Calisthenics Basics: My Journey from Zero to Strength

 

Building a Strong Foundation in Calisthenics:

When I first started calisthenics, I was eager to learn flashy moves, but Kishan made me realize that without a strong foundation, progress would be slow and injury-prone. He told me, "Master the basics first, and the advanced skills will come naturally."

January First Week, 2024, The First Day of Real Training:

That morning, I showed up at Bhayander Khadi Grass Ground Stage, Mumbai, excited but clueless about what was coming. Kishan stood there, arms crossed, looking at me with a smirk. "Alright, let's see what you've got," he said. He asked me to do a set of push-ups, pull-ups, and dips. I confidently got into position for push-ups, thinking, "This should be easy." But by the eighth rep, my arms trembled, and my chest burned. I barely finished ten.

"Not bad, but not great either," Kishan chuckled. "You’ve got a long way to go, bro. Let’s start from the foundation."

At that time, I could do 10+ push-ups, 10 dips, and 8 pull-ups. I could also hold an L-sit for up to 20 seconds, and after 4-5 attempts, I managed to hold the frog pose successfully. That was my starting point, but I wanted to build real strength. After finishing the session, I said to Kishan, "I want to go for opening my factory." My dad has an outsourcing manufacturing firm of spectacle frames, so it's my responsibility to open the factory on time. After that, I left training and went to the factory. Once it was open, I headed to the office and watched all the videos I had shot during training for analysis. I also posted them on my Instagram story because I love sharing my journey with people.

After that session, I felt the need to research more about calisthenics. So, I started exploring YouTube, books, and Instagram. I was truly astonished to see how big calisthenics was in Western countries while very few people in India knew about it. This curiosity drove me to dive deeper into my research, where I discovered legendary calisthenics athletes like Andrea Larosa, Viktor Kamenov, and Chris Heria. Among them, Andrea Larosa became my all-time favorite athlete.

Through my research and my eagerness to learn, I started to understand calisthenics better. I also read a book called "Street Workout" by Al Kavadlo and Danny Kavadlo, which gave me more insights into the art and science behind bodyweight training.

I started dreaming about seeing myself as the calisthenics beast of India and became even more enthusiastic about representing India on the world calisthenics stage. With Kishan's guidance and my research, I built a structured plan for four training sessions a week. My primary goal was to build a solid foundation in calisthenics. 

Three Months of Foundational Training:

For the next three months, I followed a structured training plan focused on mastering the basics. My days consisted of push, pull, and dip exercises while gradually introducing handstand progressions. 

At first, it was brutal. My arms ached, my core was weak, and even holding a basic L-sit for 30 seconds felt impossible. But with time, I started seeing progress. Negative pull-ups turned into full pull-ups, shaky push-ups became solid, and my handstand hold lasted longer each week.

In the starting days, it was hard to build consistency, but my goals and targets guided me to stick with the plan and remain consistent. At that time, I didn't know about 'Grease the Groove' training, but unknowingly, I practiced it a lot. Whenever I was free from work, I would do push-ups in the office, pull-ups in the park, and try to hold a handstand against the wall.

Learning Discipline and Patience:

Discipline is necessary for growth. When I started executing my plan in real life, I focused on making calisthenics a habit—something I did every single day.

Conclusion: The Foundation is Everything:

If you’re starting calisthenics, don’t rush into advanced moves. Build your base first. Strength, endurance, and control will come naturally when you focus on the fundamentals.

This journey is about more than just workouts—it’s about patience, discipline, and pushing through your limits. The impossible will become possible, one rep at a time.

Let’s keep growing stronger together!