The Journey

I began my calisthenics journey during lockdown, working out inside my house while following online workout tutorials. Initially, I struggled to do even one pull-up. Determined, I trained every day, and within a month, I achieved my first pull-up. Lacking workout buddies, I enlisted my younger brothers as training partners.

After a few months, I transitioned to a gym, where my prior calisthenics training gave me an advantage over typical beginners. Although I enjoyed the weights and evening gym sessions with friends, I missed the fresh air and morning pull-up challenges. Consequently, after a month, I returned to classic calisthenics workouts.

A year later, I could hold a handstand, perform 30-40 pull-ups, and do 15-20 dips consecutively. However, as the lockdown ended and college resumed, my routine became inconsistent, slowing down my progress. I adapted by incorporating calisthenics into gym sessions, both in the morning and evening. Nevertheless, my progress plateaued.

Realizing the need for variety, I introduced weights into my workouts, purchasing a weighted belt for weighted dips and pull-ups. Soon, I excelled in these exercises, particularly in push movements, which have always been a strength. Balancing workouts with study and other skills, my current strength and skills are as follows:

Current Skills and Strength

Pull Movements

• Pull-up one-rep max (25kg)
• 20-22 pull-ups in a single set
• 5-6 muscle-ups
• 5-second back lever hold
• Semi-tucked front lever (not attempted in a while)

Push Movements

• Dip one-rep max (52kg)
• 30 consecutive dips
• 64 pushups in one minute
• 10-second tucked planche
• 10 wall-standing handstand pushups
• Freestanding handstand max (unknown)

New Routine and Structure

With an increased focus on academics, learning full-stack web development, and personal growth, I need to manage my time efficiently, including workouts, without compromising my sleep. Here are my goals and plans for the upcoming semester or the next six months:

Fitness Goals:

• Skills to Achieve: One-arm pull-up, Front Lever.
• Backup time : A backup time for workout in evening.

Professional Development:

• Backend Development: Learn and practice everything about backend development.
• GitHub Commitment: Aim for at least one commit to GitHub every day.

Personal Growth:

• Writing: Publish at least one blog post per week.
• Workload: Work 80-100 hours per week, balancing academics and personal development.
• Reading: Consume at least one book per week.

Project and Public Learning:

• Maintain Progress Page: Regularly update the progress page on my blog.
• Building in Public: Share and document my learning and projects publicly.

Conclusion with a Beautiful Quote

As I wrap up, I’d like to leave you with this beautiful quote:

" Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." - Abraham Lincoln