The Polish, Sebastian Stepnowski answered some of our questions after his excellent performance at the European Union Street lifting/International Street Fitness Tournaments. He won the World Championships in street lifting on June 25-26, 2022. With first place finishes in two categories, multilift dips (48KG) and multilift pull ups (24kg) + dips (32kg), in his weight class of 82.5-90kg. Stepnowski made did a highlight performance at the tournament and has been training for over five years now.
The Interview
1. How did you get into the sport?
After 5 years of experimentation and adventure with calisthenics. I decided to take my training level to an even higher level. And I added external load to basic calisthenic exercises. This is how my sports history is connected, between Calisthenics and Street lifting.
2. What would you do or recommend for calisthenics to have more exposure?
The strength part of calisthenics is not as spectacular as its derivative fitness’s with these freestyle madmen. In the positive sense of the word. In my country there are a lot of shows that we organize to promote this sport. I’d love for them to get even more media coverage.
3. When did you know that calisthenics and bodyweight exercises were the way for you?
After a few falls, rises and rubbing against the podium, I decided to take it seriously, and not allow my weaknesses of character and not accept my excuses anymore. The World Championship that I won in June 2022 only confirmed that it was a good choice.
4. What do you do when you don’t feel like working out?
Motivation is good only at the beginning of the adventure with physical activity. At my level all players who want to achieve something do hard work. The start of a session when I don’t feel like it? I just go and do what I have to do and tell myself that the exercise is “only today” and then tomorrow I do the same and tell myself “only today” and every single day I tell myself this. I don’t need the real long-term motivation, I take small steps everyday to work on it.
5. What exercise is the most exciting for you? Or What exercise is your favorite?
Favorite Exercise? I love every exercise as a favorite, each done at the right moment brings me closer to my goals. Although, if I had to pick, dips.
6. What does Move, Improve, Evolve mean to you?
Movement is life, it is a constant change and adapting to circumstances, an unexplored variable. Improving and evolving is the constant striving for perfection that we will never achieve. Still, we can always be better, by that small one tenth of a percent, and indeed remember its “only today”.
7. Which event can we see you at next?
The next step in my sports career are two large events: the Arnold Classic Street lifting European Championships 2022 and the World Championships Street Lifting of the Final Rep Federation.
RDX sponsored the calisthenics event at EUSF/ISF and will be interviewing all the brilliant fighters. You can find the amazing insights of the fitness professionals at European Union Street lifting and International Street Fitness right here. The RDX “Ring, Cage or Mat” will be covering all the amazing fighters at these events who often don’t get shine or spotlight they deserve.
