Exercises

• Front lever
• Back lever
• Hanging knee raises
• Skipping

Workouts

• Circuit training workout

Bodyweight training is really something that captured our interest in 2011 and will be a focus of ours in 2012. The strength gains are phenomenal, the exercises extremely challenging, requiring perserverance and study of progression exercises that really have made us think differently about the way we train. It builds a lean, yet muscular physique and teaches you how to control and manipulate your bodyweight. 

Keep your eyes open for further additions to these databases and in the coming months we'll be building some new features into these directories too, hopefully building a resource that can really help support your training.

Feel free to send us any thoughts or suggestions to admin@fitstream.com and we'll do our best to accommodate. 

Check out our new workouts directory and you'll find our first circuit training routine written by elite bodyweight trainer Metin Dabak. 

Circuit training is a great way to work against the clock and keep momentum to build a high-level of fitness. 

This routine will see you combining strength training with high-intensity cardiovascular work to build strength, muscular endurance and enhance fat loss. 

5 exercises. 25 minutes long. Great results. 

Try it out and let us know what you think. 

The sandbag is an awkward beast and can be used to build a solid level of strength and conditioning. They are particularly useful for combat / contact sports as they build serious strength, power and speed skills.

Check out the workout now for some pointers to kick start your sandbag regime and learn the fundamental techniques.

Sandbag eBook Offer

Brute Force have also setup an exclusive 25% discount code for Fitstream on their eBook - The Complete Guide to Sandbag Training a 188 page eBook designed to give you everything you need to get your sandbag strength and conditioning programme up and running.

Simply visit the store and enter fitstream25 just before the checkout page to get the discount.

The discount code expires midnight this Thursday, 8th March so get in quick.

The competition challenged participants to videoing the most dead-hang pull-ups, which ran for six weeks and took entries via YouTube. There were three classes available for men's, women's and 18's and under.

Well done to all the winners - there were some super-human efforts and participants showed great spirit and camaraderie. It was inspiring stuff...

Competition winners

The competition winners are shown below and prizes are being sent this week...

Men's winners

Damien showing how it's done - 

Women's winners

Toni in action -

18's and under

Devidas showing that age means nothing...

Competition sponsors

The TRX guys have been leaders in the single-point suspension trainer market for years now and this is their latest addition to the fitness world, designed specifically to meet the demands of military service professionals.

TRX have created an impressive little package with this suspension training bundle and it's nicely put together, with plenty of training material, and some nifty little upgrades to the classic suspension trainer design...

• Updated suspension trainer: After years of true use in the field the classic suspension trainer design has been refined. 
• Now you won't find any moving parts or pieces that could fail with harcore use or in harsh climates. 
• Made even lighter, weighing in at only 1.5lbs. 
• D-rings are used making the connecors lighter, stronger and more durable
• Rubber handles in place for ultimate grip, durability and easy-cleaning. 
• The TRX Extender strap allows you to anchor the trainer to higher / vertical points for extreme versatility. 
• Mesh running bag included for easy portability and organization. 
• 12-week progressive tactical conditioning program: Concieved by service members in the field, this program focuses on strength, agility and mobility. It comes in the form of a 
• Durable, heavy-duty, waterproof hand book.
• Two DVDs with three real-time workouts and agility drills. 

The TRX FORCE package gives you a solid, reliable piece of fitness equipment that takes your training with you at all times. Hook it to your door, or over a bar, tree or beam and this trainer gives you the ultimate flexibility to train almost anywhere. 

Find our more about the TRX FORCE trainer in the suspension trainers section of our store. 

Steven is in phenomenal physical shape, standing at 6" tall and weighing a hefty 200 lbs, he is a member of the Extreme Pull Ups Crew - a group of guys in the US who dedicate their training around the mighty pull-up and regularly hold competitions on their website with the aim of finding the best athletes from around the world who all share the same common interest -"Pull Ups!"

Here we catch-up with Steven where we talk about training, competitions & that monumental world record that he set earlier this year:

Fitstream - Ok Steven, we're thrilled to be interviewing you. Can you start us off with letting everybody know a little bit about yourself?

Steven - I am 30 years old and from Long Island, NY. I now live in Edmond, OK with my wife and son.

I first got into pull ups when I joined the Marines. When I arrived at boot camp I only managed 14 pull ups, three months later I was doing 20. Then I realized I could take it much further. At that time my goal was to do 20 reps fast and easy for the PFT.

Since I’ve been out my goal has to add more-and-more weight to myself.

Fitstream - So, tell us about the Extreme Pull Ups Crew - Did you set it up? How did the crew all get involved with each other?

Steven - The Extreme Pull up Crew was started by Damien Longley A.K.A. (E_P_C) on Bodybuilding.com. Once he created the website Extremepullups.com he asked me if I would be one of his sponsored athletes. Most of the crew are current and former service members who naturally trained pull-ups for years. The site is used to offer training advice and hold contests bringing the pull-up community together. Most of us were fortunate enough to meet one another at the 2011 Mr. Olympia Expo in Las Vegas.

Fitstream - It's been a very successful year for you, not only have you set an incredible world record but you've been involved in some very hard fought out pull-up competitions hosted by the Extreme Pull Ups Crew, let us know about how you got on in these & any future competitions you guys have coming up in the new year...

Steven - The crew came along before the competitions. 

The first comp was "2011 Body-Weight Max Reps Pull Up Competition" which I won in the 200lbs and over category with 34 reps. Then the second was "reps with a 45 lb plate. where I won with 22 reps in the 200lbs and over category". Finally "Percentage of body-weight added", in the under 200lbs category, and I won with 97%.

In the future there might be a 100 lbs for reps competition ... Keep checking the site for upcoming news.

Fitstream - Here at Fitstream we know just how beneficial the pull-up is as part of any training regime but you guys take it to a whole new level - Do you include pull-ups every time you workout? ... Do you only do pull ups or do you mix up your workouts with different exercises? ... Let us know what your weekly workout regime looks like ...

Steven - When I’m not doing a contest I’ll do a push / pull / legs routine. 

• On back day: I’ll do weighted pull ups, a row variation, shrugs, curls. 
• Chest day: I’ll do bench / incline or both, standing press, fly’s, pushdowns / skull crushers. 
• Leg Day: Squats / Deadlift or both, leg curls & extensions, calf raises, leg press. 
• Reps and sets usually vary on each workout. 

Now when I train for a world record or a contest I’ll spend the whole time doing pull-ups. I am starting to believe I shouldn’t cut out the other workouts completely except for a couple of days before the record or contest. It’s all trial and error to see what works.

We have promoted several pull up training methods. Pull ups for time has been a good way for us to increase the number of pull ups we can do. This is where we perform 100 strict pull ups in the shortest amount of time mixing up sets and rest time. This has helped with the muscular endurance required for strict pull-ups, also 100 pull ups in the fewest sets.

Let’s say you’re a beginner and you wouldn’t get 100 even if you were given 100 minutes. You can still fit this routine into your training. Take your max reps in one set and multiply that by four . That’s your goal to hit in the shortest time. For your sets do ½ or ¾ the number of your max reps. So if you can do 10 pull-ups do sets of 5-8 keeping your rest time short around 5-15 seconds. Do the reps steady don’t hang or struggle save the energy for the next set.

Fitstream - Ok, so go on then ... "The Big One!" ... How did you come about becoming the Guinness World Record Holder for "Heaviest Weighted Pull-Up" - What did you have to do in order to achieve this remarkable feat? ... Did you break a previous record or set this one?

Steven - I first contacted GWR to see if the category existed. Since I knew this was a long process I started training early. A couple of months later they let me know there wasn’t a category but they were interested in adding it. They set the minimum at 200 lbs and gave me a very strict criteria to follow. Once I read the official rules I had to make a few changes to how I was performing them. My legs needed to be straight, only a slight bend at the knees would be allowed. First I installed a homemade pull up bar that was high enough to accommodate leg room. Second I had to start practicing with my legs straight which changed my center of gravity which made it more challenging. On July 9th 2011 I performed a Pull up with 206.2 lbs attached to myself.

Before my Guinness record I read an article in REPS! magazine about Tim Ferguson, an Australian who performed a chin up with a combined weight of 386 lbs. I knew if I trained hard enough I could beat it with a over-hand grip. Shortly after the crew got started Damien got me in touch with Dale Harder who keeps these kinds of records and Dale gave me the rules I needed to follow to make it official.

I also contacted Ralf Laue of recordholders.org to verify this existing record. On April 29th I performed a pull-up for a total weight of 402 lbs - a new world record. Although I did weigh 199.8 lbs when I did my GWR; since I didn’t weigh myself on camera I failed to make a new world record of 406 lbs total weight. Once my bicep heals I will train to make another GWR attempt with 225 lbs / 102 kg added and I’ll definitely remember to weight myself this time.

Fitstream - To be able to pull that much weight is incredible! ... How did you work your way up to that?

Steven - I have spent the last 7 years training weighted pull-ups on and off. I started adding 25 lbs at 186 lbs and worked my way up via pates size 35,45,50,70,90,100,110,115…. For the longest time I was able to add 186 lbs with decent form. Once I hit a personal best I would stop training. I knew if started up again I would get back to where I left off in no time.

For GWR I changed my routine a little. My old routine 4 sets of 5 wouldn’t help me with a 1 rep max so I broke my training sessions into days of 1-2 reps, 2-3 reps, 4-6 reps pyramiding my way up and down for 6-8 sets changing the weight around; no workout was the same.

Fitstream - To be honest after watching the video, you looked like you were pretty comfortable lifting all that weight - How did it feel? ... Do you think that there is more left in the tank and you could possibly lift more weight?

Steven - Well I might have done more but I went with a safe number that I’ve done previously with no one watching. Good thing because I had to make a second attempt since my legs were bent too much. So really I did two sets of one. My adrenaline kicked in witnesses were taking time out of their day I couldn’t let anyone down. The only thing holding me back was a injured bicep from when I performed a rep/hold with a slow negative with 206.2 lbs. a few weeks before.

Fitstream - Most of us start out doing pull ups whilst being back at school attending P.E. lessons but normally starting out with the "chin-up grip" or "pronated grip" (palm of the hand facing towards the face) but after a while most advance to the harder "pull up grip" (palms facing outwards) and the chin up becomes somewhat neglected. Has this happened to you or do you still train the chin up as well as the pull up? ... After-all it is an extremely effective exercise!

Steven - I am definitely not as strong with chin ups as I am with pull ups. I can do them but for me chin ups aren’t natural and puts my wrist and elbow in a awkward position if I lock out or come to a dead hang. I’m sure I will always stick to pull ups.

Fitstream - Are you aware of the big freestyle bar movement that is going on right now with very strong athletes from around the globe who showcase their extraordinary skills through web-sites such as You-Tube and Vimeo? ... Guys like LittleBeastM or crews such as Bar-barians & Barstarzz? ... What do you think of the way these guys mix up basic body-weight exercises & combine them with gymnastic skills on the bars in the parks around the world & have you given it a go?

Steven - I have seen more and more of this over time. I haven’t tried it, I would definitely need to build up my endurance. At 200 lbs I really don’t see myself competitive with these athletes.

Anything that draws attention to pull ups, outdoor bodyweight activities; with minimal risk of injury is a good thing. I hope it becomes more popular over time, for right now I’ll just enjoy watching it.

Fitstream - Thanks for your time Steven, it's been a pleasure to chat with you. Once again congratulations on your World Record and we look forward to seeing you competing in more up-coming pull up competitions in the new year.

Steven - Thank you, I wish Fitstream the best of luck educating and supplying today’s everyday athletes.

Welcome to the first Fitstream competition ever!

This is going to be the first of many, where we'll be dishing out top equipment to winners taking part in our strength and fitness challenges and posting the results on our blog and Fitstream Facebook page.

... and which better exercise to start with for our first comp than the mighty pull-up! Here are the rules and the prizes up for grabs -

Participants will be competing to perform the most deadhang pull-ups. There are three classes available - Men's, Women's, and 18's and Under.

We've partnered with Astone Fitness to bring you our first place prize for the men's competition - The Human Trainer, providing you with the ultimate bodyweight training system. Urban sportswear brand fizzYcaL is contributing the prizes for the women's and 18's and Under classes. 

Competition sponsors:

Men's Prizes

Women's Prizes

18's and Under Prizes

Competition rules:

Entries and judging:

* In the event of any winners residing in Outer Mongolia or other such regions outside of Europe, Fitstream reserve the right to pay you the monetary equivalent of the prize via PayPal.

Fitstream Athlete Lee Wade Turner demonstrates the Dead-Hang Pull-up permitted for the competition below:

...and here's the top prize The Human Trainer in action -

Fitstream Athletes and competition judges Lee Wade Turner and Jay 'KillingGravity' pictured below - 

Needing nothing other than a small materials budget and a bit of elbow grease, we give you a step-by-step guide to create a space that will allow you to develop an insane level of strength and muscular definition.

This is the perfect solution for perfecting your basic strength moves like pull-ups, dips and muscle-ups, and ultimately progressing on to some freestyle bar work like the Bar-barians enviably put on show.

The article comes courtesy of Anton Guidera who recently built his own pull-up facility in his bodyweight training gym in Kettering, UK, whose fitness event we recently attended.

It would be great to see more of these gyms springing up around the country so please help us spread the word and like our article.

The Street Workout World Championship 2011 (SWWC2011) was held in Riga, Latvia and the first world champions were crowned in both the Freestyle and Strength categories. For those in the know, it wasn't a huge shock when Ievgen Ether Kozyr of the Barstylers was crowned 'Freestyle Bar World Champion' - Ether from Ukraine, has been on the circuit for a good few years now and those who've seen some of his YouTube videos know what he is capable of... Here's a clip of Ether performing at the SWWC - 

... and here's our exclusive interview with the champ himself, where we talk about the SWWC2011, training and the future of the body-weight movement:

Fitstream - Ok Ether, let's get started. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Ether - Hi everybody! About me.. I'm Ukrainian, I'm 25 now. Working out is my hobby which brings me a lot of pleasure. I started to work out about 2 years ago or a little bit more. My first inspirations were Bar-barians and Hannibal from NY, but I was attracted to pull-ups since my childhood so I always had a good base and was in a good shape.

My first big success was when I won the Ukrainian freestyle bar contest in Dnepropetrovsk last year (big thanks to Denis Minin for the organization). Nowadays I've become an inspiration for thousands of young people and it's a big responsibility. I'm trying to help everyone giving advice or answering questions, holding regular competitions in Kharkov (my native city) and visiting different events in other cities to judge, to compete, to communicate and to discuss further development.

I'd like to present my apologies to you for being so slow with this interview and to all those who didn't receive answers from me. Guys it's physically impossible to answer thousands of questions, so I'm trying to choose the most interesting and non-typical ones. Anyway when I have free time I'll try to help everyone. I hope this interview will clarify some questions and will be useful for all who interested.

Now my hobby started to develop extremely fast and is becoming a new 'sport'.

This year was full of different events and the next one will be much more lively - we have big plans!

Fitstream - Congratulations on your historic victory at the SWWC2011 freestyle category last month! Can you tell us what you had to do in the competition in order to be crowned 'world champion' and how the competition was judged?

Ether - Thanks! When I was going to Riga I didn't think at all about how to win the first place, I was going just to work out, to meet friends who I had seen only on videos, to get acquainted with new people and to get experience.

People always ask me what the prize was. I can say that none of the participants knew, didn't ask about prizes and didn't talk about what he will do to win etc. From the first day there was A LOT of crazy fun and only a friendly atmosphere. Each participant came to Riga because it was a big honor to take part in the first World Championship and altogether we all shared a really good time which we will remember for our lifetime.

So I did what I always do, I can't say that I was the best or most original. I saw many talented people there, many extremely powerful and artistic moves and each one had his own style.

There were several experienced judges who had to determine the first 3 places. Also each participant had one vote which he could give to any sportsman except himself. So I have to thank all of them for this title.

Fitstream - Besides the Freestyle category there was also a 'Strength' category at the competition. Can you tell us a bit about this and were you and the other competitors entered into both competitions? ... If so, how did you get on with it?

Ether - I didn't get prize on basics. The "Strength" part was on the second day of the competition. Almost all competitors took part in this challenge. The organizers made interesting as possible.

The participant had to do max muscle-ups, push-ups and dips. As for me, I took part in this contest to support the organizers and the other participants. I focused on the quality and reps without any stops.

I can say that I never liked pushups and dips, this is my weak point. I can also say that the rules were not excellent and participants were not in the same conditions. The quality and styles were different and it's too hard to judge fair. Next year there will be some changes which will make judging easier and put everybody in the same conditions.

Fitstream - Besides your own incredible sets, were there any others from the other competitors that really stood out and made you think that you might not have won the championship?

Ether - I tried to do my best on the bar, but as I said I didn't think about winning and yes, I was really amazed by all the participants.

Here in CIS countries, workout develops very fast and every day I see many new videos in our social network vk.com so it's very hard to impress me, but in Riga I was REALLY impressed!

Fitstream - The main reason the SWWC2011 was set up was to push the body-weight movement into the mainstream and hopefully attract the attention of the X-Games where Skateboarding, Motorcross, BMX, and Rally car racing are attracting around 37 million viewers worldwide! Do you think this is the right direction for the 'sport' or do you think it can eventually grow on it's own similar to the way CrossFit and the CrossFit Games has done over the last couple of years, or would you rather it be kept on a smaller/more underground level?

Ether - It's a difficult question. The main thing is that no one imposes on anybody. Each person has a choice to workout just to keep the body fit or to achieve something more . And I think that it's really great that somebody is trying to give this choice to everybody. Everything depends on your attitude to this sport and on your aims. Some think that this is the right direction of development and some think that this is nonsense. The question is - are YOU interested in it or are you not interested in it?

I don't know how far our 'sport' can be developed but I'm not opposed to give it a chance to show skills for those who want it because this may be one of the strongest motivations when training and working on your body and your mind ... besides I think that talented people have to show their skills to everybody because by doing so people can see and realize what a strength, what progress they can reach just working out in the street! Somebody watches a barz-vid and says to himself "Shit! I also can do it! I'm no worse than they are! It doesn't need some extra talent or money! That's what I need!" and in the next moment he or she is one of us.

Last Saturday I held a little competition in my city on L-sit pull-ups with additional weight ... There were many people who came from other cities and who I saw for the first time. They told me that they gave up smoking and started to work out because of me, because of my videos. Isn't that great?

Fitstream - Tell us about your weekly workouts? ... How many times a week do you train? ... Do you have a set routine or do you prefer to keep mixing things up and varying things?

Ether - I don't have any program, any diet. I train when my body needs it. For now, when I don't have specific goals, I train twice a week.

At the beginning I do a warm-up then some hard stuff, static holds, some combinations and by the end I do some basics in order to load my muscles for max. During each training session I meet a lot of people and my workout turns in to a good, active and effective pastime.

Fitstream - When did you last workout and what did you do exactly?

Ether - My last workout was last Saturday. As I said earlier, it was a little bar meeting. There were 70 or 80 people and 37 took part in the competition (weighted L-sit pull-ups). We even managed to bring to the contest some people from the audience who didn't know anything about calisthenics before and of course kids (pull-ups without weight). Oh, on my last holiday I visited quite a big event in Dnepropetrovsk and a little 10 year old kid made 200 muscle-ups without getting off the bar!! Yes, they weren't great but still - WTF!!

Fitstream - During one of your sets at the SWWC2011 you performed 11 consecutive one armed pull ups (OAP's.) To do just one of these takes an incredible amount of strength but to do 11 left us totally speechless! ... Can you tell us how you trained for such a truly remarkable feat of strength?

Ether - Actually I love simple pull-ups since my childhood and even before I started working out regularly I already was able to do one-arm pull-ups.

A month before my trip to Riga I started to train only OAPs and made progress from 5-6 to 10-11 reps. I trained it every day. First week I was warming up doing them every evening, 1 OAP each hand with 5 min rest. In total 20-25 reps per day for each hand ... in the next few weeks I started to add OAPs in a set one by one utill I was doing 4-5 reps per set. I didn't have a strict program, I listened to my body. I went from 5 to 55 OAPs each hand per day. That was quite enough.

Fitstream - Well Ether, that's a wrap! ... Congratulations again on your victory at the SWWC2011 and we look forward to seeing you in action again very soon. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. 

Ether - Thank you so much guys!

Now I have so much to do, we have so many plans ... Thanks to SWWC2011, where we got so much experience. Special thanks to Maris Slezins, who continues to help us. I can say that one of these days the Ukrainian Public Organization "Street Workout Ukraine" will be founded and the big game will start!

Fitstream - Remember to checkout Ether's YouTube channel out to keep up to date with his training.

It's inspiring stuff and there's plenty of blood, sweat and tears as athletes battle for the title of "Fittest on Earth". This year Rich Froning Jr. and Annie Thorisdottir were crowned the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games champions.

It's well worth watching and amazing to see just how far CrossFit has come...

Anton, who built the bodyweight training facility himself (known as "The Compound" to locals) wants to help raise the profile of the outdoor gym in his community and create a space where young people can hang out and get in shape.

Fitstream travelled to the event and were joined by elite bodyweight training specialists Jay and Lee from the UK Bar-barian crew who held training workshops. It was inspiring stuff as they helped people nail their first muscle-up and taught moves such as the front and back lever, skin the cat, and ring dips with a dash of freestyle bar work. Check out the video below for highlights.

Other notable elite bar specialists in attendance were Lemar, Chris Sulzdorf, Tim Coates, Jeff Agudelo and we also had the pleasure of meeting Ify, who runs GetFizzyCal - a quirky fitness blog that makes for interesting reading. Make sure you check Fizzycal out...

Here are some stills from the day, and you'll find the full collection in our Facebook Album.

Anton takes centre stage at the Compound

Jay from the UK Bar-Barians demonstrates the back lever on a static bar

Chris Sulzdorf showing the typewriter exercise

Lee of the UK Bar-Barians, straight as an arrow on the parallel bars

We'll be releasing an article soon to help anyone set up their own outdoor bodyweight gym similar to that built by Anton. Hopefully it will inspire some similar setups as it would be great to see more of these facilities in our communities.

Kudos to Anton for creating this worthy cause and putting on a great event. A great day was had by all and we look forward to the next one!

You'll find that we've kicked things off with two simple tools - a BMI Calculator and One Rep Max guide and we've got some cool ideas in the pipeline.

We'll be building on this section over time and would love to hear your ideas or feedback so feel free to get in touch at admin@fitstream.com.

We'll be keeping the updates coming thick-and-fast as we've got some exciting new features in the pipeline, so watch this space. You can stay up-to-date with all new changes by creating a Fitstream account or liking our Facebook page. 

As well as this general site facelift you'll also find some new exercises in the directory for club training, and some functional favourites such as the Farmer's Walk, Ball Slam, and Weighted Step-up.

We've also released a new article on maintaining motivation for fitness and recommend quick techniques to help create the right frame of mind for hitting those fitness goals. 

We'd love to hear any feedback or ideas you have for the site so feel free to get in touch at admin@fitstream.com.

Founded in Brooklyn, New York in 2004 this growing community can be seen performing advanced bodyweight exercises and making them look easy, demonstrating the true value of bodyweight movements for building an elite physique and developing almost super-human strength.

These guys are truly an inspiration and a testament to back-to-basics, playground fitness.

Joining The Bar-barians

You can become a member of the Bar-barians for free and move up through their ranks below -

• Bar-pledge: to commit to becoming a Bar-barian and pursuing full membership.
• Bar-candidate: One that is close to reaching a Bar-baron status and likely to become a full member.
• Bar-baron: Someone of great strength and commitment and has met the base requirements shown below.
• Bar-elite: Possessing the ability to demonstrate unique style and strength in their form as well as meeting base requirements.

The base exercise requirements for joining the Bar-barians are shown below and need to be completed in six minutes or less:

1. 5 muscle-ups
2. 45 dips
3. 25 pull-ups
4. 55 push-ups
5. 5 more muscle-ups to finish

If you're going to start training to join the Bar-barians they recommend starting by building your foundation, mastering the basic movements such as pull-up, dips, push-ups. Practice quality of quantity, with good form, controlled movements and full range of motion

We're willing to bet that these guys are in better shape than almost anyone to be found in your local gym and all they train with is the humble pull-up bar.

Find out more information and read about the Bar-barian founders on their website at bar-barians.com and make sure to check out their YouTube channel.

If you're having problems meeting fitness goals or simply feel like your training has become stagnant, with little in the way of progress, we've just released our new article on fitness planning to help put things back on track and bring some control to your training regime.

You'll also find two new strength and conditioning exercises in the directory - the weighted Step-up, & stress relieving Ball Slams

We wanted to share with you a sports charity that we're supporting this month called United Through Sport.

United Through Sport supports outreach programmes in South Africa to deliver sporting opportunities for over 15,000 disadvantaged children.

The mission of this charity is to encourage sustainable peer-led social change among the youth in South Africa by using sports as a tool. This worthy cause increases life skills of the children and encourages responsible citizenship in a fun and interactive way, whilst getting fit!

If you would like to help United Through Sport you can volunteer, donate or find out more information about their fundraising needs on their website - United Through Sport. You can also help fundraise for free through your online shopping using the United Through Sport fundraising shop at Causeback. 

You get to jump, crawl, swing, climb and lift your way through an assault course which not only helps get you in shape and test your fitness but presumably makes you feel a lot like you're on The Gladiators. 

With 30 different obstacles, from tunnel crawls and rope swings to cargo net climbs and window jumps (yes... running and jumping through a window opening) Metro Dash looks like the perfect urban workout, offering the very definition of functional training.... and I'm sure it said something about their beer and food at the end of it. 

The Metro Dash course gives you a measurable way to compete against others and gauge just how effective your fitness training is by putting it to the test.   

To find out more about Metro Dash and their locations throughout the US check their website over at http://www.metrodash.com

Oh... and can someone please build one of these in the UK!

Google Labs have released an interesting new application called Body Browser which lets you explore the human body in 3D. 

It's early days for the app and it's a bit basic at the moment but pretty cool nevertheless.

Kind of like Google Maps for the human body you're able to search, rotate, zoom and peel back layers of flesh to reveal muscles, organs, bones and finally the nervous system. 

It's definitely worth a look, but because it's built using cutting edge tech you'll need to download the latest version of Google Chrome (now in beta) to view it (we couldn't get it to work in Firefox). 

Body Browser has obvious medical uses but it's a good reference application for the layman, and quite a humbling experience to navigate the entire make-up of the body with such ease and detail. 

It's one to watch we think and it will be interesting to see how the app develops over time or allows third party integration. 

• Burpees are an intense full-body exercise and a great conditioning choice that will help burn away any excess Christmas weight. Read our burpee guide to learn how to integrate them into your routine, or for some advanced ideas if you're already competent.
• The squat is a fundamental movement that will strengthen and tone the lower body. You should be skilled with the bodyweight exercise before trying weighted variations. Read more about the fundamentals of the squat in our guide.

• The Pull-up - one of the best upper-body exercises of all time.
• Clean and Jerk - a technically advanced barbell exercise to work the entire body.
• Running - lose weight, build stamina, and improve health with a good run.

This will be our last post on Fitstream for 2010 so we wanted to wish everyone the very best for the New Year and to thank you for all your support as we established the site.

We've got big plans in 2011 and will continue to build on Fitstream to create a great functional fitness resource, so keep watching this space.

Kind regards,

We've added two new sections to the Fitstream Exercise Directory and a few more exercises into the mix. 

You'll now find a Plyometrics section to build explosive power or improve your vertical jump, and a Suspension Training area for suspended bodyweight exercises that develop strength, agility and balance skills. 

Here are the exercises we've added to kick things off:

• The plyometric box jump
• Suspended chest press
• Suspended crunch
• Suspended single leg squat

We came across this really cool concept called "The Good Gym" which helps connect runners with members of the community who need some help. The general idea of the scheme is to help do some good in the world whilst keeping fit at the same time.

The Good Gym believe that normal gyms are a waste of energy and human potential, without really doing anything useful. Also, that it's real easy to talk yourself out of exercise when you're the only person affected by it but when you add a good cause into the mix you have one more important reason to get fit!

After winning the Social Innovation Camp's first prize in 2008 the cause has continued to grow with a successful pilot scheme. Runners are matched to people in a local area and set a frequency and distance they'd like to run for. They collectively complete a good cause, such as a recent run which also involved lifting bags of soil to the top of a school to help with a rooftop garden.

Check out GoodGym's blog for more information.

On the subject of good causes - a friend is organising a fundraising event and attempting to break the world record for the longest ever game of 5-a-side football. 16 people will be playing for 36 hours straight in May next year and need your support!

Please help support this worthy cause with proceeds going to Guy's and St Thomas' Charity, and donate now at their fundraising page.

In this area we'll be posting movements to help you both prepare for and recover from your training, and ensure that you remain agile and mobile. 

These exercises will keep you in great condition and help to improve soft-tissue quality. We've just added - 

• Thoracic Spine Extension - Improve posture and avoid rounded shoulders by maintaining thoracic mobility using a foam roller. 
• Quad roll - Alleviate muscular tension in the quads by rolling the muscle out with a foam roller. 
• Hamstring foam roll - Loosen tight hamstring and work out trigger points with the hamstring roll. 

We've also added the staple bench press movement to the weight training exercises to build functional upper body strength which includes a quick guide on using resistance bands to introduce progressive resistance to the exercise.

It's a great example of hardcore, varied functional fitness in a low-tech gym.

Ross uses a huge range of equipment - barbells, dipping stations, sledgehammers, tyres, suspension trainers, parallettes, skipping ropes, sandbags, makeshift gymnastics rings, kettlebells and ab-wheels, right down to equipment-free bodyweight training and plyometrics.

It's an inspirational watch. 

Kettlebells are raw, intense and efficient. They combine strength training with cardiovascular fitness for a potent, total-body workout that's amazing for dropping body fat and building muscle.

Suspension Training is a great method of all-around functional training with a highly-portable suspension trainer, and is excellent for learning advanced bodyweight exercises such as the one-legged squat or working the abs (such as the brutally effective suspended crunch). It's a good form of stability training that develops coordinated bodily control and helps defines the body. 

Combining the two pieces of equipment allows for a well-rounded, total-body routine with minimal investment.

Fitness Anywhere, retailers of our favorite Suspension Trainer - The TRX, regularly release Suspension Training DVD's to help train you in suspension-based exercise. Their latest DVD, TRX Kettlebell: Iron Circuit Conditioning is a fully instructed workout featuring both the kettlebell and TRX, and is even instructed by RKC Chief Instructor, Pavel Tsatsouline.

To preview the video checkout the Fitness Anywhere website. 

Ross is an English professional mixed martial arts fighter from Sunderland who was the lightweight division winner of The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom.

We've now released our guide article to help make your own PVC parallettes for bodyweight training which also sees the introduction of a new area to our articles - DIY Fitness Equipment. Here we'll be posting all our tried-and-tested methods for making your own training equipment, because elite fitness can be born out of the most basic of kit and sometimes it's better, cheaper or just more satisfying to make it with your own two hands!

This first article on making PVC parallettes is a great first addition to the DIY fitness section. PVC parallettes are a firm CrossFit favourite the world over and offer a really simple, durable and affordable way to begin bodyweight training. 

Anyone who turns their nose up to bodyweight training should be invited to 'play' around on a set of parallettes because they represent true strength and take a lot of dedication to master. Even the most basic exercises are incredibly difficult. If you're just starting out then prepare to be pissed off because these things are hard work and can be very frustrating, but ultimately very rewarding. 

In the article you'll find detailed instructions on making parallettes from PVC pipe and it also includes a video overview and PDF checklist to help you on your way. 

Dips are a solid bodyweight choice exercise of ours and we've just added a video demonstrating the dip exercise to the directory.

The video is of a standard bodyweight dip which then goes on to feature resistance bands being used not only for dip assistance but also to add increased resistance. Resistance bands are perfect for adding increased intensity to the fundamental dip exercise or to simply give you just enough help to do dips at all!

The video finishes off with a weighted dip using the Fitstream Weighted Vest for those that are too strong for body weight dips alone and need the extra challenge. 

You can see the video on our dip exercise page.

For anyone that's heard of CrossFit but not quite sure what it is, or perhaps thinking of starting CrossFit we've released our introductory guide article to CrossFit training, workouts and equipment.

This article serves as an introduction to the ever-growing, high-intensity functional fitness movement that's acquiring an almost cult-like following.

The devotion, intensity and commitment that CrossFit requires might not be everyone's cup of tea, but there's certainly a lot to be learned from the CrossFit ethos, training methods and principles, and the CrossFit Journal is a superb reading resource. 

You'll find the CrossFit guide in our articles section. 

We've added our next entry to the weight training exercises - the Barbell Squat.

The squat is a fundamental movement and a great exercise for developing fitness, building muscle and improving sports performance. Primarily targetting the quads and lower body muscles the barbell squat is a great basic weight training exercise.

We're building up the Fitstream Exercise Directory and have just added the first of our weight training exercises.

It seemed fitting to start with what we think is the king of all weight training exercises - the Deadlift. The deadlift works all the major muscles groups and is a weight training essential exercise if you want to put on muscle and strengthen your core body and back. 

We're slowly developing our exercise library and soon we'll be introducing videos and weighted club training exercises. 

The Indo Board is our favorite balance trainer and a great way to develop your agility, coordination and balance skills, not to mention a neat way to liven up your workouts.

We were first inspired to buy a balance trainer when we watched a YouTube clip of Crossfit workouts that used the Indo Board. Check this out -

Mad skills. I think we'll learn how to stand up on it first before trying the handstand push-ups though. 

Leave a comment here with your Indo Board experiences, check out the Fitstream Indo Board page and share your reviews or visit the manufacturers direct for latest information and prices @ Indo Board. 

This is a Bulgarian Bag.... and we want one. 

We've seen them around on the internet for a while now but not yet had the fun of using them first hand. Take a look at the video below to get a feel for how they're used and you'll see why they caught our eye!

We can tell the Bulgarian Bag offers a killer workout and are really liking the fluidity to the movements - the transition between exercises can be seamless allowing for sustained intensity.

The Bulgarian Bag seems like a tool that's similar to kettlebell and weighted club training, offering a hybrid strength training and cardio workout which places emphasis on grip strength, rotational shoulder strength and offers a superb core body workout. The rotational torso exercises burn just watching them and we know it will be an effective piece of equipment for building functional strength and weight loss. 

We're looking to buy a Bulgarian Bag ourselves pretty soon to try it out but they're pretty hard to come by in the UK and are pretty damn expensive too. So we'll do our research, save up the funds and let you know how we get on. If anyone has any recommendations let us know on the comments or admin@fitstream.com.

If you're feeling adventurous you can always try making your own! Check this video out on YouTube of a Home made Bulgarian bag with example workout. 

We've now added the simple yet effective Plank exercise into Fitstream. 

The plank is an incredibly effective exercise for the core body and requires nothing other than your own body weight and grit and determination to perform. 

This isometric exercise promotes good posture and protects against back injuries whilst developing the abs evenly, targeting not only the six pack muscles but surrounding core muscles such as the obliques and intercostals. 

If you perform a two-minute plank, your abs are contracting hard the entire duration of the exercise as opposed to crunch-based ab exercises. This will build muscle density without adding bulk. 

Dips are one of our favourite exercises and a true example of the benefits of the bodyweight workout. It's a great strength builder and works the triceps, chest, shoulders and core stablising muscles in one move.

There are plenty of advantages to working out at home rather than at the gym. You can do it whenever you have the time, to your own music, with no queues for equipment or sweaty blokes strutting about.

Even if you don't have a full set of weights this shouldn't stop you. You can develop an insane level of fitness and strength just through bodyweight exercises if you pick the right ones and push yourself. Throw in a set of gym rings for superior strength building and a kettlebell for a strength, cardio hybrid workout and you have a great little setup that will develop an elite physique that not only looks the part, but can step up to the plate when needed to.

Check out our functional training equipment for the kit to put you on the right track or read our articles on building your own home gym.

We've created a brochure of the Fitstream functional fitness equipment that is available to buy now in the UK and Europe. 

This is our current range, but we plan on expanding this throughout the year for new products so keep checking back for updates.

Download the Fitstream Brochure now. 

Dedicated to kettlebell training you can read about the kettlebell sport, learning about appropriate techniques, drills, injury prevention and competition coverage to using kettlebells for fitness and building strength and losing weight with content for both beginner and advanced kettlebell students. 

Kettlebells have seen a huge surge in popularity lately due to their effectiveness as a fitness tool so it's really great to see quality publications supporting this training.

Visit KettlebellMag.com now for more information and subscription information. 

The Fitstream Weighted Vest has proved very popular in the UK and is establishing itself as one of the best quality vests at an affordable price. Unfortunately, due to high-demand the weighted vest is temporarily sold out but more stock is expected in March.

More stock expected March 2010

Like some kind of fitness Swiss Army knife it's the most versatile piece of kit we've seen in a long time. Behold... The Power Station. 

Seriously, with kit like this you can forget gym memberships. We think this is the future of fitness and home gyms. Put one of these in your garage, add a bench, an Olympic barbell and weights for a complete body workout solution that can build an elite physique.

Over time, throw in a few resistance bands, some gymnasitcs rings and a kettlebell and this is a truly perfect gym setup.

People are learning that isolation exercises are not the way forward and working your body as an integrated whole is much more effective. Similarly, for fitness equipment... you don't need a separate squat rack, dipping station, pull-up rig, sled and plate storage. It's costly and requires a tonne of space. The Power Station is ingenious and a real step in the right direction for effective home training.

Take a look at this video of the Power Station in action:

The Power Station is like a standard Power Rack on steroids and the setup combinations are endless. Squats, pull-ups, deadlifts, chin-ups, and step-ups - all these exercises and more are within easy reach around one base unit. You can even use it for strongman exercises like the yoke, the conan's wheel or various sled based moves.

The station also makes resistance band training easy and effective - with simple to adjust band pegs to allow quick adjustment of band tension, loading or deloading the bar, adding intensity to your exercises or making challenging exercises easier to achieve.

Dimensions of The Power Station: 2.3 metres high and base is 2.02 metres by 1.16 metres.

We don't think equipment like this is ahead of its time. We think it's long overdue! But it's great to see Australian Kettlebells really taking steps and leading the way with The Power Station and we can't wait to see equivalent products making it over the water to us too!

Visit kettlebells.com.au for more information.

We want one.

Social network and dating site BeautifulPeople.com has given around 5,000 users the boot after complaints that they had gained weight.

BeautifulPeople.com have a member voting process to see if you are attractive enough to join the site and call themselves "the largest network of attractive people in the world". 

Around 5,000 of these members have been kicked off following complaints from existing users that they had gained weight over the festive break. 

If this wasn't funny enough, site founder Robert Hintze was quoted as saying "Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded."

This has got to be our quote of the year so far...

For the full story check out the BBC article http://bit.ly/6b6LHt

You'll now find the Handstand Push-up, Jackknife Sit-up, Lunge Jump, One-Leg Deadlift, Side Plank Star, Single Leg Squat (Pistol) and T Push-up in our database of exercises.

If you think bodyweight training isn't challenging or is ineffective then give one of these exericses a try! You can add some into your existing training regime to mix things up a little and they're also great for when you're on the road and don't have the luxury of a gym to help stay in shape.

Visit our bodyweight exercises now for more detail.

Bamboo Bike Studio are the company behind the idea who advertise that one weekend is all it takes to "assemble the components, and roll away with a custom-fitted ride, tuned to your body and cycling style". All this made from a renewable material growing in their backyard, a material which is not only stronger and lighter than steel, but also easier to work with. 

We love this idea, not just because it's eco friendly or for a worthy cause (All proceeds directly support the first bamboo bike factories in developing countries) but because we've always been drawn into the appeal of building our own fitness or strength equipment where possible. Using something to shape your physique, build strength and get in shape that was put together with your own two hands inherently appeals to us and the Bamboo Bike Factory take this to a new level. 

For more information on Bamboo Bikes, the weekend bike-building workshop and their prices, check out the website at Bamboo Bike Studio. 

Visit our kettlebell exercise directory now for exercise instructions, hints and tips, and example images.

We cover a range of kettlebell exercises to help build your workout like the Kettlebell Swing, Bent Over Row, Kettlebell Squat, Turkish Get-up and we're adding more all the time.

Ross Enamait, trainer, athlete and former boxer cannot fail to inspire and motivate when it comes to physical fitness. On his website, rosstraining.com you will find a wealth of information created only to educate and inform.

We like Ross's no frills approach to fitness and writing, and his low-tech / high-effect training methods. If anyone is an example of the effectiveness of old school, back to basics workouts with pure grit and determination carrying you through rather than fancy gym equipment then it's Ross Enamait.

Ross Training is a great resource to help you liven up your own workouts and develop an appreciation for our physical capabilities. Dedicated to high-performance conditioning and functional strength training we recommend rosstraining.com to anyone interested in fitness or wanting to achieve elite physical fitness.

The video below will give you an idea of Ross's training methods -

We've long been fans of Suspension Training and the TRX is our Suspension Trainer of choice. It's the best kit out there, pure and simple. With excellent attention to detail, superior build quality and durability it sets the standard in Suspension Trainers.

The TRX is the original bodyweight-based, performance training tool that delivers a total-body workout, yet is completely portable and can be used almost anywhere.

It's great to see Suspension Training starting to get the high profile media attention and reputation it deserves. We know from experience that the TRX Professional Suspension Trainer is highly deserving of this award. Read more or buy the TRX Pro from Fitness Anywhere.

It's that time of year again as Christmas creeps up and all of us here at Fitstream are doing our best to make your Christmas shopping as easy as possible. We know how difficult it is to find the perfect gift for the special people in your life so let us help out with the fitness enthusiasts you know by offering up some suggestions. Check out our staff Christmas gift picks...

Fitness Christmas Gifts

TRX Suspension Trainer Professional - Bestow the gift of Suspension Training. The TRX Suspension Trainer by Fitness Anywhere is the perfect fitness gift for anyone looking to get in shape at home, or perhaps the traveller in your life that wants to get fit on the road.

The Power Wheel - Know someone who's lost the weight but can't quite get those abs? Help define their six pack with the Power Wheel. Attach it to your feet and walk out with your hands or roll your knees up into your chest. It's intense, but it works!

EXF Gymnastics Rings - Ring training is the ultimate form of bodyweight training. Train at home, down the park or in the garden with these portable, lightweight gymnastic rings available from Ring Training. The perfect choice for anyone looking to build strength or develop the lean and powerful physique of a gymnast.

War Hammer - For the gym rat who has it all and looking for that extra edge - inject a bit of variety into their routine with sledgehammer training using the Torque Steel War Hammer.

Gym Boss Interval Timer - They've got all the gym equipment they need but need that little bit more control over their workouts! Give them the Gymboss. This interval timer does it all and is a solid buy.

What is Jukari Fit to Fly?

Here's the marketing spiel - "Jukari Fit to Fly is an effective hour-long total body workout of cardio, strength, balance and core training. A qualified instructor guides a class of 12 to 20 people through the workout using equipment called a FlySet. The FlySet hangs from the gym ceiling and has been designed specifically for JUKARI Fit to Fly."

It seems to be early days for this new way of training - the classes are only available in certain cities around the world and it's targetted specifically at women and group training but it really stood out to us as something with potential. It kind of looks like a suspension training, gymnastics rings hybrid workout.

The FlySet is the actual equipment used for the workout and it looks innovative and well made. Attached to the gym ceiling it allows the user to train with their body weight by jumping, lunging, spinning, hanging, pulling, pushing, flexing, extending, stretching and balancing their way to fitness.

The FlySet is made up of:

• 3-stranded rope, polyester cover
• Swivel point for 360 degree movement

Jukari Fit to Fly vs TRX

Jukari Fit to Fly has been compared to the market leaders in suspension training Fitness Anywhere who manufacture the TRX Suspension Trainer pictured below.

The main differences between the two forms of training seems to be that Jukari Fit to Fly combines suspension based strength training with cardiovascular and plyometric conditioning. For more information on suspension training read our Suspension Training Articles and check the Reebok website on Jukari Fit to Fly.

We're going to keep our eye on this product as it looks like a really interesting way to train and it's good to see some creativity and innovation in the fitness industry for a change. We're liking Reebok's philosophy of trying to make fitness fun again as this is a fundamental factor in the success of our health and fitness regimes.

Clubbells are available from RMAX International, visit their site for more information and example Clubbell workouts.

Read our thoughts on how a training log can improve your training and help to maximise results. You can also download our sample training log sheets for your own use.

You can read this article here:

Training Log

Keeping a training diary and tracking our workouts was one of the best decisions we made...

The Fitstream Store is now live!

In the UK and Europe we supply our own fitness equipment but outside Europe we're recommending selected third party retailers gear. This kit is the very best equipment available and we only recommend products we firmly believe in and would use ourselves and that can help you perform world class workouts. 

If you have a product you would like us to add to the store please contact us on admin@fitstream.com.

We will be continuously adding equipment into the store as we find things which catch our eye, keep us motivated, are of the highest quality, and do their job!

For now, take a look around our Bodyweight and Gymnastics and Strength Training Equipment categories for our selected products like the EXF Rings and Clubbells. 

 Setting up gymnastic rings

This article is focused on the home ring trainer, where people regularly want to install and mount their gymnastics rings in home gyms, garages, basements, or bedrooms. 

We will be adding to this article regularly because it's a common question that is asked of us and each persons set-up's differ.

If you have any questions specific to your needs feel free to comment on the article and hopefully Fitstream or one of our readers can help. 

We keep on churning out the fitness articles and adding exercises to our directory but we're also working on a number of ideas for fitness applications that could help make tracking your progress that little bit easier and more fun!

Watch this space...

Our training is diverse. Our posts will be too. We’ll be covering a range of topics from broad health and fitness pieces, to posts about specific forms of exercise such as kettlebell and ring training.

What you read here will be our reflections and opinions on topics where one size doesn’t always fit all. If you want generally accepted know-how and hard-and-fast rules go visit our fitness articles directory, this place is reserved for our personal pondering and company news. We just tell it how we see it and talk about what works for us. Take what you want from it, but we aren’t physicians or dieticians – just people that are passionate about physical fitness and our posts will be about what we are learning along the way more than anything else.