No excuses, accessible to everyone and doable everywhere. Where does the sport come from and what does it stand for? That's what you'll learn in this article.
The origin of Street Workout is not 100% clear, it is argued between Russia and the USA. The sport has been shaped by both nations, for example with pioneers like Hannibal for King or Zef Zakaveli from the USA, who built an impressive physique and immense strength in the Bronx with pull ups, push ups and muscle ups.
The mentality in Street Workout is to master your body and build functional strength. The primary focus is usually not on visual goals as in bodybuilding, but the defined, muscular body is usually a byproduct of training with your own body weight. An athletic physique is strongly beneficial in exercises such as muscle ups or the human flag, as body fat offers no strength advantage and holds back during exercises.
Here is a list of typical "oldschool" exercises in street workout from the early days:
For all the exercises there are many variations that can be used to target new muscle groups or build strength at new angles, e.g. diamond push ups as a variation of normal push ups or neutral grip pull ups as a variation of normal pull ups.
Over time, more and more tools & equipment have found their way into the sport to make it easier to learn exercises like muscle ups or to progress more efficiently through progressive overload on exercises like dips. Today, the basic equipment of every athlete includes resistance bands, a dip belt, liquid chalk or parallettes.
Weighted Calisthenics - Training with extra weight allows more to train for maximum strength and the strength gain is not only through more or slow repetitions.
Popular equipment: wrist wraps, workout rings, elbow sleeves and dip belts.
Freestyle Calisthenics - Possibly the most handsome version of our sport with parallels to gymnastics or parkour. Impressive dynamic & static movements to music using simple equipment like pull up bar, parallel bars & parallettes.
Popular equipment: wrist wraps, chalk and special gloves.
Endurance Calisthenics - The focus on many repetitions, mostly using only your own bodyweight. Impressive sets and progressions of muscle ups, dips and pull ups and building strength endurance.
Popular equipment: liquid chalk, special gloves, workout rings and dip belts.
Statics - Static holds and learning skills like front levers, planches and more. Maximum body tension and strong joints for impressive holds of seemingly impossible exercises.
Popular equipment: liquid chalk, tape for better grip, resistance bands, parallettes & rings.
Without the influences of athletes from the US and Russia, the sport would not be where it is today. Street Workout has brought individuals the opportunity to live their passion, be creative and push their own limits.
For us, Street Workout means freedom. Creativity. Being in a supportive community. The removal of excuses. Passion. And the will to keep growing.
To give the sport the recognition it deserves, we're launching the new Street Workout Collection in January 2022 with new pieces for men & women who want to represent their lifestyle.
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GORNATION was founded in 2015 in Germany, and has steadily grown to unite over 100.000 calisthenics athletes all over the world. Our mission is to provide the best possible Calisthenics Equipment & Clothing. By working with professional athletes we develop exactly what you need to maximize your training and reach your personal achievements. We’re passionate about the products we offer, tailored for your calisthenics workout and thereby embodying our philosophy; developed by athletes, for athletes.