Barstarzz Instructional DVD

on September 24, 2011 by Josh Hanagarne

Instructional DVD for Barstarzz

I’ve been following the Barstarzz on the internet for a few years now. They’re one of the most positive physical culture groups out there, and I wholeheartedly support anyone that really wants to assist people develop strength and enhance their quality of life. So I was delighted when Edward Checo encouraged me to look at their website and express my opinion on it.

Before I do that, I’d like you to get to know the group and what they do. They were originally introduced to me as “those men who are usually working out on that playground.”

To begin, here’s the video’s quite startling introduction:

Very powerful thing.

Now, the DVD isn’t going to teach you how to do everything you just saw—they put an emphasis on inventiveness, which will be up to you after you’ve worked up the courage to start practicing some of that craziness. However, it will teach you what the Barstarzz regard to be the core aspects of bodyweight strength training before you go out on your own.

What exactly is on the DVD?

Progression from man-on-the-street-raw-trainee to accomplishing some fairly impressive feats of strength.

As an example, consider the pushup. Everyone understands what a pushup is. The pushup part of the DVD, on the other hand, assumes you don’t and takes a couple of steps back to assist someone work up to the perfect pushup. Kneeling pushups are done initially, followed by half pushups, and so on.

But the development goes from pushup to one arm pushup to one arm clapping pushup, which I’d never seen anyone else perform before.

Similar progressions are followed for activities such as the dip, one-legged squat, muscle ups, and others. However, each is extended beyond the conclusion of the entire movement to something more severe.

In addition to the progressions, there are sections on suggested warm-ups and proposed programming alternatives.

What I enjoy

These men do the walk, and I believe they sincerely care about helping others become stronger, healthier, and better people.

They are capable of doing the feats themselves.

They are excellent teachers, and the progressions are nearly hard to mistake.

There is a where people are generous with their time and abilities and discuss issues, swap notes, and encourage newbies.

The fact that the DVD was shot on location in New York adds to its attractiveness. I love the thought of people growing very strong in the park using only a few pieces of equipment.

What I wish was different

While there is some appeal to the on-the-street education, it causes the sound to be bad at times. When a lady walks just off camera with a squalling infant in a stroller, for example, you can tell because you can’t hear what she’s saying. But because the activities are all shown for you, it’s not a big issue. However, take in mind that there will be a lot of street noise.

Just a personal note: I don’t believe there is any way to make viewing an exercise demonstration entertaining. So I got bored watching a guy perform a half-dozen kneeling pushups, but it’s no one’s fault. I’m not saying the demos aren’t essential; just keep in mind that you’ll be seeing a lot of them.

Another personal preference: I do not workout according to a program. So I would never try to follow a predetermined template to the letter. Personally, I don’t make as much progress this way. However, if you benefit from a template and organized programming makes you feel more secure in the beginning, I would not discourage you from giving it a try.

I can’t accomplish what they can (yet), so disregard what I said in the preceding paragraph. However, anytime I assess a program, I feel required to point out that it is not precisely what I do for myself. I really don’t want any misunderstandings.

The Barstarzz are the real deal. I like their work and am honored to call Edward a friend. If you wish to follow in their footsteps, they’ve created a high-quality product that I feel will help you with bodyweight training, if that’s your objective.