Tough territory
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the word “calisthenics” comes from the ancient Greek words “kallos”, which means “beauty” or “beautiful”, and “sthenos” meaning “strength”.
Pictured as an “art of using one’s bodyweight as resistance in order to develop physique”, calisthenics is “free body exercises performed with varying degrees of intensity and rhythm, which may or may not be done with light handheld apparatuses such as rings and wands”.
It states that the exercises “employ such motions as bending, stretching, twisting, swinging, kicking, and jumping, as well as such specialised movements as push-ups, sit-ups, and chin-ups, meant to promote strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination and augment the body’s general well-being”.
Street calisthenics involves groups performing advanced calisthenic skills such as muscle-ups, barspins and thumbs straddle planche.
Malaysia won the Calisthenics World Cup 2016 championship in Bahrain after defeating the 2015 champion, Spain - it was the first time the country entered the prestigious competition.
The Malaysian team, which is the reigning champion, comprises siblings Zulhilmi and Zulfadli Nadzeri and their friends, Engku Mohamad Ikhwan Engku Shamsu, Shahrul Aizat Jasri and Sheikh Amirul Adli Sheikh Gadaffi, all in their 20s.
An intense interest in challenging sports has driven siblings Zulfadli, 22, and his elder brother Zulhilmi, 27, from Denai Alam, Selangor, to flex their muscles and take up street workout as their passion. The brothers were ranked 11th in the world in 2015 before they won the 2016 World Championship and won US$10,000 (RM41,425) and a trophy.
“Calisthenics is generally basic gymnastics done outdoors. Now, it’s popularly known as street workout because it’s done on the streets, recreational parks or just about anywhere.
“When it comes to safety, street workout is riskier because we play by our own rules most of the time,” says Zulfadli who is soon to receive his degree in international business from Universiti Teknologi Mara, Puncak Alam, Selangor.
The former SMK Bukit Jelutong athlete discovered street workouts from a schoolmate when he was 17. He and his brother were among the pioneers in the scene. Currently they train with some 18 people from the Klang Valley in a team called Barpacs.
When Zulfadli first started, street workout was relatively new in the country, prompting him to learn the A to Z of the sport mainly from videos on YouTube.
“It requires intense training to use your body weight and flexibility to do the disciplines or the moves such as the handstand, muscle-up or the full maltese. Each move can be easy, moderate or hard to execute, depending on the ability of each individual,” he says.
“Some moves took months of training. For instance, I trained for three months to do the thumbs straddle planche (standing upside down while balancing the body on two thumbs), a move which some people regard as pure insanity.
“But that’s the beauty of street workout. The tougher it gets, the more I’m drawn to take up the challenge. I find it very satisfying every time I manage to do a move or create an original one unlike other, common sports that I did.
The tougher it gets, the more I’m drawn to take up the challenge.
Zulfadli Nadzeri (right)