Start wherever you are
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe
I’ve been practicing calisthenics for about 3 years now. Like anyone stepping into something new, I started with the fear of treading in unfamiliar territory.
Still, I kept walking down those paths until they became my most well-worn routes. Here, I want to share what has worked for me when starting something new—anything, really. It’s something that can be applied to any situation. So here’s my story.
When I moved to Madrid three years ago, my brother and I joined a local gym. It was 2021, and COVID restrictions were still in place.
The worst of these was the requirement to wear masks even during high-intensity/cardio exercises.
Between this and other limitations, I didn’t stay at that gym for more than three months. Here are a few other reasons that led me to seek a different type of training:
- If you wanted to use a machine and it was occupied, you had to wait for it to become available
- At the time, I had no income (I had just moved to Madrid), so even €30 a month was a stretch
- The gym owners had to close the facility temporarily to relocate it across the street due to safety compliance issues.
All of this made me think about a more healthy, sustainable, and economical way to exercise.
You don’t need to know fancy terms like “calisthenics” (which I had no clue about at the time) to realize there were outdoor bars you could use. That’s how I started training outdoors every day.
The first thing I noticed right away was that I could finally ditch the mask. I was outdoors with hardly anyone else around, breathing in fresher air, and my body thanked me for it.
The second was the benefit of sunlight. I’ve always loved sunlight, and being able to train under it was amazing.
I started with pull-ups, doing as many sets as I could. It was an exercise I loved. Then I gradually added dips, push-ups, and squats to my routine—essentially any exercise that used my own body weight.
I don’t recall exactly how I discovered the term “calisthenics,” but suddenly everything started to click. I wanted to incorporate that term into my identity. I wanted to be someone who practiced this form of exercise. I didn’t consciously commit to it; rather, my enjoyment of it led to that commitment.
Starting was never the issue.
It was about being clear on why I was doing it. And I was clear. If I wanted to train, it had to be outdoors, unrestricted, and more economical.
“March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life’s path.” —Kahlil Gibran
Straight to the point
When reflecting on various aspects of life, I’ve realized that the following principle applies universally:
Taking that first step.
It doesn’t matter if we don’t have all the answers. It doesn’t matter if we don’t know exactly what we’re doing. It doesn’t matter if we make mistakes and feel foolish. It doesn’t matter if we’re filled with fears and doubts. None of that really matters.
Because it’s okay to feel all those things. In fact, I believe those feelings can be a valuable guide.
In my case, I started out thin, with no clear idea of what I was doing (and honestly, I still don’t fully know). But I think no one is ever 100% certain of what they’re doing.
And that’s okay.
It’s a sign that there’s still room for growth, that there are new paths to explore, new steps to take.
But to discover those paths, we must move forward. Through experimentation—much like a scientific experiment—and through trial and error, we will make new discoveries.
We’ll have moments of “voilà!” and, perhaps, we’ll be able to help others have those moments too.
Begin Something. Train. Improve Your Life. Teach Others What You Learn Through Your Own Journey. Make Mistakes. And Learn From Them.