Using negativity to your advantage

how Kon become a calisthenics beast
Kon
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This is story of Kon – Calisthenics Academy

Mohammed, nicknamed Kon, is a flight cabin crew member from Egypt. When he’s not taking care of his elderly parents, he’s traveling the world on one of the most challenging work schedules you’ll encounter. It’s completely unpredictable, changing from one month to the next.

“We never stop learning. We never stop growing. Time passes anyway so let it pass while you do something you love and enjoy the benefits sooner than if you keep pushing your dreams till tomorrow comes.”

Kon at work

Kon’s story is one of personal challenge and tremendous growth.

“I started out as an obese kid with bad habits in regards to food or activity.”

At a young age, he knew that he wasn’t happy with his body. He began extreme dieting, walking and moving more, and successfully lost a lot of weight.

As he learned more about fitness and health, he adapted his program. He chose to focus on bodyweight training as an affordable alternative to a gym membership. In the beginning, he trained anywhere he could.

“I didn’t have a bar and was using a tree instead.”
“I have one of the most random life schedules there is with no fixed working days or days off. Flights early in the morning – midday – or late at night. Staying in the aircraft for 12 hours plus. Yet I still find time. Why? because it’s a priority to me.”
The 3 main obstacles Kon faced and how he overcame them

“The hardest part in my journey was the negative comments I got from those around me.”

For a long time, he compared his body, his looks, and his fitness to others around him. This caused dissatisfaction, self-criticism and demoralization. He internalized many negative comments.

“It got to me and made me lose heart many times.”

But the stronger he grew, the more he was able to ignore the discouraging voices. Instead, his physical strength also became a mental one.

“I decided that the only person I need to beat is me. As long as I am better, stronger, fitter than me in the past then I am on the right path.”

More than that, he now motivates himself by turning negativity into something positive.

"Like anything new in our life, our bodies will resist change"

“So if it’s something you have not been doing before, you will not adapt overnight. That seems to be the case for the majority of us. We weren’t born into the gym room. So we all have to start somewhere.”

"The discipline acquired from following such a journey is amazing and has benefited me in many aspects in my life. "

“I have improved both physically and mentally and enjoy the freedom of movement my body has to offer and believe that much more is coming!”

It’s helped him get and stay motivated about his workouts. “My results are good but I will never be satisfied until I achieve mastery of skills. It is a long process and requires a lot of patience and hard work. I will get there no matter how long it takes.”

He believes that everyone should experience the appeal of bodyweight training and calisthenics.

He doesn’t let his busy schedule make him lose focus

There’s always time

His work schedule makes any kind of commitment hard to maintain. “If you really want something then you need to be extremely flexible and manage your time wisely. Set your priorities and that is exactly what I did.”

As a flight cabin crew member, his schedule changes completely from one month to another.

“I have one of the most random life schedules there is with no fixed working days or days off. Flights early in the morning – midday – or late at night. Staying in the aircraft for 12 hours plus. Yet I still find time. Why? because it’s a priority to me.”

Calisthenics Academy helps him to always find the time to exercise. “I like how everything is broken down and explained in detail with no guesswork necessary, the workout rating system which allows you to adjust the exercises as you go and lastly, the freedom to workout offline and input the results later making it ideal for everyday use.”

Even when pressed for time, Kon knows that regular mini-workouts will be just as valuable as the longer sessions he can schedule.

“I seize any opportunity I have and I believe that even a little effort if I am completely squeezed for time is better than no effort….any effort you do still counts. If you are really struggling with time then a little effort every day will do the job. It’s not just about how much time in a day you have for working out. More importantly its how many days how many weeks how many years can you be consistent with that effort. The more effort you give the quicker you get results. If it’s tough in the beginning, learn that your body will adapt.”
“I fell in love with it and watching all these skills being performed and the freedom these people had controlling their bodies was amazing.”
Kon’s advice to anyone who’s not sure that calisthenics is good for them
“You need to ask yourself, why am I doing this in the first place. Not what you want from it but WHY? After answering this you should work on developing training from an interest into a passion. Once you get to that stage it naturally becomes a part of your new life where if you go without it for a long period you start feeling that something is missing.”
Kon and a friend run a YouTube Channel focused on Motivational/Personal Development, designed to help those in need of guidance or assistance in their path towards a goal or a dream. Click here to find out more.
“I have improved both physically and mentally and enjoy the freedom of movement my body has to offer.”