Calisthenics employs strength, agility and creativity to perform impressive gymnastics moves, writes Nadia Badarudin
YOU stand upside down on one hand on a steel bar at a park and do push-ups while balancing the body on two thumbs. You ditch the conventional gym and venture outside, looking for things and tools to work out.
Street calisthenics is the latest reason for adrenaline junkies and workout enthusiasts to swap the gym for this “part gymnastics, part craziness” street workout. Particularly popular among male youths, street workout is a form of training which is gaining grounds in the country thanks to YouTube videos.
Although it is a sport by nature, street workout is also recognised as a social movement that unites its supporters and enthusiasts on a global level.
OUTDOOR GYMNASTICS
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the word “calisthenics” originated from the ancient Greek words “kallos”, which means "beauty" or "beautiful", and “sthenos” meaning "strength”.
Pictured as an “art of using one's bodyweight as resistance in order to develop physique”, calisthenics is “free body exercises performed with varying degrees of intensity and rhythm, which may or may not be done with light handheld apparatuses such as rings and wands.”
It states that the exercises “employ such motions as bending, stretching, twisting, swinging, kicking, and jumping, as well as such specialised movements as push-ups, sit-ups, and chin-ups, meant to promote strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination and augment the body’s general well-being.”
ADRENALIN-DRIVEN
Street calisthenics involves groups performing advanced calisthenic skills such as muscle-ups, barspins and thumbs straddle planche.
Malaysia won the Calisthenics World Cup 2016 championship in Bahrain after defeating the 2015 champion, Spain — it was the first time the country entered the prestigious competition.
The Malaysian team, which is the reigning champion, comprises siblings Zulhilmi and Zulfadli Nadzeri and their friends, Engku Mohamad Ikhwan Engku Shamsu, Shahrul Aizat Jasri and Sheikh Amirul Adli Sheikh Gadaffi, all in their 20s.
An intense interest in challenging sports has driven siblings Zulfadli, 22, and his elder brother Zulhilmi, 27, from Denai Alam, Selangor, to flex their muscles and take up street workout as their passion. The brothers were ranked 11th in the world in 2015 before they won the 2016 World Championship and won US$10,000 (RM41,425) and a trophy.
“Calisthenics is generally basic gymnastics done outdoors. Now, it’s popularly known as street workout because it’s done on the streets, recreational parks or just about anywhere.
“When it comes to safety, street workout is riskier because we play by our own rules most of the time,” says Zulfadli who is soon to receive his degree in international business from Universiti Teknologi Mara, Puncak Alam, Selangor.
The former SMK Bukit Jelutong athlete discovered street workouts from a schoolmate when he was 17. He and his brother were among the pioneers in the scene. Currently they train with some 18 people from the Klang Valley in a team called Barpacs.
When Zulfadli first started, street workout was relatively new in the country, prompting him to learn the A to Z of the sport mainly from videos on YouTube.
“It requires intense training to use your body weight and flexibility to do the disciplines or the moves such as the handstand, muscle-up or the full maltese. Each move can be easy, moderate or hard to execute, depending on the ability of each individual,” he says.
“Some moves took months of training. For instance, I trained for three months to do the thumbs straddle planche (standing upside down while balancing the body on two thumbs), a move which some people regard as pure insanity.
“But that’s the beauty of street workout. The tougher it gets, the more I’m drawn to take up the challenge. I find it very satisfying every time I manage to do a move or create an original one unlike other, common sports that I did.
“I’ve challenged myself to do push-ups for eight times while doing the thumbs straddle planche and I did it. “
“Knowing that only few people can do the move make the sport even more exciting,” adds Zulfadli who regards his bedroom as his gym.
Street workout uses body weight, and those doing it usually eat less protein or avoid protein-based supplements to stay lean and to make the body more flexible.
‘ME AGAINST MYSELF’
Zulhilmi is known among the street workout fraternity for his expertise in doing the full maltese.
“Anyone can do street workouts, but he must train hard for core and upper body strengths first to be able to do the moves,” says Zulhilmi who followed his brother’s footsteps seven years ago.
Zulhilmi was a former taekwondo athlete and used to be in the national junior squad team. A serious injury forced him to leave taekwondo. He took up street workouts after falling in love with the adventurous nature of the sport.
“Street workouts test one’s ability in strength, creativity and dynamics similar to gymnastics.
“But it’s a ‘me against myself’ battle. That’s the art. It encourages one to go to the extreme and builds self-confidence. It challenges not only your mind, but also your body.
“And each achievement is simply priceless.”
To do well in the sport, other exercises are crucial.
“Skipping is the best as it helps build the hand muscles which are important in street workouts.”
DARING, DASHING
Another 2016 Malaysian winning team member, Engku Mohamad Ikhwan, or Ikhwan, has just returned from Riccione, Italy where he competed in the fifth International Burningate Cup on Sept 8 and 9.
It was tough luck for Ikhwan who was the only Malaysian contestant at the tournament. But the 19-year-old Kemaman teen regards the defeat as a boost to do better.
“I tried my best but there were better competitors. Anyway, I’ve learnt from the experience and will improve myself in the future,” says Ikhwan whose passion for calisthenics started after watching videos on YouTube when he was 15.
Ikhwan found like-minded calisthenics enthusiasts in Terengganu via social media platforms and formed a group, Turtle Squad, before entering his first competition in Teluk Cempedak, Pahang in 2016, in which he won second prize. He has not looked back. Seeing his enthusiasm, his father, Engku Shamsu Che Engku Daik, built a metal bar scaffolding outside their house for him to train.
Last August, he emerged as third place winner at the Street Workout Freestyle World Championship in Moscow, Russia where he competed alongside world champions like Daniels Laizans (Latvia) and Viktor Kamenov (Bulgaria).
“In calisthenics, what matters most is to be daring and create your signature move. I’ll continue to do just that.
“I hope I can inspire more people to try it,” says Ikhwan, citing dashing physique and strong core as among the best benefits that the extreme workout can offer.