The origin of the word calisthenics was made by joining the Greek kalos, meaning “beautiful,” and sthenos, meaning “strength.” That explains why many people who participate in practicing calisthenics have strong and flexible bodies. Just look at gymnasts. They have unreal physiques developed from no special equipment.
That being said, I’m always interested in learning more and finding people, especially in Hawaii, who practice certain disciplines. I don’t know how I came across Christopher Dias on Instagram, but I was immediately impressed by his practice and training.
I had the chance of reaching out to Dias to ask him to share how he got started, his training approach, and what it means to BE KŪ.
TKP: Introduce yourself, where you are from, what you do, and anything else you’d like to add.
Christopher Dias: Well howzit braddah Daniel, my name is Christopher Cala Dias and I’m born and raise on Maui. I graduated from Maui high school and I have 2 jobs. This year I’ve been through a lot.. But it made me a better version of myself, more focused and determined to hit my goals in life and just to inspire others through the time I put on and off the bars.
TKP: How do you train your body?
CD: When I train, the level of intensity is high. I love doing high reps cause it works great for my body.
TKP: What got you into calisthenics and how can people benefit from it?
CD: My good friend Tyler F. got me into calisthenics back in high school my junior year. But I didn’t really take it as serious till now. Also we had a crew that use to workout everyday but they all stopped and I just kept going.
Calisthenics benefits people cause you don’t have to pay for a gym membership to get fit. You can just go to the park and get in a good session with just body weight movements. Also calisthenics gets you super cut and you are able to manage your own body weight.
TKP: You also train with weights, do you follow any particular style of training or do you focus on what you want to do and how you feel?
CD: I guess you can say I’m a hybrid trainer. But when train with weights it’s mainly legs and I like to have a power building style when I train legs. Also I love to Olympic lift so I do plenty of front squats and always working on my mobility and techniques.
TKP: How important is it for you to train your body to be strong and healthy?
CD: For me to train my body strong is really important and the healthy part is important too but I’m still learning about my foods and what to cook cause honestly I suck at cooking (laughs), and right now I’m trying to bulk up to at least 150 and see if I can still perform the same on the bars.
TKP: What has training your body help you with in life?
CD: Training my body helps me in life because it makes me a better version of myself. Also I’ve Inspired others through my hard work and dedication and no matter how hard life hits me.. I take that energy and take it out on the bars making be more focused and determined to kill my workouts, pushing my body and mind to my limits and blowing beyond them.
TKP: What does it mean to Be Ku?
CD: Kū means, to me, strength and guidance
Feel free to follow Christopher Dias over on Instagram and YouTube.
