The Rise of Street Workout

Street workouts are one of the current fitness buzzwords, having grown to something of a cult status from their humble beginnings. Initially, street workout were used by NYC street performers to impress their crowds and grab more tourist dollars but today, they are seriously in vogue as a fitness choice. Street workouts, an evolved and more stylised adaption of what we now trend as ‘calisthenics’ has become a community binding culture and a sport in its own right.

Popular across America, it was partly inspired by the outdoor training mecca Muscle Beach in Miami but also hugely popular across Eastern Europe, where it was inspired by old school soviet military bodyweight training and the lack of well-equipped gyms. Street workouts are part of a growing fitness lifestyle for many. The culture has become particularly popular in some areas with the local youth culture. There is a lot to be said for this adoption, as it’s a virtually costless community activity which leads the young into a life of fitness, social belonging and discipline.

The sport is growing like wildfire here in the UK as well and that fire is being fuelled by social media as the impressive video clips of daring bodyweight exercise routines make for powerful viral content among the fitness and non-fitness social groups alike. From form-perfect muscle ups to extensive parallel bar routines and links to the early noughties free running street trend, social media platforms and YouTube alike are alight with inspirational examples of this bold new approach to fitness. Creating with it a new generation of social media fitness superstars.

If you’re looking to get into street workouts there are loads of options online and more and more gyms opening nationwide with the right facilities to get involved. If you’re looking to get a head start then it’s time to start mastering control of your own bodyweight and work on your core strength. Street workouts require very little equipment much like the world of general calisthenics training. For essentials, we’d recommend a set of parallel bars and a wide grip chin up fixture as a minimum.

Work on your wide and narrow grip chin ups, dips and hanging leg raises for a good place to start. Keep a close eye on your tempo looking to performer all movements slowly and under control as your strength increases. You’ll also gradually develop your grip strength as you train, another vital aspect for all round calisthenics and street workouts.