Calisthenics and street workout: the difference

Some people prefer to use the term "calisthenics". Others prefer to use "street workout". Is there a good term? What does each term mean? Can we use a better term to define the sport?

Although it may seem benign, this division is one of the numerous fractures in our sport: its "street" side, the possibility of creativity, and not having fixed rules, is good and bad for its development. Indeed, each competition has to make up their own rules, athletes might denigrate certain competitions in regards to said rules, and people won't be agreeing on what's a hold, a combo, a movement, a variation, and many more. This is a precious occasion to dive deeper in one of those debates that slows down the development of the sport.

## Etymology

As many people know, "calisthenics" is a mix of two Greek words: "Khalos", beauty, and "Sthenos", strength. There are two main interpretations to this. The first one being calisthenics builds a beautiful and strong body, putting the emphasis on aesthetics and functional training. The other one being "beautiful strength", would appeal more to aesthetic skill training, which is mainly what interests us here.

Meanwhile, "street workout" can also have several meanings. The first one being "workout in the street", rather than the gym; one of the advantages of it is that it can be done anywhere, in the street, in a bedroom, in a plane... Or is it restrained to the streets? Working out with what you find in the street: doing push ups with your feet on a bench for example.

Another origin would be directly from the origins of the sport: athletes like Hannibal for King and the Bar Brothers hopping on facilities in city parks to perform original skills.

I would like to add another definition. What does "workout" mean? A workout is a training, but it can also mean the conception something. Here, the "street" would recall the urban style of the skills: they were created by "normal" people without any background training at all, who just wanted to do some cool stuff on the bars.

We therefore have several definitions of the sport that can themselves apply to many branches of the whole world that is bodyweight training.

## Official denominations in competitions

Let's take a look at several competitions or competition networks and which terms they use for the promotion of the sport.

* For Burningate, bodyweight strength training is called calisthenics. The national circuit in Italia is called the Calisthenics Official Championship, and their aim is to *"spread calisthenics around the world"*.
* The SWUB competition is called the "Street workout ultimate battles".
* Gornation promotes itself as a calisthenics brand.
* The WCO labeled themselves "World Calisthenics Organization".
* There is a World Street Workout and Calisthenics Federation.
* The legendary "King of the Bar" battles labeled themselves as "calisthenics showdown".
* The World of Barheroes organize "calisthenics competitions".

So it appears that almost every main organization calls the sport "calisthenics" rather than "street workout". However it is also the case of many companies and YouTube channels (CaliMove, THENX, FitnessFAQs, the Red Delta Project for example), which are not that much concerned about bodywgeight strength skills.

## What is calisthenics?

Calisthenics is often used as a synonym for "bodyweight training". The notion of "body weight" appeals to a weight moved and recalls bodybuilding terms. If the weight is meant to be moved (for example in a pull up or a dip), it's not meant to be swung around (that would be the same as saying that hammer throw is wight training). Therefore, a sport like gymnastics, where momentum-based movements are predominant, would not fall under the calisthenics denomination. On the other hand, strength skill training would, as you still must push your body against gravity. With this definition, strength elements (such as planche or frontlever pull ups) would fall under that category, while freestyle elements on the other hand, would not. So from all the organizations cited precedently, most would be wrong (as the competitions usually include a dynamics part). Street lifting would also not count as calisthenics: the "sport" would be purely bodyweight elements.

Citations from the Wikipedia article on calisthenics: it is *"a form of strength training consisting of a variety of movements that exercise large muscle groups (gross motor movements), such as standing, grasping, pushing, etc. These exercises are often performed rhythmically and with minimal equipment, as bodyweight exercises." "Urban calisthenics is a form of street workout".* Does it mean that calisthenics is a part of street workout then?

## What is street workout?

Citations from the Wikipedia article about street workout: *"Street workouts are a physical activity performed in outdoor parks or public facilities." "It is a combination of athletics, calisthenics, and sports." "Street workouts are divided into two main branches, strength training and dynamics." ""Street workout" is a modern name for calisthenics (or bodyweight workouts) in outdoor parks."*

According to the article, you do street workout if you train in an outdoor park. Street workout includes the dynamics part, but also the whole strength part. This means that:

* For strength-based skills and/or skils without momentum, the two terms can apply, with a preferrence for calisthenics.
* For dynamics and/or dynamics/strength combinations, it is better to use the term street workout.

There you have it. It seems that all the organizations were wrong after all.

## Bodyweight skills

To talk about the strength component that mainly interests us here, the term "bodyweight skills" would be the most applicable: what we do is skills (A skill is the learned ability to act with determined results with good execution), with our own body, that requires mainly strength, but also a great deal of mobility and balance.

Now, giving a proper name to this is hard. We obviously can't call the sport that way (it would be abbreviated BS). Calisthenics skill could work, but is a bit long to say, which is why the simpler, shorter "calisthenics" is what rules. We can't name the sport "static" (like Beast of static and Only static) because most of the movements are isotonic.

So there you have it: calisthenics. I am now wondering how to rename this wiki into "calisthenics wiki" haha.