An athletic man pulls on a horizontal bar in a street workout park.

Street workout: the complete guide to outdoor fitness

A physical activity that has been very much in vogue for several years now, the street workout is generally practised in an outdoor sports park. Combining strength training, fitness and bodyweight gymnastics, this discipline is becoming increasingly popular in France. Would you like to sculpt your physique with street workout? Find out everything you need to know in this comprehensive guide.

What is street workout?

Street workout could be defined as urban fitness. This discipline draws its inspiration from a variety of activities, including strength traininggymnastics and callisthenics.

In concrete terms, it's a sport that takes advantage of the equipment available in outdoor public spaces (benches, posts, children's playground equipment, etc.) to provide a physical workout for the whole family. body weight.

We have to go back to the 1990s to find traces of the first street workout training in the streets of New York.

Since then, this discipline has become popular all over the world, thanks in particular to YouTube videos. Practitioners such as Hannibal For King or Frank Medrano have made a major contribution to the democratization of this activity.

More recently, rapper and actor MC Jean Gabin has become one of the discipline's main ambassadors in France. At 56 years of age, he defends the benefits of street workout and boasts an athletic figure. He has even taken part in an international competition, the King of Pull and Pushin 2013.

Why street workout?

This practice of outdoor weight training offers several advantages:

  • Development of physical condition and cardio ;
  • Muscle building of the entire body;
  • Increased strength, flexibility, agility and explosiveness;
  • Increased self-confidence.

It can help you to achieve your goals muscle gain or weight loss. In most cases, athletes who have been practicing this technique for several years are both lean and trim.

What's more, this discipline is open to everyone. There are no age or level limits. The key is to start with adapted physical exercises, and gradually build up the complexity of your training.

Once you're comfortable with the basics (sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, etc.), you can try your hand at figures and more difficult acrobatics. We'll come back to the method for starting street workout later in this article.

Last but not least, every street workout spot is a real meeting place. This discipline brings together a huge community of enthusiastsalways ready to accompany beginners in their discovery of the activity.

Where to do street workout?

This type of physical exercise can be performed without equipment. All you need is a bit of street furniture (benches, tables, walls, etc.) to do your workout in a park or playground.

However, it is now possible to find dedicated fitness areas. In fact, many towns and cities have taken the plunge and installed specific equipment to encourage sporting activities.

A street workout area with numerous horizontal and vertical bars for exercising.
Street workout parks are designed to accommodate a wide range of muscle-strengthening exercises.

There are certainly a street workout area near you !

A street workout park is usually composed of :

  • Drawbars ;
  • Parallel bars ;
  • Horizontal ladders;
  • Push-up bars ;
  • From benches to abs ;
  • De ring station.

While intensive training can be done without additional equipment, some exercisers use accessories such as push-up handles and resistance bands to help them progress, weighted vest, suspension straps (TRX), etc.

Basic street workout exercises

Street workout allows you to to get stronger both upper and lower body.

From biceps and triceps to pectorals, back and quadriceps, no muscle is overlooked.

Let's take a look at the main exercises in this discipline.

The human flag

It's certainly the most iconic street workout, and one of the most impressive.

The human flagor human flag, involves hanging from a vertical bar with arms outstretched, keeping your body horizontal and parallel to the ground.

To perform this trick, you need to be in excellent physical condition and have a solid cladding and perfect control of his own body.

A man in t-shirt and shorts performs the human flag street workout on a structure at the beach.
The human flag is one of the most representative figures in the discipline.

The pumps

The pumps are an essential bodyweight exercise for strengthening upper-body muscles (arms, pectorals and abdominals).

They therefore have their place on a street workout circuit.

In addition to classic push-ups, there are numerous pump variants that will allow you to break your routine and progress.

Pull-ups

Here's another exercise you'll see a lot of if you visit a street workout field.

The traction is a complete movement that targets most of the muscles of the upper body. All you need is a horizontal bar to perform it.

Here again, there are a multitude of variations that will enable you to accentuate the work on different muscles (pronated, supinated or neutral grip, wide or tight grip, etc.).

Dips

Dips are one of the best bodyweight exercises for developing triceps and pectorals.

Hands placed on parallel barsYou'll need to lift your weight in an up-and-down motion.

The muscle up

The muscle up consists of performing a pull-up and a dips. In other words, your body should be above the pull-up bar, arms straight, at the end of the movement.

This is a technical exercise requiring strength and coordination.

To learn more, I invite you to consult this article explains how to make a successful muscle up.

A man wearing a weighted vest performs a muscle-up in a fitness and body-building gym.
The muscle up, an exercise combining strength, technique and agility.

The squat

The bodyweight squat is a classic exercise in a street workout program.

Jump squats are an interesting variation for burning more calories.

The pistol squats are another effective alternative. These single-leg squats, reserved for intermediate to advanced athletes, require strength, flexibility and coordination.

Front and back levers

The front and back lever are other well-known figures for street workout enthusiasts.

For the front lift, you'll need to hold onto a high bar and keep your body horizontal, arms straight and torso facing the sky.

For the back lever, the principle is identical, except that this time your torso is directed towards the ground, arms stretched backwards.

The complete board

The complete boardor full planche, is another move for seasoned athletes, as it requires a great deal of strength and technique.

With your hands on the floor or holding a barbell, the aim is to keep your body parallel to the ground by stretching your arms.

The handstand

For the handstandThe aim is to balance on the hands, with the body perpendicular to the ground.

Directly inspired by gymnasticsAgain, this exercise is best reserved for experienced practitioners.

A man makes the handstand figure on a concrete block in front of a building.
The handstand is a well-known figure in street workout.

Example of a full-body street workout

Whatever your physical condition, it is essential to start your training with a warming up complete. This is essential if you are not to injure your muscles or joints.

This sample workout is designed for beginners and intermediate exercisers. Performed as a circuit (between 3 and 6 laps), it will help you build muscle mass throughout the body.

  • Exercise 1: push-ups or slammed push-ups (10 repetitions) ;
  • Exercise 2: pull-ups or weighted pull-ups (10 repetitions) ;
  • Exercise 3: squats or jump squats (15 repetitions) ;
  • Exercise 4: dips or weighted dips (10 repetitions) ;
  • Exercise 5: Suspended leg raises (10 repetitions).

Between each round, plan a rest period 2 to 3 minutes.

If you'd like to learn the various figures such as the human flag, the muscle up or the front lift, I'd advise you to practice them right after the warm-up. These movements are particularly energy-intensive and require you to be at your best to progress!

How do I start street workout?

If you are beginner street workoutHere are a few tips to get you started:

  • Focus primarily on basic exercises These include push-ups, pull-ups, dips and squats.
  • Work your way up gradually: once you've mastered the basic moves, you'll be able to start learning more complex figures.
  • Prioritize quality over quantity: as in bodybuilding, it's important to adopt the right techniques. postures to progress and avoid injury.
  • Work eccentrically: too often underestimated, the eccentric work will help you unlock certain levels;
  • Don't hesitate to ask for help: other users of your street workout space will be happy to share their tips and experiences with you.

Street workout or bodybuilding: which is better?

If you're used to indoor sports If you're a fitness enthusiast, chances are you're wondering which method is best.

So.., street workout or bodybuilding ?

Street training has the advantage of being completely free. There's sure to be an open-air weight park in your town, accessible without the need for a gym membership.

Similarly, making outdoor sport is particularly pleasant, especially with the arrival of fine weather.

In this sense, street workout is freer than bodybuilding.

Street training also helps you build a harmonious, well-proportioned figure. In fact, the different exercises each target a different part of the body. muscle groupsThis contributes to the development of the whole body.

On the other hand, the strength training offers a greater variety of exercises. It's therefore more effective if you're looking to develop a specific muscle group.

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You'll also see results more quickly, as you'll be able to work with loads.

In short, both approaches have their own strengths. So there's no single best method, because it all depends on your goals and desires.

In fact, the two practices are extremely complementary. It's perfectly possible to alternate between street workout and strength training.

Conclusion

Street workout is a complete, fun and dynamic physical activity. Through body-weight exercises, this urban discipline helps you build lean muscle and transform your figure. As a complement to weight training, street training can help you achieve your goals.

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