AllBody workouts with no equipment: a “back-to-the-roots” approach! Fitness trends for 2023 which have been highlighted, amongst others, by the American College of Sports Medicine, will simply involve one’s own body. In particular, they include two disciplines: Callisthenics and Fitwalking.
STRENGTH AND ELEGANCE
The name actually comes from the Greek word kalòs, meaning beauty, and sthénos, which means strength. It aims to develop physical strength, beauty and elegance of movement. It involves sequences of exercises with and without equipment including bars, parallel bars and rings. The body is the tool used for training with pulling, pushing, bending, jumping and swinging movements. These exercises increase strength, flexibility and joint mobility, as well as improving coordination. They have very few drawbacks: in fact Callisthenics is suitable for young and old alike, including those trying their hand at physical activity for the first time. However, the exercises need to be learned properly. It is necessary to work one's way up, better still with a specialised trainer, with individual or group lessons that set the pace. The exercises can then be done alone at home or out in the open, at a park. One of the most important masters of this discipline is Jury Chechi, an Olympic champion who has won a number of medals. As well as setting up his own Academy, he has also penned a book for anyone wanting to try this discipline (Code Jury. Get fit at any age with the first manual by the Lord of the Rings).
THE ART OF WALKING
The word Fitwalking comes from the terms fitness and the verb to walk. It is a non-competitive discipline in which walking is turned into a functional training session in its own right. Our everyday ten thousand steps, or the slow stroll we take each day, are useful but not enough on their own. We need to learn to walk better, to change the body position and shift weight more fluidly from one leg to another before the load is moved entirely onto the foot resting on the ground. So we have to optimise posture, allow the tendons to extend more than they would normally, enable muscles to work harder, and make sure our breathing is deeper and more effective. The leg and arm movements need to be executed properly in order to walk quickly and for a long period of time. Poles are not used for Fitwalking; nor indeed does it require apps or heart-rate monitors. The best results are obtained with a specialist instructor. Lessons are held out in the open: not on soft or stony terrain, but on dirt tracks, tarmac roads or hard surfaces, where the natural surroundings enhance the benefits of this discipline. It encourages concentration, fights anxiety and promotes mindfulness and awareness.
THE BENEFITS OF HEAT
The best way to wind up both forms of exercise, as with any other kind of sport, is to enjoy the warmth of a sauna or Turkish bath, according to your preference. Heat in the sauna can reach temperatures of up to 100°C with low humidity (20-30%), whilst moisture levels in Turkish baths reach 100% and temperatures never exceed 48°C. In both cases, the heat triggers a pain-relieving effect: the body gets rid of lactic acid, blood vessels dilate, and muscles relax. As a result, blood flow to the tissues increases, allowing them to regenerate faster as well as preventing torn muscles and pain after training. In short, they help the body recover more quickly after physical exertion, with great benefits for the mind, too.
