In the past two years, more young Vietnamese men have taken up street workout- a physical activity performed mostly in outdoor parks or public facilities, for a desirable physique, fun and health benefits.

According to Wikipedia, street workout is a combination of athletics, calisthenics, and sports, and is a modern name for bodyweight workout in outdoor parks.

Street workout has been widely popularized through YouTube in recent years and is popular among younger generations.

Over the past two years, the sport quickly grew from a handful of youth in Hanoi into a wide community of practitioners across the country.

Pioneers

Nguyen Dinh Hung and Dang Nhu Tuan, freshmen of a university in Hanoi, first learned of street workout through social networks in late 2012.

The two young men were instantly magnetized by its appeals over more traditional activities: It is completely free, promotes healthy living and socializing and helps achieve a desirable physique by improving fitness and muscle tone.

They began practicing the sport rigorously at a local cultural center, Hung, the current head of Vietnam Street Workout group, recalled.

The duo taught themselves from video clips on the Internet and quickly gathered a group of peers right within the first month.

“We had nothing, except zeal, to begin with and encountered immense difficulty as we had no practice ground, equipment or coaches. Many of my friends considered me crazy, but we now have a community,” he shared.

The two joined a small group then, which later linked with other small groups in Hanoi and converged into the current Vietnam Street Workout club.

Apart from Hanoi, the club’s presence is now increasingly felt in many cities and provinces, including Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and Vinh Phuc in the north, Da Nang and Thua Thien- Hue in the center and Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai in the south.

Thai Viet Truong, of HCMC-based Saigon Calisthenics group, said he and other members regularly practice in group at local stadiums and parks.

“The sport can’t be practiced on one’s own. It’s the teamwork that brings members closer together and spurs us on to practice harder,” he stressed.

Tran Trung Thanh, who practices with the group at Le Van Tam Park in District 1, said there’s no better way to do a sport which offers young practitioners fitness, stamina and good physique in outdoor environs and in groups.

Besides, it costs almost nothing, compared to the sums spent on buying sports gear or going to gyms, he added. 

According to Truong, a street workout routine typically consists of basic and advanced sessions.

With only simple gear available at parks, practitioners can perform maneuvers of different levels of difficulty and create new ones.

Popular exercises include pull-ups, chin-ups, push-ups, dips, muscle-ups, sit-ups and squats. Street workout also involves some static (isometric) holds such as the human flag, front lever, back lever and planche, he added.

The sport also relieves stress and fatigue effectively and even helps treat certain illnesses, Hung and Truong said.

Despite the huge health benefits and fun street workout brings, Dr. Tang Ha Nam Anh of HCMC-based Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital warned practitioners of the spontaneous sports are at considerably higher risk of injuries compared to other sports, as the maneuvers are technically and physically demanding and no trainers are involved.