The Most Important Lesson Thomas Learned With Calisthenics
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This is the story of Thomas – The Movement Athlete
Thomas is a banker living and working in Frankfurt, Germany. He was a paying member at a gym he never attended for several years before setting his sights on bodyweight training and running.
“Moving continuously in the right direction is more important than speed which you may not be able to hold and that eventually makes you stop.”
At 44, Thomas began to pay more attention to his fitness, even taking a friend’s bet to take on a daunting goal.
“My friend challenged me to finish a half-marathon. I had never finished a run of this length before.”
He’s been a regular runner ever since, although it wasn’t enough for him.
“Now I focus on bodyweight training. I still go running but only as additional cardio-training twice a week. Even now, I still have enough stamina to participate in half-marathons.”
Thomas wanted a different body than a runner’s body, which is why he’s focused his attention on calisthenics.
“The body I am aiming for is more athletic than a runner’s: between a swimmer and a gymnast with well-defined muscles and low bodyfat.”
“After looking at several websites and programs I found that The Movement Athlete is closest to my preferences: It offers a structured approach and clear path to defined goals (the eight exercises). Small steps to continuously progress strength and skills and simultaneously considering that the body (the joints) needs time to adapt to the growing challenge and so to reduce the risk of injury.”
The 3 main benefits Thomas has gained since joining the The
Movement Athlete community
He no longer struggles to be consistent
When it comes to his exercise routines, Thomas is a man of extremes. He will either be training intensively or doing little to nothing at all. “My biggest challenge is to train consistently. I have a pattern of training very hard for a few months and then swinging to the others extreme of working out very little.” Since joining The Movement Athlete, Thomas has succeeded in finding the right balance between consistent and fixed timeslots to train and his sometimes changing schedule.
“I pencil my training days in four weeks in advance. I then plan my other dates around the training. If there is a collision with dates I still have the flexibility to move the training to other dates.”
He has become more patient with himself
Because of his challenging schedule and his all-or-nothing tendencies, Thomas has often felt very impatient with himself. His flexibility in setting his schedule has given him the chance to rethink his view of exercise in addition to understanding “consistent training” a little differently.
“I have become more patient with myself considering my training and my progress: Even if I have to miss scheduled trainings due to the circumstances (e.g. business travel, sickness/flu) I am not blaming myself for not taking training seriously enough or losing faith in reaching my training goals.”
He no longer feels guilty, which gives him a healthier mindset about his training. It’s a lifelong journey, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up for missing a day.
“As long as I move towards my goal and do not lose sight of the goal, there’s no drama when I have to miss a training session.”
Structured Training and Efficient Progress
The Movement Athlete app revolutionized Alex’s workout routine by providing structured, goal-oriented plans. This not only saved him time but also ensured that he focused on all muscle groups, avoiding imbalances. He appreciated the efficiency of having a tailored program at his fingertips, allowing him to maximize his training time.
He feels supported through the entire experience
Tom has found a training program that fits his needs perfectly. The Movement Athlete is as personalized as it can get without paying a trainer to constantly monitor your progress. “The Movement Athlete promises and delivers. After looking at several programs I consider it currently to have the best platform and approach.” But more than that, The Movement Athlete is a community of athletes and trainers who are all working towards a common goal: getting fit, getting healthier and gaining amazing new skills in the safest possible way. We all want to support each other in our efforts, pick each other up when we’re down and push each other forward when we might need a nudge. Thomas has experienced this support first-hand from The Movement Athlete team.
“The Movement Athlete staff is very devoted to bringing its members to success and are sincerely interested in receiving feedback to continuously improve the quality of their service.”
Finding The Movement Athlete
Thomas searched the internet for different training programs. He was already familiar with bodyweight training, having used other programs in the past. However, none seemed to fit his needs as well as The Movement Athlete.
“After looking at several websites and programs I found that The Movement Athlete is closest to my preferences: It offers a structured approach and clear path to defined goals. Its small steps continuously progress strength and skills while giving the body time to adapt to the growing challenge and so to reduce the risk of injury.”
“The changing demands of my professional schedule and the structured approach of The Movement Athlete are the best fit I have seen so far. I am glad I found you.”
Thomas’ advice to anyone curious about calisthenics
“Don’t be too hard on yourself when training does not always go the way you want (e.g. you cannot train as planned; you feel too exhausted to train although you have planned it; you do less repetitions compared to the last training), but stay consistent and alway keep coming back to your training.”
“I have become more patient with myself considering my training and my progress: Even if I have to miss scheduled training due to circumstances (e.g. business travel, sickness/flu) I am not blaming myself for not taking training seriously enough or losing faith in reaching my training goals. A scheduled training plan is a necessary thing to have but not obligatory and has to be flexible.” – Thomas, athlete of The Movement Athlete
“My strength and endurance have grown.” – Thomas, athlete of The Movement Athlete
“Moving continuously in the right direction is more important than speed which you may not be able to hold and that eventually makes you stop.”
