I recently conducted an interview with HIT from Calisthenics Kingz. HIT is a personal fitness trainer and takes calisthenics to a whole other level. Check out his web site and videos on YouTube to see for yourself.
1. Could you provide a brief background about yourself and how you got into fitness?
My real name is George, but I prefer HIT, my nickname which stands for Hardcore Intense Trainer. I'm a certified personal fitness trainer holding 14 international certification in fitness. I've been certified and training clients for 10 years. I'm from and currently reside in the bronx n.y. I was always athletic growing up, playing sports such as basketball baseball & football, so it was inevitable that i would get into fitness, because i love being in great shape and feeling great.
2. How is your training style different from other personal trainers?
My style is different from other trainers because I'm continuously challenging my clients with different forms of fitness, mainly with natural bodyweight exercises. every session is a different obsticles, you never know what I'm going to do next.
3. What type of equipment is required for calisthenics?
Due to the fact that calisthenics requires mainly the resistance of your own natural bodyweight, limited equipment is needed. a pull-up/chin-up bar, a dip bar, but with me, I like to very creative, so I improvise and this is what makes it so challenging for my clients when I train them, and for myself as well.
4. Can anyone at any age benefit from calisthenics?
Yes. I believe anyone at any age can benefit from calisthenics, absolutely !!!
5. What are some of the benefits of performing calisthenics?
Some of the benefits from performing calisthenics are: muscular development, muscular endurance, increased energy, increased functional strength, increased flexibility, overall performance enhancement, better balance, coordination, proper posture, not to mention an extremely ripped/tone physique, lol, strengthen bones, weight loss, reduce body fat, helps a stronger vascular system etc.
6. What type of nutrition plan do you recommend for your clients?
It depends on the client, it differs depending on the individual. Ultimately, I educate them in proper nutrition as well as the dietary modifications that are necessary for you to achieve permanent weight loss.
7. For those who are just starting out, what types of exercises would you suggest?
I design a personalized beginner program for my clients who have never entered a fitness program, that program would consist of light strength training, cardio, & stretching. I would design this program based around the individuals fitness goals.
8. How many calories (on average) does a calisthenic workout burn?
A 45 minute calisthenics workout can burn about 400 calories on average or more, the reason being because when performing calisthenics you're working and using more muscles, then you would use with an average weight training workout.
9. Is there a fitness myth that you would like to debunk?
Yes. the fact that calisthenics doesn't build muscle. There are an abundance of calisthenics exercises, and there are enough for a complete body workout. For example Push ups can be performed in different ways to hit different muscles. For instance, a wide hand placement would hit the chest more, whereas a narrow hand placement would hit the triceps more. Just because you are doing calisthenics, it doesn't mean you can't add some weight into the mix in the form of something. If you want to continue gaining size, I recommend using a weight vest for added resistance and you can increase the number of repetitions and sets, and decreasing your rest period in between sets with each exercise and it's have the muscle building effect that free weights have.
10. Is there anything else you would like to add?
I'd like to thank you for taking the time to interview, and listen to what i have to say. And here's my website: www.calisthenicskingz.net so people can learn more about me and what I do. And performance based training (calisthenics) is DEFINITELY on the rise, and I'm going to see to it that calisthenics becomes not only an extreme sport, but I'm going to make sure it's "The New Age of Fitness"
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
This fitness interview seems to be really interesting. I have gone through it and I will also recommend others to have a look at it. If you just follow the fitness tips mentioned in it, you can very easily maintain a good health.
Great interview! I always look forward to reading what fellow trainers have to say. Thanks for posting.
I am also a trainer/yoga and Pialtes instructor. I used to do all of the high-impact classes, kickbox and weight train, but never got the results I wanted. In the last 5 years I have focused solely on calisthenics in the for of yoga and Pilates and have never felt better! It really is simple and you do get a much leaner and ’shredded’ look than you would with weights.
Calisthenics is, and will always be, what I preach to my clients. Any other type of training is secondary. Being able to handle your body weight in push and pull movements is essential. Great article!
Yes… Bodyweight is what it is all about. It is highly functional and will seperate from the boys from the men…girls/women.
I started off with bodyweight back in the broke student days and i preach to all my readers how that is when i benefited the most from exercise.
An impressive 6-8 pac also. Good interview
I haven’t done calisthenics before and I’m not really sure what performance based training is but Hit really made an impression. Thanks for posting this.
Pretty cool. Definitely an important element to incorporate into fitness training sessions.
Calesthenics is what can give you a great body without the use of expensive exercise machines. Calesthenics is what got me into bodybuilding.
I liked the interview and the fact you broke it into steps any amateur or pro can follow and learn from. Great job!