“Never stop Learning. Never stop Growing.” Listen to Kon’s Advice

by | Mar 3, 2017 | Uncategorized


The Movement Athlete is a tribe of people from all walks of life. We’ve developed a series to introduce athletes who were eager to share their journey with you.

Sign up here if you want to be kept informed of the most recent Calisthenics Academy Athletes story.

Kon

Mohammed, nicknamed Kon, is a flight cabin crew member from Egypt. When he’s not taking care of his elderly parents, he’s traveling the world on one of the most challenging work schedules you’ll encounter. It’s completely unpredictable, changing from one month to the next!

Geneva Airport .. here I come ? #crewlife #switzerland #geneva #airport #fly #job #cabincrew #photooftheday

A post shared by Mohamed Emam Yousef (KoN) (@kforkon) on

“We never stop learning. We never stop growing. Time passes anyway so let it pass while you do something you love and enjoy the benefits sooner than if you would keep pushing your dreams till tomorrow comes.”

Kon’s story is one of personal challenge and tremendous growth. “I started out as an obese kid with bad habits in regards to food or activity whatsoever.”

At a young age, he knew that he wasn’t happy with his body. He began extreme dieting,  walking and moving more, and successfully lost a lot of weight.

As he learned more about fitness and health, he adapted his program. He chose to focus on bodyweight training as an affordable alternative to a gym membership. In the beginning, he trained anywhere he could. “[I] didn’t have a bar and was using a tree instead.”

Without consistency, you can’t succeed

At first, his training didn’t yield results. He just wasn’t working out regularly enough. So he decided to join a gym after all.

“It was the go-to place for building a good physique.” Wanting to incorporate bodyweight exercises into his gym routine, he discovered calisthenics. “I fell in love with it and watching all these skills being performed and the freedom these people had controlling their bodies was amazing.”

Kon was fascinated by his body’s newfound capabilities. The functional strength that calisthenics brought him was so impressive, he decided to stop going to the gym for a while to focus exclusively on training in calisthenics. “I remember starting out I couldn’t even do 1 dip without falling.”

Discovering Calisthenics Academy refocused his workouts

The entire time that Kon tried to create his own program, he struggled with consistency. In fact, even after quitting the gym, the results he’d hoped to get weren’t happening. So he kept moving back and forth between traditional fitness and calisthenics, never really experiencing the benefits of either.

When he discovered Calisthenics Academy, Kon finally managed to find focus and structure where there was none before.

“The discipline acquired from following such a journey is amazing and has benefited me in many aspects in my life. I have improved both physically and mentally and enjoy the freedom of movement my body has to offer and believe that much more is coming!!“

It’s helped him get and stay motivated about his workouts. “My results are good but i will never be satisfied until i achieve mastery of skills. It is a long process and requires a lot of patience and hard work. I will get there no matter how long it takes.”

He believes that everyone should experience the beauty of bodyweight training and calisthenics.

“Calisthenics it’s a life-changing activity and as I enjoy the benefits, I would like others to see the beauty in it too.”

His transition wasn’t easy…

He struggled with consistency and the real challenge of calisthenics. But he knew that the struggle was only his first level of resistance. And so he persevered.

“Like anything new in our life, our bodies will resist change. So if it’s something you have not been doing before and decided to do it, you will not adapt overnight. However that seems to be the case for the majority of us. We weren’t born into the gym room. So we all have to start somewhere.”

However, his biggest challenge wasn’t consistency or adapting…

“The hardest part in my journey was the negative comments I got from those around me.”

For a long time, he compared his body, his looks, and his fitness to others around him. This caused dissatisfaction, self-criticism and demoralization. He internalized many negative comments. “It got to me and made me lose heart many times.”

But the stronger he grew, the more he was able to ignore those cruel voices. Instead, his physical strength also became a mental one.

“[I] decided that the only person I need to beat is me. As long as I am better, stronger, fitter than me in the past then I am on the right path.”

More than that, he now uses negative comments to motivate himself; they no longer get to him.

“This journey is done by you, for you so if there are any comments by others regarding mistakes you are doing then learn from them. But if their sole purpose is to bring you down then completely neglect them and continue forward.”

He doesn’t let his busy schedule make him lose focus

His work schedule makes any kind of commitment hard to maintain. “If you really want something then you need to be extremely flexible and manage your time wisely. Set your priorities and that is exactly what I did.”

As a flight cabin crew member, his schedule changes completely from one month to another. “I have one of the most random life schedules there is with no fixed working days or days off. Flights early in the morning – mid day – or late at night. Staying in the aircraft for 12 hours plus. Yet I still find time. Why? because it’s a priority to me.”

Calisthenics Academy helps him to always find the time to exercise. “I like how everything is broken down and explained in details with no guesswork necessary, the workout rating system which allows to adjust the exercises as you go and lastly, the freedom to workout offline and input the results any other time making it ideal for everyday use.”

Even when pressed for time, Kon knows that regular mini-workouts will be just as, if not more valuable than the longer timeframes he can find to train. “I seize any opportunity I have and I believe that even little effort if I am completely squeezed in for time is better than no effort….any effort you do still counts. If you are really struggling with time then a little effort everyday will do the job. It’s not just about how much time in a day you have for working out. More importantly its how many days how many weeks how many years can you be consistent with that effort. The more effort you give the quicker you get results. If it’s tough in the beginning, learn that your body will adapt.”

Kon’s advice to anyone who’s not sure that calisthenics is good for them

“You need to ask yourself, why am i doing this in the first place. Not what you want from it but WHY? After answering this you should work on developing training from an interest into a passion. Once you get to that stage it naturally becomes a part of your new life where if you go without it for a long period you start feeling that something is missing.”

“We never stop learning. We never stop growing. Time passes anyway so let it pass while you do something you love and enjoy the benefits sooner than if you would keep pushing your dreams till tomorrow comes.”

Kon and a friend run a Youtube Channel focused on Motivational/Personal Development, designed to help those in need of guidance or assistance in their path to work towards a goal or a dream. Click here to find out more.

CASE STUDY

Name: Mohamed, nicknamed Kon

Age: 26

Location: Everywhere!

Work: Flight cabin crew

Benefits:

  • His mindset transformed: negativity around him only fuels his drive to succeed.
  • He can train anywhere, anytime: despite his busy and hectic schedule, Kon manages to find even 5 minutes in his day to move and explore his body’s capabilities
  • Movement and calisthenics have become a lifelong journey for him: there is no quick-fix to good health, and Kon has found the tool to help him stay focused and committed even years from now.

PROMOTIONAL EMAIL

Hi %FIRSTNAME%,

The Calisthenics Academy community is growing in spades, and you all have incredible stories to tell.

This is why we’ve begun The Movement’s Athletes series.

Kon is a full-time flight cabin crew member, and his life is spent on-the-go. And yet…he always makes sure to have a moment to exercise, even between long 12-hour shifts.

More than that, he wasn’t always fit, active, or an athlete. In fact, he started out quite overweight.

[LINK] Click here to read Kon’s full story. [LINK]

He’s full of a self-awareness that I just know will resonate with many of you. His story is one of personal challenges and facing negative comments while struggling with consistency.

But what comes of it is just amazing.

[LINK] Click here to read Kon’s full story.

Stay Strong

The Calisthenics Academy Team

BLURBS

Facebook

“Any effort you do still counts. If you are really struggling with time then a little effort everyday will do the job. It’s not just about how much time in a day you have for working out. More importantly its how many days, how many weeks, how many years can you be consistent with that effort. The more effort you give the quicker you get results. If it’s tough in the beginning, learn that your body will adapt.” -Kon, Calisthenics Academy Athlete

Continue reading about Kon’s story and the knowledge he shares with us: [LINK]

Twitter

“I have improved both physically and mentally and enjoy the freedom of movement my body has to offer.” More on Kon’s story: [LINK]

QUOTES

Be patient and stay focused

  1. “It is a long process and requires a lot of patience and hard work. I will get there no matter how long it takes.”
  2. “If you really want something then you need to be extremely flexible and manage your time wisely. Set your priorities and that is exactly what I did. Your body will adapt eventually.”
  3. “I seize any opportunity I have and I believe that even little effort if I am like completely squeezed in for time is better than no effort.”
  4. “Do what you need to do and eventually your body will have no choice but to adapt, but to change in order to survive this new lifestyle you demand of it.”
  5. “Consistency and patience and anyone can achieve what he wants.”
  6. “I have one of the most random life schedules there is with no fixed working days or days off. Flights early in the morning – mid day – or late at night. Staying in the aircraft for 12 hours plus. Yet I still find time. Why ? because it’s a priority to me.”
  7. “Any effort you do still counts. If you are really struggling with time then a little effort everyday will do the job. It’s not just about how much time in a day you have for working out. More importantly its how many days, how many weeks, how many years can you be consistent with that effort. The more effort you give the quicker you get results. If it’s tough in the beginning, learn that your body will adapt.”
  8. “Always listen to your body. If for some reason you don’t feel well today and your body tells you to take a break then do it. But don’t fool yourself into this feeling. This journey is by you for you. Be honest be consistent, be flexible “
  9. “Time passes anyway so spend it while doing something you love and do not have fears or doubts in yourself. There is no bigger investment than investing on yourself and well being.”

Benefits of calisthenics

  1. “The discipline acquired from following such a journey is amazing and has benefited me in many aspects in my life.”
  2. “I have improved both physically and mentally and enjoy the freedom of movement my body has to offer.”
  3.  “It’s a life changing activity and as i enjoy the benefits i would like others to see the beauty in it too.”
  4. “what I can do now is always shocking to those who judge a book by its cover.”

Personal challenges

  1. “[I] decided that the only person I need to be beat is me in the past and as long as I am better, stronger, fitter than me in the past then I am on the right path.”
  2. “There is always a way around your circumstances, you just have to be flexible and set is a priority. And if one can’t priorities the most valuable gift which is health. I don’t know what else you can be flexible for.”
  3. “We never stop learning. We never stop growing. Time passes anyway so let it pass while you do something you love and enjoy the benefits sooner than if you would keep pushing your dreams till tomorrow comes.”
  4. “I embrace the entire journey, the entire process. The high and the low, the rising and the fall. Every part of it taught me something.”
  5. “Always remind yourself of why you have started this journey. The stronger your why is, the more likely you are to stick to it and be successful at it regardless of the time needed for achievement. “
  6. “We all fall, even the best of us, even those people you watch on YouTube performing all kinds of skills must have fallen at some stage. It’s part of the journey, just make sure you learn every lesson as it comes, don’t repeat your mistakes and don’t lose hope.”
  7. “Remember to keep the challenge between you and yourself. If last month you could do 5 pushups and this month you can do 6 that is improvement.”
  8. “Like anything new into our life, our bodies will resist change. So if it’s something you have not been doing before and decided to do it, you will not adapt overnight. However that seems to be the case for the majority of us. We weren’t born into the gym room. So we all have to start somewhere.”
  9. “You need to ask yourself, why am i doing this in the first place. Not what you want from it but WHY ? After answering this you should work on developing training from an interest into a passion. Once you get to that stage it naturally becomes a part of your new life where if you go without it for a long period you start feeling that something is missing.”
  10. “This journey is done by you for you so if there are any comments by others regarding mistakes you are doing then learn from them but if there sole purpose is to bring you down. Then completely neglect them and continue forward.”
  11. “The happiness and freedom you will acquire will be worth every drop of sweat.”
  12. “Embark on the journey and focus on each day as it comes and do not think about the rest. Everything will fall in place as long as you continue moving forward and forging your way.”

Muscles Over Maturity – Dare to Bare Arms & Abs Over 50

by | Feb 17, 2017 | Uncategorized

Let’s face it…  We all want nice arms and a waistline we don’t mind exposing.

Our definitions may be different. Women have mentioned Michelle Obama or Rachel Mclish and even Kelly Ripa.

Guys do it too.  ARNOLD arms, or going after a measurement (I want 16”).Waistlines may range from being able to see “Marky’s mark” or an 8 pack to Jamie Lee Curtis in “True Lies” (1994).

Why does aging past 35 years mean you can’t have a sexy waistline and strong, “muscley” arms?

Older and wiser does NOT have to mean fatter, weaker or, jigglier.  

In this post you will see a different way to approach your training.  It is less conventional, yet very effective if you are over 50.  Training daily, as a habit to better your body, should be as natural as brushing your teeth.

The rules changed when you aged into your 30’s.  Did you change your approach to match the new rules? In my experience the most frustrating thing for clients is the realization that they are no longer 23 years old.

Aging is not the problem. Your body changed. What worked in your twenties stopped working in your thirties.

Improvidus, apto quod victum

Or, as most U.S. Marines will tell you, “Improvise, adapt, overcome.”

Age-related muscle loss and fat gain are not the way things have to go for YOU.

Most science suggests that as we age we have little to no control over these things.

We adults need to strongly disagree and take action to change our futures.

Many age-related issues can be avoided with strength training and good nutrition. Aging does NOT mean more aches and pains unless YOU allow that.

Yes, the rules did change somewhere along the way. We more mature athletes will need to challenge those “rules”.

First, if you are new to training, go easy, get guidance and be patient.  If you ARE over 30 and or overweight and in chronic pain – visit a trusted medical professional for the “all clear” before taking on any exercise program.

The biggest rule I am going to suggest you violate is training frequency.

As we age, moving more often is really helpful. Training daily helps keep things going, and if done right, leads to less frustration and better results.

Are you ready for a paradigm shift? A training session can be done in 5 minutes.

Read that again.

Five minutes to train?  NO.  5 minutes for A Training Session.

Here’s an example – Set a countdown timer for 5 minutes.

NO… Really.  Stop, grab your phone and set a countdown timer.  Do it now.  I’ll wait.

C’mon… Just do it.

OK. Start the timer.

Perform 21 “air” squats, followed by 8 (painfully) slow straight or bent knee leg lowers.  Repeat this sequence as many times as the timer allows.  That’s A Training Session, done.

IF you did it… Congratulations.

You could have done that session literally ANYWHERE and anytime…

Now do that 3 to 5 times today.  Yes, 3 to 5 times of a five-minute training session.

NO gym required.  NO wasted/lost time.  15 to 25 minutes of focused exercise for an entire day.

“But Steeeeve…  You said ARMS and ABS!?”

Yes, I did.  Fortunately, I am a “responsible” training specialist.

Deep squats DO work your abs, especially your lower belly and pelvic floor.

How’s your Plank?

Can you hold a Straight Arm (Push Up Position) Plank?  For 2 Minutes?

If NO, Start here.  It really is important for your shoulder health and core strength.

Clockwise from top:  Low Plank, Reverse Plank, Prone Back Extension, Side Plank, Front Plank

The basics must be practiced and developed.A model workout if you can’t hold a plankkWdUPIlm7BFzDsWODxL5OD MJ2xvTpZSMjcTQdlaF6rJpZlgNeIJRlDsWXWuP1vVXC2Dkws2048

Work on holding each of these for 20 seconds each and build up time.  In 2 weeks you should be closing in on a real 2-minute plank.

Clockwise from top:  Low Plank, Reverse Plank, Prone Back Extension, Side Plank, Front Plank

FlQYuY rJac8A Ft7Iu60SaW0P kl2Xhbxfo25xPdy6i6qX2XShbck rfjHOZ P WqsBVQs2048

If you DO hold a plank, try this:

  • Push Up  (pick the version that challenges you for 13 reps)
  • Straight Bridge

Stick to the 5-minute timer.  Alternate back and forth between exercises (8 reps each), resting as needed.

How do your arms feel?

Continue to do this session throughout your day.

ADIT and what it is

You might be able to do 5 or 8 (more) 5-minute training sessions per day. Each session “Hits” your metabolism. This is called All-Day Interval Training (ADIT).  Yes, I just made that up.

Why wouldn’t ADIT be great for your fat reduction efforts??  Rhetorical. It will.

If body fat reduction is a priority – Prioritize 5 minutes of exercise before any meal, snack, or beverage (other than water).

If muscle growth is a priority – Get a solid 10-12 minutes of targeted work 4 times per week.  Your targeted muscles should feel “Pumped Up” after these.

Here’s another secret:

Work your whole body, or most of it, all the time, with every exercise.

Sorry, machines really won’t cut it. Not most of the time. Or at all, in my world.

The first combo I shared worked your core hard.  Upper back and glutes…  so what muscles are left?

More importantly (if you tried it), How Do YOUR Arms FEEL?

We targeted the arms and the back of the arms.

Tomorrow we target something else. Could be legs. But WHY?

VRc2DcJ x0Kxt1DoxosAQXAyD6fxmRqdoKLwcBe9F7m0ojV oslFDDcy7bB2pQp3TFpL gs2048

It’s all about the arms and abs, right?

Top secret:  Do one session every day for legs, like the 5 minutes we did above.

Here’s for tomorrow:  grab a moderately heavy Dumbbell for Biceps Curls.  You only need one as you will be doing one arm at a time (more challenge for the core).

Alternate 8 or more

  • Dips (bench, chair, box, bars, etc.) with,

1-Arm Strict Biceps Curls for the same number of reps on each arm.  (c.f. Concentration Curl in the picture)

If it’s a busy day at work…  Every 30 minutes, do one round, more if you can.  Don’t forget 5 minutes for the legs.  You could do “double step stairs”, up and down in the stairwells before lunch.  In the picture, I did Picnic Bench Step Ups.

You may be picking up on my concept of increased training frequency and exercising as a habit.

The most important thing is to successfully turn exercise into habit

  • Train every day. Don’t kill yourself every day.  Target the important areas (Arms & Abs) daily.
  • Accumulate 20 or more minutes of total training per day.
  • Focus on multi-jointed movements that require your core (not a bench) to support you.
  • You don’t need a gym or special clothing to be strong and sexy.
  • Mobility training is still training.  Two 5-minute mobility sessions per day is a great idea.

If it’s important, DO it every day.

In this context, train your arms and core daily. For more examples check, this Instagram account. 

One more secret,

This is an “AB” or core training secret – Do NOT focus on crunching the “6-pack”. Instead, imagine a ball inside the middle of your abdomen.  Crush down on the entire surface of that ball – Squeeze from all sides. Doing a Kegel helps here.

Using calisthenics and bodyweight protocols and progressions, you can thoroughly train for strength, fat loss, mobility, and power in short moments every day.

The key is to Do It Every Day.

This helps to solidify the HABIT of exercise. How many days would you go without brushing your teeth?

It’s not some competitive gym thing. It’s about YOU and YOUR body.

This is real world, common sense physical culture.

To learn more about weaving your “workouts” into your day, leave questions in the comments below.

Improvise – Adapt – Overcome

Trainer Steve

PS.  This was what I did while editing this article:

  • Tactical Pull Ups
  • Ring Rows
  • Close Push Ups
  • Bridge Push Ups
  • Pike Push Ups

Each round was a nice break from the keyboard and took 3-5 minutes.

Bonus Arms:  Halo Arms, Halo Tri-Extensions and Halo Curls

oCCOUwo r NsKTYX4UDA albYF2gDsT79WN0v0ZCXlfQTB5Og9C5kfk59SYxKYpdDg tGws2048

Bonus:  Whole Body Circuit

8RI mKeuk9VkCB8uvsX5J29hWxJWYSJbN7DSpk nwWEfjaG1vWuoKMnVM8 QpsB5KO jHQs2048

7LQoaoNL033W3E 9k5ww3z9r 2LmdbKusaH7xuvYRyK9bAczIwjnj1sbt07sYz9JF 16Sgs2048

 

UjzO4MWZ8MunGL7d09XpI1KVS9vjFenvC8g2GtRRrdxA75hOxebkdy2k64Tm V JE0uUTgs2048

No more diets: Tricking your mind into weight loss

by | Feb 17, 2017 | Mental, Movement, Uncategorized

No more diets: Tricking your mind into weight loss

MARCO PITT

I’m a standard Lorem Ipsum text for fill the space.

The mind is a powerful thing.

When motivated, you can convince yourself of almost anything. “Yes, I do need to spend $200 on a new gym bag. No, I don’t need to wash my hair as long as I have dry shampoo.”

When highly motivated, you can get your body to play along with your brain, like in Phantom Limb Pain when there is pain in a limb that has been amputated, False Pregnancy when women who are not pregnant begin to develop many pregnancy-like symptoms or with the “Placebo Effect” that reports up to 70 percent of participants in clinical trials see an improvement in their symptoms simply from a placebo.

Although the conditions above are not favorable, you can also use this power for good. In this case, to make weight loss easier.

People spend lots of money on supplements that are supposed to suppress appetite to help lose weight. Although some do help a little, others are not yet proven to be effective…yet they’re still on the market!

What if I were to tell you that there is a cost-free strategy to naturally suppress your appetite, increase your metabolism and encourage your body to be lighter and leaner?

This strategy follows a training plan that focuses heavily on bodyweight training and gymnastic-type movements, such as handstands and pull-ups.

I’m a standard Image Caption.

Photograph by Lorem Ipsum via Unsplash

Think Like a Gymnast

Gymnasts are famously known for being lean, muscular and nimble.

This is obvious because they are required to propel their body weight over obstacles, balance and walk on their hands and perform feats that would be much more difficult if they were holding onto excess body fat.

If you’ve ever gone on vacation, gained a few pounds and returned to your workouts only to find they feel much more difficult, you know that extra weight doesn’t make running, pull-ups, or really any exercise, easier.

Hoisting five extra pounds up to the bar on a pull-up or inverted row is no small feat for the muscles of your back. For someone weighing 140 pounds, that’s an extra 4% of their weight.

This brings us to the reason that bodyweight and gymnastic training can be so powerful for weight loss. If you are rigidly following a training program that requires you to practice handstands, plyometric movements and pulling around your bodyweight, your brain knows that these moves are easier when you are lighter.

The concept of neuroplasticity states that the brain reorganizes itself throughout your life. With training, “every movement of the body provides sensory feedback for the brain to process and adapt to.” Meaning, while you are practicing, your brain will work with you to make adaptations to improve your ability.

“I’m a custom quote Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Duis leo fringilla mauris sit amet nibh”

Our Hormones need to work with you

There’s also a little-known benefit that inverted positions, like the handstand, have on the body. Research shows that handstands help to stimulate your endocrine system and reduce Cortisol, the body’s major stress hormone. When Cortisol levels are high, weight loss is not likely.

Lower your cortisol and increase your capability for weight loss.

Furthermore, “the inversion [with handstands] brings blood to the thyroid glands to help regulate the production of T3 and T4 [metabolism controlling hormones], which also affects metabolism.”

So not only will you be building the strength of the muscles in your upper body, abs and improving balance, you will have increased blood flow, decreased Cortisol and increased metabolism.

Don’t look at the Scale

In addition to the hormonal and physical benefits of bodyweight training, focusing on these performance-based movements redirects your focus away from the scale. I enjoyed seeing my developments in strength with this type of training and used my nutrition as a means to enhance performance.

My focus wasn’t on the number on the scale, but at being better able to improve my skills. This impacted my portion sizes and the choices I made.

Another benefit, of course, is that when you practice these movements, you increase your neural connection to the muscles and build more lean mass.

More neural connection = more body awareness and control. More lean mass = better use of the food you eat to fuel and build your muscles rather than storage as fat.

There is also a convenient check and balance in this system. If you go totally off the rails with your diet over the weekend, your workout on Monday will remind you to reel it back in over the week because you don’t want to keep making the workouts harder and harder.

Prioritize Performance-based Goals

Finally, an often underestimated trick of bodyweight training or performance-based goals is the confidence and diligence you build while working towards these goals.

I still remember being able to do my first unassisted pull-up, a stark comparison to the middle school girl who achieved ¼ of a rep on her pull-up test. The satisfaction and confidence will empower you to continue making healthy decisions and stick to your training program.

So start small, but pick a goal or a training plan that involves a lot of handstands, pull-ups, sprints, plyometrics and push-ups. See if you can trick your mind into losing weight by enhancing the mind-body connection and requiring it to be light, leaner and more nimble for your bodyweight movements.

A sample workout to get started

1.   Circuit One

a.   Burpee to Pull Up
b.   Handstand
c.   Bulgarian Split Squat Jump
d.   Inverted Row
e.   Hanging Straight Leg Raise

2.   Circuit Two

a.   Pike Push Up
b.   Pistol Squat (or assisted pistol squat)
c.   Jump-Rope
d.   Eccentric Pull Up
e.   Hollow Body Hold

Perform all exercises for 45 seconds with 15 seconds’ rest between exercises and one-minute rest between rounds. Perform Circuit One for 4 rounds before moving on to Circuit Two for 4 rounds.

Have you noticed better weight control or weight loss with incorporating bodyweight movements into your training routine? Leave a comment a below or post in the Facebook group with your experience!

How to workout without any space – Arya’s “No Space Workout”

by | Feb 16, 2017 | Inspiration, Movement, Workout

No space, No worries!

I know you are skeptical about this. What is this “no space workout?”

You might think that you have to be in some specific place if you want to exercise, such as the gym or a park, or maybe a specially-designed calisthenics space. But what happens if you are facing the situation where you can’t find a place to exercise?

You might go on a trip and get stuck in the hotel room, or have a really tight schedule with no time to hit the park or the gym, or maybe you just feel shy to go and workout with a lot of people who will watch you train.

Those are all excuses to avoid working out. And after that, you will blame those same excuses for holding your greatness back, achieving your goal and becoming a stronger you.

Believe me, I’ve been there….until I found the “no Space” Workout. It can bury all my excuses six feet under.

Arya Andika

What is the ‘No Space’ Workout?

First things first, don’t misunderstand the meaning of “No Space” It just means you can still exercise with very little space with even only 2m x 2m is enough space to work out. I came up with the term to trick my mind so that I can’t make up another excuse to avoid doing it.

Now, the beauty of bodyweight or calisthenics exercise is how your body is the limit. This means that you can express your body with basic movement and make variations of that movement.

‘No Space’ exercises

There are a bunch of them:

Push-Ups, Dips, Squats, Lunges, Crunches, Leg Raises, Sit-Ups, High Knees, Jumping Jacks, Mountain Climber, Burpees, you name it, calisthenics has it.

And in case you don’t notice, all of those are the most basic exercises that don’t need a lot of space to do. And no need for any equipment too!!!

So why don’t you make a workout program from that huge lists of exercises?

“Wait, I already have a program I must follow…is it ok?”

The Idea of a “no Space” Workout is to keep you exercising when you have no place to do it. I believe that it’s not permanent, although you can make it a regular part of your workout program.

It won’t ruin your program to just change it for a while until you can find the space once again., In fact, in my experience, it will help you to get some variation in your exercise and keep you away from the boring feeling of only following your program.

Now here’s how to do it.

How to create your own ‘No Space’ Workout

You could follow the standard, basic workout, with 3 sets of 10 push-ups, 3 sets of 10 squats, 3 sets of 10 dips, etc.

What I suggest, though, is to make it more efficient by using full-body exercises, while training in a shorter amount of time and doing a circuit.

All you need is a timer. You can use a timer app, your basic mobile phone timer, or even your watch.

Now pick your kind of exercises. I personally always pick 4 different kinds of exercises.

My favorites are Jumping Jacks, Push-Ups, Squats and Mountain Climber. And as you can see, my pick already consists of Cardio, upper body, and lower body exercises.

Here’s my personal routine:

1. 20 seconds of Jumping Jacks

2. 20 seconds of Push-up (any progression you can do)

3. 20 seconds of Squats

4. 20 seconds of Mountain Climber

5 – 10 rounds, with a rest-time of up to 2 minutes between rounds. If you catch your breath before the 2 minutes are up, then you can go for another round.

A Next-Level Workout

If you feel that these exercises are too easy for you, then feel free to change and take it up a notch.

Here’s my next-level routine:

1. 20 seconds Running High Knee

2. 20 seconds Explosive Push-up

3. 20 seconds Jumping Lunges

4. 20 seconds half burpee

Now you can see how easy it is to workout with very little space.

One thing to remember

You should maintain perfect form for each exercise, so it’s not necessary to go as fast as you can in 20 seconds. You have to do as much as you can in perfect form, that’s what will make your exercises count and bring the result you always want.

There you have it.

Now, when you think you can’t find a place to work out, you’ll immediately remember the “no space” workout thing.

I bet you have a lot of ideas pop up. Then why don’t you try this “no space” workout and share with me how it feels and what kind of exercises you do?

Be strong

4 ways to never get stuck in your workouts again

4 ways to never get stuck in your workouts again

by | Feb 7, 2017 | Inspiration, Mental, Motivation, Movement

4 ways to never get stuck again in your workouts with Tyler Brigade

TYLER 

I’m a standard Lorem Ipsum text for fill the space.

 

If you’ve been working out for a while, you probably experienced a strength plateau. Not being able to progress in your workouts for weeks, even months, can be frustrating. Especially if you don’t know the cause.

In a desperate attempt to break free, you might search for ways to change-up your routine – adding supersets, new grips, using different exercises entirely.  These are some great methods to break through a plateau, and for a lot of people, they work.

But sometimes, they don’t.

When faced with a plateau, most people assume that it’s the usual problem; sticking to a routine too long, not enough intensity, etc.

But, in some cases, it can all be mental

I’m a standard Image Caption.

Photograph by Lorem Ipsum via Unsplash

A while back, I was stuck in a rut with pull-ups.

Of all the exercises to plateau on, pull-ups weren’t such a bad one…there are so many different variations that you can use to break out!

I switched my grip, tried doing static work, changed the pace…practically every commonly suggested way to get out of a plateau is something I tried.

But it didn’t work, and for weeks I couldn’t make progress on the pull-up. After weeks of going nowhere on the pull-up, I’d had enough. One workout, I just thought, “This is enough. I’m getting out of this plateau.” On my first set of pullups, I told myself I was going to increase my reps, and nothing was going to stop me. Telling myself that got me fired up. It made me actually believe I could break through the rut, and I did just that.

“I’m a custom quote Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Duis leo fringilla mauris sit amet nibh”

The battle is real – Overcoming a mental plateau

During the plateau, the frustration builds and builds, and makes the entire experience worse. It crushes your confidence. It feels like you’ll never get out. So what now?

What worked best for me was, basically, punching that mean, motivation-killing voice straight in the nose. It held too much power over me, and it wasn’t making my life easier.

When that voice in my head started speaking up, “This is boring, why are you doing this?” or “Just stop. You won’t make it. You won’t reach your goals,” I’d stop what I was doing, sit down, and listen to all those thoughts. I even started taking notes of all of those negative thoughts.

And I burned them. I mean, I literally burned my negative thoughts away.

I took a lighter, that piece of paper, lit it and threw it into my chimney. Don’t do this if you don’t have a safe space to burn paper.

Burning this paper with my negative thoughts jotted down was incredibly therapeutic.

It was a physical act of removing crappy thoughts from my mind.

But I know that burning thoughts might not be the way to go for other people, so

I’ve compiled a shortlist of different coping mechanisms you can try out for yourself.

 

4 tips to overcoming your mental plateau

 

1. Stop working out for a bit.

Maybe all you need is actually changing your routine up. Take an extra day or two to rest, move your schedule and training routine around. Take a break, it might be all that you need.  

2. Get Inspired

Go follow some athletes whose work you like on Instagram, or on Youtube. A lot of these athletes have awesome tutorials, or even monthly challenge specials, like “30 days of hand balancing” or “30/30 squat challenge,” where you do 30 minutes of squats throughout the day for 30 days. Again, this has been successful for me in the past. I love discovering young athletes who are devoted to their art. They’re so incredibly inspiring to me.  

3. Focus on a new skill.

Is there something you’ve been wanting to do but focused too much on your training routine to get to? A mental plateau would be an awesome opportunity to refocus your workout, even temporarily. I got to have fun with some cool hand balancing tricks that aren’t typically trained or taught since they’re very specific to movement transitions.  

4.Teach someone something you have learnt

I love to share knowledge, especially stuff I just learned. In fact, I tend to get super excited when a friend asks me to show them how to do this thing I just learned. Often, it’s a move that requires some training and extra work, which I end up helping my friend to do. …and then we’re working out together.  

And the plateau is overcome without a thought!

 

I’m a standard Image Caption.

Photograph by Lorem Ipsum via Unsplash

I would really love to hear about how you deal your mental plateaus, so PLEASE, reach out! You can comment on my post, or share thoughts and ideas in our Facebook group.