Man has already seen it all: strength holding, in which the body, supported only on both arms, hovers in the air parallel to the floor. Swings on the pole, punctuated by pirouettes and somersaults. In gyms, such tricks are trained with stretched feet and knees. There are no such rules of conduct on the street. Anything you like is allowed.
Frankfurt men successful
Calisthenics, the “beautiful power”, comes from there. Originating in the open-air fitness parks of New York, the trend to vary strength exercises with one’s own weight and to combine them with elements from other sports, such as acrobatics or dance, spread quickly all over the world thanks to the internet.
Abdullah “Abi” Ghauri from Frankfurt also became aware of the videos and began practicing the “cool” skills with friends. Today, the scene that developed from these early days in the city on the Main is considered to be the largest nationwide in the “freestyle” sector.
Recharge your batteries: the new calisthenics park in Frankfurt’s Rennbahnpark.
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Image: Maximilian von Lachner
At the first German championships under the umbrella of the German Calisthenics and Streetlifting Association (DCSV), which was founded in 2019, the Frankfurt-based company swept away the men’s titles in all three weight classes at the weekend. Thanh Nguyen won the general classification.
Found a passion as a foster child
The favorite just sat among the judges instead of demonstrating his skills on the framework of poles and beams and the small bars and blocks next door to specially chosen music within two two-minute periods. Korash Kabir, who looked like a guru at the judges’ table with his shirtless upper body, long hair and beard, is regarded in this country as a pioneer of the freestyle variant, as a creative artist among athletes.
At the age of twelve he found his passion as a foster child. “He brought youth vigor to our group,” says Ghauri. “We saw it more as training ourselves.” Kabir came up with new ideas and created his own elements. “He’s passionate about it and has reinvented himself over and over again,” says Ghauri.
“I didn’t feel a spark anymore”
The national title fights, which were organized by individual clubs before the pandemic-related break and in which 37 men and four women took part this time, were won by Kabir four times in a row. Now, he says, “I didn’t feel a spark anymore.” His focus is on the World Championships, where he has finished 13th so far, and other international competitions.
The Hessian has 186,000 followers on Instagram. This not only helped him to be voted Frankfurt Sportsman of the Year 2017, which was surprising at the time. The numerous clicks attract sponsors who, together with income from workshops and show appearances, enable the 24-year-old to live for his sport.
The personal trainer practices only once a week, but focuses 100 percent on flying on the poles; 20 to 30 minutes of general strength training every day is enough to keep you in top shape.
Kabir announced on social media that he would focus more on weighted calisthenics in the future. The DCSV also distributes titles in this variant. Various exercises such as pull-ups or squats are all about maximum strength.
“Not a typical club sport”
David Gwizdz, from Gütersloh, founded the association together with six colleagues to spread calisthenics, make it more professional and create better conditions for the sport. Only those who are members can take part in the championships. 22 clubs and more than 300 individuals have agreed to do so; the trend is still increasing. 16 companies encourage engagement.
“Calisthenics is not a typical club sport,” says Gwizdz. “But safe conditions are especially important for newcomers.” In addition, as an organization, for example in dialogue with municipalities, more can often be achieved than without such a background. Nevertheless, not everyone lets themselves be captured by institutions – in a trend that is associated with a “wild flair” and in which the followers like to see themselves as free, unbound individualists.
The community in Frankfurt has come a long way without founding a club. When building new facilities, Ghauri and his colleagues are allowed to bring their own wishes and ideas to the city. This is how the first collection of equipment suitable for competitions is created in the Bürgerpark on the former racetrack. The German championships were planned there, but the opening was only scheduled for November 24th.
So the friends of beautiful power had to move to a portable scaffolding in the Fechenheimer Halle. Not exactly a typical meeting point for outdoor sports enthusiasts. “We are still at the beginning of a development process,” says Gwizdz. You have to be flexible there.
