Do or do not, there is no try
Chengyu Qiu
*Please note that some of the contents may not be accessible in regions where internet censorship is enforced
My take on calisthenic
Calisthenics are exercises consisting of a variety of gross motor movements—running, standing, grasping, pushing, etc.—often performed rhythmically and generally without equipment or apparatus. They are, in essence, body-weight training. They are intended to increase body strength, body fitness, and flexibility, through movements such as pulling or pushing oneself up, bending, jumping, or swinging, using only one's body weight for resistance
——Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I ditched weight-lifting for calisthenics from around Oct 2015. With calisthenics I train with passion and perseverance I never had. I am not asserting that calisthenic is superior to weight-lifting, but from time to time I feel that calisthenic is misunderstood and underappreciated. This situation is related to the poor dissemination of the art of calisthenic, which is sadly destined considering that few vendors would profit from advertising a sport that requires the minimum equipment.
One of the reasons I created my personal site is to promote calisthenic......
This book inspired me to start calisthenic
Quotes from Convict Conditioning
"What does it matter how much weight you claim to be able to lift in a gym or on a special machine? How can somebody be considered to be "strong" if he can't even move his own body around as nature intended?"
"Just take a look at a sculpture like the Farnese Hercules, or the copy of Laocoon now in the Vatican. The model athletes who posed for those sculptures were clearly hugely muscular, and would easily win natural bodybuilding contests today. And the adjustable barbell wasn't invented until the nineteenth century."
"I don't care what kind of shape you are in, how old you are, or any of that crap. You might do it fast, or have to commit years to training to reach your personal peak. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters but effort and guts. You do have the power to get there."
​
Jump rope mixes
A short clip of my regular jump rope workout, including regular bounce, run-in-place, criss cross, boxer skip and double under.
Rope-jumping is an excellent cardio workout which also trains speed and body coordination. It is more fun than running and swimming while requiring the minimum equipment and space.
Weighted pistol squat
12kg weighted pistol squat, 6 clean reps each side. Personally, pistol squat, a compound movement for all muscle groups of leg, is the ultimate power training for lower body. It also requires tightening your abs and butt to keep balance.
One-arm push up
One of the most iconic bodyweight movement. The ultimate exercise for triceps and chest. Besides the reps, I am still refining my form to minimise the twisting of my torso.
Arch ring pull up
By shifting the body weight to one of the arms, this movement makes a perfect progression exercise towards the bad-ass one-arm pull up. Difficulty of this exercise can be easily adjusted by lowering or elevating the ring at the auxiliary side.
Hand stand push up
Coming soon
Dragon flag
An advanced ab movement, one of the Bruce Lee workout. Coming soon
Nutrition
To achieve optimum strength and physique, I keep in check what I put into my body. For more than a year I have kept a strict diet which allows one cheat day per week. In contrast to the conventional and popular idea, I believe fat is an essential nutrition to one's metabolism. Protein, although being a necessary building block for muscles, does not benefit health if taken in excessive amount. On my diet days I barely take in processed food (cured meat, fruit juice, fruit/vegetable dates, artificially flavoured cereals or yogurt, heavy-salted or flavoured dishes etc.); refined sugar and deep fried food are absolute taboos. I flavour my dishes with natural additives such as garlic, sea salt, black pepper, chilli powder, herbs, olive oil or tomato sauce etc.
 A typical breakfast: two steamed eggs, a large bowl of 100% cereal&milk, a slice of wholemeal bread with 100% peanut butter, fruit |  Lunch/supper 1: Lean fillet steak flavoured with sea salt, black pepper, garlic, rosemary and a little touch of butter; boiled broccoli, cauliflower and carrot, lightly fried in the steak pan |
|---|---|
 Lunch/supper 2: Oven-grilled chicken breast and thigh, flavoured with salt, pepper, herbs, chilli and soy sauce; boiled broccoli, carrot, asparagus and potato |  Lunch/supper 3: Oven-grilled lamb butterflied leg, boiled vegetables and whole-grain pasta |
 Lunch/supper 4: Pan-fried salmon, flavoured with salt, black pepper and garlic; boiled vegetables and brown rice |  Lunch/supper 5: Can tunna and beans; boiled asparagus, carrots and green peas; flavored with tomato ketchup |
 Lunch/supper 6: Spaghetti, shrimp, mushroom and leek; pan-fried with light cream |  Lunch/supper 7: Pan-fried strips of beef oyster blade with spring onion, garlic, chili and mushroom; brown rice and asparagus |
 Snacks: throughout the day, I snack with fruits and nuts, and sometimes Greek yogurt |  Before sleep: most of the time I workout at night after supper, after training I have a slice of wholemeal bread with peanut butter and a glass of milk |