Street workout: where to start, top 10 exercises and program for beginners

The gym helps residents of big cities and tiny towns keep fit. With the widespread popularization of a healthy lifestyle, this issue has become even more relevant. However, not everyone has the opportunity, time and money to visit fitness centers staffed by professional trainers. Yes, this is not necessary if you know what it is - workout, which came to us from the poor American suburbs. Today, there are several similar strength sports practiced right on the street, and the choice is only yours.

The history of workout as a sports discipline

There is a theory that this sport originated from black Americans of low social status. Such people did not have the funds for physical development in gyms, so they were forced to train wherever they could. This is how street workout was born. Considering the Western influence on our culture, it is not difficult to assume that various Internet resources and video hosting sites began to be filled with the results of dark-skinned men. One of the most popular representatives of this discipline abroad is Hannibal King. This is a legendary person, known to everyone who has ever tried to be interested in this movement. It was he who had a huge influence on the development of the sports subculture. His videos began to appear somewhere back in 2008. They showed incredibly complex sets of exercises, which are still, like, a test of strength.

But we should not forget that sports are developing not only in America, but throughout the world. For example, the same USSR had a culture of physical development. To maintain a healthy nation, sports grounds were built. They were used by schoolchildren or those simply interested in doing conditional workout. One of the key figures in the CIS was Denis Minin from Ukraine. His active participation in this sport began somewhere back in 2010. About 7 years ago, a video of his training was released on YouTube, which gave great motivation to different people. Now he actively travels to different cities and gives master classes or holds competitions. He can be considered a full-fledged leader of the movement.

In 2012, a group of workout artists won the Ukrainian show “Ukraine’s Got Talent”, which greatly attracted attention to this subculture. In Russia, one of the most significant personalities can be called Mikhail Baratov. This guy not only participated and held competitions, but also made educational videos on various elements. One of the athlete’s favorite subspecies was the jimbar.

How did it all start?

If we consider workout as a set of exercises, then it has always been included in the basic level of training for athletes of any status. You can recall the norms of physical fitness in the USSR, where the required minimums for pull-ups and push-ups on uneven bars were indicated for each age and category.

But if we consider workout as a separate discipline, then it can be called a relatively young area of ​​fitness, which completely excludes any work with iron. Street workout arose on the basis of calisthenics - a new direction in fitness in which only rough movements are used for development:

• push ups;
• pull-ups;
• squats;
• working with the press;
• run.

Interesting fact: today street workout is a large complex of different exercises that are more related to gymnastics than to calisthenics. But the workout elements of CrossFit took all the best from calisthenics, and not from the gymnastic component of the workout.

The spread of calisthenics has become widespread with the development of the Internet. The peak of popularity of workout (in particular, street workout) is due to the fact that at the beginning of the 2000s, not all segments of the population had access to gyms, and sports grounds (especially in the CIS countries) are available in almost every yard.

Interesting fact: the original work without special equipment was at first a forced necessity, which then grew into a separate philosophy based on opposition to bodybuilding and powerlifting.

With the development of workout as a separate direction, separate subspecies began to appear. This:

1. Street Workout. It incorporated not only elements of calisthenics, but also various gymnastic exercises.
2. Ghetto Workout. It is also called old school Workout, or classic Workout. It retains the principles of calisthenics and implies the development of exclusively strength and speed-strength indicators without the use of special weights.

In the future, we will mainly consider ghetto workout, since it has a more extensive theoretical and practical basis and appeared earlier, therefore, it has the right to be called classic.

Types of workout

In a rough sense, street workout can be any workout on horizontal bars or uneven bars. And this is how he was at the beginning of his inception. However, at the initiative of the active pushers of this movement, it began to develop, turning into spectacular sets.

Workout, in turn, is usually divided into 3 similar, but different directions:

1. power extreme;
2. gymnastics;
3. Jimbar.

Power extreme

Extreme strength is a form of physical activity familiar to everyone, where an athlete works to build muscle mass or develop physical strength. The list of typical exercises includes standard pull-ups with different grips and parallel bars. In some cases, the floor press can also be used, but this is rare. The fact is that our body adapts to the necessary exercises or load, therefore, if we want to achieve success on the horizontal bar, we need to master it.

However, workout is not just exercise, it is a constant development and initiative that goes beyond the usual limits of understanding. If, in principle, no one can be surprised by a two-handed exercise, then the flag, swallow, planche or hang, even despite their old age, still take the breath away from passersby and even experienced athletes. The athlete must be well prepared before attempting any elements. Approximate working repetition numbers should reach 15 times. In some cases it can be lower, or even higher. It all depends on your goal.

As mentioned earlier: the engine of this movement is initiative. Active athletes began to come up with a huge number of different new exercises where they needed to drag their body onto the horizontal bar: captain's exit, officer's exit and various other exits with wonderful names.

Gymnastics

Artistic gymnastics is one of the most traumatic activities on the horizontal bar. However, it has a great feature - you do not need to have particularly strong physical training. In its usual understanding, gymnastics is various acrobatic rotations around the crossbar. Mostly it's the sun. This type is less wide-format, but even here they managed to come up with quite a lot of different variations of this element: crescent, reverse, sitting, standing. However, to practice gymnastics, an athlete must have additional sports equipment - straps. These are special straps that secure your hands to the bar. These “helpers” will save you from a bad fall if your hands start to slip. But they can become your trap, when it’s easier to just fall than to twist your joints. First of all, you need to take care of your joints by thoroughly warming up before training. Plus, this kind of workout gymnastics is not suitable for practicing at home.

Jimbar

The next and most interesting branch comes out - jimbar. This subspecies originated in Colombia, but later gained great interest throughout the world. This is a specific symbiosis of extreme strength training and street gymnastics. All elements in this style are unique. The athlete’s goal is to reach a certain point on the horizontal bar in an extremely uncomfortable position. Roughly speaking, you should be spinning around the bar like a snake, pulling yourself through sheer physical strength rather than momentum.

Jimbar requires very strong physical fitness, but also great flexibility. You literally have to hang by one arm and use your back muscles to lift your body horizontally, rotating 180 degrees. Popular elements include: nivelada, yoyo, demon's exit, crabs. From the names themselves, it is already remarkable that the Colombian discipline has undergone a process of globalization.

However, there are many elements that are difficult to categorize into one genre. This is an indicator that the discipline is developing very rapidly.

Workout is not just a sport. On the contrary, it is not considered an official sports discipline. These are associations of people. Basically, everyone learns from each other, observes, and then repeats. Such organizations then travel to various competitions that are actively held around the world.

Comparison with other fitness areas

Despite the fact that workout training is considered a separate sport that in no way intersects with either classical bodybuilding or modern CrossFit, it has much in common with these disciplines.

Pros and cons of workout classes

One of the advantages of street workout is accessibility. Sports grounds are everywhere: old and new. You can buy or make a horizontal bar in your yard, in your apartment, or even in the forest. It is a mistake to think that it is impossible to work out some muscle groups on the horizontal bar or to do it as effectively as in the gym.

1. Firstly, the horizontal bar is the best way to pump up your back and achieve a V-shaped body.
2. Secondly, workout develops mass and strength, perfectly helps to develop triceps, back, biceps, shoulders, chest, forearms, grip and even abs.

And this is all effective and almost immediately.

Another big advantage is in the forearms and grip. This makes your arms stronger, which will help in everyday physical challenges. One of the main benefits of exercising your body is that it helps in your daily life. This helps to withstand the load throughout the day.

One of the disadvantages is that it is less situational. In the gym, if your biceps are tight, you can change the exercise and focus on the triceps or another muscle. There are a lot of exercises on the horizontal bar, but they are all similar and complex. If one thing fails, then it is very difficult to work. This makes the training scheme problematic to construct.

There are still difficulties for beginners , as dumbbells can be selected, but body weight cannot be changed. This is also the reason for slow development. In the gym, the weight constantly and gradually changes, but on the bar you only have to manipulate the quantity and approaches.

The acrobatic part can do a lot of harm to your body.

On the horizontal bars, as in the gym, you have only one way - hard work.

Do you need a coach to achieve results? No. Do you need different powders in colored jars? No. Do you need fancy exercise equipment and the latest fitness techniques? Also no.

All you need to get in shape is regular simple exercise and understanding your diet. Pull-ups, push-ups, squats and calorie balance are the secret to success.

If you train on street horizontal bars, then no one will urge you to train, and the money paid for a subscription will not put pressure on your conscience. You can come up with a lot of excuses to stay home and lie on the couch, but if you want to achieve results, then you have only one way - hard work.

How to start workout without even knowing how to do pull-ups

You should start working out with regular training, which will later turn into extreme strength training. If you don't know how to do pull-ups, then you need to find some parallel bars. Try this workout exercise for beginners:

1. grab the pipe;
2. move your legs as far as possible into a reverse bench press;
3. Use your hands to pull your chest toward the bar without using your legs or lower back.

Read more about low bar pull-ups →

When you learn how to do pull-ups on a low bar at least once, you should move on to neutral pull-ups.

The secret of popularity

Two things contributed to the popularization of the sport: the Bartenders team from the USA and the democracy of workout. It all started with the performances of workout artists from Bartenders in 2000. They attracted a huge number of enthusiasts wanting to join the movement. Hundreds of thousands of people decided to go out to their backyards and play sports that are available to everyone.

To practice workouts, you don’t need to pay to visit a gym or hire a personal trainer. You can train on the courtyard at any time and completely free of charge. You don't need to have any special equipment or buy sports equipment. The main thing is to have comfortable clothes, shoes, and gloves for training.

Workout: training program

The workout program in a workout should be based on gradual increases. I recommend using the wave in repetitions:

1. first 50% of maximum repetitions;
2. then 75%;
3. then again 50%;
4. You can end up with an endurance fight, trying to overcome your previous record.

You can postpone 100% for the 5th approach. Leading exercises to the element can be performed in a regular workout program, but to work different muscle groups. Such workouts exhaust the body quite a lot, so you shouldn’t do the complex every day. However, this is also situational. You can perform 4 approaches without a final push on your endurance, then this will be acceptable for daily development and even good. But with exhaustion and wear and tear, you can’t go too far. In any case, the workout program is like this:

• or 1 to 1, that is, every other day;
• or 3 to 1, where 3 are working days.

Training for a beginner

Imperfections in the functioning of the vestibular apparatus cause certain problems both in people who have not been seriously involved in sports, and in physically trained athletes. A novice workout worker, regardless of the level of training, always has the danger of losing orientation when performing a flip and getting injured as a result of a fall.

This can be avoided by including exercises in training to “develop” the vestibular apparatus. Every training session for a beginner on the horizontal bar must include:

1. fungus - hanging upside down;
2. rocking;
3. rise by revolution.

Competitions

The competitions are interesting and fun. There must be thematic musical accompaniment. Organizers choose locations in parks or near large shopping centers. Workout for children and adults is divided into several areas.

1. Powerlifting. Here the main task is to do as many repetitions of one exercise as possible without leaving the apparatus.
2. Freestyle. This is room for creativity. In a couple of minutes you need to show as many connections and elements as possible. They will be put together into a single picture.
3. One on one. This is a fight with an opponent, the judges evaluate who completed the task better.

It is worth noting that workout for beginners and professionals has few restrictions. A coach can create a unique performance system specifically for children.

Contraindications

There are no serious contraindications in this sport. There are only restrictions on the level of load. This can be determined by a trainer or doctor.

If you have problems with blood pressure or the musculoskeletal system, you need to exercise without significant effort, choose simple exercises.

Children can be examined in advance by an orthopedist or pediatrician. This will help identify any problems and select a training plan. For full development there is a set of lightweight exercises.

Workout for children with psychological disabilities can become too difficult a sport. However, together with the doctor, parents decide whether these activities are worth trying for their child.

Sometimes physical exercise is beneficial and helps in development. But in most situations, special physical therapy is required, rather than classic workout.

Top 10 exercises for beginners to do workout: from easy to difficult

Neutral pull-ups

1. Grasp the horizontal bar with any comfortable grip.
2. Pull yourself up and lock yourself in this position.
3. Slowly lower yourself to the starting position.

This is an exercise from the statics section. It will help you strengthen your muscles before further loading and other exercises.

Straight Grip Pull-Up

1. Grab the bar with your fingers away from you.
2. Your hands should be at the level of your shoulders.
3. Pull yourself up to your chin.
4. When lowering, fully extend your arms, but do not relax your back.

In this way, the forearms work well, and along with them the hand grip. Moreover, the deltoids and lats, and indeed the entire back, are actively involved. If the elbows are directed forward, the load will be taken by the shoulders and, to some extent, the chest.

Wide grip pull-ups

1. Grasp the horizontal bar with an overhand grip.
2. Your arms should be significantly wider than your shoulders so that when you lift your elbows, an angle of 90 degrees is formed.
3. Pull yourself up to full range without relaxing your back muscles.

The best exercise to achieve a V-shaped back.

Close grip pull-up

1. Grab the horizontal bar.
2. Hands should be close to each other.
3. Perform full range of pull-ups.

This exercise works the shoulder blades and, to a large extent, the forearms. Also, due to the positioning of the arms, the triceps work more actively than the biceps, and therefore pump up faster.

Reverse grip pull-up

1. Grasp the horizontal bar with a reverse grip, with your fingers facing you.
2. Hands at any distance from each other.
3. Pull yourself up to your chin, but don't go all the way down.

The first jerk for lifting is carried out thanks to the spinal muscles. The reverse grip is used to work the biceps and chest area. Therefore, to achieve greater effect, do not resort to using your back.

Dips

Warm up before approaching to avoid damaging your joints.

1. Jump onto the bars.
2. Lower yourself until your elbows form a 90-degree angle.
3. Rise to full range.

A very easy way to pump up your chest and shoulders.

Pull up commando

1. Turn 90 degrees away from the horizontal bar.
2. Grasp with one hand with a forward grip and the other with a reverse grip.
3. Alternately pull yourself up to different sides.

In this case, the triceps, upper shoulder and latissimus muscles are effectively trained.

Two-handed exits

1. Grab the horizontal bar with an overhand grip.
2. Your hands should be slightly wider than your shoulders.
3. Jerk yourself up so that the bar is at your waist.
4. Lower yourself slowly to avoid injuring your joints.

Exiting two is one of the elements of extreme strength that even experienced athletes cannot always do. However, nevertheless, this is an excellent workout for the explosive power of your muscles, which, in addition, will have a positive effect on volume.

Officer's exit

1. Grab the bars (or any not very tall pipe) with any grip that is comfortable for you.
2. Pull yourself up and throw one arm over it so that your elbow is above the horizontal bar, as if you were doing a one-up exercise.
3. Hang in this position.
4. With your other hand, you should grab the horizontal bar behind your back.
5. You should hang with your back to the horizontal bar so that it is at the level of your shoulder blades.
6. Pull yourself up to your lower back.

At first glance, it is difficult to stabilize yourself, since the position is awkward, plus there is a risk that you will fall forward. However, in this position, the stabilizer muscles can simply withstand extreme loads. Excellent for training shoulders, triceps, chest and back.

Front hang

1. Grasp the horizontal bar with any grip at shoulder level.
2. Raise your legs until your body is in a horizontal position.
3. Don't swing or bend your arms.

Do not arch your lower back, otherwise you will injure it. If your arms are not straight, there will be no result. This exercise will make your lats as functional as possible.

Correct training heart rate

To get the most out of HIIT, it is important to calculate your training heart rate. Ideally, you need to undergo sports testing from a specialist, where he will determine adequate heart rate zones, taking into account all the nuances. If this is not possible, then you can use the Karvonen method. To do this, you need to determine your maximum heart rate, resting heart rate, and heart rate reserve.

Maximum heart rate

= 220 - age (Cooper formula).
Heart rate reserve
= maximum heart rate - resting heart rate.

Training heart rate

= exercise intensity * heart rate reserve + resting heart rate.

Load intensity:

— 40-60% — warm-up; — 60-70% — a special warm-up and the main part of the workout, optimal for “health” training; — 70-80% is the fat burning zone, the main part of the workout.

An intensity of 70-80% is suitable for most exercisers, and 80-90% is suitable for already trained people and athletes.

Photo: istockphoto.com

General recommendations

Each workout begins with a mandatory warm-up. A daily set of exercises is done without any breaks. The full complex is repeated three to four times, allowing yourself to rest for a few minutes between sets. To avoid overwork, take two to three days a week off from training.

Absolutely anyone can start working out. There is a place for everyone on the yard, regardless of their level of training or age.

Igor March 30, 2016

Rank

After the introduction of competitions, workout classes also appeared. There are 7 of them in total.

To obtain a rank, it is necessary to fulfill certain standards, consisting of a set of basic elements. As the level increases, the complexity and number of repetitions of the exercises increases. The last level is equivalent to a master of sports.

Discharge motivates athletes to hone their skills and improve themselves.