Swedish teen conquers calisthenics
Calisthenics athlete Simon Imhauser supports his body using one arm. • Photos Submitted
By Tom Victoria
Simon Imhauser didn’t just take to calisthenics, he skyrocketed to the top. The Swedish athlete won the first body weight exercise competition he entered, the Nordic and Swedish Championship last year.
The 19-year-old isn’t resting on his laurels.
“My main goal is to compete in the world championship,” Simon said. “And, therefore, I have a lot of small goals that include learning new skills and improving my mindset in order to feel ready for the competition.”
He’s staying in form by competing in Germany, the Swedish nationals in the summer and the Beast of the Barz in Stockholm as well as the world championship in Jurmala, Latvia.
The German competition, which was held in April, was challenging once making it to the individual face-offs.
“It went all right,” Simon said. “I went through to the battles. But in my first battle, I met the world champion, so unfortunately, I lost it. But I landed everything I wanted, so I’m still satisfied.”
And practice makes perfect.
“I train almost every day after school,” Simon said. “It’s a routine.”
He always gravitated toward athletics, starting in swimming at 2 years old.
“When you swim, it’s a kind of freedom,” Simon said. “You’re very lightweight in the water. But, it becomes repetitious, doing the same thing for seven days. ”
Several years ago, he started doing calisthenics after doing traditional workouts for a couple of years. A YouTube video introduced him to the exercise regimen.
“I started with some handstands,” Simon said. “I pretty much fell in love with it.”
In six months, he noticed his strength significantly increase.
“It takes probably one year to get the hard moves,” Simon said, referencing such ones as front and back levers.
And there is no threat of monotony.
“Even traditional gym work is repetitious after a while,” Simon said. “Now, I’m always eager to go to the gym. I start with a 15-minute warm-up, then usually do 15 minutes of a handstand. And after that, I have different workouts depending on the day. Most of them last for around one-and-a-half hours.”
Simon already is a champion, winning the first competition he entered last year.
He said his victory last year was due to having less pressure and knowing the rules.
“I probably won because I didn’t have expectations,” Simon said.
He added competitors needed to execute four consecutive tricks.
“Not many people knew the rules,” Simon said. “They didn’t structurize their performances. They wasted a lot of points.”
He is known for employing uncommon maneuvers for his size.
“Front flip regrabs on p (parallel) bars and, in general, static moves since I’m a big person and therefore, not that common to see,” Simon said.
Simon performs a planche.
The calisthenics athlete is 185 cm tall (more than 6 feet) and weighs 85 kg (187 pounds).
He stressed the importance of fitness.
“Fitness is a way to really push your limits,” Simon said. “And there are always things to improve, so, therefore, it’s a constant strive. It’s also a great way to lower stress levels and improve mental health. I can’t see myself not doing any type of fitness activities.”
He also is an avid angler.
“I love the action and the not knowing of what you are going to get,” Simon said. “I also prefer fishing when there is good weather because even if I don’t get any fish, I still appreciate just being out on the sea and enjoying the peacefulness.”
Simon, an avid angler, holds up a carp he snagged.
He employs habit to overcome the unavoidable times of having no motivation.
“I don’t always stay motivated,” Simon said. “And that’s when I fall back on having good routines, because motivation comes in intervals and is sort of unpredictable. But I try to set new goals and try new exercises in order to stay motivated as long as possible.”
He advised prospective calisthenics athletes to develop a key trait.
“Discipline is the key factor in calisthenics,” Simon said. “It is probably going to take almost half a year before learning the first real moves. And it is this first section when most people give up. But if they stay consistent, in only one year, a lot of progress will be seen.”
The link to Simon's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imhausers/