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It’s true that at first sight the scenic Bondi Street Gym might look a bit intimidating; A place where only the strongest will workout doing pull ups, and the fittest can master a human flag, showing it all off of course, to those who watch calisthenics with beating hearts.

Image via Chasing Dreams Travel

Although this is stereotyping and not always the case, it’s certainly not for the faint hearted and pumping up a sweat with some Calisthenics at the Bondi gym is unlikely to go far without some practice in the gym first.

Mastering the bars at the Bondi street gym, ranging from low to high, with an abs bench and double parallel bar, set upon the view of iconic crashing waves, is all within reach with the right calisthenic training and muscle development.

To get ready to do your pull ups in public, you’ll want to start by mastering the list of calisthenic street workout moves we’ve listed below.

If you’re already competent with a set of pull ups or two, you’ll want to check out part two of this Bondi gym workout post.

We can get you ready for your Bondi Street Workout with one on one personal training sessions in no time.

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The Pull Up

The Pull Up is the most classic move to choose at the Bondi street gym, but given that it activates every muscle in your back, getting your chin up over the bar might not happen straight away.

1. Step-uptothebarwithanoverhandgrip,keepyourarmsshoulderwidthapart or slightly wider.
2. Raiseyourlegsupbehindyouatkneepointandholdthemcrossed.
3. Raiseyourselfupusingyourarmswithyourtorsostrong.Putyourchinoverthebar and then try to hold it for a second before going back down.

Is this too hard?

You can start off with shoulder depressions by working with your personal trainer. This is where the trapezius is going to help to move the shoulders downwards. So instead of pulling up your chin, just hang in the bar and pull your shoulders up and down.

Do 3 sets of 10. You can have these movements overseen and practiced at Rushcutters Health.

2. Wide Pull Up

Use and overhand grip much wider than shoulder width apart. That way, you should feel extra activation in your lats- The biggest muscles in your back. Personal Trainers can show you how doing a wide pull-up will get the Diamond or ‘V’ shape forming from the muscles in your back.

3. Sit Pull Up

Any Gym member will demonstrate that the Sit Pull-up requires serious strength from your back, arms and abdominal muscles.

This is one that you can do with a low bar, or a high bar at the gym.
Raise your legs up while hanging from the bar, as if sitting on the floor, or a chair.

Choosing the L shaped position will activate your core muscles and add resistance to your body by changing its gravity.

Raise your chin up over the bar and gradually lower it back down again while keeping your legs in place. Best performed with a personal trainer.

4. Archer Pull Up

Pressing up over the bar at the gym with wide arms, lift your chosen hand over the bar and twist it around to touch the bottom of the bar, then pull it back again. Archer pull ups are just one single way to build single arm strength, so try 5 reps on one arm before switching over before building them up.

The Archer pull up is also a way to build up to a single arm pull up, which a personal trainer can get you working up to with a calisthenics routine.

5. Chin Up

A chin up requires your arms to be positioned close together on the gym bar with an underhand grip, so that when you lift yourself up, your fists are in alignment with the sides of your face, the perfect move to try at the Bondi street gym.

Not to be confused with a pull up, chin ups are able to work your lower lats to develop a visually stronger V shaped back. Personal Trainers will show you how Chin ups are also easier than regular pull ups. They’re a great way to ensure that you stimulate the muscles enough to make them strengthen and then, add more reps to your pull ups.

BONDI STREET WORKOUT PART TWO

See below for an idea of all the different kind of pull ups you can achieve.

1. Air walking pull ups
2. Archer pull ups
3. Asymmetric pull ups
4. Assymetric Australian Push ups
5. Australian Archer push ups
6. Australian chin ups
7. Australian pull ups

8. Australian switching typewriter pull ups
9. Australian typewriter pull ups
10. Back clap pull ups
11. Burpee with pull ups
12. Clap between legs pull up
13. Clap pull ups
14. Corner grip prone pull ups
15. Dead hang
16. Double grip prone pull up
17. Double lunge with burpee pull up
18. Double pull up
19. Elastic band assisted one arm pull up
20. Elbow assisted one arm pull up
21. Explosive pull ups
22. Headbanger
23. Isometric 1 arm up-middle-down
24. Isometric half way prone pull up
25. Isometric prone pull ups
26. Lower half prone pull ups
27. Middle stop pull ups
28. Narrow grip pull ups
29. Negative prone pull ups
30. Negative supine pull ups
31. Neutral explosive pull ups
32. Neutral pull ups
33. Dead hang pull ups
34. One arm Australian pull ups
35. One arm pull ups
36. One arm scapular retraction
37. One arm isometric pull up
38. Rowing in bar
39. Scapular retraction
40. Short supine pull ups

You can find all of these calisthenic moves for a street workout and more listed in the Calistheniapp.

Doing any kind of Calisthenics gym workout should be a part of a well-rounded personal trainer routine that works all of your muscle groups to develop support for the back and shoulders, through mastering different angles and exercises.

Alternatives to Pull Ups:

Once you’ve mastered the pull ups, there’s more to go about and to learn.

Muscle up moves

The Muscle up calisthenic movements are an elite level of gymnastics that are mastered by former inmates of prisons and bodybuilders alike. Using your own bodyweight to bulk-up, the basic movements within muscle ups require the swing, transition, press and the most challenging of all; the pull to press. The coordination, awareness and strength required to nail each move with a personal trainer and then, move onto higher levels of Bondi Calisthenic gym workouts.

Flags and Lever

Most popular for those who are mastering a street workout for the gram, being the human flag requires great strength and flexibility- Best built at the gym. Before attempting these moves, we recommend booking in with one of our personal trainers who will assist to develop a high level of shoulder motion and muscular support from the shoulders to the core.