success stories

What actually happens to people who train this way

These are 75 first-hand accounts from Movement Athlete members, in their own words. The pattern across them is consistent and slightly surprising: 43 of the 75 came to bodyweight training because something hurt — a shoulder, a back, a knee, a surgery they were recovering from — and stayed because progressive calisthenics let them keep training around it rather than through it. The rest arrived from a gym that had stopped working, or after 40 when they assumed the window had closed. What they have in common is not talent or spare time. It is that each of them started at their own level on the nine fundamental movements, and moved up in steps small enough that their joints kept pace with their muscles. Nobody here started able.

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“With weights or cardio I could just power through plateaus or problem areas: add more weight, run faster.”

“About a few years back, I realized that being a student. I had basically a desk job. I didn't do much to work with my body to exercise.”

“I was quickly transformed and moved to TMA immediately after starting with my brother's story!”

“I ended up herniating 3 discs in my lower back, spending 2 months laid on the floor and months of sciatic pain down my right leg.”

“Needed some resistance workout and I never have liked weight lifting.”

“I decided to join The Movement Athlete team because even though I was training very hard in the past, I wasn't getting the results I wanted.”

“Is it a serious program? Will it work or not? Will it be another App in the market? Will I like it or not?”

“I've always been athletic, enjoying playing basketball and running.”

“I would rather have mastery over my own body than be able to bench-press X amount of weight.”

“I gave up when I started to feel burnt out and run down from it.”

“And I encountered The Movement Athlete website and decided to give it a go. It has a free trial, and it looked nice. So I said, Why not?”

“As I was getting older, I thought that my training program should be more targeted to my needs.”

“I wanted to find a form of exercise that would give me functional strength and flexibility that would fit well into my martial arts.”

“What drew me to calisthenics was that I needed some assistance that was different, one that was sustainable.”

“What drew me to calisthenics was that I needed some assistance that was different, one that was sustainable.”

“I actually became a lot stronger doing calisthenics than I did simply lifting weights.”

“Weights had made me who I am, but they had also destroyed me.”

“I was really impressed by the app and platform because I was always fascinated by Calisthenics.”

“I got interested in calisthenics because of the sports I've played my entire life up to almost two years ago.”

“I was wooah! 😱 that looks pro and really ergonomic, and the gamified vision is really cool for a geek like me.”

“How has movement athlete helped me simply that there are little to almost no injuries.”

“I started off as regularly as anyone else, lifting weights!”

“And I have been weightlifting for years. Honestly, I got really bored.”

“So I decided to test the exercise with my own body, and that was what made me happy.”

“My calisthenics journey started when I was young. I always had dreams of being a circus performer.”

“My background in fitness started when I was young, junior high school school, even working out in a real basic weight room.”

“I signed up to see and test the progressions. And I loved it.”

“And I like that I can rate my ability and that it adapts to my skills and abilities, too.”

“Bit by bit I proved them wrong. Actually, the more (sensible) I [work out], the less back pain I have.”

“I decided to join TMA because when I looked at the programs, the two that I thought would work best for me would be TMA or another one.”

“I don’t know why I still wanted to do [pull-ups] because that was like ten years plus to go. Why do I still remember wanting to unlock the pull-up?”

“I went online. The first thing you do, Google it. I found a lot of programs on paper.”

“I’ve always loved the gym, not just the physical benefits but the mental benefits too.”

“I have some still some trouble with my nerves so it is not a wise idea to lift weights.”

“I used to have days where I didn’t want to get out of bed, now I can’t remember the last time I was regreted just getting up to walk.”

“How I learned about Calisthenics is that I had several injuries already in my life during working out in the gym or even playing football.”

“The first great thing about Movement Athlete was the assessment so I could check where I was. I literally started at zero with my left arm.”

“I really enjoyed using this app and from what I've seen, it's one of the best calisthenics apps available!”

“Some knee pain that I have from time to time is also dissipating.”

“I've always believed that doing exercise has a huge, has a big benefit towards your mental health. And your ability to manage stress.”

“I wanted to start making good fitness habits so I could be an example to my kids as they grew up.”

“I wasn't flexible and I [didn't] like the body that I was developing…”

“I wasn't flexible and I [didn't] like the body that I was developing…”

“This year, we're locked down, I lost access to the gym like everyone, and I also needed to cut back on costs.”

“I also have been a gymnast before. I've been interested in gymnastics for a while since I was a kid. Unfortunately, I got into it a little late.”

“My friend challenged me to finish a half-marathon. I had never finished a run of this length before.”

“I started my fitness journey at the age of 29 and have been working out regularly ever since.”

“I'm pretty sure that if I continue this in a few years, I will be able to do things that I haven't thought of my body capable of doing.”

“I mostly focused on running and weightlifting during that time.”

“And I have been weightlifting for years. Honestly, I got really bored.”

“I found myself lacking in that incremental progression and was frustrated. That’s when I came across The Movement Athlete.”

“I’ve tried boxing and taking one doll. I’ve tried football and basketball.”

“I decided to give it a try as soon as I found it.”

“So since I’ve started training through the Movement Athlete app, I think I’ve definitely become more flexible, and it does help my mobility.”

“When I had some energy, I did some yoga, some exercises, some running, but nothing consistent, because I was too exhausted.”

“I didn't have a bar and was using a tree instead.”

“I was always physically fit doing weightlifting and things like that. That got me bigger, but not really functionally mobile.”

“As I was searching how to start with calisthenics, I found hundreds of exercises, so I got lost.”

“I quickly gained weight. No longer was I the 50kg 17 year-old.”

“I have noticed I feel different – not just stronger physically but also I think I am mentally stronger.”

“I relate in a different way to my body and its intelligence. I feel more confidence to move on and start dreaming of my time as a rock climber.”

“Since I got my twin boys four years ago, I stopped at all activities because that happens when you get kids.”

“Growing up, I've always been a huge fan of sports and have always dabbled with it in one form or another…”

“I’ve also always enjoyed skill-based training rather than simply just putting more weight on a barbell-type training.”

“I got interested in calisthenics honestly through Instagram; just seeing people do crazy strength feats using just their body.”

“I’d always see athletes doing incredible things. And then one day, I was just like, you know what? What have I got to lose? Let’s do it.”

“Basically, when I didn't have access to a gym, I could train in a park, and it was the best means to keep myself relatively fit..”

“I liked the additional steps in between progressions and the materials available to learn the moves.”

“Historically, my fitness background is a bit up and down.”

“Seeing street workout competitions online really pushed me to want to master my own body.”

Every one of these started with the same three minutes.