Overcoming Gravity is Steven Low’s guide to bodyweight and gymnastics strength training. It is a nearly 600-page manual that teaches you how to build your own routine, not a single workout plan to copy. If you want to learn calisthenics in a structured way, it is one of the most complete books available. It is also long, dense, and not right for everyone.

What Is Overcoming Gravity?

Overcoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength is a training book by Steven Low, a former gymnast and coach. According to his official site, he holds a BS in Biochemistry and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.

The book’s main idea is education. Instead of handing you one fixed program, it shows you how to pick exercises, organize training, progress safely, and adapt a routine to your goals.

It also helps to know what the book is not:

• It is not a guide to cartwheels, tumbling, swings, or giants. The author says these skills are not covered.
• It is not a simple “follow this exact plan” program for beginners.
• It is not a manual for competitive rings routines.

What Does the Second Edition Include?

The second edition covers bodyweight strength, gymnastics-inspired progressions, routine building, mobility, prehabilitation, and injury management. It also includes strength physiology, exercise technique, skill work, and sample routines.

Here are the main parts:

• Methods of Progression: a new chapter on how to make bodyweight exercises harder over time.
• Routine construction: how to build a plan around your goal.
• Skill and strength training: how to train each one without wrecking your recovery.
• Mobility and prehabilitation: work for the wrists, elbows, shoulders, and more.
• Injury management: guidance on common bodyweight-training injuries.

Who Should Read Overcoming Gravity?

The book is written for beginner, intermediate, and advanced trainees, but it suits people who want to understand programming. If you only want a short daily routine, its size may feel like too much.

Beginners can use it, but they need patience. Intermediate trainees often get the most value, since they know the basics and want a clear way to break through a plateau. Advanced athletes can use the charts and programming ideas to plan long-term skill goals. General fitness readers can borrow the routine structure even if they never chase a planche.

What Skills Can You Train?

The progression charts cover handstands, handstand push-ups, planche, front lever, back lever, and elbow levers. They also include pulling, pushing, core, and leg movements. Steven Low’s charts draw mainly on the FIG Code of Points categories and adapt them for bodyweight strength.

Readers also use the book for the one-arm chin-up and ring training. The second edition added more leg exercises to its charts.

How Do Overcoming Gravity Progression Charts Work?

The charts list exercises from easier to harder so you can find a starting point and move up step by step. They are guides, not promises about how fast you will improve.

To choose a starting point, pick the hardest progression you can do with:

1. Steady technique.
2. Controlled range of motion.
3. No pain.
4. Enough reps or hold time.
5. Results you can repeat across sets.

Do not pick an exercise just because it looks close to your dream skill. Body proportions, mobility, and strength ratios can make one move much easier or harder for you than for someone else. Treat the chart as a map, not a rigid ladder.

How Do You Build a Routine With the Book?

Start with one or two clear goals, then build a balanced plan around pushing, pulling, legs, and core. The sample routines are templates for structure, not programs to copy exactly.

Here is a simple way to begin:

1. Read the introduction and principles.
2. Choose your goals.
3. Check the matching progression chart.
4. Learn the routine structure.
5. Start with a small number of movements.
6. Add mobility and prehabilitation slowly.
7. Return to the programming chapters when progress stalls.

Do skill practice first, while you are fresh. Do strength work afterward. Then log your sets, reps, holds, and how hard each session felt.

Is Overcoming Gravity Good for Beginners?

Yes, but with a plan. The second edition is organized for beginner, intermediate, and advanced readers. Still, nearly 600 pages can feel heavy on day one.

Try a three-stage reading path:

• First week: principles, goals, and basic movement choices.
• First month: routine building and progression.
• Later: periodization, plateau fixes, and advanced skill work.

If you want a fixed workout right now, a simple beginner program may be a better first step.

Is the Second Edition Worth Buying?

For most new readers, yes. The official site presents the second edition as the current version, and you do not need the first edition to use it. If you already own the first edition, the upgrade makes sense if you want clearer programming and the newer chapter on progression.

Steven Low’s site reports a rating above 4.8 out of 5 from more than 1,700 reviews. Keep in mind that this is an author-site claim, not an independently checked number. Reviews also cannot tell you if the book fits your goals.

What Is the Difference Between the First and Second Editions?

The second edition is longer, clearer, and more complete. The author says it grew from about 165,000 words to nearly 250,000.

Factor	First edition	Second edition
Published	2011	2016
Length	About 542 pages	Nearly 600 pages
Programming	Foundational	Expanded and reorganized
Progression chapter	Not a separate chapter	New Methods of Progression chapter
Charts	Earlier version	Revised, with added leg exercises
Illustrations	Earlier version	Upgraded 2D-to-3D art
Beginner guidance	More limited	Expanded, beginner to advanced

Page counts vary by source. The author’s site lists 598 pages, while Open Library lists 583. Both are likely due to format or cataloguing differences.

What Equipment Do You Need?

You can start with very little, but some skills need gear. Floor work, walls, and resistance bands cover many early steps. A pull-up bar adds a lot of options.

Rings and parallettes help with skills like planche and front lever. Weighted vests and dip belts matter mainly for advanced work. Use only stable, safe equipment. Unstable household objects are not a safe stand-in.

Common Mistakes When Using the Book

The biggest mistake is treating it like a quick-fix program. Others include:

• Starting with advanced skills too soon.
• Ignoring scapular positioning.
• Training only pushing moves and skipping legs and pulling.
• Using too much volume too early.
• Practicing skills when already exhausted.
• Copying a routine without adapting it.
• Buying the first edition by accident.

How Can You Avoid Plateaus and Injuries?

Manage fatigue, keep good form, and step back when something hurts. If you stall, review your technique, recovery, weekly volume, and rest periods. Sleep, food, and stress count as training factors too.

Reduce the range, load, or difficulty if a move causes pain. Sharp or lasting pain needs a qualified clinician. The book covers injury management, but it cannot diagnose you.

For extra context, the March 2026 ACSM resistance-training update reviewed 137 systematic reviews and more than 30,000 participants. It stressed individual plans, consistency, and matching load and volume to your goal. It suggested about 80% of 1RM for 2–3 sets when training for strength, and around 10 weekly sets per muscle group for hypertrophy. These are general resistance-training guidelines, not rules from Overcoming Gravity.

Where Can You Buy Overcoming Gravity?

You can buy the paperback through Amazon and some climbing gyms, or the official digital edition from Steven Low’s store. The digital edition comes in PDF and ePUB and was listed at $29.99 when checked. Prices change, so confirm before you buy.

To make sure you have the second edition, check the details:

• ISBN: 0990873854
• ISBN-13: 9780990873853
• Publisher: Battle Ground Creative

Skip unauthorized PDF copies. The official digital edition is the safe, legal route.

Overcoming Gravity Pros and Cons

It is a deep, useful reference, but it asks a lot from the reader.

Pros	Cons
Very comprehensive	Long and dense
Teaches programming principles	Not a short follow-along plan
Includes progression charts	Advanced skills can take years
Suits multiple levels	Some exercises need equipment
Covers injury management	Does not replace clinical care
Includes sample routines	Not a full artistic gymnastics manual

Conclusion

Overcoming Gravity is best seen as a full education and programming reference for bodyweight and gymnastics strength. It is not a single universal routine, and it is not an artistic gymnastics manual. If you want to understand how to train, it is worth serious consideration.

FAQs

Is Overcoming Gravity a complete workout program?
Not exactly. It has sample routines, but its main goal is to teach you how to build and adjust your own.

Does it cover artistic gymnastics?
No. It covers gymnastics-strength movements and bodyweight progressions. The author excludes cartwheels, tumbling, swings, and giants.

Is the second edition standalone?
Yes. The author states you do not need the first edition.

Is there an official PDF or ePUB?
Yes. Steven Low’s store lists an official PDF/ePUB digital edition.

Can the book help with a front lever or planche?
Yes. Its charts include front lever and planche progressions. These skills can take a long time, and no fixed timeline applies to everyone.

Is it better than free online resources?
It is more organized and in-depth, but free resources can offer visual demos and community feedback. Many people use both.