I am Hampton, the face and founder of Hybrid Calisthenics, a fitness and health brand, community, and YouTube channel. Ask Me Anything!

I see you favor the white lotus gambit? Not many still cling to the ancient ways.

Those who do can always find a friend.

Hey there Hampton! I find your content very helpful for me.

How do you go about dealing with negative emotions and «rainy days»?

Hey! I know what you mean. Personally, I've found that my "rainy days" tend to happen when I'm focused on myself. When I'm thinking about myself, I'm a lot more likely to be negative, angry, and "grumpy Hampton."

When I focus less on myself and instead think about what I can do for others, it cheers me up. My mental clouds clear and I'm excited about life again.

I want to note that it's not unreasonable to think about ourselves sometimes. Sometimes I'm stressed about money, for example. I want to be able to provide and care for my family.

So I'm not saying that we should never think about ourselves. Self-care is very important I've just simply observed that my life thrives when I focus on giving to others.

As for negative emotions, sometimes I let them happen and analyze them later. If I notice I have an angry reaction to something, I ask myself why. For example, if I snap at a friend who mentioned that I looked tired, why did I do that? Perhaps I have some insecurity about wrinkles on my face. From there, I reconcile that insecurity. I either decide that it's baseless or I acknowledge that it's true.

SO much peace of mind comes from acknowledging things that should be true anyway. For example, if someone were to tell me that I'm a poor fitness content creator, I acknowledge that my style may not be for them. I thank them for their feedback, ask them for suggestions, and tell them I'm always working on being better! All of that is true, so it shouldn't make me angry.

Of course, it's also important to recognize that a single opinion is not definitive, haha.

Take what others say with a grain of salt, cuz sometimes haters be salty.

Thank you so much for the answer! I needed to read this, I think it’s a lot more productive to reflect on my negative emotions in a brighter state of mind and I know I will feel better if i help someone else as well.

Will save this for whenever I need it again, have a beautiful day Hampton!

You too! Thanks for your question!

Hey Hampton, how are the chickens doin'?

NOISY. The roosters woke me up this morning. I don't know why, but the way they crow is the same melody as the first three notes to "Immigrant Song." It is not the ideal way to wake up.

They're healthy though, so that's good!

Hey, can't hope for more than good health! Take care out there, friend! ✌️

You too!

What do you think about intermittent fasting? love your vids btw :)

Hey!!! You're the first question.

I like it. I naturally ate this way for years before I ever heard the term. I still do on most days.

I know it has some criticism, but these arguments usually address points that are not relevant to why I do IF anyway. I don't think it's "magic." I don't think it can somehow miraculously bypass the need for a caloric deficit to lose weight. I'm also not starving myself. I'm not a big guy and with a 15:9 or 16:8 fast I can still cram away 4k+ calories sometimes.

I feel a lot better eating this way. Of course, experiences differ. There is some research that shows it affects men and women differently.

I’ve been working out for 10 months and haven’t seen the progress I’d been hoping to see. I was consistent and stayed with my regimen. I didn’t have too much body fat or muscle when I first started, you could say I was rather skinny. I saw some development, but not as much as I hoped. Is there a reason for this? Been doing HIIT training and am 15 y/o

It's quite possibly because you're not giving your muscles enough resistance to stimulate growth! We need progressive resistance to consistently gain muscle.

With weight lifting, this is as simple as increasing the weights we lift.

With calisthenics, we increase the difficulty of the exercise we do! For example, moving from pushups to one-arm pushups.

There's some argument on WHY, but almost everyone agrees that that exhausting your muscles with sufficient resistance triggers the growth response. If you don't push yourself through the last few reps, growth is more difficult.

Look up some methods for maintaining your "time under tension" as well. This may help.

Another thing could be diet. If you're not eating enough, growth will be difficult.

Hope that helps! I know the answers are kind of vague but I don't know your specific case and wanted to give you plenty of things to point you in the right direction!

Yay, it's finally up!

What did you do before you became the best calisthenics guru on YouTube? How did you first get into the world of calisthenics?

Hey! Sorry for the delay! I had some issues getting the AMA to start.

Directly before and while starting the Hybrid Calisthenics videos, I was taking care of my mom 24/7. She had a massive stroke and couldn't walk, talk, or do anything by herself. I took care of her full-time for almost 2 years before she passed away in 2020.

During the time, I had no way to generate income other than to work from home. Thankfully, I did some light web design and print design work which helped pay some bills, but I wanted to start something else.

At the time, Hybrid Calisthenics was a blog I had started shortly before she had gotten sick. I got re-inspired to start making video content. Being a caretaker had given me a lot of time to think and I had a lot I wanted to say. At first, I did it with the primary intention of starting a business. As in, make free content and then sell courses or physical products.

However, as soon as I gathered a community of a few people, that became the center of my attention and hasn't changed. Ironically, I started down this path with the idea of having a "home business" to make money, but I ultimately wanted to give out knowledge for free. I do sell shirts and make ad revenue etc, but the content and community have become the goal and not the means to an end.

As for calisthenics, I've always been into fitness and loved pushups and situps and stuff. I didn't have a regimented routine until I read the Convict Conditioning series. That ultimately inspired me to pursue progressive calisthenics and teach it to others. When the videos started to circulate, I reached out to the author by email and asked for permission to share his exercises. He gave me his blessing, which I'm very thankful for. Paul Wade is a friendly individual and I highly recommend people check out his books. Even if you're not interested in bodyweight fitness, his books and writing style may inspire you.

Hey Hampton, just wanted to say I’m so sorry to learn that about your mum. She was lucky to have you as a son, and I hope you’re doing ok.

I'm doing okay! She wanted me to do well and help others, so I'll do my best to carry out her wishes. I was lucky to have her as a mother.

I had no idea about your mom's passing, sorry to hear about that.

I'm the guy who commented on one of your last videos that couldnt do more than 5 pushups and now one year later can do 23 repairs of 3 sets while weighting 23kgs lighter, I followed most of your exercise tips on your channel.

I have a progress pic post on my profile but it's a bit outdated now, feel free to check it out if you wish.

I will check out those books too.

Hey! Thanks for your condolences. I really appreciate it.

WOW that's awesome!!! Thank you so much for letting me know and commenting here.

I'll check out your progress pic! I'm having some trouble finding it. What date was it posted?

It's this one here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/l42j41/for_the_first_time_in_8_years_im_officially_under/

I don't know why it's not showing though, i haven't hidden it.

That was back when I weighted under 99kgs so it's a bit outdated, now I'm at 89kgs and pushing myself to conquer those final 10kgs.

Thanks!!! Congratulations once again. I commented and I'm proud of your progress. Keep it up!! You'll get there with time.

How can you open up to others to have a meaningful conversation? And when they open up to you how do you let them know that you really are listening? Thanks have a wonderful day 😊

I think it depends on the person and how well you connect with them. Some people will resonate with each other much more strongly and naturally than others. I think it's important not to try to force things that aren't there.

That said, I regularly reach out to friends and associates to see how they're doing. Most people are troubled or stressed about something. It's relatively unusual to have someone who cares to listen. So just let them know you're there and you're open to listening! If they're interested in sharing, they'll share.

If and when they do open up to you, listen to their story and then share your thoughts on it! Do you have related experiences from which you can share? Any advice? If it's a sad story, perhaps you could offer sympathy.

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Hey! It really depends on my relationship with the person. I usually just say "hey!" and if I've been worried about them I'll say something like "hey I noticed you posted something about xxx the other day. Are you doing okay? I just wanted to reach out and let you know you can talk to me if you like. I've been through similar things."

That's about the gist of it. I'm a really friendly, open person. And yes, I'm aware that sometimes people might think it's unusual. However, I don't think it's immoral to reach out to people, so I do! I'm fully aware that some of my Facebook friends might take pride that I like most of their posts but they never like any of mine. I know that I want to support them and that's what matters to me! I think if we are secure in our desire to help others, we are free to do a lot more.

Hey Hampton! Who are the other fitness trainer or callisthenics athletes you greatly admire and what life lessons you have learned from them? And yeah, have a beautiful day my friend!

Hey! Honestly, there are too many to list. The summary is that I like all of them.

Do some of them put out information that I disagree with? Sure. Just like I probably put out content THEY don't like.

There aren't enough calisthenics athletes out there yet that I think we can afford to argue, hahaha.

Ultimately, I think fitness content should be viewed as a collaboration and not a competition. I am SO THANKFUL that I am not the only fitness or calisthenics content creator out there. That'd be horrible. If someone wants advice from a bodybuilder, physical therapist, or competitive calisthenics athlete, I'm glad they have other options out there to consult!

At some point, I can try to do a list, but I don't want to leave anyone out. They all inspire me to do better and serve my community better.

HI HAMPTON! Big fan ! I've recently discovered your Channel (about a month or so back) and I've really been enjoying your content!! Your positive vibes always seem to brighten up my day, lift my spirits and for that I'm truly grateful ❤. Onto my questions, one is regarding cardio.. what sort of cardio do you do and how long are your cardio sessions? I know you've said you don't take supplements (although you enjoy taking ginger if im not mistaken) but what are your thoughts on creatine for calisthenics? My apologies for the long message, I'm just really excited to here back from you! Sending love from South Africa!

Hey!!! Thank you so much. I'm really glad you like the content :).

So, I think some of the calisthenics strength workouts I do are pretty intense cardio. Several sets of squats and bridges leave my heart pounding pretty hard.

When I have the time, I really enjoy hill sprints. The steeper the better. Doing several sets of this on an incline of 100m or more is intense. In a good way. I can usually do this in 10-20 minutes, including rest times. I do sprints before my squats, as I time them and want to improve my times.

However, I don't do much purely endurance training nowadays, which is what people sometimes mean by cardio. I used to run for 5 miles daily, but I haven't in a while. I think running is a fine exercise, it's just not something I've been doing recently.

I don't personally take creatine. I prefer to get my nutrition from food. Then again, I don't consider myself a bodybuilder and pay minimal attention to my physique. Some bodybuilders may place a higher importance on creatine.

What is your way to deal with finance because you don't monetize your videos and against sponsor?

Great question!

So, I do monetize some of my videos on YouTube. I receive ad revenue from these videos when people watch them.

I think it's important to note that even if I didn't monetize my videos, ads might still be shown on them. YouTube has reserved the right to place ads on videos even if the creator has chosen to not receive money from it.

Also, views from YouTube Shorts don't make the same as longer videos. Also, how much money the creator makes from views depends on a variety of factors including the genre (cooking, fitness, makeup) and channel. I don't want people to think I'm fabulously wealthy or anything, haha.

I also sell shirts and such. I plan start a direct-to-consumer coffee brand some day to ship excellent coffee directly to people's doors. I want this to work really well, so I'm still working on the details.

I'm also not against sponsorships, exactly. I just don't do them myself. Or at least, I haven't taken one yet. I'd rather promote products and companies I like for free. And if I DON'T like them, then I won't promote them.

I consider myself very blessed to be covered financially right now doing what I love. I'm not rich, but I'm covered. With this in mind, I want to focus on giving right now. If this status ever changes, I may be forced to change my approach to pay bills and stay alive, but for now, I want to give while I can.

Thank you for the question!

Hi Hampton, You have a great physique but not necessarily the same muscle definition as people like Austin Dunham and Chris Heria, but can still do very advanced calisthenic movements and the one armed pull up. Is there any difference in training to specifically target definition rather building up to be able to do those movements?

Great question!

People like Chris Heria and Austin Dunham have awesome physiques and I have great respect for what both of them have accomplished. Actually, calisthenics athletes and gymnasts in general usually look incredible, in my opinion!

Honestly, I simply never think about my physique. I don't know why, but it's just not something I've ever really cared about.

I think I'm genetically predisposed to weigh less and have lower bodyfat. I've experimented with different bodyfat percentages and the one I'm at seems to be the most sustainable and enjoyable for me. I believe there are some studies that show this BF range to be more resistant to disease but... I won't quote them because that's not why I am the way I am haha. I didn't read the study and decide to be less defined. Being shredded has just never been a goal of mine.

Is there something different someone could do if they wanted to be more shredded? Absolutely. First of all, embrace weighted calisthenics movements instead of the unilateral ones at disadvantageous angles that I target in my routine. (For example, weighted pullups over focusing on one-arm pullups). Lower carbs too. I don't do keto, but there is quite a bit of research that shows how low-carb diets can help reduce fat. At least in the short-term.

Thank you for your question!

Hello Hampton!

What is your favorite kind of coffee? And what do you recommend for weight loss? Thank you!

I am currently drinking Sumatran coffee from Equal Exchange! It's a bulk brand I buy from a local health food store.

So, most people who want weight loss want fat loss. My favorite way to lose fat is simply to build muscle. Increased muscle mass raises the energy demands of our body and makes it easier to reach a caloric deficit.

A caloric deficit is what we need to lose weight (by definition). However, I prefer this method to simply eating less because, honestly, some people already don't eat very much at all. Many overweight people eat significantly less than I do. Putting on some muscle mass with strength and resistance training sometimes "kickstarts" their weight-loss progress again! So the numbers might go up a little bit on the scale as you gain muscle, but all else equal, they'll start to go down if you keep your diet the same. Also, the scale isn't definitive. Don't fear the scale. It's just one metric.

Obviously, there are many mindsets to go about weight loss, but this is my favorite tip by far. Hope it helps!

I’ll give you a tip for a brewer for filter coffee. Try out Wilfa Presicion Black. It’ll brew the perfect cup, every time without exception.

Awesome! Thank you so much for the suggestion.

What is Dave the duck's favorite workout!? 🙃

Giving to others.

How do you build habit and discipline? In what ways do you motivate yourself on difficult days?

Thanks for the videos! You’re such a positive force in my life :)

I think discipline is needed to achieve almost anything in life. We build this fortitude through habit, sometimes out of necessity. Consistently doing things even though we don't enjoy them teaches us an important aspect of life. A great example is brushing our teeth. Most of us don't feel excited about it, but we'd better brush our teeth daily even if we're tired. This also shows the power of incremental change. Doing something for a few minutes a day can prevent big problems from occurring in the future. I think some people lack motivation because they build up a HUGE task in their brain. Instead of trying to do it all at once, work a few minutes of it into your daily routine and soon you'll have accomplished a tremendous amount.

That said, I plan around difficult days. I know there are some days when I'm more tired and less motivated. I expect this to happen and use it as a rest day so I can come back strong tomorrow.

Thanks for the question! I'm really glad you like the videos :)

Have you heard of healthygamergg? And have you ever considered talking to him about mental health just like he does with other people on the Internet (streamers etc.)?

I would be very interested in seeing you two in a video together and I'm sure many others would too!!

I actually haven't, sorry. His content is probably well-known, but I'm just behind haha.

I just looked him up. Looks like good content. I'm open to doing a podcast or something!

First of all, love your content Hampton.

My question is, is taking longer breaks between sets a good thing? And what's the average time you'd recommend one to take rest between sets?

Thank you for the comment! I'm really glad you like the content :)

Average time between sets? 2-3 minutes, I'd say.

Rest length depends on your goals. If you want to maximize strength gains, then you'd want to be able to exert as much force as possible each rep. This would mean you would rest until you feel like you can give the next set your all.

For muscle growth? It's not AS necessarily to exert as much force. Time under tension and muscle fatigue are important, so I'd reduce the amount of time I spend between sets. It'd still be at least 30 seconds.

If you want to train cardio, shorter rests between sets will help.

Hope that makes sense!

What is your morning routine? What is your typical breakfast?

This varies, but it's usually some form of

1.) Wake up, DON'T check my phone for the first 10-15 minutes of my day.

2.) Make coffee if it's coffee day (I only drink it once every other day) and drink a cup of water.

3.) Write down a to-do list for my day (before checking my phone).

4.) Commit to doing the top 3 most important things on my list.

5.) Go for a walk/drive while I drink coffee. This helps me think.

I don't usually eat a standard breakfast. My first meal of the day is usually well past 2PM and I usually only eat 2 meals a day. It's a sandwich or something. I like scrambled eggs with brown rice and avocado as well.

How would you encourage a friend who’s lacking motivation to start the healthy journey?

It depends on whether or not they want to start! Ultimately, it's up to them.

I think leading by example is best. If you strive to be happy, healthy, and strong, they may one day ask you for advice. Then you can show them!

On the other hand, if they want to start but simply lack the energy, consider inviting them to play sports or physical games! Things like tennis or kickball don't seem like "traditional" fitness, but they help keep physical activity fun which is better than doing nothing. As they acclimate to this, they may naturally want to do more work to improve their game! In my opinion, humans should naturally WANT to move and exercise a little bit. At least to some degree. Helping your friend get to this place where they want to move would help them a lot indeed!

Besides the Hybrid chickens, do you have any other animals?

I have an American akita named Hei Bai :). I'm about to take a break from this AMA to walk her, actually.

Sir, this is the internet. You can't mention your pets without posting photos!

I can post photos on reddit??

It's usually done through IMGUR right? I can post a photo: https://i.imgur.com/geGpx3E.jpeg

Are you a Christian?

Can you make a video dedicated to teenage fitness?

Do you do cardio workouts? If so, what is your routine? And what cardio routines would you reccomend? (Routines to build specifically cardiovascular stamina and heart health.)

Also, thanks for creating such great content and such a wholesome community!

1.) Yes, non-denominational.

2.) Sure! It's pretty similar to the rest of my fitness advice, but there may be some things I'll mention specifically to teens.

3.) I do! Let me copy and paste a response I did earlier:
So, I think some of the calisthenics strength workouts I do are pretty intense cardio. Several sets of squats and bridges leave my heart pounding pretty hard.

When I have the time, I really enjoy hill sprints. The steeper the better. Doing several sets of this on an incline of 100m or more is intense. In a good way. I can usually do this in 10-20 minutes, including rest times. I do sprints before my squats, as I time them and want to improve my times.

However, I don't do much purely endurance training nowadays, which is what people sometimes mean by cardio. I used to run for 5 miles daily, but I haven't in a while. I think running is a fine exercise, it's just not something I've been doing recently.

4.) Thank you so much for being a part of it!

And thank you for your question :)

Also, if/when you make the video about teenage fitness, if you could plug in some weight loss things specific to teenagers, that'd be great!

I've gotten a lot of requests for "teenage fitness" recently. I'll try to get something out soon!

Hey Hampton! I don't really have a question, I just wanted to let you know I really enjoy your positive vibes and your videos always lift my spirit and make me feel like I can do anything and that I am unstoppable. Thank you :)

... Actually, maybe one question: What do you think of programs targeted to women? Do they provide real benefits for women or is it just a big marketing move?

Hey Queen Alucia!!! I'm really glad the videos help you feel such positivity! You definitely have the capacity to do many things and I'm sure you will!

That's a really interesting question. My short answer: it's mostly marketing, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

As long as the exercise program is progressive, meaning the weights and exercise difficulty are scalable to the individual, then it should apply to almost everyone. So in this sense, there's not really a strict need to separate programs for men and women.

That said, men and women may have different goals, statistically.

A program titled GET HUGE ARMS IN 7 DAYS would probably sell better to men than women.

Meanwhile SKINNY WAIST DAILY ROUTINE probably wouldn't sell as well to guys.

We also have differences in our hormones and genetic potential that might affect how these programs are made.

So these programs may be created to market to either men or women, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're ineffective or bad.

Personally, I just recommend a weekly routine that works out entire body progressively!

Hey Hampton!, Here's my question so recently I've been trying out for the tuck planche and whenever I try it I get pain in the wrist do you have any idea? I'm 13 so my joints might be undeveloped so. Thanks

Yeah, planche training can be quite tough on the joints, so be careful! I know some people make it look like nothing, but it's a move that should be respected.

In my opinion, make sure you can do plenty of the bodyweight staples like pushups, pullups, and leg raises before attempting the planche.

Increasing your wrist mobility sometimes helps. If you do it on parallettes, try it on on hands and vise versa.

Love your stuff Hampton!

Question:

Have you personally talked to Coach (Paul) Wade? If not, do you think he is a real person or a made up character by dragondoor publications?

GREAT question and I'm really glad someone asked me this.

I've talked with him via e-mail and he's my Facebook friend. The way he talks is very similar to the writings in his books. Beyond this, I've never seen him in person.

However, I will say that whoever is doing the writing is a very inspirational writer and has done a LOT of research on fitness, calisthenics, and anatomy. I've heard theories that he's a retired Olympic gymnastic coach, athlete, etc.

I don't know about any of that. I will say that the face-value story of "a man goes to prison, learns how to train his body without equipment out of necessity, and shares his knowledge" doesn't seem like that much an outlandish story to me. It doesn't seem so fantastic that I doubt the story based on the premise alone.

So, no, I can't say I know for sure if he's a "real person" or a team of writers or what. I DO know that whoever writes the content is a great writer and has helped me out a lot. Beyond the calisthenics knowledge, he's just a friendly guy. He has an account active in the Isochain Facebook group and he goes out of his way to congratulate people on their progress and builds up their confidence. Part of my teaching style is inspired by his writings.

Personally, I believe he's a person with a lot of experience with calisthenics. I don't think he's a team of writers or anything. He's stated that he wants to keep his life private, and I just try to respect that and thank him for helping popularize calisthenics.

Hello Hampton, hope you are doing good. I am a big fan of yours and the energy that you give. Do you have any spiritual practices or teachings that you train? Thanks have a beautiful day my friend!

I do pray fairly often, but it's not always about asking for things.

I thank God for the ways I am blessed and express a desire to continue helping others. I do ask for my loved ones to be protected.

I know a lot of atheists and agnostics will read this. Put in a secular way, I think it's beneficial to talk to yourself about your own thoughts. Think about your life, what you want, and how you want to achieve those things. Be thankful for the things you have while you have them.

That's what works for me, anyway.

Thank you for your question!

Your videos are really cool and I really enjoy watching them! They are very user friendly and make me feel like I can do some of the exercises!

I hope this question isn't too intrusive, but how do you generate revenue from your business if you don't do sponsorship nor personal classes? Do you purely depend on ad revenue and merchandise sales?

It's not intrusive at all! I hope to cover this in my new project to help creators. The key is that anytime there is attention somewhere, it can be monetized. Ethically, too.

The key for me has been unobtrusive ways to monetize. Skippable ads are a great example. The downside is that these are usually less efficient.

Monetization for me will always hinge on providing value to people FIRST. I want to give a lot more than I ask.

Let me copy and paste the answer I gave earlier:

Great question!

So, I do monetize some of my videos on YouTube. I receive ad revenue from these videos when people watch them.

I think it's important to note that even if I didn't monetize my videos, ads might still be shown on them. YouTube has reserved the right to place ads on videos even if the creator has chosen to not receive money from it.

Also, views from YouTube Shorts don't make the same as longer videos. Also, how much money the creator makes from views depends on a variety of factors including the genre (cooking, fitness, makeup) and channel. I don't want people to think I'm fabulously wealthy or anything, haha.

I also sell shirts and such. I plan start a direct-to-consumer coffee brand some day to ship excellent coffee directly to people's doors. I want this to work really well, so I'm still working on the details.

I'm also not against sponsorships, exactly. I just don't do them myself. Or at least, I haven't taken one yet. I'd rather promote products and companies I like for free. And if I DON'T like them, then I won't promote them.

I consider myself very blessed to be covered financially right now doing what I love. I'm not rich, but I'm covered. With this in mind, I want to focus on giving right now. If this status ever changes, I may be forced to change my approach to pay bills and stay alive, but for now, I want to give while I can.

Thank you for the question!

Have you been doing calisthenics your whole life? Or, is this something you picked up and realized that we just don't do this stuff enough?

In a way, yes. I was always more drawn to bodyweight fitness. I'd tried going to the gym a few times but it just didn't really stick.

However, I didn't really have a routine until I was about 17. I worked full-time then, so at night I would watch TV. Hulu had this thing where they had 4 commercials for a 45-minute program, so I would just commit to doing as many pushups as I could, SLOWLY during every commercial break. This started off being 100 a day (25 x 4) but grew into around 500 a day. If I missed a day, I would add the missed reps on to the next day.

That's what I did for years, but it's not the best way to train, haha. I learned about progressive calisthenics in my early 20s when I tried to develop a full-body routine for myself and I discovered I REALLY liked it. I've been at it since then and have recently incorporated isometrics with a bar-and-chain device!

I have a lot of questions. I'll start with the best ones haha.

How have you handled your following growing so big? How has your mood been with that?

Do you like to travel? If so, what is the coolest place you've been?

Hey!

1.) I know this sounds like marketing lingo, but I really try to think of it as growing our community. I try to be a friend everyone that reaches out. In this way, I stay pretty grounded. I can only interact with a few people at once, so I focus on that. I try not to get too bogged down in numbers, because sometimes the hidden reach is how deeply you connect with someone. A video might reach millions of people, but you can really only have a heart-to-heart chat with a community member that needs help one at a time. We have some younger kids in our Discord. I help them with their math homework and stuff. This keeps my mood pretty happy!

Of course, content reaches more people, so I love making that as well.

I always try to remember that the "following" number is just a number. If I have 5 followers, I think of that as having 5 friends. That's cool, but how well do I know those 5 friends? How much have I actually helped them? Am I good friend? Could I be better? I think of it this way, but on a larger scale.

2.) I don't love travel as much as some people who visit every country in their teens, but I've been a fair amount of places! I really liked living in Italy for a few weeks after I studied in Germany. I stayed in Verona. Beautiful place. I'd love to go back sometime.

Thank you for your question!

hey i actually have asthma and it's very difficult for me to do exercises i would appreciate if you could tell me a workout plan that has a low impact for weight loss? i am 179 and i weigh 72 kg i am 15 i really look up to you thank you

Hey! Am I allowed to link my own videos here? I have a few on YouTube.

The summary is just me showing some low-impact, gentle calisthenics movements.

The first is an older one, but is the first video I put on YouTube! The information should still be good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMdSPNElshw

To see how the routine progresses, I have a free routine here. You don't have to give your email or anything. The entire routine is on this page: https://www.hybridcalisthenics.com/routine

I hope this can help! Thank you for your question :)

Hi Hampton, it’s cool you’re doing an ama on my birthday.

My question is for things like swinging a golf club, do you have any advice for incorporating different muscles into one fluid motion? It seems like when I try to focus on putting everything together I end up forgetting to use some muscles or making a nonfluid awkward motion. Thanks!

Ooh, interesting question.

For things like a golf swing, I definitely focus on the intent of the movement rather than the muscles contracting. I think about the arc I want my hands to make. Do it with just your hands first, and then try it with a stick. Then try it with a club.

This is an interesting point because the way to maximize power and efficiency in movements like this is actually OPPOSITE to some of the muscle-building fitness philosophies we hear about maximizing tension. We actually want to optimize tension, not maximize it. If we tense all of our muscles, we're working against ourselves. Relax the muscles that can be relaxed.

After you're very familiar with the movement, you can focus on the contraction of certain muscles if you choose.

Happy birthday!!

Hey Hampton,

I wanna ask you what do you think makes you so likeable in the YT community? You give off very different vibes from the typical Youtuber, yet you have almost no haters (from what I can see) and your channel has seen huge growth.

Hmm, it probably depends on who you ask. Honestly, I never really thought about my vibes or anything. I just turned on the camera, pressed record, and started talking.

I try to talk to people the same way I'd talk to my friend if they asked me for help about the video's subject.

Actually, the negative comments are almost always there! They're always more prevalent as I'm breaking in a new platform. As support for the channel grows, they get less frequent because people argue with them.

For example, the top comments on my first viral YouTube video (the elbow lever tutorial) used to all be jokes about me being a girl. "Looks like his gender is balanced too." was at the top for QUITE a while haha.

They've never really bothered me at all. I have plenty of legitimate flaws that people can critique and I'm happy to work on them!

What's your hair regimen if you have one?

I don't really have one. I just wash it and try to avoid harsh chemicals.

How do I make my veins pop out more? I’m not overweight although I am 13 (male) I do mainly Calisthenics but still implement running and weightlifting regularly.

Hey! There are other factors, but I think the most significant one is bodyfat percentage. A lower bodyfat percentage will show more veins.

You may also read that dehydrating yourself will make more of your veins shows, but please don't do this haha. At least, not day-to-day.

I recently found your IG and have been following some of your advise ever since. I especially love the build up to push ups (still working on that).

My question is, what type of exercises do you suggest for building up the lower back? I had a major back injury about 5 years ago which left my lower back extremely weak. Now that I'm in the position to start working out again, I really want to strengthen this area and prevent future injuries.

Thank you for all that you do, the content you put out, and the inspiration you give.

If you're able to, I love progressive bridges for lower back work.

Am I allowed to link things here on reddit? I have a free routine on my website. You don't have to sign up or anything. The entire content is here: www.hybridcalisthenics.com/routine

In it, I show how I build up from easy bridges to hard bridges. I hope it can help!

Because the lower back (and our spine in general) is such a critical area, please consult a doctor or physical therapist if you feel any hesitancy about doing such a movement. The short bridge is usually considered a gentle exercise, but everyone is different.

Who’s ur waifu??

The identity of my anime waifu body pillow shall remain anonymous so no one tries to steal her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Few questions for you,

1.) What does Womp mean?

2.) Why does Nat suck so much at 20 questions

3.) How is Bernard and Bambina doing?

Finally Number 4.) Why is Ash the Womp queen?

1.) It's a trumpet noise when something underwhelming happens. Like womp womp. That's it.

2.) I DON'T KNOW. WHO PICKS "THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR" AS THEIR THING?? I don't know if that's even allowed.

3.) Doing great! I think they're starting to develop feelings for each other.

4.) She originated the womp meme and is just overall a cool person.

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What is your favorite cow joke? And what is your opinion on whales? If you answer you like them you’re weing

Cow jokes? Man, I don't know. There are so many.

I like steak puns, but they're truly a rare medium well-done.