u/Free_Percentage_1194

Hey everyone! I’m completely new to calisthenics (just started a couple of days ago) and would love some advice. I finally decided to jump in because there’s a calisthenics park right by my house, and honestly, the fact that it’s free is a huge plus.

My stats & current level:

Im a 23-year-old guy, 1.80m (5'11") and weigh 63kg (139 lbs), so I'm quite skinny right now. As a reference for my baseline strength, I can currently hold a parallel bar support hold for about 30 seconds.

I’ve been watching a ton of videos and I understand the basic concepts: doing 3 sets of 8-10 reps and then applying progressive overload (like moving to harder variations or changing leverage instead of just doing endless reps). However, I’m suffering from information overload.

I have two main questions:

1. How do you actually learn to structure a routine and progress?

I haven't found a straightforward guide that says, "Here are the 6 basic exercises you need for a full-body routine." But more importantly, I want to learn the *methodology*. How do you guys learn to build your own full-body routines? And how do you know exactly *when* it's time to progress to a harder variation or swap exercises? Are there any specific resources, books, or rules of thumb you recommend for learning this?

2. Can you actually get big (hypertrophy) with pure calisthenics?

Is it possible to build significant muscle mass strictly with bodyweight training? I see some creators with insane strength and conditioning, but they don't look very bulky, and my main goal right now is to build mass.

Thanks in advance for reading and for any advice you can share!

Hi everyone. I recently started running for fitness, but I stumbled upon the concept of "runner's face" and it made me quite anxious. For context: my physical appearance and skin health are extremely important to me, and I have a strict anti-aging skincare routine (I’m 23 but usually pass for 16-18, and I want to preserve my youth and skin elasticity as much as possible).

I know the main culprit behind premature aging in runners is sun damage, but I exclusively run at night to avoid UV exposure. However, I’ve seen two other main arguments about why running supposedly ages your face, and I’d love a deeper physiological analysis:

* Gravity and Impact vs. Fat Loss: People claim the constant bouncing tears down collagen and elastin. But mechanically speaking, isn't our collagen network resilient to human movement? Some suggest the real issue is extreme calorie burning leading to facial fat pad loss, causing the skin to sag without its underlying support.

* Oxidative Stress and Cortisol: Running is known to spike cortisol and cause oxidative stress. Conversely, physiology suggests that acute, temporary exercise-induced stress actually forces the body to increase its natural antioxidant production.

My questions are:

Leaving sun damage completely out of the equation, does choosing running as your primary sport actually compromise your facial aesthetics?

If cortisol spikes and oxidative stress are indeed solid explanations for accelerated facial aging, where exactly is the limit? What is considered "normal/moderate" training versus "overtraining" when it comes to preserving our skin and preventing these negative effects?

I feel like I'm searching in a sea of information where there is no clear answer in sight. I would love to read your scientific insights or personal experiences trying to decode this.