Filling The Void: Beginning My Calisthenics Journey Fitness

When I stopped playing soccer last season there has been a pretty big void I’ve been looking to fill. I just didn’t know how, or where to turn.

In all honesty, my last season was not fun, and walking away was a no-brainer for me. I wanted to go out on my own terms. I always knew I’d walk away when I was still playing at a high level, and when I was at my fittest and healthiest.

With all of the drama of the league folding, us not being allowed to play in a higher division if we wished to compete at Nationals, and all of the other nonsense B.C. soccer was subjecting our team to, soccer stopped being fun.

After I stopped playing, I did feel a void. I really missed how I’d feel during the fun games. Heading the ball was perhaps my favourite part of the game. I remember how amped up I’d feel when the opposing goalie had a huge kick and was about to punt the ball, when we’d be attacking or defending a corner kick, when I’d go into a really hard tackle, or even just making runs up the field. I loved the game so much. During these games I’d be in a total state of flow, and after these games I remember how hard I’d be smiling on the inside. But these fun games became so rare. When I started dreading soccer, I knew I was done.

I’ve been searching for a way to fill this void for quite some time. Working with coach Shawn Adair has been such a game-changer for me. I’ve always been passionate about calisthenics, and I have always been fairly decent, but I wanted more. I wanted some excellent guidance, support, and new ideas. I also wanted to pushed outside of my comfort zone, and I wanted to learn.

I’m seeing Shawn once a week. Last session was session six. I have already learned a tremendous amount, and have made some big improvements. This is just the beginning for me. I plan on working with Shawn indefinitely.

What we are doing has brought me so much joy, and I find myself smiling so much during the sessions, and after. I am learning a lot that I can apply to my own work and training. Perhaps most importantly, this has paid huge dividends for my mental health, and is the perfect ‘’therapy’’ for me.

If I continue to make progress with this training, there are options for me to compete. Shawn was telling me about this today. But no matter what, I feel like this investment is helping me grow and better myself as a person, and as a professional. This style of training also makes me feel so free, empowered, and like a badass!

My void has been filled, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I have the freedom to do this for myself.

Here is a compilation from this past weekend. The underhanded muscle-ups were SO hard! It was my first time doing them. The regular muscle-ups were done using an ultra thin band that provides NO help, but it gave me a psychological boost. I was trying to use no knee drive. I also managed to do a pretty decent bar flow.

This will get much smoother, and is just the beginning…