Hit & Kyz of Calisthenics Kingz Keep it Regal

Watch Calisthenics Kingz (CK) videos on You Tube and you will be amazed. These guys transform an urban park in the Bronx into an elite gym with their incredible, gravity defying moves. But CK doesn't just work out at parks. Nowadays the entrepreneurial bodyweight fitness group, led by founder Hit Richards, has its own fitness DVDs and is planning many more. It is also recruiting worldwide.

Hit says three of the four DVDs CK has produced so far showcase the group's skills and strength to entertain and show people the level it has been capable of reaching. "One of the DVDs is an instructional that teaches the basics from a very beginner to an advanced level, showing exactly what exercises to start with, demonstrating proper form and telling you when to advance to the next level," he explains. The instructional video also teaches about stretching and nutrition.

In just a few days, CK will release an abs DVD that Hit says will "combat any program on the market." "I designed a Killer Abs program that will be released very soon." he says. "It's actually one of my personal ab workouts that helped me get my abs." Judging by his 20-pack, it must work. He says the program focuses on working out the lower abdominal area and on burning fat.

Hit and his crew are also working on a program he believes will rival the popular Beachbody programs P90X and Insanity. "I designed a program that has three phases and will get you in great shape in only 40 days, if you follow the program exactly as instructed from day 1 and that's a guarantee," Hit says. "No matter what your fitness level, these programs will assist you." CK's DVDs are available on the web at http://www.calisthenicskingz.net/

Besides producing DVDs, Hit is seeking more recruits for CK, women included. In his quest, he discovered Kylie "Kyz" Warren, a super badass girl from New Zealand who he says can do some moves that even he can't do.

"Women can be just as strong and awesome as men! We just have to be a little bit more dedicated to achieve the same results," Kyz says.

Kyz is now working on requirements for women while Hit is working on requirements for men. Requirements are the set of exercises a potential member of CK should master.

But while Kyz and Hit work on the requirements, they recommend starting out with a few exercises to gain the skill and strength necessary to pull off the kinds of moves they do. "I would recommend first mastering the basic calisthenics exercises...such as variations of pull-ups (wide grip, close grip, reverse grip, behind the neck), dips and variations of push-ups (diamond, pseudo, decline, incline crossover, one-arm)," Hit explains.

Kyz says that doing basic chin-ups and push-up variations and the abilitity to handstand are a great start.  "Consistency is the key," she notes. "For example, to do the handstand, you must start at the beginning and perform the handstand against the wall to feel comfortable holding your own body weight."

From here you can progress onto the freestanding handstand, Kyz explains. "After the freestanding handstand you can then go back onto the wall to try handstand push-ups, then without the aid of the wall."

They also gave us some insight into their personal workouts. When asked what are the exercises she does regularly, Kyz mentioned stair or hill running, sprint training and back squats. "At the moment I am doing a cardio and legs-based program as I am striving to achieve a slimmer upper body for my April wedding," Kyz explains. "In the past my training program consisted of a crossfit-style workout with a strong focus on the upper body and handstands." Kyz also tries to incorporate a stretching session at least five times a week.

"My all time favourite exercises are handstand push ups, press to handstand, chin-up levers and muscle ups," Kyz adds. 

Meanwhile, Hit says his workout regimen is exactly what you see in his videos. "I don't just do that for the camera, I do that as a workout," he says. His workouts usually include one set of 10-15 muscle-ups, nine sets of 20 pull-ups each (different variations each set), 10 sets of 30 or more dips, five sets of 15 freestanding handstand push-ups, three sets of 10 tigerbend push-ups and two sets of 20 or more scorpion push-ups.

Of course, nutrition is a very important part of achieving the level of fitness of the CK crew. "I have a very clean diet, a high protein/low carb diet," Hit explains. "I eat chicken & fish (salmon, tuna, whitings, etc.) and lots of vegetables, mostly green, so majority of the carbs I do are complex carbs."

"Common sense is the key here. Everyone knows what is good or naughty. And the age-old saying 'everything in moderation' is so true!" Kyz says.

Hit and Kyz confess they are not fans of supplements. "I definitely do not believe in taking supplements. You can get everything you need from an optimal diet," Kyz states while Hit says he has never used supplements and never will.

The stars of CK also place a lot of importance on motivation and inspiration. After all, the group has what it calls the 4D system, the Ds standing for drive, dedication, discipline and determination. "Our mission statement is 'We challenge you to challenge yourself' because in challenging yourself, there aren't any losers, there's only a winner: you," Hit says. CK's amazing moves intend to entertain, but also to inspire and motivate people. "We use that platform to show people that the possibilities are limitless."

Enjoying yourself is also essential. "Find something you love doing!," Kyz recommends. "Don't limit yourself to just going to the gym. Kayaking, mountain biking, trampolining, walking, aerobics classes, swimming, social sport... the list is endless! Try doing different things to avoid repetitiveness, which eventually leads to boredom."