ADAM RAW | The Motivational Story of the Calisthenics Legend | The Athlete Insider Podcast #12

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The text of the interview (translated automatically): 

and just be as a one-family in this constant you know whatever it is you know if you do freestyle already waited whatever it is I want to see friendship and Brotherhood that's the most important formation yo gorillas welcome to the next episode of the athlete and cellar podcast by Grenadian my name is Phil and today we are with a really really special person with a really a legend like a living legend from calisthenics with I just looked up like 20 million you nearly reach the 20 million views on YouTube that's insane like over 250,000 followers across social medias and like the reason why this sport is at the point where it is today in my opinion because you inspired a lot a lot of athletes out there and your name already failed quite some time and this podcast may it be like in the end as the most inspiring inspirational and best calisthenics event calisthenics athletes and I'm really happy to have you here Adam row happy to have you here welcome thank you for inviting and yeah I I don't think it's important how many usually have four followers but I think I did my job with the game and this most important that's why you invited me and I hope I can answer all your important questions that's true like I looked up your small description of your Yugi or if your youtube channel the reason why you do the the channel it is to inspire people and that's why I say the numbers because it's for me it's a number of people you inspired but also you said you know he's doing it for you so really well to be honest I liked maybe around 2016 I stopped altogether developing my and I actually never did I just uploaded my training videos I didn't focus like you know you know now you have influencers and youtubers they make it basically their job and they know what to do they have all these tricks you know and things how to develop it and make more subscribe birds and all these things around and get sponsors you know I never care about it I just put up my training videos there and anything that was interesting from our events and competitions and that was basically it it's very nice that it actually grew to this number but I don't think it's anything interesting it's just the dedicated people who like to see something inspirational from the complex body weight training calisthenics and weighted constants so let's bonnet and you're doing it already like quite some times and when did you say oh my 2006 I scroll down and I saw some parkour videos I didn't know before I remember editing my first videos it was Windows yeah that's interesting and like when when did you start with with the calisthenics content well basically parkour is constant even first video is from 2006 but I think it around 2010 or 11 starts to be really something like interesting there and also I have like 200 videos that I already hidden they're invisible because I just considered them not interesting anymore and not high-quality there was one one moment where I was like thinking okay let's make it a little bit bigger this channel I tried to do something I think it was two thousand thirteen or fourteen and I simply hidden all the videos that were not in like top quality you know and then after a few years I stopped there are all kinds of quality videos not quality videos I just don't care III don't think you know I was thinking is important to develop it for the people but then later I just many of my videos that actually I recorded on a low quality camera and we're not like top quality videos actually got very good following and use and more importantly it helped more people than when I tried to make some videos super cool you know and top quality it's like I stopped caring because of that I think most important is content I'm not a poor yeah of course if you would like to be top youtuber and to have millions of views every video you need to buy a super camera to have a super quality and do all this super anything you know but I just don't care about anything more try to upload good stuff the good content about training that's it okay so yeah like let's get back to this time how did you get in touch with parkour how did like the the switch to calisthenics to weighted calisthenics like happen for you man this is kind of history it's even hard to remember everything but I think it was just by the end of the school you know the basic school but by age of 14 or 15 when I went to high school it was a boom of parkour you know everybody knew David Bell in those times and Yamasaki and these movies like you know this banjo 13 or something like that maybe are not familiar with that but it was really cool in those times and a lot of young guys actually also around me and in the schools they were like interested in it and we just started to try to go to the three you know to run jump train push-ups first pull-ups basically that I did are from from this era and we were watching the movies you know and the movies were super cool they were jumping from the from the buildings you know and doing all these cool moves and it was about practicing your body so calisthenics was always like the part of that and a few years later you know there appears the video of honey boo and others from America it was a little bit later around 2008 I think or something and then it was like you know I already was familiar with calisthenics with the basic movements handstands I did my first dance dance at around 2004 or something like that my first muscle up in 2006 you know but nobody knew in those times that is Maslow we didn't call it muscle you go up and that's it it's it's a high pull up person and yeah so basically around the videos from New York and the golden era I started to get more familiar with with more advanced movements just kept trying them on the bars wherever I couldn't that's basically how I started but the the parkour era was really in my school days so it was very interesting and cool because of the movies honestly no actually actually it was a fireman you know performance yeah yeah and he created this discipline for other four months to get in shape and to be able to get from the point A to point B as fast as possible yeah to be a god agile you know and strong and to be able to help people in this hard job you know and it was more about training than about any tricks and then later it turned to freerunning and to more of a show and tricks and it this actually is very important to state because it's very similar to what happens to workout calisthenic you know because calisthenics also started as a conditioning discipline air and then later when more freestyle competition starts coming players and all these things you know it also turned more to two ways and one of the ways is more like a show for people for the competition and these dynamic moves and stuff like this but there is always like the origins the base and for Parker it is to be able to run fast John you know and do these practical movements basically that helps to move your body from some point to the other and for the street workout or calisthenics or call it whatever you want it's the basic conditioning of the body so it's very very similar history for both of this sports okay but they still like like parkour also has a crazy development where it is today but it was exactly like calisthenics you know it started with David Bowen this is just a movement just practice and then interred in to advertize means you know sponsors like Nike and others and they started to take the park wrists or free runners who did more like tricks you know like spins and these things like you know and you don't need to when you try to get as fast as possible from one point to the other you just need to jump and know how to land and these things you don't need to put their some spins you know are tricks that was just for the show just for the videos and people and that's basically the same in my eyes this is just my opinion what is the same as with freestyle calisthenics nobody will ever go to park and train 360s just for himself or his life right it's not practical you do it so you can later show it on the show or on the video because it's cool but it won't make you stronger or more conditioned or whatever muscle-ups strict pull-ups squats push-ups that's what make you conditioned and that's what you will train even when nobody's watching you because but these tricks is more for the show and it's not a bad thing you know everybody trains for his goals and purpose I'm just stating here that it's very similar history actually of these two sport sports we cannot explore about sport and yeah ok so like where how do you see the the evolution or the development of calisthenics in your eyes because I think we never had a guest who has such a long history well you know actually I think it finished very well you know there are many people bitching about it and complaining all the time you know I was also one of them I was making a lot of fires back then because I was at the beginning you know I judged very big competitions I was judged on people's I was judged in astana in World Championship where I met with Hannibal and other legends you know we basically I was part of group who built this this game and when I've spoken with whoever like Maris and other big organizers you know you know at the beginning I was always saying you know one day it will be competition for one particular body type or you will need to do weight categories and start dividing into weighted calisthenics strict movements like we have now a Czech way deeper carbonyl you know and there will be a big like big dividing you cannot do it all together because the first competitions if you remember probably not but I remember everybody wanted to connect everything and do it in one day like they were connecting freestyles with reps with sets and reps and weighted and everything and then it was a must that there are peers leaders who will like divide it and stake their fields you know so for example now we have organizers who are focused into freestyle competitions and they do very good job in that and then we have leaders who are focused on the weighted stuff you know the strict reps and it this is very good that it happened you know in one way it divided the game that's true but in the other way it was a must because it would be just a mess if we wanted to keep it all together and I think right now this moment we have a very good very good state of of game and competitions from this point of view because you know there are many points of view you can as I said there are many people bitching up I don't want to be one of them because I was but when I look it from professional point of view it's very good now because there are very good organizers of freestyle shows and competitions and very good organizers of strict waited complete reps you know these kind of things so I think this was a must to happen it already happened and right now there are actually pretty solid and professional leagues of this sport maybe weighted calisthenics League or freestyle and that's probably what was supposed to happen okay it would happen with us or without I think and like with a Czech workout pedal you're also like doing your part with like organizing the the waitress competition well what are your goals with a Czech worker pedal well yeah honestly I think you know honestly I think that the trick where you work out battle is probably the biggest and most strict competition in the Europe right now and also the most complex but you know the problem is that in this sport is not you know there is not much money and it's very hard to organize a big event like this really if you you know I don't consider my event the best because of overall that is up to people to judge I cannot judge my own you know event but I consider it the highest because of the highest level we always have the best place and the highest level because I actually know the game and I'm inviting only the best ones you know because this is like top level competition so I it's more like also for motivating the game you know so every year we are trying to get the strongest so they raise the bar and we are giving example that even such high numbers could be done in strict form that's why I created row lifting form that stops you know and all these things but problem is that it's very hard to organize you know I don't have so much so big team it's a real workout team some volunteers and most of the stuff I'm just paying from our budget we don't have big sponsors like who would race for you like 10000 euro or something like that so it's very dependent on our passion and basically on our options you know what options we have and for example now I have family you know I have many things to do and every year it's quite honestly it's harder and harder so that's why I keep looking for people who would be same enthusiasts like me and who would like to see this sport growing because that's the only reason why I want to grow the sport I do it for the sport I don't do this for myself I organize it every year since 2012 it wasn't check whether a cowbell in those times but it were the first battles from 2012 13 14 15 in 15 we started check work our battle I even organized freestyle competitions bergna and I always did it in my free time for my money because I wanted to grow this sport I wanted to show it to people and make a video from these events and buy these videos to motivate people inspire them and to just I love this sport you know for me it's is the movement that changed my life it gave me basically everything that I have now it gave me my family because I met my wife in Kiev in Ukraine Ukrainian championship in 2016 and now I have two kids with happy family and basically all these things you know even like business I don't have business primarily connected with workout but of course because a workout more people knows me and it also helps my business so basically everything I have I owe to workout and that's why I keep like because inside I know it I keep investing into it from my own budget just to see it growing and to develop because I just like it you know like my family and other people they keep telling me why are you doing you know you are just losing so much money like last year I paid like minimum six thousand euro from my own pocket for a couple and people are like what the fuck there's no possible normally you don't mind like sponsors gave you that or something that they don't believe me but actually like you know the circle of people who are around me and really helped me to organize it and they know it's true so I just keep doing it because I love it and I think if I finish if I stopped it's like I don't say that there will not appear somebody will do it also because it would if I disappeared someone else will come and do it also very good I think but I just want to be here you know and see the game growing and help it to develop and I don't want anything back from it I don't expect anybody to love me for that or praise me I just don't care I just want to see growing and I always wanted to see complex work out you know and when guys did back then like Street lifting it started with Ukraine in the rules of 32 kg pull-ups 48 kg beeps you know things like this there were always many problems like some people started to bitching on them oh but they don't train legs then there were people who started to bitching on the forum you know and I seen all these fires these fight some more people and that's why I tried to create some rules that would actually connect them because if you have if you make rules as hard as possible it may be offending to many but it's fair and it's the same same rules for everybody right so who can be child and by adding legs to the competitions because I was the first who added legs into the stripper car competitions in 2013 and by adding legs we make it complex more like Rover car because you're familiar with my philosophy or our car is like calisthenics and weighted calisthenics with like training edit you know so on one side for freestyle for example is not important actually it's a burden don't train legs because performance but for reps when I saw guys hanging on them big ways you know even myself and I was like okay but you don't have these big waist like in the streets right you go to the gym to get them and if you are in the gym and you can pull up heavy deep heavy why don't you squat happy because then like half of your body so that all these like ideas I can put here tomorrow hours but to make a long story short all these ideas brought me to to the point where I created charity work rbirtle to make a complex straight competition that would be also complex and training not just upper body but also lower body and with the strict rules and movement that would actually connect people and not make them fight you know because I don't like these fights as I said I get it before there were a lot of bitching but actually I think it was a mistake and all I want to see now is just a friendship I want to see people stop fighting and just be as a one family in this constant you know whatever it is you know if you do freestyle already waited whatever it is I want to see friendship and Brotherhood that's the most important for me and when we organized a workout bill is always so crazy good atmosphere actually I was invited last year but you didn't make it but if you will make it one day it's really beautiful you know and that's the reason why I do it and as the purpose of this event but as I said with family is harder and harder every year and I hope I will be able I will be able to manage to keep doing because it's very hard to know that's why I'm all the time looking for sponsors even the smaller ones you know we can raise at least something to cover expenses because there are so many expenses people who don't would never organize something they cannot even imagine it's not just the work that you put in so many hours and hours in preparation or everything is not the work and time of the volunteers who are actually also doing it for free you know there is a team of people who just come from other cities and they help you all day on the event they don't want anything as a reward and this is just a small part then you make all the other things like a prizes you know and it's it's just crazy so I love it but it's very hard to do and I hope that there were there were clear more people who are like enthusiasts real enthusiasts like me and who will want to support the sport because I think right now this fort is dependent on such people you know I I don't know like about freestyle game to be honest I stopped being part of it few years ago and watching it and I'm not even in contact with Morris and others anymore so I don't know how it's they're probably they already build up pretty good budget and group of sponsors and people who are like in this you know helping them but in the wait it is really fucking hard because it's not important is not interesting to watch you know you don't go to the event to watch a guy do 20 pull-ups with some weights to dip some big waves you know it's not interesting to see so it's harder to get support and sponsors because it's basically a strict boys like poverty you know it's like powerlifting normally from the constants it's true like but what is the reason for you that weighted calisthenics are still growing like why are people still doing this and go into competitions and participating and inviting more people well what's the reason why it's growing you ask yeah like like why do you say like why for example if it would be more easy to do a freestyle competition for you to get sponsors to because it's nice to watch to get more people to go come there to sell tickets etc like why do you take well the road waited yeah actually at the beginning of every age a grader regards pedal like the static opening show it's always from a freestyle you know I'm inviting guests and they make a show for for people to come and then we start with the competition it's very nice start very nice beginning because it brings tension and I try to pick the guys who do like the strength freestyle you know more more strength movements the hardcore stuff like one-armed Blanche Blanche push-ups you know and stems of 90 degrees Maltese in this thing so yeah I try to keep it like there you know it's not the competition but at least the show I try to keep it there but reason why like waited constantly remains interesting to rather people to watch for organizers like me or the competitors themselves to answer your question I think the reason is simply because it's a new sport to know and many people wants to self realize themselves in something you know and this is a great chance to sell off realize yourself in something it's very very interesting sport you know because we had the deadlifts here before bench presses you know powerlifting weightlifting even like professional calisthenics which is gymnastics on the Rings you know for example we had it before but there were never before things like big pull up with big weight you know or muscle up with big ways it's a very it's a brand new sport very interesting you know and very fast-growing so a lot of people it just gets their attention and they want to try it or they want to self realize themselves in it you know and it's just interesting because it keeps growing fast for people like me it's that I already answered it's interesting to be here and keep growing it and helping it because I just love it and for people who are watching it I think it's interesting because they get inspiration or motivation from it because when you when you like to Train calisthenics but you don't want to compete you don't want to be professional but you still like to come to place such as professional competition to watch watch the highest level to watch the guys who are like heroes like superstars so that's probably the reasons but I don't know to get to be honest there may be many other reasons and we don't even know actually if he's grown who knows maybe is not growing anymore maybe it's just doing the people who closed it where did fire in them for it and it's just a small group of people because you know when I mentioned our battles and competitions and even the other competitions that I didn't organize but I I was there as a judge or just watch it's always like not so big circle people for example in the Vienna right like the most of the people were the people who competed and who live lived it you know they loved it but if it's really growing who knows because to be honest I think we had more people on check I did work out battle 2016 then we had on the last year but so who knows if it's true that we will see in few more years you know it's too early to say but I think is definitely growing as a sport as a level of it it's fucking crazy like if you watch videos and results from three years ago and now it's like levels here and I was here no it's really crazy unfortunately I have some personal opinions about this why is happening I think there are also like drug steering and doping in the sport but that's for other topic and I think this is a very big topic and it will be even worse in the future because as I said every sport has this fate every sport and who wants to deny it is stupid is idiot you know because every sport will bring attention of drugs every sport it's just that our sport is too young you know it just started few years ago it's like a blink of eye you know and we we saw it like growing and developing so fast and every sport when it starts this low level basically at that time everything everybody feels is high level but as years goes you know just look on the powerlifting results why 30 years ago and now it's crazy man you wouldn't believe like the champions 20 30 years ago would be average today and I think it will be the same with weighted carries and of course it will be also because of not just the mentality and the level going higher but because of the doping and drugs in the sport and we cannot change this lecture by my opinion no you know there are many people who keep telling me like yeah but when this starts and drugs will appear what will you do you know will you start doing some doping tests or will you start you know whatever and I'm just saying do you think that other professional sports and Olympic Games and whatever in this world like do you think it's natural if you think they are solving something with those tests you know you will never solve it because it's the part of the sport and at least we'll do whatever they can and whatever they will find in order to raise the level and their results you know and I think that actually we were just on the beginning that's why we couldn't see it but now as years will go we will see drastic improvement and massive massive improvement of the results and records and it will be by my humble opinion mostly by drugs coming into our sport that's one of them like how do you feel when you watch your old youtube videos from I don't know like when were they recorded 2012 13 14 something around there like you had like you your performances for me as a beginner and killa since it was insane like I watched myself thought that's not possible this is insane like how do you ml well to be honest to be honest actually I was pretty often accused of being on the tracks before you know because I was like a star my there was a certain time certain period of time in the history of this game when I was at the top you know and always when someone is at the top he get to hate you know and he gets accused but as a time went you know there were even people who came back to me and said oh sorry now I see that you was natural because now this guy is too strong these guys using something and I think this is this is just funny because it's always like that they will always point out to do the best guy because he did something special you know he did something interesting and the funniest thing is that there may be actually really like your genetic really like freaks who can do natural incredible result and then there can be people who are naturally weak and even if they use something they will not be as strong as this is the funniest thing but I think at the top level in the pro if you see really something very far very distant from everybody else you are like 95% that the guys for example all the old school look at the old school like all old school guys trained like more than 10 years some of them even 15-20 years there are people in Ukraine like the tarnish of cabel's you know the Godfather's and people they trained hard you know everything did everything they could and they came to certain numbers and then stopped you know and it was actually the same with me and with many others and then you have guys who appeared and after a few years they break it you know easily easily and by tens of kilos not just by few you know and this is what I said by my humble opinion I think it's drugs in our sport but as I said this is big topic I don't want to go too deep into it and all I want to say is that I think it's it's ok because nobody can stop this you cannot stop it it's like every sport every sport is developing and at least we'll do whatever they can but to answer your question when I see my old videos you know the problem is that people see my videos but they don't see the history you know for example if you see results from 2013 I was already training like like 9 years and it's not 9 years that you are doing something from time to time you know it's fucking three times a week I never missed the workout you know I lived it actually all my school from 2005 to 2009 I trained all those four years in a row without injury without any break I did everything I could actually in my 15 years I was like 62kg and I gained 30 kg of muscles until I finished the school in those four years was very hard it was very hard work man I did everything the diet was straight I was already cooking for myself you know and that was just the period from 2005 into 2009 and then people see video from 2013 and those times they can came to me and said oh you aren't staring something but actually this is a pretty fucking history of heart train you know and to be honest when I to answer finally when I see it you know I'm like I never actually impressed my soul by my results to be honest never you know it's like many people impressed me with their results but I never interest myself never that this also may be what I kept growing all the time all those years and even now I'm trying to improve even though I know that there are now like you know the champions and the new school and young guys you know who has really epic level but I still don't give up I like I focus on my results and I try to improve all the fucking time and that's probably the reason behind this is that really not impressed with what I did and many people got their motivation inspiration for my videos for years and actually they keep messaging me until now until now it's a lot of followers and trans men I'm really I really appreciate it I'm glad for all these people and I'm glad that I could motivate them but to be honest I'm still not impressed by what I did well and I hope that one day I can impress myself because you know it's like every year everything is changing you know for example when I had certain history then one year I found out that I can get better in discs or death and that it's like a new challenges all the time all the time you can do something that's why I love calisthenics and weighted Palestine's because you can basically infinitely keep improving if you don't injure which unfortunately I did because I was dumped and I didn't train properly and I did a lot of things not just for myself but also for the people you know the games competitions events opening of the parks and things like these shows you know and I unfortunately injured but if you don't injure and if you are smart you can basically infinite to keep improving and there are basically only limits of your genetics and of your body composition but even if you get in one movements to some higher level then you can pick other movement and keep keep improving in that you know and because I created raw work out basically I can do something every single day because I train all body I train legs are tight rain upper body I train elements hand balancing handstand handstand push-ups and basically my main purpose is fun you know so I can train just the fun with it you know the mentality today is different they don't train like we did they don't like today is rather world report or nothing you know and that's what I don't like about mentality today the young guys they're like you know also Instagram ruins ruins this fucking game in my opinion because Instagram also did its job in a better way on this because people are like they pick few movements and they want to be the best you know and to put it on Instagram to put the videos and to say to be able to stay I am the best in this and the better than that guy in this Corps I had the recording this and this is bad mentality you know back then we just trained because it was fun we wanted to be stronger and improve back then we did everything and that's what I keep until now and that's why I think I can keep going because if I wouldn't be tuning like this I would probably finish and actually there are many people from old school who finished with the families you know in jobs and other things to do they just finish also because the game changed and they just cannot keep up with the level you know other things in the records but I think if you really train just because you love it you can you cannot finish it's like I never finish I will do this until I die you don't care about records so yeah this is probably also the reason why when I look on my old videos it's like I am NOT impressed but I'm glad I'm very glad for all this history for for all this that I've done and I'm glad that it motivated at least someone because I didn't plan anything glorious with it you know I just put up my you know I just put up my training online for others to watch so that it helped promote these interests that I can impress myself this is crazy this is absolutely like it's it's a to you listen to you because it's really like yeah you're really one of the persons like what you do for the sports nowadays with the check workout weighted workout pedal also like in the past like yeah I still remember like watching your videos when I started with killer cynics like 2012 or something and it was like wow that's like just insane and then the feeb oh I guess it was 2014 where you also were at the people you were like honey ball and like with Frank Madonna I like I was like I got there their signatures on the on the on the uninsured and I think I was the only like from this day on I never saw somebody like getting signatures from Killa Sonic's athletes but I was like I have to get the signature and like I was so disappointed the atom wasn't there anymore like I know I need his signature like he's the person like he he he's just I remember it but actually I was I was like on all Feebles and any events even I was shocked you know I didn't expect that people will start coming to me you know but that's it you know it's like I can say that I was at the right time on the right place no because my videos really flew around the world because it was the boom of workout from 2012 to 1415 and in those times I brought up complex videos where I wasn't just a skinny guy who's not like interesting to others you know I had some physique I don't say that it was like perfect but I had some music and people just liked it so it was like really honestly I was lucky you know if it would be any other guy who looks good and can do some movements like I did already I depends time to shops planche push-ups you know front lever and even some sports and these things and that's why it flew around the world so I'm very glad I really big for this I'm really glad that I was there and I could inspire people because I think any other guy who would be there at that moment at that place he would do the same it was just I was one of those pioneers from the YouTube and that's basically what brings attention of people and then they came for signatures I was shocked shocked actually I was in Germany one day I can tell you a very short very short story because my ex-girlfriend with whom I was 5 years she was from Germany so I was traveling to Germany often I even competed at Stuttgart championship Germany's championship you know I was on the Feebles freaky bows and many other events there in those times with days embarrassed you know Leo's and actually I was in very small village one time it was cold lobster you know and I was just buying something in the store and I would it was like end of the world very small village very small village I would never expect that somebody will recognize me there you know and I was buying something in the store I don't know what it was you know but I was buying some food and then when I came out from the store there were two guys waiting for me in front of the store and they said both of it you and will you give me signature I was like totally shocked when I was shocked I really didn't expect and this was really in those years it was happening all the time all the time so as I said I was shocked in those time myself and I think really like reason for this was that I I was on the YouTube very like famous video so you know my old videos is like four million views so that's probably the reason and also the name you know I think that the name is easy to remember you know so I get them wrong it's very easy and I like a lot of for a long time I didn't I didn't believe that you it's really your name because it's like it sounds like a YouTube name it sounds like the YouTube star name but it's it's your name like yes my so yeah but the thing that distances you from other people I guess is the consistency you're still here you're still like organizing events you're still like doing stuff like this interview even though you have like a lot of stuff to do with your children with humor your business like here because I know that you're doing everything on your own and like hustling a lot so yeah consistency years bro as I said this is because I just loved it I will do it until I die you know there are many people especially now when it's Instagram sponsors some people tries to make their living like this and there are many guys who just do it because it's cool it's a boon for some period of time you know like in back in the day there were guys who started they bring up some record or did something cool and then they disappeared or guys who want some championship you know who want some freestyle championship even Moscow you know look at the champions history of Champions in the Moscow few of them just appeared one year one and then they disappeared and we never heard about it anymore so you know some people who basically do it because it's cool for some short period of time maybe when they were at the school you know where where they lived with the parents or something and then their life simply changes moved to other directions they have other things to do and they finish you know but for me this is really like I love it first I came home just disappears you know even now I don't upload many videos it's very many I would say passive channel my Tube channel still from time to time I try to upload something epic or just a video from our lens just to keep it alive and I will probably do this as I said until I fucking die I love it I just love it and because I in my opinion the the difference is that you do it because you love the journey you love like doing it every day the people they want the goal they want to be on that they want to hold the trophy ones or they want to have this one viral video where they break the record but they don't love that every training they don't don't love the lifestyle of it but you like many you alright many people have a particular goal and I don't say that it's better to have a goal it's actually very good and also if you want to progress or something but the problem is what you will do when you when you reach that career because it with if it wasn't about the destination you know or how to say if it was just about the destination and you are finished you know and the ego is like that if you reach something you want more bring something you want more that's ego the ego is think you know that's what usually people do when they hit some record it just want more you know but when you just don't care about this you just strain and as you're training with results and if they are good enough you just go to some competition and that's exactly how I actually I never people are like amazed when they asked me if I ever trained by some training program you know usually people are asking me why I don't sell training programs and my answer is I never had one I never trained by any program I never was planning my trainings actually properly you know sometimes I was like thinking yeah I will do eight sets of three or something but it wasn't a plan the other day I just felt to do handstand so I did handstands you know and it leads now they have particular goal and they are just going for a day pick one two or three movements they make a shadow they program it for a few months and they just stick to the plan and I don't say it's bad it's actually good for the particular goal but it's not about a journey you know it's it's very different kind of training than we did back in a day or did I do even today I just train by feeding I do it because I love it and I don't care about some trophy or competition and anyway I'm too old to be able to compete with the new school and especially with my kind of training philosophy I even cannot do it because you know I'm a little bit fucked up because I cannot I found out that I cannot focus or specialize for one thing you know and if you really want to be the best you need to specialize it's an absolute must you need to pick the movement they'll do everything to improve him and I tried it actually few time to be honest I tried it there was periods of times that I simply skipped legs and try to do something for example when I wanted to get my food lunch you know I simply find out one day okay if you want to really prove you're so that we can do it maybe it is back squat with 200 kg is really not helping you or these heavy pistol and there were a periods of times that I really like skipped everything and focused only on the money move or I there was a vertical time that I focused on the day with the endurance reps you know I never focus actually on it with a big weight for example like 140 150 that I did I didn't focused on it but I focused on doing like I wanted to do 40 reps with 50 kg Paragon and there was a period of time that I focused on like a few months you know but after a few months I was like here you know I was like I cannot do it you know I feel inside that is not me like Adam ruins everything I cannot fucking be here three times a week dipping or three times a week eating plant it just wasn't here you know and I think that's also very important I think that many of us have a certain destiny and the certain personality you know we have we are individuals and characters in my individuality is the rover complex stream so that's why I keep doing my stuff and really there are days like I train heavy leg session and I'm destroyed for two weeks two weeks I cannot nearly walk you know but in those two weeks I have instant session I have in the park element session then I have one pushing heavy pushing day one heavy pulling day and oh he spin and that's what probably keeps me going all the time because with this style trend you will never hit record or something particular goals you know you have all the time something to do you can keep improving forever so this proud me also the reason why I still am here and keep pushing because I probably will never as I said impress myself and as I said reach the goals that my kind of personality would like because you know my goals are possible I would like to have a top squat of pistols pause hold the full planche do handstand push-ups 90 degrees pull up with 110 120 all these things all these me I love everything I even lost muscle ups with weight although I don't strain them on the bar too much because of my hinge bicep rupture and that's why I like more drinks because I can shorten the range of motion and not feel the bicep so much but I even do ring muscle up with everything I love it and I found out that I really cannot specialize in focus on something I'm just like that and this probably also the reason why that was created but not not big but like very small circle of people around me who likes this kind of training and they keep following me read like for years now I'm shocked you know I had like people who keep following me like 10 years I had a actually I had a guy who was following me really like 9 or 10 years and he even was sending the sponsorships for our events to support them in ladies so yeah that's probably my place where I should be in this one's right my I would like to get you the key to your injury because of the biceps injury like what is something you can see this bicep is healthy this bicep you can just from the see you can see it's different and it was here maybe you can see the scar I had a fool distal tendon rupture so my bicep was like here and I had surgery a few days or one week after no actually was fucked up actually I was 10 days for two weeks of and they put the put the muscle put the tendon back on the bone here and I have a two screws and the string in my hand actually that would be there forever or until the time surgery so this was my biggest injury and what did you learn from it because I liked I remember you talking about it like with the weight etc like it has you had to do some stuff with with your weight also and with your moves that you did yeah you know actually this kind of injury I already seen like eight or ten times after me and it was on very similar movements it's always in the in the supination from the back lever or from the fester when you go from her fest to down into by player you know and these kind of movements are very risk you know and especially if you have a high body weight and the long arms that means you are tall and I am 186 centimeters you know so that's not a short guy and at the moment when I got that injury I was 92 or 94 kg and what I learned from that injury is basically to never go from this position into straight arm and do supination you know like supination always keep hand like this so for example even if you have a back leaver if I can show you like this always hold like this never hold like this because when you do you are just offering your bicep to get ruptured and it's actually the same with Blanche and Maltese if guys are doing planche and holding like this and having verified you know mouth is very very creep and they are offering it to be ruptured but if they put this grip you know and go very right it's not so hard on the tendon so basically what I get from that and what I keep advising people is don't do this grip you know this overwhelm this underhand grip don't do supination and don't go white if you go white always have this grip you know because it's simply you are limiting I did the risk of injury is 90% lower and even lately some guy from Russia if you know he's name cough tune or something he ruptured his bison very same way as I did it and it was also only because of his grip if he hold it the mount is like this it wouldn't happen but he hold it like this and white you know it's really very high risk of injury and I did it on the Rings when I went from front liver to back liver and I went from front lever to very wide back liver and her option so it's basically the same and also in history was like what's come and other people at phoebo they did the same shit they went from a fester into this back little boom you got it so really to what I took from it and how would I advise all the athletes doesn't matter if you are weighted freestyle whatever don't do it with this grip oh really it's very very risky and unless you are like a skinny guy up to like 70 kg and have very strong tendons and really are warmed up properly then don't do it you know because I really hate to just watch it and fifth you told me that like explained it to me I can't even watch this as well like I have the same phobia now because of you because I always imagined like yeah really really like it can happen anytime you like if you do it you have like 50% any time you do it you have 50 percent of you will rupture of course it's dependent on how you are overtraining if you have some micro tears if you warmed up properly for example Eric orcas or guys like him they will probably never ever injure you know because he is just tendon built you know he doesn't have many muscles and big way that would just make the pressure so big on the tendon that he will rupture but if you have some more weight and you are taller under hands and you do this it's just 50/50 by my opinion so that's why if I am still doing and I'm not I'm just doing elements for myself in the part you know and as a part of basic routine like the statics front leavers and stuff but if I am doing it still like on the shows competitions or whatever I just wouldn't do this movement like never again never again never do the chin up great supination and going white it's just three rules not to do you know and I know so many people we were up to even my old friend little beeston letting Doug know he did he did the planche on the ground with this grip you know if he went at least like this or in the front it wouldn't happen but he'd take like this and boom bicep rupture and it's actually very bad injury because you must do the operation like surgery is the most if you don't do surgery and this fucked up like my you know the doctor who did my surgery he told me that if I if I wouldn't do it my hand would be like forever 40% lower strength and function forever the whole arm yeah the whole so even after surgery I can see that I am like minimum 20% weaker it's already been six years since my injury and I'm still like minimal minimum minimum 20% weaker really even when I take for a bicep curl you know big big weight and i bicep curl it's like 70% of the weight I'm curling with with this strong arm you know and just attorney with this one it's really crazy man it's like it's been six years I was thinking like back in the day I was I was thinking oh yeah in few years I will be good but it's never the same because actually the tendon is there with the strains and screws and it's it's just not a it's just not a living material it was fucked up you had something there and it was reattached and is just you know fucked up the flexibility of the tandem the mobility of the whole arm is just so yeah really be careful guys because this became a very common injury in our sport and I think it's not necessary it's actually very easy to prevent that just don't use those grapes don't go wide and don't do supernational that's it like do you have a habit or something that you do everyday that you would recommend everybody doing like because I know that you're a lot into like nutrition there were lots into you like developing your body eat in a healthy way so is there anything that you would recommend everybody to do every day well you know there are many things of course but I think that this is really a person dependent everybody is built for something else you know I have a lot of things in my discipline that I keep following and doing because they work for me but they may not work for other people so my advice would be more like general things you know keep your diet clean try to sleep well don't overtrain you know in these things because like the particular I can call them rituals and things that I love I found out that there are many people whom I advised it but it didn't work for them for example I love cold water you know i stir up tea I'm going to nature and I am having like I lay in the river that goes from the mountains and when there are a few minutes know or I do ice showers you know like before every training I have hot shower that warms me up and then I have cold shower and it literally stimulates before the workout you know but I have people who told me it don't work for them and then I have of course many people who said oh yeah that's really really good so I do it many years now thank you for inspiring me but I also have many people just don't like so yeah there are things that I do and follow for example is called therapy then I follow like training by feed no I don't plan my treatments I actually just you know there can be a pretty average day that I am tired from work you know I am really like after being with kids with my wife after work after traveling to other city and back in the car being tired but I'm sitting home after this and I start feeling that I want to Train I just taken my goal because you know I have Roberto in Ostrava in the other city I also have here in my house I have you can see I have bars the bars everything and when I feel like training I just go and there are people who cannot understand this you know because they have everything shuttled they have a training program it's Monday this Wednesday this try ladies but I never had I never had a plan I just dream by feeling so this is also as I said this is thing that can work for some people but totally wouldn't work for other or for example for people who ever want to be champions we have some strict training program that they need to follow because other otherwise they wouldn't do the percentages and all these that they are trying to and for them is no good so yeah I have a few things like this but nothing really s as special that I would advise it to everybody because it's all dependent on your goals but in general if you want to train very long and I can advise this because I'm already trained more than 60 years really keep the diet clean you know make the training fun because if it will not be fun if you have all these programs it still needs to be fun at least the fun needs to be on the day of competition to come there and win good you know but really try to make your training fun because it will not be fun you will get eventually bored and you will you will lose dedication eventually one day you will you will finish you start doing because nobody can do few movements forever right like look at the some some old-school guys no even guys like paddy Malini and people there are actually many people like him who who simply got bored with all these years it's like he's also training like 15 20 years of calisthenics you know you can do pull-ups you can do thousands you know kinds of pull-ups but it's still the pull-up typewriter one arm or weighted or muscle but it's still pull up and if you don't make it fun you know you will get bored for example logic right he could Borden that's why he's doing crossfit now and many other things just to keep himself interested in trying something new and make it fun and this is actually what I respect you know I respect people who can keep going so many years always try to find something new always make it interesting you know always make it fun for themselves because by this style you will make it journey as we said before it is a journey it's about the journey not the destination and it will make you actually happy you know like me I'm like nobody believes I'm doing it's more than sixteen years but every time I'm looking forward to my training I even know I even know that I may come and do shit no because it actually is very hard to be motivated to be honest because always when I come to training I usually know that I will not even come close to my old records or to some performance that I did and was impressive more impressive like them but still you know I make out something in what I had and I go hit it for example I go to training for example now right they lost two and a half years I did more strength endurance and I put into my head that I want to do 25 pull-ups with 32 kg you know and I can't go into training and I tried to do 20 because I never did 20 before and when I came to 20 I said okay let's do 21 and I came to 22 you know and like this I keep growing and then I may completely changed everything and said to myself okay now I want to do like for example now and training for heavy pistol you know but it doesn't mean that I'm training only for the plus or only for the pistol I'm always training the whole body but I'm constantly trying to put up some challenge for myself change myself because challenges makes it fun and it makes it interesting for you and if you keep challenging yourself and keep creating this beastmode mindset like for me it's working it's interesting and it keeps me going so this is also maybe something that can help someone just keep making up things challenging yourself and make it fun for so because if you will not you will eventually finish you will get bored oh okay I'm curious what the I don't know sixty years old Adam will will do like how are you will train back like yeah well well I think I think that when I get old I will simply turn to puke arsenic's that's for sure I think I will not have this motivation to hang something on my belt you know yeah but I think that I will be if my health will be still holding together I think I will focus on the high reps you know like I don't mean like will trap you'll try endurance or something like that going to partying the free hours and doing thousands of reps like in America but you know because that's also cool I respect that actually but but I never was like interest in it's like it's too crazy to be honest but I think something like going for for example as many pull-ups as far as I have years like I will be 60 I will wants to do 60 pull-ups you know or 120 push-ups something like this but I think and I believe that if I will be living if I will be healthy enough to Train I will keep training until I die and I will always keep hot making some new challenges because without challenges you just cannot keep up because you know I cannot even count how many pull-ups I did in my life like hundreds of thousands of pull-ups there is no motivation in doing more pull-ups you just need to constantly make up something new like there was a period of time I did more one-arm pull-ups then there was a period of time that I did more weighted calisthenics right like 90 kg pull-ups and things like that then there was a period that I would quit 32 kg for reps and maybe they will come period I will do by by the way muscle ups or by weight loss you know whatever but you constantly needs to make up new things and challenge yourself and that's basically the key to keep up doing it because as I said it's very easy it's very easy to get bored you know even freestyle retreats I know my freestyle is a good board you know because it's actually not so hard to learn all the movements I mean there are many like new dynamic moves and many combinations but when it comes to static for example it's still the front lever the planche the handstand you know someone pulls and that's it and you just making new combos combination but it's still the base is the same and when you learn it when you master it you get bored when you win some trophies when you win some competitions you eventually get bored so that's why you need to constantly make up something new and keep challenging yourself and for example for me the challenge is not only the training itself but also organizing the events helping the other people you know to get their goals done and this thing and this way I'm constantly like doing something and constantly being involved in that that's what I love about it nice so we're coming closely to an ends I still have some quick questions like we're already like well yeah man basically I think we can we can be here and talk like like five six hours because there's always a lot of things to talk about but yeah give it to me in your presence what do you prefer pizza or burger when you do a cheat meal well I find if I would do it definitely burger okay so each burger with a lot of me what is your favorite food oh that's a hard one because I love food you know there are so many films but from the like general point of view from the basic meals it would be something Chinese probably some kind of rice veggies you know and chicken or something rather also I love the beef tartare if you know what yeah it's a Rabi from egg that's what I like okay yeah but from the from the very basic things that everybody knows for example I like boats you know I like oops because I was grown on boats when I was a little kid basically from from the moment my mother stopped breastfeeding me she was creating some kind of Jewish from boats you know like cold milk and I basically grew up on that and even though mmm there are some downsides to eating goats really when I when I smell alter see them I really die I love holes so for example oh and also we ordered Greek yogurt you know I love this kind of thing I was creating seven years in a row I was painting my own rock fear like showering you know fermenting my milk so things like this it goes everything goes back down to my genetics I even did my genetic tests and I'm like Balcombe you know from the south of Europe there are my origins like a Greek Sparta Serbia you know in these countries so basically goes down to meditation diet so anything this military and I like crazy I really respect like the way that you think about nutrition like because you're deep in in the topic but this is this this is a topic for another interview because this is fun because for example in my country actually a lot of huge amount of people knows me more for the nutrition than for workout you know because I'm like the shaman right no I study I study human nutrition more than 15 years I even planned to ride my book so this is crazy actually everyday I'm trying to help people with nutrition and solving their health problems with people from 20 years to 17 even people who has like cancer you know and some crazy out of autoimmune problems in their lives I'm trying to help them yeah but that's a whole other story video that's true that is my topic and I like I like it very much because we are what we eat for me it's definitely 100% marked in my head if I have any issue with with nutrition it's it's you who well asked like because you you told me some stories about the people that you help about like your reputation how you are now hundreds of people hundreds of people went under these arms and hopefully I don't have to words yeah we'll see do you prefer dogs or cats oh it's also hard probably that's probably dogs for example my wife she loves cats she's constantly like asking me to buy a cat you know and I like cats also but if I have to choose one I would choose though I'm sure nice what is the favorite location for you for holidays definitely somewhere south by the sea beach sea you know warm weather something like that but but if I have to choose something for example right now I would love to go to Ukraine because you know I love Ukraine is a mother country from my wife also and really I loved it country man so beautiful country and the capital city Keith also the hydro Park you know it's the park with the pars the biggest I would say is the biggest outdoor and the most epic outdoor park for training whatever sport in the world oh yes I really love my the crane so I would definitely go rather Ukraine or to somewhere just by the sea to chill you know on the beach and I think you deserve it with two children like unfortunately this situation with coronavirus left us oh you know what you know but but I hope this year it will happen because we definitely need a vacation nice do you have favorite calisthenics athlete you know this is so crazy question that actually it's like I'm worried to answer you you know because if I tell you one two three names I would like you know it's impossible because it would be like offending the other names that I would forgot because there are so many people so many people who inspire me as I said I never impressed myself by my own feet but there are many people who impressed me but to be honest like if I have to pick few ones I would pick the the biggest names for me that all schools like Lord viola for sure it with the Lord Vidal my old friends met in the back little beeston with whom I basically started to go more wild into it then it would definitely be Ukrainian guys like Dennis minion with Irish of Copeland's Pawlenty no because from these guys no Dina kochenko's as I said it's many names and you know basically anybody who gives his best you know and who's training hard and who's having results and who's not biggest because I hate you guys I hate people who are having this mindset of I'm the best there is nobody better I will beat you all I come to all competitions and win this is plain stupid because always to pierce someone stronger than you know yeah and one of the one of the latest new schools I can say the big name is Andres might it's the guy that I found in Russia and actually the guy who is at 12 years old he found my videos he starts to train and get get inspired to do more of castings and workouts for my videos and right now he's fucking god girl moans man you know and it's just crazy mutant beast so that's probably from the new school and also the other guys in there as I said there are so many names I don't anybody just by forgetting to mention him yeah but but definitely the biggest names for me are the old schools because as all school inspired me to create what I created and death inspired the new guys in the new school I think that's the most important chain you know so I need to give my I need to give my respect on my respect to to the guys who was here before me and who gave me the motivation so that would be really cool all school barbarians also the team beast mode Hannibal Hannibal for distance what was the best calisthenics event you've been at well really the best one for me was Ukrainian championship in 2016 and it wasn't just because I met my wife there it it really was like the energy was fuck man perfect and you know this is very hard to say because I was in Astana 2014 in World Championship Adele was like like anybody who would be there he would say that was the best ever man it was like Olympic Games it was totally like terrific it was astonishing it was like mind-blowing you know it was a big like stadium stadium you know it was really huge fucking huge I cannot even describe that but really if I have to pick one I would pick a train and championship because the energy you know championship started at 8 a.m. and was until like 2 a.m. you know it finished like at 11 p.m. but then we went you know solve some other things on the hotel waiting for the papers to give the trophies and like the whole day was so crazy energy I cannot describe it it was a total community Brotherhood you know friendship the energy it was the summer that's also why it kept me so good memories because it was this warm you know one started to go even if it was this warm evening everybody there you know on the final like final freestyle shows it was like people in the dark with their phones you know the lights from the phones it was really incredible and it was like also like thousands of people or more there so it was really really very nice so that was probably the best one the second one would be Astana and the third would be all feeble symbols were always very nice nice okay so to end this episode I have the question how can people support you like because I know that you you are something who gives a lot and I think it's also like you're important you to let people know how they can support you so what is some something that they how the people can support you back well quite honestly in my life as a person I have everything I don't need nothing no but if they want to support the movement the sport definitely what will help us is if they can find any kind of sponsorship from any anybody people can sponsor by themselves it can be something little some prize money or some prizes you know things whatever for sportsmen for at least or they can find someone some bigger company or sponsor who can sponsor events but everything comes down to the budget of our events if I have to organize check where Wakaba every year I'm trying to every year make it better every year bring the best athletes you know raise the bar we were even planning as I said like a doping test you know last year but it was really crazy hard to to organize that to planned it and if we want to pay it by ourselves it's like it's impossible man it's like for one athlete you pay like 500 700 euro for just about few substances like testosterone it's just fucking crazy it's impossible but in order to keep the level of our event growing and being really the big one I always try to to make it better and it's more expensive because we are paying to travel to the best athletes you know we are trying to get better prices we want to raise the prize money but it was impossible in last year's because I was glad that I organized everything and if I even have to give money to at least be just too much but really everything comes down to supporting our events so if you like this game if you like to watch the lubber growing if you like to be part of that and now I mean weighted calisthenics because I'm the guy about which color stands here now as I said I love freestyle and everything about it I love to come to the evidence and watch it but I'm not the part of that in organization kind of way you know anymore many years so if you like this weighted calisthenics movement and the competitions that we do just try to sponsor us like every year and putting informational on Facebook about Rover car check up on my website always I am putting emails I'm looking for sponsors and I'm putting it into YouTube videos everywhere and you know when it's like it's the planets approaching I'm always trying to search for sponsors and asking if someone wants to support us so if you want to and you will see this just answer us on the email and you can and basically all the support help and money that you can provide we'll go to the events nothing goes to me because I'm the guy who actually pays it from my own it's not for me it's for the about them for the sport nice so we will put all the contact info in the description so like your email address where people can contact you your Instagram your YouTube and yet before you can end the episode Adam and say goodbye I want to say thank you to everyone listening to this till the end because it's like one is very long and basically hours thank you very much for inviting me I was happy to do it let's do it again I wish everybody to stay injury-free to have progress thank everybody for your support if you was my fan or follower windows you wish thank you for that I really wish everybody just health programs because the most important don't enjoy yourself guide because you are looking at the guy who had a massive injury here I ruptured both of my pectorals actually not many people knows that but you can see the hole here is one he's here second and I had many issues and it was really everything comes down to overtraining and doing too many things so don't over combine too many things and now I'm I'm like speaking about not just your training but doing things for others for example if you are on training with beginners for other people's or if you are making shows don't line it with your own trains because I did all this imagine I was opening parks organizing events like competitions organizing workout camps and still training part my own trainings and all these things just created the mess my injured if I only trained all those years just trained for myself did nothing for the game didn't know like shows you know no cams no competition nothing just trained for myself I believe 100% I would never injured I would never actually distant jury came after to seberevolta camps each of the games was week or 10 days and after that I got invited to open one Park in one city you know what to make opening show show people with his workout show some freestyle and on that freestyle I ruptured because I was over trained from the camps and I couldn't just refuse and tell them no I'm over trained from the camp's I cannot open your Park but I said yes I will count as always because I opened tens of parts and I came and I rap just because of micro-tears I know it's rented so hey guys just don't do the same mistake focus more on yourself or if you focus on other people then focus on them but don't combine it with too much of your own training and be smart because if you injure nothing will ever be the same again remember this well okay so that's intense to end this episode play some epic music on the methods yeah but yeah thanks for your time Adam and things are you're welcome thank you very much and see you soon