Sam Perkins Academy

Sam Perkins Academy Helping the aspiring functional fitness athlete to level up in the sport

24/09/2026

You’ll never get a BMU if you keep making this mistake

I’ll call it the connect 4 method

I’m not really sure if I was the creator of this, not that it matters, all knowledge is borrowed anyway. But a concept I’ve been refining for a few years now and something I’ve taught both in person & online to athletes

Vertical line ❌- bad - often results in a big chest to bar and not generating enough height on the transition

Horizontal line ❌- real bad - all your weight is under the bar making the transition impossible. Basically a terribly executed hips to bar

A diagonal line ✅✅✅

Balance between weight behind & in front of the bar
Constant tension down allowing the body to rise up as one
Plenty of height required for a smooth transition

This is a really nice way for those of you who struggle to picture what you need to do or what your coach is trying to get you to do

Which is important because understanding & visualising what ‘perfect’ looks like aids application for doing it

And if you found this useful, hit the follow button because I drop bombs like this to help you go from scaled to RX gymnastics all the time

Here’s to another chapter in the epic book that I’m writing about my time here on this big floating rock we call Earth 🌎...
21/09/2026

Here’s to another chapter in the epic book that I’m writing about my time here on this big floating rock we call Earth 🌎

Sam in 2020 starting to post content from his Uni bedroom could not believe the life he’s living right now

Fair play if you make it through all 20 slides, you must either really care about me or just be mad nosey

Time to do my best to make a difference within James Smith | Business Mentorship James Smith

16/09/2026

Everything I’ve been up to in the 2 weeks since I broke my back and had a short hiatus from posting

Enjoy

And follow for more

The 3/30/300, it was fun whilst it lastedA little bit bummed and heavily medicated on pain killers but in the grand sche...
30/08/2026

The 3/30/300, it was fun whilst it lasted

A little bit bummed and heavily medicated on pain killers but in the grand scheme of things I’m all good and there’s worse things going on in the world.

Besides, it’s a diversion not the end of the road, and I bet the views are going to be sick.

25/08/2026

9 lessons on how to get your first BMU from a coach who’s helped 400+ athletes go from scaled to RX

1. Technical changes might feel like a step back initially but if what you’ve been doing hasn’t been working then see them out at least for a few weeks

2. We all learn at different rates and have different backgrounds in training, understand your chapter 1 could be someone else’s chapter 20.

3. the ones who progress quickest and continue to overtime take their time at the beginning to ensure their positions are as good as they can be

4. you can tidy them up over time, getting your first one is often the hardest one you ever do, physically cracking the movement is essential for overcoming a mental block

5. BMU are a lot easier to learn if you have a solid foundation of kipping pull ups, toes to bar and strict strength. Doing them too soon is a really easy to make yourself feel useless

6. if you feel like you’re doing this take a step back from attempting full reps and work on your drills, build the bank of good reps, it doesn’t matter if that’s from a box or a band at the beginning

7. you’ll feel very little progress for weeks and sometimes months and then the session after you say ‘will I ever get these’ you’ll have a breakthrough, stay in the fight.

8. frequency is important, but so is not burning out.

9. Might sound silly to save but saving more ‘3 steps to learning a BMU’ posts might not be the best use of your time if you’re still stuck after months of doing exactly that. There are a few core ones that work really really well, stick with those and develop physical qualities at the same time.

And hit the follow button for more help with going from scaled to RX

20/08/2026

Please don’t make this mistake with kipping gymnastics in 2026

And that’s starting everything from a deadhang position

It is the gymnastics equivalent of of trying to do a pause back squat instead of a regular one

You generate way less power & make it harder to learn how to do the skill efficiently

And it applies to all skills

The only difference is WHERE you start them

For the TTB & BMU start one step behind the bar or wrists underneath it when the arms are out in front

For the PU & C2b start directly underneath

But on both make sure you jump into hollow

And the wall touch drill is all you need to help learn it

This drill mimics the exact position you’re going to start your movement in

Just make sure you are able to land and not move when done correctly

And if you found this useful then hit the follow button for daily help with taking your gymnastics from scaled to RX

19/08/2026

Chalk & Wifi - Episode 1

The series where I take you along on my journey to doing my CFL4 and building my online coaching business

But why go back to in person coaching?

Well firstly I’m not fully back, and certainly not giving up online. Currently I just cover & help out when they need a hand but am looking to gradually pick up more

But when I was in Sydney working over Christmas it made me realise that I’m better online when I work in person, and I’m better in person when I have my online work to do

And because the best coaches I know are the ones who
1. Have or have had an online presence
2. Can also spit serious coaching rizz in a class of 20/30+ full of people from every walk of life

Never just one, both.

And that’s what I’m looking to do

Im in a pretty unique situation to have one of the 🐐s in the game as my good friend & mentor on this journey and I want to make the most of it

I’m not going to coach forever but like anything I try and do w I’m going to do it to the absolute best of my ability

And for me gaining mastery in coaching crossfit specifically requires doing the hours in person, going through the CrossFit certified courses, remaining a student of the game all whilst building my online business

Over the last 6 years I’ve worked with 400+ athletes all around the world which is a crazy sentence but I want to reach more and do it better

So here’s to the chalk & wifi series where I document becoming the best coach I can be, both online & in person

Follow along for more

18/08/2026

6 to 10 Unbroken Ring muscle ups in a session with one change

Ok technically there were 2 changes as we tidied up how he linked his reps together too but that’s for another post

I know of too many people that have fallen through the rings before, thankfully not many have hurt themselves but It’s still dangerous and can stop people from giving them another go despite being very capable

The fall through the rings happens most often when people rely too much on a long and high scoop of the feet to generate height

Which means they have a huge ‘swing’ from underneath to on top of the rings

Which you get away with on the bar because no matter how hard you try it’s probably not going to move

But the rings will.

So grab a PVC pipe

Set it up with a mate or with a box and stack of plates and set it up so it’s around waist height when hanging from the rings or about 4 o clock on a clock face

And then don’t kick it

I like to also use the cue of ‘kick the floor, not the wall’ to help direct an athletes focus towards keeping the feet low and hips high

And if you found this useful hit the follow button for regular help with taking your gymnastics skills from scaled to RX

13/08/2026

Still can’t do a muscle up but know that you’re strong enough?

Then try this 5 step progression that I’ve used with 100s of athletes over the last 6 years of coaching

And if you still can’t do them then follow for daily help with taking your gymnastics from scaled to RX

11/08/2026

Should you bend your legs or keep them straight on toes to bar?

Well it’s not quite that simple as to which one is better

Instead try asking these questions..

Which one is a better choice for the workout you’re doing?

Which one is more efficient?

Which one is quicker?

There’s a time and a place for both and knowing you can execute both is an important part for someone looking to get the most out of their fitness

Personally though I believe the straight leg is the one you should aim to execute in training because of how id you train hard you’ll generally compete easy

The higher mobility requirement and greater compression strength necessary is extremely useful and will in turn help your ability to do the faster bent leg method when you need it

It can’t be said for learning it the other way round

And if you found this useful then make sure to follow for help with taking your gymnastics from scaled to RX

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