There are few calisthenics masters out there as widely known as Frank Medrano. From the first time Medrano jumped up to a bar, it was the practicality and functionality that captured his interest. To him, it felt good to be able to support his own body weight and from there, a passion was formed.
"I jumped onto a pull up bar one day and decided to try out a few bodyweight exercises. I loved the rush and feeling I got from pulling myself up. I felt an amazing feeling of strength and got hooked onto building my physique. I got bit by the fitness bug and it’s been an amazing journey ever since."
Nearly 8 years later, Medrano has built a staggering social media following of millions and a YouTube channel with over 100 million views. He's also a vegan, and is a big fan of lentils as a protein source. His plant-powered lifestyle challenges this conventional idea that you need to be a whey protein shake guzzling carnivore in order to build muscle and strength.
He has a philosophy of "no excuses" and with calisthenics, there really aren't any. You can train with just your bodyweight, anywhere, anytime. Medrano encourages beginners to keep it simple and not get too caught up in advance-to-technical moves just because their models showcase them all over social media. Focus on controlling your body first, and from there, progression will follow.
Here are Medrano's top 10 tips from his website:
You can follow Frank below:
For the type of bar seen for the front lever progression, you can shop the high parallel bars at Urban Strength.