History of workout in Russia
During the Soviet era, street horizontal bars were actively displayed in courtyards and stadiums as part of the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. For the same purpose, the state introduced mandatory GTO standards. It should be noted that such projects did not exist in all countries at that time. Since the 2000s, personal training, thanks to the distribution of videos, has gained more fans - the government responded and began a program to install workout areas in courtyards.
Workout is often confused with other types of street sports - jimbarra and street gymnastics.
Jimbarre is a sport originating from Colombia. It includes physical exercises on horizontal bars and their supports, requires not only strength, but also a certain mobility of the joints, and is usually very traumatic. Gimburra competitions are usually held in conjunction with workout competitions.
Street gymnastics is gymnastics in the yard. In Russia, such athletes are called stick spinners or turnstile men. Due to the fact that most outdoor horizontal bars are not adapted for complex gymnastic movements, they deteriorate as a result, which creates a certain risk for athletes.
Usually, most beginners have problems with incorrectly selected sports technology. The main problem for beginners is that they immediately begin to exercise according to the standard scheme, which ultimately leads to muscle pain and injuries. Perhaps the best option to start exercising is a workout program.
Street Workout: history of origin
This information is first-hand, because we stood at the origins of workout back in 2009 and saw how history was made. At that time, a healthy lifestyle was not only in fashion, but it was not even popular, street sports grounds in parks and schools were empty, literally only a few young people practiced on horizontal bars and parallel bars, even the word “workout” did not exist. No one could have imagined then how revolutionary what we were doing would become and what it would lead to. But, let's talk about everything in order.
What is Street Workout?
Street Workout or simply WorkOut is a street subculture that combines a unique approach to training, the desire for diversified personal development and social activity. As we can see from the definition, three components can be distinguished in workout, and since many people associate workout with a unique approach to training, we’ll start with it.
It’s not for nothing that they say that it’s better to see once than to hear 100 times, so first of all we suggest watching the following videos. At the same time, they will allow you to answer the question yourself, how the training component of workout differs from regular physical education, CrossFit, or classes on horizontal bars that were popular in Soviet times:
Ghetto Workout 24h Fitness
Barilla and Hannibal
GIANT
https://youtu.be/HKDdqm6Uf5M
The Beast aka Lord Vital
Harlem SEALS & Calisthenics Kingz
Until 2008, when similar videos began appearing on YouTube, no one offered this approach to training. Of course, they had done some exercises and elements on horizontal bars and uneven bars before, mostly borrowed from gymnastics, but it was not even close to what Bar-tendaz , Ruff Ryders and other teams offered. For them, training was not only a way to strengthen the body and spirit, but also a way of self-expression. Why do the same thing every time you come to the site? Same exercises, same reps? Why limit yourself to some program or plan? If different sites provide the opportunity to do completely different exercises, then why not take advantage of it?
These videos have shown that outdoor exercise (on sports fields or any suitable structure) produces excellent results in terms of health, strength and beauty of the body without any financial cost and have inspired thousands of people around the world to take to outdoor spaces with horizontal bars and parallel bars.
It is worth noting that workout has absolutely NO relation to Soviet gymnastics. As you can see, there are no gymnastics exercises in the video above at all. The people who started it all were not gymnasts and were not inspired by gymnastics.
Now it is very impossible to find out with whom exactly it all started, but we can definitely say that such famous people as Beast and GIANT were among the first, and a little later the teams Harlem SEALS, Calisthenics Kings, Wingate Family and Bar-Barians . This is if we talk about those whose names became known thanks to the Internet, but they also learned from someone.
The history of the emergence of workout as a subculture
It’s not for nothing that we posted American videos above, because a new approach to familiar exercises originated in the United States of America. And although many mistakenly attribute it to residents of poor areas, in reality this was far from the case. People simply gathered in parks on outdoor sports grounds and trained together. Everyone is equal on the court, and the only thing that matters is that you came to practice.
In Russia, they learned about a new approach to training in the fall of 2008, when several guys from the One More Day came across the videos presented above and were no less amazed by them than you. Imbued with the spirit of street training, they decided that it was cool and they needed to not only start doing it themselves, but also introduce as many people as possible to the new type of training. The guys themselves practiced parkour, so they decided to come up with a name for the new direction. After some thought, they created a VKontakte group called Ghetto Workout (after one of the videos) and began holding weekly Sunday open free workouts for everyone. The idea was precisely to show people that you can become stronger, healthier and more beautiful through training that is accessible to everyone, using imagination and the weight of your own body as resistance.
Unlike, for example, the above-mentioned American team Bar-tendaz , which also conducted master classes, training sessions and gave lectures on a healthy lifestyle, but did it for money, the guys from One More Day did everything absolutely free and out of pure enthusiasm . They also sought to show people in other cities that nothing at all is needed to develop workout, organize and conduct training. It’s enough just to create a group on a social network, gather friends and acquaintances and start training. Many cities began to follow their example and organize their own workout communities. Thanks to this, workout very quickly gained popularity among young people not only throughout Russia, but also in the CIS countries. Around the same time, a certain philosophy of this direction and the spirit of workout .
It was thanks to its accessibility, interestingness and effectiveness that after just a couple of years, Ghetto Workout (then the direction was still called that) and street training gained enormous popularity among schoolchildren and students. It all started with three people and their friends and acquaintances, and today the number of workout enthusiasts in Russia alone is about 100,000 people!!!
In fairness, it is worth noting that nothing has changed in the States over these few years, and street training has remained at the same level of popularity as it was. It is still a local story of a small group of people who gather in parks after work or on weekends.
What do you need to know about workout?
Since this is our first post, which is informational in nature, and our main task is to introduce you to workout and street training, we would like to immediately dot all the i’s and debunk several popular myths associated with workout.
- Workout is not a sport or an extreme sport.
- There are no trainers in the workout.
- Workout is a street.
- Workout is always free.
Workout is not a sport or an extreme sport
Why isn't this a sport? Because the main attribute of any sport is the confrontation of athletes with each other, comparison of achievements, competition. In workout, the competitive component is traditionally denied, because the main goal is not any victories, or achievements, or medals, but the health and development of the practitioner. A more detailed view of this point is presented in the article “Street fitness or professional sports?” .
Why isn't this extreme? Because extreme sports are aimed at getting thrills, taking risks and a surge of adrenaline in the blood. The goal of workout is to improve a person without endangering life and health. That is why training is based on basic and natural exercises, which are refined using imagination, creating new options and combinations.
Unfortunately, many people have the wrong opinion about workout, based on numerous videos on the Internet and television reports. In such videos, the word “workout” is used only in the title to attract attention, but in essence they show gymnastic, acrobatic and any other spectacular/dangerous/beautiful tricks on horizontal bars and uneven bars that have nothing to do with workout culture.
What’s even sadder is that now there are guys who look at all these fashionable videos with tricks and tons of views and begin to treat workout accordingly. They don't see it as training, they don't see it as a way to develop their body and spirit, all they see is an opportunity to surprise others or show off themselves. Usually they train for a year or two, achieve some success and quit. Because they no longer have time to hang out on the horizontal bars for 5 hours a day (usually they are in school or university when they start classes), because other interests arise, or because they got injured while trying to learn a difficult element without proper preparation. We have seen this situation more than once and in many cities. What’s remarkable is that those with whom we started in 2009 are still training. For them, workout is not just another hobby, it is a part of life.
The next paragraph is dedicated to the growing number of pseudo-workout trainers coming from fitness or gymnastics, or just cunning guys who are trying to use a fashionable word to enrich themselves, although they have no idea what workout is. Such people and their behavior have an EXTREMELY negative impact on the image of workout in the eyes of ordinary people.
There are no trainers in the workout
From the very first days, the entire culture was built on the principle of “everyone teaches everyone.”
Historical reference:
This is an African-American saying that originated in the United States during the active slave trade, when black slaves had no access to education at all (including basic reading skills). And if one of the slaves managed to learn to read (or if his master taught him to read), then he considered it his duty to teach someone else. FOR FREE.
In workout culture there are no coaches or teachers, and everyone who comes to the site is equal to each other, but at the same time, everyone is ready to share their experience and help others. Workout turns sites into gathering places for like-minded people who come after work or school not only to work out, but also to socialize, learn something themselves and share something with others. Only in this way can the main goal of workout be achieved - so that as many people as possible learn about this direction and start doing it!
In general, the point of the training component of workout is precisely that ORDINARY people do it and PROFESSIONALS do not. This is the secret of his attractiveness, because if your work colleague or housemate was able to achieve significant results, then this will motivate you much more than a photo of a pouting fitness guy on the cover of a magazine who has devoted his whole life to this, a lot of money and ruined his health for the sake of a beautiful picture.
Workout is a street
This subculture originated on street sports grounds. Unlike fitness clubs, gyms or gyms, the sites are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are absolutely free. You can come and study at any time, whenever it is convenient for you and study exactly as much as you want. Besides, when you are on the street, people see you! The best example is personal example, and in this sense, you set an example for others. A positive example that can encourage someone else to also go out onto the platform and start changing their life for the better.
These are the things, those who read to the end, well done! And as a bonus, here is the very first report about the workout (2009, Russia Today TV channel):
https://youtu.be/Msaim_8xiU4
Features of the program
The first feature is the ability for anyone to practice, even if they are not at all prepared for exercise. Despite this, the program is also great for more experienced athletes, as it contains exercises that will develop your physical strength even after years of active training. In addition, the program can be complicated and supplemented with new exercises.
Workout is, first of all, a healthy lifestyle that has never harmed anyone.
https://youtu.be/wbxEdnDrIk0
Stretching and warming up
Warm-up is the most important element of preparation before starting the main approaches on sports equipment. If you've never lifted anything heavier than a trash can before, imagine how your muscles and ligaments will react if you hang your own body weight on them. A simple example: what will happen to a rubber band if you take it out of the refrigerator and start stretching it? The answer is obvious - it can tear, the same can happen with cold muscles and ligaments. Before you begin your main workout, you need to warm up your muscles properly. First you need to raise your body temperature, breathing rate and heart rate. This allows for increased blood flow to muscle tissue and the rest of the body. The muscles will receive more nutrients and oxygen. In addition to the physical benefits of warming up, it also gives a psychological boost. After an active warm-up, you will feel more concentrated and ready to perform exercises.
Stage 1, or workout for beginners
First, let's start with pull-ups on the horizontal bar. You need to pull yourself up as many times as possible, then rest for about 3 minutes. Next, we repeat the pull-up - rest again. Now we move on to strengthening other muscles. To do this, we will use bars. You need to do push-ups as many times as possible and return to the horizontal bar. After this, you need to rest for about 5 minutes, and then start doing the press. Next, you should repeat the program in the following sequence: pull-up - dips - pull-ups - dips - pull-ups - pull-ups. After successfully completing the first day of training, you can begin to increase the number of pull-ups. To properly increase the number of pull-ups, check out the table below:
As you can see from the diagram, there is no need to rush and it is enough to add one pull-up per day.
Basic movements
Workout training is a complex of dynamic and static movements. There are quite a few of them and they are all different, requiring the work of different muscle groups.
Of course, it will not be possible to master all the movements at once, so the following exercises are performed in parallel:
- pull-ups;
- push-ups from the floor and on parallel bars;
- corner on the horizontal bar;
- other exercises that develop endurance and strength.
Performing such exercises will help stretch the ligaments and promote the development of muscles and tendons. The main idea of workout is that you should be in harmony with your body and use only exercises with your own weight for training, without using barbells and dumbbells.
Stage 2, or workout training program for permanent use
Method No. 1
It is the easiest and most ineffective program. Its peculiarity is that it does not have any accepted standards. You can do as many push-ups as you want per set and as many approaches as you want, the main thing is that you do 100-150 push-ups and pull-ups per day. Human muscles tend to adapt to stress and other conditions, which is why exercises and exercises that are carried out every day at the same time are more effective. Training at random increases the chance of injury, and the muscles do not have time to get used to the new time, which makes the training almost useless.
Method No. 2
It is similar to the option for beginners, but there are still some differences. If in the first it was necessary to do the maximum possible number of pull-ups and push-ups, then here it must be done in the allotted time. In this version, each exercise should be performed for three minutes without stopping.
Method No. 3
Possibly the most difficult option and may not be accessible to beginners. First, let's use a horizontal bar. You need to do about 5 pull-ups with one hand. Attention: you should grab the horizontal bar with one hand, and grab your forearm with the other, while the complexity of the exercise will depend on the distance to the elbow. The closer the hand is to the elbow, the more difficult it is to pull yourself up. Next, the “Lowering” exercise is performed. You need to pull yourself up with both hands, after which you release one hand and smoothly lower yourself. Don't do this too harshly as you may end up with a sprain. Repeat the exercise 6 times. Pull-ups are the basis of any workout program, and, as you can see from the photo:
It is with its help that the main muscles of the shoulders, chest and arms are strengthened, which makes this exercise universal. Once the usual one-arm pull-up has been mastered, you can move on to a more complex version. Now the second hand should be hidden behind your back and not connected to the process. Pull-ups should be done smoothly and, when you have been able to achieve this, you can include it in all possible exercise techniques, combining them and thus creating your own personal way of doing workout. These are just a few of the possible workout programs, but they can not only keep your body in shape, but also help pump up your muscles. It is also possible to hire professional instructors who will help you choose the most optimal program for you, after which they will be able to conduct classes with you at your request, which guarantees the effectiveness of the exercises.
Peculiarities
Initially, workout was intended to promote a healthy lifestyle. A set of exercises makes it possible to use those muscle groups that are at rest in normal life.
The horizontal bar is a piece of equipment that provides a huge range of opportunities for physical development, an excellent opportunity to improve the vestibular apparatus, agility and endurance.
The bars also have wide functionality. They strengthen the muscles of the arms, back, shoulders, chest and abs. A variety of exercises performed on them will allow you to better learn to control your body and increase your overall fitness.
In addition, workout is a healthy lifestyle, and if you want to develop in this direction, then the first thing you should do is give up bad habits.
Workout competitions
Judges in workout competitions are usually active athletes themselves who are well versed in technique. They judge the performers according to 5 main parameters: strength, entertainment, charisma, number of elements, clarity. Usually competitions are held in a free style - when each athlete takes turns showing his free program. They can also be carried out in the form of “battles”, when two athletes compete with each other.
The first international workout championship was held in Latvia, in Riga, in 2011. In it, the first place was taken by the Ukrainian workout artist Evgeniy Kozyr - he showed an exercise in which he did pull-ups on one arm with a 16-kilogram weight in his teeth. In 2012, the Ukrainian Evgeniy Kocherga became the champion, and Evgeniy Kozyr was second. Russian Nikolai Lobanov took third place.
Where and how to train
You choose the place for training yourself:
- Classes on city streets (using “improvised” means, for example, steps and benches);
- Exercises on the sports ground (in workout, girls can exercise on uneven bars, with a barbell or on exercise machines).
The vast majority of exercises are performed with your own weight. You can take a jump rope or dumbbells with you.
In general, there are 4 points of work on the body:
- Fat burning;
- Maintaining tone;
- Strengthening and pumping muscles;
- Stretching.
You can combine several goals in your training program. After all, workout is one of the most “free” areas. In most cases, girls work on losing weight and flexibility. In second place is maintaining tone.
Exercise for workout training
- Push ups. They can vary in width between the palms, in the height of the support (Ganibal push-ups are done at a height of 30-70 cm from the floor).
- Dips. It is very important to straighten your arms completely and then bend them to 90 degrees or less. There is also a difficult variation - horizontal bar push-ups.
- Pull ups. Repetition exercise. It is important that at the top point of pull-ups the chin is above the bar, at the bottom point the arms are fully straightened, jerking and pushing are not allowed. Different variations of the exercise are possible - pull-ups on one arm, with alternating hands, in a horizontal position, with different positions of the hands (narrow grip/wide grip), with imitation of gait (robostyle), with weights.
- Exit with two hands on the horizontal bar (muscle up). Strength exercise requires full extension of the arms at the top and bottom points. It is very important to perform it without jerking.
- Front hang – the exercise can be either static or repetitive. It can be complicated and performed with one hand or with holding only on the fingers.
It is important for workout athletes to develop the abdominal muscles (twisting, lifting legs, raising and lowering the body). In most cases, athletes use only their own weight (calisthenics), but sometimes weights are also used - for example, the athlete's partner.
1.What is a workout?
This unusual type of training came to us from America.
Initially, this word meant regular training, but over time it changed. Workout is outdoor training using your own weight. This is not just a training session with gymnastics elements (technical workout), but a static and dynamic strength load. It is the force direction that is most common. For workout training you will need a horizontal bar, bars, wall bars and a crossbar. A distinctive feature of this sports trend is the absence of the need for complex and expensive equipment. In most Russian yards you can easily find the listed equipment for classes.
Workout workouts are designed to build a muscular core, explosive strength and strength endurance. This contributes significantly to the creation of a beautiful and sculpted body. The latter is the main reason why many novice athletes choose this type of load.
Many people often confuse workout with other types of training done outside. An example of such areas would be Jimburra or street gymnastics, which are considered much more traumatic and difficult areas.
Workout classes have their own list of basic elements, the mastery of which represents the main task for a beginner:
- Horizon
- Officer's exit
- A spear
- The Prince's Exit
- Angel Exit
- Checkbox
- Martin
- Walk of God
- Power output
To perform them correctly, you need to master the basic exercises on which they are based. In addition, beginners need to pay attention to the development of coordination, since loss of orientation while performing an element can lead to a fall and injury. To do this, you need to add inversion lifts, swinging on the horizontal bar and hanging upside down to your training. However, the majority of your training should be on the base portion.
Proper nutrition for turnstiles
Many who start training on horizontal bars set the beauty of their body as their main goal. But without proper nutrition you cannot achieve it. Now we will tell you how to eat when doing workout classes.
It doesn’t matter what goal you set for yourself - just to learn a few tricks or to build serious muscle mass - an athlete’s diet should still differ from the diet of an ordinary person, especially when it comes to muscle recovery after microtrauma during each workout.
Work program for preparing for workout competitions
The training program to prepare for competitions includes a large number of strength elements. The fact is that the judges in this sport are young active athletes who evaluate, first of all, the technicality of execution and the number of workout elements in an individual program. For this reason, it is very important in preparation for the competition to develop strength endurance in order to make all the components of your performance and strength for correct technical performance.
Workout 1 | Workout 2 | Workout 3 | Workout 4 |
Running – 10 minutes Deep squats – 3 sets of 20 reps Burpees – 4 x 10 Jumping rope – 5 x 100 Buckles on the platform – 30 reps | Pull-ups 1 half – 7 times Pull-ups 2 half – 7 times Full pull-ups – 7 times | Star jumps – 5 minutes Deep squats – 4 Hill push-ups – 3 Ab crunches – 2 Pull-ups – 1 minute | Deep pull-ups – 10 times Deep squats – 20 Pull-ups of knees to chest – 15 Burpees – 15 Side crunches – 10 each |
Rest between exercises – no more than 2 minutes, and between approaches – 30 seconds | In 4 circles with a 2 minute rest between them. | In two circles without rest between exercises | Do 5 rounds with 4 minutes rest in between. |
Workout training is an affordable way to build a beautiful, sculpted and resilient body. Share your experience of street training? Have you ever taken part in competitions at various levels? Write in the comments!
Recovery
The turnstile's diet should be varied. To grow muscles, you need to eat a lot of protein, which means meat. For bone strength - calcium, i.e. cottage cheese. For joint health, drink broths. To restore the nervous system - healthy fats, for example, olive oil.
Don’t forget about vitamins, and it’s better to take vitamins from fresh vegetables and fruits, rather than from vitamin complexes. Sports nutrition - only if you are an ectomorph. And of course, no steroids.
Complication
Workout training programs for advanced people include a large number of static load exercises. They are aimed at giving strength and endurance to muscles.
These are exercises such as:
- Hanging on the horizontal bar with bent arms.
- Plank.
- Lifting and holding legs.
- Half squat.
- Hanging on parallel bars with arms bent 90 degrees.
When performing static exercises, the athlete mainly works the tendons. This makes them stronger, allowing you to make quick movements with ease.