Is Calisthenics the Best Form of Fitness?

Absolutely, without a doubt.

And I can explain.

The origin of the word calisthenics traces back to ancient greek and literally means “Beautiful Strength”. 

During that era, mastering bodyweight movements was synonymous with achieving true physical power, and even gladiators honed their prowess through these techniques.

I view calisthenics as a central discipline encompassing all movements that solely rely on the body's intrinsic abilities.

Sprinting, running, dancing, swimming, boxing, martial arts, animal movement, and so much more are part of “Beautiful Strength”.

It’s the most complete and free form of training: you train resistance and cardio during 70-80% of your training sessions. 

The exception occurs when you train skills. 

Calisthenics can be defined as bodyweight training and street gymnastics system with it’s own practice code, form and tricks. 

You do not need any equipment at all to start and even to get good at it. 

The Real Secret to Happiness?

You might have heard of dopamine, a hormone that plays a vital role to “feel happy”.

Dopamine neurons, the brain cells responsible for producing the neurotransmitter dopamine, have long been associated with reward, motivation, and motor control. However, recent research has uncovered surprising functional diversity within these neurons, challenging previously held assumptions. A groundbreaking study utilized cutting-edge techniques to delve deeper into this diversity and shed light on the distinct roles of different dopamine neuron subtypes.

Unraveling the Complexity

In this study, researchers investigated dopamine neurons through a molecular lens, focusing on subtypes defined by specific gene expression patterns. One previously known subtype, characterized by the expression of Aldh1a1, was found to exhibit functional diversity within itself. This prompted researchers to employ single-nucleus transcriptomics, a technique that examines gene expressi...

Don't let anything stop you.

You have to build your own mindset, and you can not wait for it to just happen.

Calisthenics training is a great metaphor for life. Use it or loose it. 

When I had to deal with an injury on my right hand for close to 3 months, I wasn’t able to train any real calisthenics pulling or hanging during that time.

So i focused on everything else (pushing, core, legs). 

I was seeking feedback from my body when pain lowered down. Working out promotes overall healing.

I was focusing on how my movements were affected by my limitation and how I could work around it. 

Whatever movement you can not perform because of an injury, here are some tips to keep going:

• Work what's around the injury
• Work on the side or part that is not injured
• Focus on overall compound movement training
• Substitute full body movements with light band exercises alternative

In this muscle up video, my right injured pinky finger is healing and almost not squeezed at all.

I am tes...

Love The Process.

In a world that promotes instant gratification, pushes for short cuts and quick success, it's good to remember that hard work beats talent. 

Everyone is quick displaying skills and physiques that take years to achieve, so it's important to remember the effort it takes to accomplish certain things. 

Some may be faster than others, but real, tangible results can only be achieved with proper dedicated time. 

So don't believe the hype and the bullsh*t quick results that are being shown and sold on social media.

As an example, it took me 3+ years to get a clean muscle up, coming from the regular gym training at 10 “OK” pull ups. 

It took me 4 years to hold a front lever and a decent back lever. 

Took me 5 years to get an OK flag, more like 6 years to get it decent. 

I have been practicing handstands for 7+ years and am barely OK.

I'm still learning everyday.

Embrace the struggle, don't put a timeline on your goals, love the progress.

Get ALL calisthenics pro...

How Does Calisthenics Promote Altruism and Spirituality?

Calisthenics has changed my life.

It did in such a way that it also became spiritual journey. So I thought it would be great to explore the connection between mind, body, and spirituality and how calisthenics can play a surprising major role in that aspect.

Before we dive in, let me introduce Hatem, a Frenchman who has been living in LA for the past 20 years.

This post is a recap of a conversation we had together on that topic.

He likes to think of himself as a martial artist of life, with interests in science, philosophy, and spirituality. Growing up with a French education, he noticed a tendency to neglect the body in favor of intellectual pursuits. However, he realized that this left something missing, and he started taking care of his body alongside feeding his brain.

Studying Kabbalah, which is connected to the Torah and the Talmud, opened his eyes to the similarities between various spiritualities and religions. T...

Major Fitness Lies That Need To Stop!

Today, I want to address some major lies that are circulating the internet when it comes to fitness. It's crucial not to fall for the hype and instead, make informed decisions based on accurate information. Let's dive into it.

Firstly, let's talk about the 22-day abs challenge. Or whatever "4 week abs program" you saw on Instagram. If you believe that you can achieve a shredded six-pack in just 22 days, or 4 weeks, it's important to understand that it's simply impossible. While the person promoting it may be knowledgeable and experienced, claiming such results in a short timeframe is misleading. Achieving visible abs depends more on reducing body fat than doing specific core exercises. Building a fast metabolism, eating right, and consistently working out are key. Remember, those impressive results took years of dedicated effort, so be realistic and avoid falling for unrealistic time frames.

The second issue I want to address is the unattain...

Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone. Here is How!

Today, we're going to dive into the topic of stepping out of our comfort zones and how it can lead to significant progress. 

Getting out of our comfort zones is a guaranteed way to improve throughout the year. 

For beginners who have been inactive for a while, getting out of the comfort zone means taking the first step and starting now. Learning the fundamental exercises of calisthenics, such as push-ups, squats, and core work, is a great way to begin. Implementing these exercises regularly throughout the week, whether through a push-up challenge or incorporating different sets and variations, will get you off the couch and into an active routine. Consistency and forming habits from this starting point are key.

If you've already started your calisthenics journey but find yourself stuck in a plateau, breaking your routine is the way to go. Reset and rewrite your workouts, adding more repetitions, reducing rest time, incorporating harde...

What I Asked To Calisthenics Santa For Christmas...

...is for you to stay consistent with your routine and get "gainz" during the holidays!

That's really the secret!

There is no resolution to have on January 1st.

Whatever happens, the secret is to never stop.

That doesn't mean you have to train beast mode every single day.

That means you need to keep up with the bare minimum of movement your body needs to stay alive.

There are MANY reasons and ways to make that a very cool part of life.

1/ You have 100% freedom of choice. 

You can do it whenever you want, anywhere, anytime. 

2/ It's extremely easy to remember.

It's just like you remember to brush your teeth everyday.

3/ The 100 rule. 

Do 100 repetitions of a compound movement, as a bare minimum to do everyday, on any day where/if you don't fully workout (Sunday can be mobility!). Convert that to seconds if it's a static movement or a mobility routine. If you can't perform some movements, you can use any assisted variations...

Let's Talk About Problems

Let's face it, EVERY human on earth has problems.

Of EVERY kind.

Here I'll only address injuries, chronic pains, and posture deficiencies. The goal is to keep them MINOR, and reverse them.

I’ll only name a few but I trained with:

1. Broken toes 
2. A long term-chronic winging right shoulder blade (affects ALL overhead movements) 
3. A left elbow with a bursted bursa that will never heal (affects ALL pushing movements) 
4. Chronic tendonitis in the right arm from tennis (problematic for ALL grips). 
5. Right rotator cuff chronic pain due to too much serving at tennis (very inconvenient for ALL overhead movements)
6. Left slightly cracked knee cap skiing in my teens (affects knee bending capacity) 
7. Right ankle busted from a 8ft jump/fail skiing (affects ankle flexion)
8. I have a tendency for hyperlordosis (lower back arching syndrome) (affects ALL movements)
9. I also have constant tinnitus from making music for 20+ years (affects focus)
10. Over the last years, I had
...

How Calisthenics Promotes Spirituality!

Most people see Calisthenics as a sport to get strong, get lean and learn some skills.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg!

This is also a spiritual endeavor, and no one talks about that.

So I just started a new video series on that topic, with Hatem, a French client of mine.

Click here to watch our first podcast episode!

Nicolas