Athlete spotlight - Nicole Riedmueller
We sat down to talk with calisthenics athlete Nicole Riedmueller from Germany to hear about her shift from weights to calisthenics and how she fits it in around work and studying.
GRAVITY FITNESS: Hi Nicole, thanks for speaking to us (in your second language, too!) Please introduce yourself to Gravity readers.
NICOLE RIEDMUELLER:
Hi, I’m Nicole – I’m 23 and live in Germany. I’ve been training since 2022 and focusing on calisthenics since 2025. It’s my passion!
GF: How did you get into calisthenics?
NR:
I was starting to get bored of doing regular weights in the gym, and then I saw some people doing bodyweight workouts and skills. I thought it looked great and wanted to try it myself, so I asked them for some tips.
Then I joined a group of people training calisthenics, and started making quicker progress. I had a good base of muscle and strength, so I found the basics quite easy to master, but the advanced skills are more difficult for me!
GF: What's a typical training week for you
NR:
I do three calisthenics sessions (one push and two pull – I love pull days!) and two leg days. On my pull days I’ll work on front lever, muscle ups, pull ups etc and in my push sessions it will be dips, push ups, elbow lever.
My leg sessions are free weights or gym machines, heavy movements like hip thrusts.
I do 20 minutes of stretching and mobility after training and sometimes some more at home.
I train before or after work depending on my shifts.
And I always take at least two full rest days.
push – elbow lever, dips, push ups
GF: Take us through a day in the life, including training and nutrition
NR:
I work full time and I’m studying to become a coach, so life is very busy! I get up early and either train or study before work.
Then I have a full work day. If I haven’t trained before work, I’ll go to the gym afterwards (it depends on my shifts).
As I said before, I have at least two rest days a week and those days are for studying, time with family and my boyfriend, and getting outside for a walk to clear my mind.
I don’t stress myself too much about nutrition, I no longer track or count calories (I found that too much pressure).
I don’t meal prep, I try to eat intuitively and focus on healthy meals but I don’t restrict myself at all.
I try to get 8 hours sleep, this is really important for me.
GF: How do you balance strength, skills, and recovery in training
NR:
Recovery is very important - I learned that the hard way!
I used to train six or seven times a week and thought training less wasn’t an option. But I wasn’t making any progress.
And then my body forced me to rest – I was really ill and spent two weeks unable to train.
Now I listen to my body.
I train strength and skills together in my sessions, using weighted calisthenics movements for strength apart from a few sessions a month where I’ll train with free weights or machines.
GF: What's the biggest lesson you've learned?
NR:
The biggest lesson was not letting ego lifting take over.
For months I was training muscle ups but they weren’t good reps, I kept trying without resistance bands until my left arm shut down.
The pain was intense, I couldn’t move it.
That showed me that you can’t let your ego push you, you have to build technique and take it slowly.
GF: What are 3 non-negotiable habits you'll always do all year round
NR:
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Put myself first – I take care of my wellbeing and do things that make me feel good
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Regular movement – whether that’s training or going on a walk to clear my mind
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8 hours of sleep – I have a really busy schedule and sleep helps me with the stress
GF: What are your 3 top tips for getting started in calisthenics
NR:
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Don’t be too impressed by fancy skills. Remember that everyone started somewhere, so keep working on it and you’ll get stronger.
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Focus on the basics like push ups and dips, and don’t try to do too many skills at once. I used to try and work on six or seven skills at the same time and I got so much better when I only worked on two or three at a time.
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Train with others - training with other people helps you improve faster, makes it more fun, you can learn so much from others.
GF: What do you think are most under-rated and over-rated calisthenics exercises
NR:
My most under-rated movement is the front lever – I hear people say that it can’t be that hard, all you have to do is hold yourself in the air. I disagree!
Over-rated exercise is the L-sit, I think if you dedicated 20 minutes it for a few weeks you’ll get it quite quickly.
GF: What's the biggest myth in calisthenics
NR:
That you can’t build muscle with calisthenics - it’s simply not true.
I like to show women that you can build muscle from only calisthenics, and I love it when women want to train with me to find out for themselves.
I do have good genetics for muscle, but I think anyone can build muscle with calisthenics movements.
GF: What are your goals for 2026?
NR:
I want to complete my studies so I can work as a coach and help inspire and motivate more people.
In terms of training, I want to get good muscle up reps, ideally with weight, and a front lever – I think it’s such a cool skill to have.
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