefer PYTP.

The Good

An excellent section on muscle control, breathing, "the corkscrew" zipping up.

I found the desrciptions helpful in guiding my muscles. They work.

The Bad

The book is full of annoying repetition of statements and huge type! I absolutely hate the number of times something is written in a paragraph, blown up into an enormous title/caption on the next page and then summarized all in about 2 pages. This book could of easily been half the number of pages it is.

The one arm pushup and the pistol are not for beginners! You really need to already be in decent shape before you start on the path to doing these exercises.

I plan on returning to this book in the future when my body is in better shape (I am about 35 lbs overweight- Currently 5' 6" 180 lbs.) I want to make it clear that I have no doubt that these exercises are effective, just don't get the book and plan on being able to do them the next day.

In conclusion- good info, bad book layout. Pushing yourself to power is much better for bodyweight exercises in my opinion.

Although a good treatise on one arm pushups and one leg squats, this "book" is really nothing more than a "pamphlet" with VERY big pictures and VERY big letters. Dowse this lack of content with some "secret Soviet Spetznaz" hoo-ha and you have an instant hit for the low, low price of.......well you get the picture. Oh, and if that is not enough hoo-ha, there are plenty of pages dedicated to all of the other "secret soviet" programs that Pavel peddles for ridiculous amounts of money. Unless you are simply a die-hard Pavel fan, your cash would be better spent on.....lets see...anything.

Until now, almost every book about bodyweight training has to deal with high-rep pushups, pullups or lunges. That's great for conditioning, but what about developing strength?
Pavel nailed the idea of improving strength with bodyweight training. He gives lots of tips on technique and dozens of exercise variations. It's a book every trainer, coach and athlete should have on their bookshelf!

...the book, as many have noted, is pricey. The other thing that bothered me was the tone. Pavel more than occasionally dismisses other perspectives in the most childish ways, referring to preferences for "pink dumbbells" and making declarations like, "Go get a manicure" to "effeminate" people who apparently don't train correctly. Can we be interested in improving our bodies without acting childish?

If you are looking for the ultimate in strength gain this book is for you! The Naked Warrior delivers high potent information on ancient techniques for maximum strength development. Pavel succeeds like no one ever has in organizing and explaining the amazing ways of how to amplify your strength and power. The lost secrets of strength, told by "the Evil Russian" can now be yours and you do NOT want to miss it. You too can be a Hero and Pavel will show you how!!

I give my highest recommendations to The Naked Warrior and Pavel Tsatsouline- You might as well learn from the best!

Get 'Convict Conditioning: How to Bust Free of All Weakness--Using the Lost...
Paul Wade'. This was a waste of read and doesn't even compare to Paul's simple but well organized text and illustrations