In 2016 Rustam Asylbekov became the champion of street workout in Kazakhstan. But he could not still in the fifth grade never pull up on the bar. 4th-year student of Ekibastuz Engineering and Technical Institute Rustam Asylbekov is perhaps one of the most striking examples of denials sayings of two birds. The future mining engineer of open engineering in his almost 22 years has a lot of hobbies in which he achieves good results. What is the secret of his success, he shared with the correspondent of El.kz portal.
Among the variety of photos to Instagram, Rustam’s pictures immediately apparent. Full of positive sports account attracts attention and is of interest to what the young man. Contrary to the laws of gravity, his trained muscles allow him to hang in the air in different positions and maintain equilibrium for a long time. It looks very unusual. It called street workout what fascinated Rustam.
- Rustam, how did you even come into the sport?
- The first time I signed up for taekwondo in childhood. Then I began to go to the dance, doing breakdance. But it was just a children's interest, I was looking for something that really fascinated me.
For the first time seriously I thought about sports at the age of about 11 years. Then I did not even know how to pull myself up on the bar. I put "two" in physical education, despite the fact that I was an excellent student. I was very ashamed of my classmates. I can not say that I had a bad physical preparation. Running, jumping, I was well with that, even though I was quite a chubby child. But I could not pull up on the bar even once. Then I set myself the goal - to learn to pull myself up and began to train hard. In the end, I learned to pull up 55 times and set a school record, I had the first place.
- How did you manage to achieve this?
- At first, I came and just hung on the bar, stretched, tried to get up. Within a week I managed to pull myself up once. I liked it and wanted to do more. I continued my training. I was still small to understand how to train properly and was engaged without a coach. I just tortured myself, exercising for 5-6 hours every day. This turned out to be too heavy for the heart, which caused small health problems. But the wedge kicking out, as they say. I have learned from my own mistakes, become more intelligent, listened to the doctors began to read more about this and watched videos to video sharing YouTube on how to properly train. I have learned to correctly distribute the load. After a hard training, I rested for two days, listened to my own body, I was guided by the state of health, I was engaged in running. As a result of using moderate cardio heart problems have passed.
- How you got great interest in a street workout?
- Thoroughly engaged in the street workout I was 12 years old. It all began again with pulling. When I learned to stretch 10-20 times freely, it became interesting for me to perform various tricks on the bar. At that time I did not know what a street workout is. I just went online and wrote, "tricks on the bar." I saw what the guys are doing, they pulled themselves up and continued to perform different exercises. I liked it, and I began to learn it. I wanted to learn how to make "the sun" on a horizontal bar on extended arms, like gymnasts, maybe you have seen. At first, it did not work, I fell. Even the video was preserved with my fall, - Rustam shares.
-Did not you break anything?
- The jaw injured, there was the trauma of the hands and also of the eyes.
- And then have you missed you desire to do the street workout?
- To be honest, when I fell heavily, I suffered a jaw injury and could not talk, I was afraid to go to the horizontal bar for a couple of days. But then I overcame this fear. The desire to reach the goal turned out to be stronger, and I went further. In the end, I learned to twist the "sun".
- What is the street workout?
- First of all sport. But as for me it has become a way of life, as well as for many other streetworkouters probably already subculture. Initially, everyone said "Street workout", which means - "outdoor training".
Our street workout is divided into three areas - a technique, power and street workout jimbar. Technique - this is exactly what gymnasts do - "the sun", flights. In force, pulling and holding yourself in some static element is going on. That's what I'm doing right now. But initially, I trained the technique for about two years. And then I moved to the power base. At the moment in this direction and development. Jimbar involves stretching exercises.
- On one of your photos, you are sitting in a string.
- Yes, stretching also helps in the street workout. That's why I'm fond of yoga. My friend does yoga.
- When did you start playing street workout seriously, the city already had coaches that taught this?
- No, my coach was YouTube. In the city, then no one else did this.
- So you were one of the first to promote this sport in Ekibastuz city?
- Exactly. Today we already have our own team, which was found in 2011. It's called «Workout Ekibastuz ». It has about a thousand members. This kind of sports is interested in people of different ages. We conduct training directly on the street, mainly near the city center of culture "Oner".
When I first started doing a street workout, I walked around the city and was looking for associates, went to playgrounds, trained in different places and watching who is engaged on the bar, got acquainted with the guys. So we found each other. In our group in the social network "VK.com", we collect photos and videos from our achievements and successes. This archive is kept since 2011. There are more than three and a half thousand photographs.
- Are you doing it just for yourself?
- Not only. We participate in various city events, hold demonstrative performances together with the Center for the Development of Youth Initiatives. We spoke on the Day of Drugs Control, conducted master classes. We've got guys who are engaged in parkour and breakdance. We do joint training with them. We speak at charity concerts. We have many certificates and other achievements in our sport. We also participate in competitions outside the city.
- What achievements in the street workout you have personally?
- I am the champion of the competition on the street workout of Karaganda and South Kazakhstan regions, and perhaps the greatest achievement to date - a victory in the championship of Kazakhstan street workout, it was only recently.
- In your Instagram, you upload a video with various tricks. How long have you worked through them, before it starts to turn?
- Some elements take months to train, and sometimes even years.
-Do you also watch them on the Internet?
- No. I am already at the level when I myself come up with these elements. I'm already a coach. It is enough to learn the basic chips, and then you already became an inventor, as far as imagination allows.
- Who are your idols in the street workout?
- From the Russian athletes - Wladimir Sadkov, he is a champion of the street workout. Daniel Laizans from Latvia, he is also a world champion. They inspire me. But I realized that there is no need to look for motivation, I am the motivation. I'm just trying to be better than yesterday.
- Are the young boys willing to go to work with you? How popular is it now?
- Yes, a lot of the guys coming. The largest number of people in training I counted this summer. We were 50 people. All our trainings are open to everyone. We hold them only outdoors, on the street, because the street workout this is the street gymnastics. All workouts are absolutely free.
- At one of the city events, girls were seen on your team ...
- Yes, we train three girls constantly, they are with us and perform.
- They also pulling up on the bar?
- They do strength exercises and stretching, they can stand on their hands, sit in the longitudinal and transverse twine, make a “flag”, that is, they horizontally hang in the air on the horizontal bar, pull up, squeeze out and work on the uneven bars. Street workout mistakenly considers as a male sport. In fact, so many women are addicted to this sport.
-But the hands will be in calluses.
- It's not scary for those who really like this sport. I have these calluses for 7-8 years do not disappearing.
- Do girls often come to train?
- Yes, there is enough of those who is willing to engage in this sport. But mostly they are girls who want to lose weight and are engaged in general development and maintenance of muscles in tone. We run with them, we pump the press and other muscles. Not all subsequently become involved in the street workout. Especially because we train only in the summer, when the weather is still warm. In the winter I train alone. Nobody wants to go to the playground in the cold.
- What do people need to learn to do tricks like you? What muscles should be trained and where to start?
- The basis, as in any other sport, is the base - push-ups, squats, running, pull-ups. First, you need to prepare yourself and your muscles, and then have something to study.
- At what age do they come to you to train?
- In general, I undertake to train children from 10-11 years. It seems to me that this is the most optimal age. I myself started with this. Sometimes they ask to be engaged with children from the age of five. But I do not take risks. The responsibility is very large. But we have to train the street straight guys a lot to keep track of each complex.
Training sessions are held three times a week for one and a half to two hours absolutely free. Anyone can take part in them. For this, you need only removable clothing.
-And what about the weather?
- The weather does not matter. We are training even in the rain.
- Do you have a qualification?
- No. I do not need it. I do not earn money on this and do not train professionally. Just showing the correct technique for performing the elements, I give advice on how to properly distribute the load. Since I myself studied all this in-depth, I can give some recommendations, so as not to harm excessive loads to your body.
Generally, we have in Kazakhstan Federation of the street workout. It is located in Astana. If you contact the federation, they will prompt you what you need to do in order to get all the necessary documents for coaching. But I'm not going to make money, so do not bother to account documents.
- How does street workout develop in Kazakhstan?
- In 2014, we held the world championship in street workout where athletes over 70 countries arrived. Kazakhstan won first place. I think this is an excellent level.
- Are there adequate conditions?
- Not so long ago several sports grounds were set up around the city. It's great. Playground near "Jasibay" sports complex is particularly suitable for street workout. Now I often train there.
In addition, we are very well supported by the Center for the Development of Youth Initiatives. For example, when we want to hold some competitions, they help us with the organization, provide prizes, agree on the expense of musical equipment. I, in turn, do not remain indebted to the city. In the summer, from the sports department, I was asked to hold competitions for children, and I held it. There is support in the city and this is very important. And, for example, in Pavlodar newly built 70 sites for a street workout. This is generally the ultimate dream for people like me.
Just the other day I resumed my training on the breakdance. There you can combine elements of street workout and breakdance. Now I focus on balance, I practice statics, I train different racks in my hands. Just at home, there is not enough room. And in the hall, it is more convenient to train.
- Rustam, what is your goal in street workout?
- I want to become a world record holder on the front vis on the bar. That is, there are certain records around the world, for example, to keep the "flag" for a certain time.
- To achieve these results, what else is needed in addition to regular exercise?
- In order to look aesthetically pleasing, and to have a beautiful relief, it is necessary to adhere to proper nutrition. Without this, achieving the goal is much more difficult. I do not eat fast food, do not drink sodas. I can afford it only once a month. Food is the basis, it's half of the success. I understood this with time. In my diet must include protein, in the morning I always eat porridge, eat lots of eggs, meat, chicken breast, fruits, vegetables. If my weight will be greater than it is now, I would be more difficult to train for a street workout. Excess fat helps cardio remove from the body. I can not say that I strictly adhere to proper nutrition, but I try not to eat harmful food. For example, I eat bread. Well, what Kazakh do not like the “beshbarmak”?!
- The girls, probably, running after you?
- Yes, I am not deprived of attention from the girls. Friends I have a lot, but so far I have no one to meet. There is no time left for free.
- Training does not interfere with the study?
- It’s no way. I study at the institute "excellent". And I was a good student at the school. If you want, there will always be time.Best of all, of course, was at school: when you did homework and train as much as you want.
- Are you always trying to do your activities fully?
- Yes, I think that if you do something, you should do it well. I like to take pictures, like music.
In an interview with him, the opinion about his generation as a whole is changing. And if someone starts to criticize that the current youth for the fact that they are wasting time by playing computer games, you can give him as an example. He is one of those who profitably spends time at the computer and has time to be active, athletic, musical, versatile, and at the same time, he is an excellent student. Rustam says that he owes all his successes to his parents. He is the only child in the family and his mother and father always welcomed and supported all his undertakings.
Translated by Akhan Tuleshov
Photo: From personal archive of Rustam Asylbekov