Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. PayPal verifies my business and I chose to work with PayPal because your money is always safe. If your payment went wrong or you want your money back, report to me the issue, and everything will be taken care of.

Please send me an email at oldschool.calisthenic@gmail.com

Yes, I have three different programs. One dedicated to beginners in calisthenics, another more suited to building strength and muscles, and a third one dedicated to shredding, nutrition and cardio exercise too. 

Navigate the menu of my website and click on the programs page. My three programs will open and you can choose which one suits you better.

Yes. Everyone who just started bodyweight training can take a look over my Beginner Calisthenics program. I mainly made it for everyone who struggles with pull-ups, squats, and basically with any other compound bodyweight exercise.

It will help you master the most basic and compound calisthenics exercises. You will find progressive calisthenics, calisthenics circuits (high-intensity calisthenics training), and cardio sessions too.

Yes. My High-Volume Calisthenics Workouts program is dedicated to high-volume calisthenics, as the name suggests. 

Inside, you find incredibly challenging workouts similar to what military training means, as well as weighted calisthenics, conditioning training, or cardio.

Yes. High-Volume Calisthenics Workouts program includes an elegant combination of calisthenics and weighted calisthenics.

Yes. I have one that I call Shredding Program. You can find it in the Programs page. I split it into three parts. 

One covers the whole aspects and most fundamental principles in dieting and nutrition. The other includes mandatory training and workouts, from conditioning training to cardio. And the third with the exercise x-ray; here I added pictures with all the exercises present so you can see the execution, form, etc.

Yes. I recently built up my Old School Calisthenics personalized clothing shop. If you navigate the menu, go on the Merchandise page. You will find plenty of products that might interest you.

Yes. I am affiliated with Printful. They have subsidiares on almost all the continents so that I can ship internationally at thin costs or none. They offer logistics and guarantee the quality of my products. Stay assured! 

My training system is simple and effective. The workouts I provide in my content and programs are structured around fundamental exercises like pull-ups, pushups, dips, leg raises, bridges, handstand pushups, squats, runs, sprints, jump ropes, etc.

My programs are designed to help you gain a muscular, ripped, healthy, functional body that performs as well as it looks. I never train for advanced gymnastic moves directly. They come naturally as a result of mastering the basics.

Besides all that, I bring the missing part of old school calisthenics that is nowadays shadowed by modern approaches like Street Workout. 

We all are familiar with ancient statues of Greeks, Spartans and Roman Gladiators. They all had pretty muscular and ripped bodies that were built centuries before modern training methods came into existence.

So how did ancients became so aesthetic that today’s ideal of Greek God Physique is based upon their statues!

The answer lies in the mastery of the human body through bodyweight training. This method is known as calisthenics. It may be old, but it is very effective. That’s why bodyweight training is still an integral part of modern sports training, armed forces and martial arts training systems.

Calisthenics is almost free, can be done anywhere regardless of the conditions. You can do your workouts in rain, sun or snow. Your only limit is you.

This sport not only teaches you control over your own body but also makes you muscular and ripped. It gives men bodies that are aesthetically perfect and brutally strong. It also gives you bulletproof joints and strong willpower.

I never follow any diet program or count calorie intake. I know what my body needs after intense workouts, and that’s why I take a balanced diet having as many complex carbohydrates, proteins, fats and micronutrients as I can.

A diet that is rich in something and lacks in other things is wrong. So I never follow low-carb diets or high-protein diets. These are all fads and harm in the long run. A balanced diet is what you need to stay healthy and build muscle mass.

I generally eat whole foods, fruits, vegetables, and regular sizes of clean meat. I try to find the best food sources and eat at home as much as possible. I pack my food and snack on fruits. 

I am against following a ketogenic diet, or any other that depletes my body of its essential nutrients. 

The majority of my meals are based on fresh fruit, vegetables, and animal sources too. I eat food lentils, beans, potatoes, pasta, cereals, brown rice, nuts, broccoli, cheese, chicken, fish, spinach, sweet potatoes, peanut butter, honey, etc.

If you check my Instagram profile, you can see my meal samples there.

I get everything needed from sources that mother nature provided for us all. I don’t require any supplements. When you are eating a balanced diet, you won’t need any supplements. You can build a physique without their help at all.

So no, I never supplement with anything, nor I take protein powders. The only milkshakes I enjoy once in a while, are those homemade. Though, the protein and carb content comes purely from whole grains, seeds, and other vegetables, but never from powders.

Street Workout is what we call modern calisthenics nowadays. It is based on advanced skills like rollovers, levers, plyometrics, etc. It is meant to entertain spectators and to perform advanced isometric exercises too. It isn’t explicitly done for the aesthetic purpose; that’s why most of the practitioners of street workout are skinny. 

They are training the nervous system more than the muscular system.

Old school calisthenics is based on basic exercises. These methods train the nervous system along with the muscular system. By progressively increasing the difficulty of basic exercises, you can overload the muscular system and increase maximal strength, strength endurance, and muscle mass.

The difference lies in simplicity, and old calisthenics is safer and a better way to train for a lifetime. 

To summarize what basic training means to me, take a look over my inspirational training video.

Yes. Sometimes I use weighted vests (up to 10 kg) or a training partner on my back for pushups, dips, squats, etc. This is called weighted calisthenics.

I also have a lightweight barbell of 70kg that I utilize for squats, deadlifts, and anything else that is compound and simple. 

I train with calisthenics since 2012. It’s 8 years from then until I write this FAQ for you (December 2019).

But my sports and fitness experience goes as much as over 15 years. I’m an excellent swimmer and a long-distance runner. During winters, I swim with regularity, and I run laps on the track or trails on the nearby mountains. 

You can read more about my sports background in the About section.

I’ve been very shredded and bulky in the past years. My body fat percentage went up and down multiple times. 

Now I think I am somewhere between 8-10%. I will stay lean from now on for the rest of my life. Being more athletic suits my lifestyle better.

I wanted to transform my physiques but I didn’t have either the money or the will to go to the gym. Therefore, I had to make use of what surrounded me. After a short period of doing pull-ups, dips, pushups and squats, I started researching the internet for training schedules. I discovered that this sport has its own name i.e. calisthenics.

I grabbed every book I found interesting and useful. I also read a lot of crap and watched hours of videos about athletes performing or teaching calisthenics. 

Through trial and error and over time, I reached a proficiency level and recommend myself a master in bodyweight fitness. 

You can begin by reading the free content I create about bodyweight training. Check out my YouTube channel, Instagram profile and read the blog posts. 

If that is not enough, then pick up one of my programs. 

As a beginner, you should master your weight against gravity before lifting as your joints and connective tissue needs to be strong enough to endure more workload.

Once you master your own body weight, you can start tackling loads.

Yes. Read the blog posts or check out my beginner program. You will master pull-ups pretty quick.

Certainly yes! Calisthenics consists of exercises that can be done by beginners of any strength level irrespective of their age or gender.

You should start from the basic level and gradually master the basics. If you put in time and effort, then nobody can stop you from your goals.

If you look at my chest and triceps, then you will know that pushups do build muscles. But doing three sets of 10 reps of regular pushups won’t grow much muscle.

You have to apply the principle of progressive overload to pushups. Master simple pushups and then move on to variations like decline pushups, diamond pushups, archer pushups, plyometric pushups, weighted pushups and see your pecs explode with mass and strength.

I do a lot of cardio exercises like jump-rope, sprints, and running sessions.

I mostly prefer running on trails because my city is located near forests, hills and relatively low mountains. I can reach these spots by car in less than 30 minutes. 

I sought for roots and paths where I can run or hike to enhance my cardiovascular system and burn body fat at the same time. 

I also do swimming sessions. Maybe you didn’ know, but I was a former competitive swimmer once. 

Therefore, I dodge between running on the track, mountains, and swimming inside the pool.

Train for levers only if it is your supreme goal. 

I consider these advanced isometric elements a waste of time and energy. It trains your nervous system for that position only. Strength doesn’t come from such feats even though they might look tough at first sight.

By doing old calisthenics, you will gain strength and mass. Maybe you will also master the levers with my training principles, but it will be a consequence only. 

Yes and no. The muscle-up is a very powerful exercise and is a step towards a higher level of strength. I was able to do my first muscle up only after a year of strictly mastering the basics. 

Now, after all these years of training, I can do it with ease, although I never trained for it specifically.

You should keep trying it from time to time to get comfortable with the move, but don’t neglect to master the basics in pursuit of muscle-ups.

There is a specific technique behind, and you will need a lot of trial and error until you know what to do.

Yes! To have strong, muscular and functional legs, you need a combination of squats, jumps on stairs, hill sprints and uphill running sessions.

You also need unilateral leg training like pistol squats, lunges, etc. You can also use a training partner on your back or a weight vest to increase difficulty.

To grow your legs big and robust like mine, you will need to grow patience first and immunity to pain. My legs started to develop after I was able to train them several times a week.

It can grow your calves up to a certain extent. A pair of diamond-shaped calves come from running on rough terrain with extreme elevation. You need hill sprints and plenty of long-distance uphill running or hiking. 

All these combined with calisthenics leg exercises should grow your calves big.

I trained five times a week in the past years and had no issues in building muscles or strength. Don’t fear overtraining, and instead, go out there and put in your maximum effort. 

I recommend sprints, jump the rope, jumping jacks, burpees, leg raises, pushups, pull-ups, dips, squats, planks, handstand pushups, etc. 

Then also 3-4 similar variations from each exercise above with differences in grip, execution, and form like diamonds, lunges, frog jumps, and so on.

Do both systems. Split your days and train the big muscle groups individually, and on other days, work them all in a single session. 

No. This bodybuilding approach of training the muscle groups separately is not required in calisthenics. Our bodies are meant to work as a unit, not as an individual part.

For example, pull-ups train your forearms, biceps, shoulders, scapula, lats, and other smaller back musculature too. Your core, glutes, and legs also have to fire to keep full-body tension.

When you do pushups, you work your triceps, forearms, trapezius, shoulders, pectorals, abdominals. Your legs also function as stabilizers during which are basically upper body exercises.

Therefore, work with the compound exercises only and fear not about anything, You will gain size and strength even so.

Yes. Hit me up with a message and tell me what is that you want to propose.

Yes. My company is registered in the country of Romania, the city of Baia Mare with C.U.I. 36231812 and REGISTRATION NUMBER: J24/810/22.06.2016.

The state of Romania recognizes me as a company, and it authorizes me to undertake activities related to fitness, online or directly to persons, with commercial or educational purposes. I can also sell merchandise. 

Even so, me as administrator nor Old School Calisthenic as a company can be made reliable of anything that might happen to you. The programs I sell and the recommendations in my posts should be used as a consultative opinion.