RDX Sports brings another interview this week for Ring Cage and Mat. We present and congratulate 2nd place holder Geoffrey Sarran. Team RDX was extremely impressed by his determination and spoke to him to get more insight into his mindset. He started his attempts by grossly beating his own personal best of 52.5kg and now starting at 55 kg. In the rest of his pull up attempts he tried to break that new record to 56.5 kg. What an outstanding performance by him at the ISF Open World Street Lifting Championship 2022.
1. When you were learning calisthenics, how difficult was it and what sources did you utilize to develop your skills?
The basic calisthenics exercises like clean pull-ups, dips and push-ups were not very difficult as I already had fitness experience. But exercises of intermediate level like front lever, back lever, muscle up were a bit tough. To develop more skills I watched calisthenics videos on YouTube from the Thenx Channel created by Chris Heria who is an American calisthenics athlete. The videos uploaded by him were quite helpful.
2. What would you do or recommend for calisthenics to have more exposure?
I would recommend organizing more calisthenics and street lifting competitions in Europe. Pro athletes and influencers must be invited to such competitions to gain exposure, especially for street-lifting. As far as I know, calisthenics competitions are organized more often than street lifting competitions.
3. When did you know that calisthenics and bodyweight exercises were the way for you?
To be honest, several years ago I hurt my back doing deadlift. After that I decided to switch on calisthenics and bodyweight exercises to take care of myself and be more cautious.
4. When did you first discover Calisthenics and how did it make you feel?
I first discovered calisthenics in 2017 and it felt like a fun sport. I was surprised when I found out that calisthenics can be done anywhere anytime. There are a lot of variations of exercises and if you have a good technique, you can progress in no time.
5. What motivates you about Calisthenics exercises in comparison to others?
Calisthenics exercises motivate me because they are versatile. I mean you can work on strength, mobility, balance and stamina using only your bodyweight. You can opt for exercises that suit you best and also help you grow. If you want to go one step further, add weights. It has this big advantage in comparison to other sports.
6. What does Move, Improve, Evolve mean to you?
To me it means life. For sure moving forward is what life is all about. And during this journey we have to improve ourselves and evolve in such a way that we end up becoming better versions of ourselves.
RDX Sports has never failed to support and provide platforms for upcomers to showcase their skills and talent. We couldn’t be more proud of street lifting talent Geoffrey Sarran who showed willpower and determination.
He made a great effort in beating his best of 56.5 on the day and that spirit of pushing your limits is always appreciated in the community. We congratulate Geoffrey on his win and wish him all the very best for his future endeavors.
