Miami Muscle: How this fitness couple learn their advanced calisthenics moves

HIIT workout specialist and "Twerk Queen" Starr Hawkins and calisthenics influencer Cyrus Starboy aren't just freindly competition for each other: they're husband and wife. 

After spending the summer locked down in London, Starr speaks to Truly's documentary series, Miami Muscle. She's back in Miami and she’s brought her British husband, Cyrus Staryboy with her. The couple have always enjoyed a healthy rivalry when it comes to fitness, always pushing each other out of their comfort zones. 

However, back on her home turf, Starr is keen to show Cyrus that there’s only one “star” in Miami. Cyrus is a pro when it comes to calisthenics, and never one to do things easy, Starr has agreed for him to give her a training session. There’s no-one else that pushes Starr quite like Cyrus, and she’s keen to impress back on home soil.  The couple battle it out on the bars and rings with Cyrus impressing with his skills. 

Watch the couple's calisthenics workout here:

Why do calisthenics exercises?

Calisthenics exercises, like the pull-ups, chin-ups and handstands featured in the video, all develop great core and upper-body strength. Unlike lots of free weight exercises, calisthenics requires you to use your own body for to keep your balance, making each exercise work lots of little "stabilising muscles" all over your body.

Pull-ups work your upper and lower back in addition to your biceps and core. Over-arm grip pull-ups are an advanced muscle-building exercise, but you can start by hanging one of the best resistance bands on a bar, like Cyrus does, to take some of the weight off your arms while you train. 

Likewise, handstands build up your biceps, shoulders and upper chest in addition to your core. Free-standing handstands are very difficult to perform, but you can begin to build up strength with some push-up variations, eventually performing a handstand leaning against the wall before graduating to a full free-standing handstand, like Cyrus does. 

Starr's HIIT workouts tone her core and sculpt her glutes, using yogalates to train her inner thighs and well as lower-body moves like squats to build power and size in her legs.