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Both disciplines are focused on general development, in both we use the load of our own body, yet, while similar in many respects, they do not mean the same thing.


Let's start with calisthenics ...


Calisthenics should be given priority because of their age. This term is derived from ancient Greece and is a combination of two words: "kallos" - beauty and "sthenos" - strength. This striving, not only to improve the body's strength, but also to achieve a beautiful, proportional figure is paramount in calisthenics. It is a form of physical activity that uses only your own body weight for training and is based on exercises such as push-ups, squats, pull-ups, crunches, and jumps. If someone associates this set of exercises with school PE, they would be quite right. For generations, PE or military training lessons have been based on calisthenics. They are a very good method for initial training, because you can work on perfecting your form, get stronger quickly and you don’t need any specialized equipment, just a little space, disciplined practitioners and an instructor giving orders.


Street workout - a new approach to calisthenics


It means street training, and its namesake is derived from its origin. Probably born on the streets of cities in the United States, this sport and discipline was greatly influenced by precursors from different parts of the world, e.g., from Russia and Ukraine. It is largely based on the principles of calisthenics, i.e., exercises that use the load on your own body, but in comparison to it, it is more spectacular, because it contains elements of gymnastics and later parkour. Street workout can be divided into two categories - freestyle, largely related to sports gymnastics and calisthenics, and strength and endurance, in which the use of additional weights are allowed.


Similarities and differences

  • Both calisthenics and street workout are a general development discipline based on exercises using the load on your own body
  • Street workout, however, has evolved more towards a spectacular, competitive sport, many elements of which are unlikely to be found in calisthenics.
  • Calisthenics is a much more capacious concept - practically all exercises aimed at improving general fitness, which can be performed without any equipment and in any space.
  • Street workout, as the name suggests, was created with the idea of ​​being active in an urban space and initially using urban infrastructure such as walls, stairs, posts, fences. With time, its popularity resulted in the emergence of city squares or parks specially adapted to street training. Another departure from the original assumptions was the possibility of practicing this discipline in gyms, which is somewhat inconsistent with its original purpose. Although "purebred" street enthusiasts believe that closed spaces are not the same, sometimes in winter everyone would rather be indoors.
  • In street workout, and specifically in the strength and endurance category, we can perform calisthenics exercises with additional weight, which can seem contrary to its basic premise. Such exercises include push-ups on bars with a load or pull-ups on a bar with a load.
  • The age range of people training calisthenics and street workout is different. Streeters are young people, often even teenagers starting their adventure with this discipline, fascinated by its difficulty, spectacularism and the element of competition with others. Calisthenics does not provide anything like this glamour and although it is a fantastic, healthy type of physical activity, many people may find it simply boring over time. But it is precisely in simplicity that its power lies - calisthenics can be done anywhere, anytime and at no cost. No wonder that its supporters are the elderly, often even seniors, who keep their body in an impressive shape right into old age.

Does it matter what name?

If you are not planning on starting to compete, feel free to use the benefits of both disciplines. Calisthenics will create a healthy foundation which will allow you will be able to practice any discipline - street workout, crossfit, bodybuilding, martial arts, or anything else. On the other hand, the challenging, gymnastic elements of street workout are an interesting variation that can allow you to check what form you are in and enjoy your new physique.

Tags: outdoor helpful exercise