Strength and endurance with street workouts

When you see people dressed up in gym gear on the kids' playground, they are mostly likely there to perform their street workout. This trend is a very fun and liberating way to exercise. It is a combination of muscle-building calisthenics techniques with endurance-building athletics. Street Workouts use body weight and the available environment instead of iron weights for training.

What we know call 'street workout' is the primeval form of working out in ancient history. At first, people used their body weight to train their strength because, obviously, they didn't really have gyms and weights available back then, so they used their environment to train.

However, it became a trend that spread from Eastern Europe to NYC, developing especially in areas where people were of lower-class. While they couldn't afford to go the gym, they proved that health, while priceless, can cost next to nothing to achieve. Now, people of all classes and ages perform their Street Workouts routine all over the world and it varies from very simple to very complex routines.

Full Body Street Workout

These exercises are designed to establish a solid foundation for your Street Workout Performance. They are suitable for both beginners and advanced street workout performers who train using these exercises in order to maintain their strength and endurance.

You may notice that you see some of these exercises at the gym all the time. And perhaps you, yourself, use them in your routine. But once you master these outside the gym, you can move onto more advanced, complex and target-oriented exercises.

JUMPING JACKS

(25 x failure)

• Stand with feet together and arms to the sides.

• Jump while spreading your arms and legs to each side at the same time.

• Try to land on your forefeet with legs apart and arms meeting over your head.

• Jump back to the starting position by bringing your legs together and lowering your arms and land on your forefeet again.

• Repeat!

FLEXED-ARM HANG

(5 reps x 5-10 seconds hang)

• Hold onto a high bar or a solid tree branch with a grip that face either towards or away from you.

• Raise yourself up with momentum and try to hang in there for 5-10 seconds. Keep your arms fully flexed and make sure your feet are off the ground.

• Return to starting position and repeat!

ELBOW PLANK

(2 reps x 30-60 seconds hold)

• Sit in a prone position resting on your knees, elbows and forearms.

• With a neutral spine and straight legs, lift your knees off the ground and only rest on your toes and elbows.

• Contract your abs and hold up to a minute if you can.

• Return to starting position and repeat!

L-SIT HANG

(5 reps x 5 seconds hang)

• Hold onto a bar or a solid tree branch with the palms facing towards or away from you.

• Raise your legs to a 90 degrees angle and hold the position for 5 seconds (or more if you can).

• Return to starting position and repeat!

INCLINE PUSH-UP

(2 sets x 8 reps)

• In a prone position, place your hands on a bench or stable object, slightly wider than shoulder-width.

• Rest on your toes with your legs straight behind you.

• Keep a neutral spine and your core tight as you bend your elbows to the sides and lower your chest towards the bench.

• Raise yourself up by straightening your arms.

• Return to starting position and repeat!

Dedicate 4 to 6 weeks, 3 times a week to straightening your core and your full body strength with these exercises. Increase the hang and hold with 5-10 seconds every time your work out. After you master these, you can move on to intermediate training. These are great for your weightlifting sessions as well! These exercises will help you with your foundation and controlled movements, as well as with strength and endurance.

Just because it’s called 'Street Workout', that doesn't mean you are allowed to neglect your joints, muscles and palms. The training is just as harsh on those body parts as weightlifting is. So protect your palms with proper gloves, use adequate knee support to protect your joints from damage, and wear compression gear to keep your muscles warm and speed up your recovery.

Street Workouts can be quite fun! Using the environment to full-extent in your workout is a great exercise for the mind as well, not just for the body. And even better, you have fresh air at your disposal, which is necessary for performing the exercises just right and provide you with the best results.

Did you know?

Because it became such a famous trend and it’s very popular with athletes all over the world, Street Workout became a competitive sport. The World Street Workout and Calisthenics Federation hosts the Street Workout World Championship every year since 2011. This year the Street Workout Freestyle World Championship competition will take place on July 29th, in Moscow, Russia.