Meet one of the guys behind the scenes making things happen for the next generation.
Calisthenics Certifications: What got you into Calisthenics? What were you doing before?
Chris Nixon: In 2008 I was 22yrs old and I was boxing and training for the NSW PCYC academy team with dreams of being an Australian champ, but it was short lived and unfortunately, I had a major back injury due to repetitive strain associated with boxing. Things weren't looking good and I was then told by a surgeon I needed a spinal fusion; my dreams were shattered.
Around the same time, I started work as a P.T and heard a rumour that gymnastics training (bodyweight) could help rehabilitate your lower back by strengthening up your core. So, I bit the bullet and enrolled at a local gymnastics’ gym. I was way outside my comfort zone of fighting people in a world of stretching and spinning but I was determined to give it a good go and did 8 months of entry level gymnastics, it was in that time I started to research the use of bodyweight training more and discovered CALISTHENICS
CC: Are you from a sporting background? What motivated you to get to the level you are?
CN: I was previously an amateur boxer and the ambition for continual self-improvement drives me to get stronger, without routine training id go mad!
CC: What is it about Calisthenics that appealed to you?
CN: Calisthenics opened my eyes to being physically aware of what your body is doing when you move, rather than just recklessly smashing out reps with no form I'm driven to improve groups of muscles to work together to improve the efficiency of a movement.
CC: What equipment (if any) is your favourite, and what does some need to give it a go? Are there particular physical attributes? Is it all upper body strength?
CN: (PB bars) Parallettes!
Easy to transport, relatively cheap and can be used pretty much anywhere, you can do a total body workout on them and a lot of ‘holistic’ total body exercises such as Planche, handstand variations on them.
CC: In freestyle competitions, what do you like to see personally from an athlete?
CN: True strength, being able to go from a momentum-based flow to static hold and back to momentum seamlessly, this is my definition of someone truly in control of their body’s movement!
CC: What are the origins of Calisthenics, and what is your local scene like?
CN: For anyone in NSW its one place BONDI beach! This is where it all started for me travelling down on a Sunday and looking up to guys like MARCUS BONDI and Stan from Bondi bar brutes smash out countless reps in the sun. It truly is a great way to spend a day and the vibe you get is epic!
I actually had Stan from BONDI BAR BRUTES train me about 5 years ago and he told me one thing and I still train by it and that was ‘you need to get stronger so do more reps’ this was his standard answer pretty much to whenever I asked him why I couldn’t do a particular exercise.
CC: Where has Calisthenics taken you? What countries and great places have you been as a result? Anystories from interesting places or situations you’d like to share?
CN: Unfortunately, I have a young family, so my travel is limited. Lucky with our Cali scene being quite small every few months I head down and train in Bondi or with the BARLIONZ in western Sydney.
Australia's fitness shows bring travel for me around Australia and the chance to meet incredible like- minded people in the Cali world helping unify the spread-out pockets of Cali enthusiasts!
CC: Is Calisthenics mostly practiced in urban spaces or are the good places in nature to practice (rocks, trees for examples?). Do you feel connection to the natural world, or have an opinion on climate change or other natural world issues?
CN: In Australia id have to say calisthenics on or near a beach on a summer’s day in your boardies (or bikini),doesn’t get much better than that!
CC: Can you describe some of the common moves in Calisthenics, and maybe give an example exercise reader can try at home to give them a taster for Calisthenics
CN: Most common move people ask me about starting out would be a muscle up. I think in most people’smind its attainable and in the first 12-18 months of training they should be close to it through practicing there pull ups and dips.
CC: How would you like to see your local Calisthenics scene progress?
CN: UNITY! I would love for more groups in and around Sydney to get together for major meets. We are stronger together and by learning from one another and networking we will be able to grow the scene and create a promising future for CALISTHENICS in Australia.
CC: Any big plans?
CN: HUGE plans for 2019 with my gym expanding and reopening as a CALISTHENICS SPECIFIC gym on the central coast NSW, the first in the area dedicated just to training Cals with indoor and outdoor calisthenics rigs.
You can follow Chris' journey at www.instagram.com/chrisonix