SOTKA: It's Time to Change Yourself!

Workout is a currently popular subculture that promotes horizontal bars and parallel bars as an affordable and effective alternative to fitness clubs.

This is a useful way to spend time, strengthen your health, improve endurance and strength. For those who are just starting to get acquainted with the workout or are returning their form after a long break, it is recommended a special 100-day program, also called "hundred days" or "SOTKA".

SOTKA is a free online education program for anyone just starting out or returning after a long break or injury. It was developed by Anton Kuchumov, one of the founders of the workout subculture, in order to help beginners get used to training using their own body weight. The program is suitable for people with a wide range of physical fitness levels, regardless of gender.

A lot of work has been done to make the program really effective. The creators had a chance to analyze a huge amount of information from more than 1000 sources, including textbooks and the latest scientific publications. The most important knowledge of them became the basis of the theoretical part of the "hundred days". In addition to it, the program also includes a practical part. These are simple exercises, compiled into training complexes, which must be performed every day (there is 1 day off per week).

Sotka is in great demand: more than 350,000 participants from 58 countries.Since 2013, the creators of the program have been attracting everyone to its mass passage twice a year, launching a “hundred-day” program online. The success of individual participants could be heard on television or read in magazines, which further fuels interest in the workout movement.

Every year more and more experienced workout workers are invited to supervise newbies. They gather with their wards in full-time mode, organizing joint trainings in different cities and exchanging knowledge. Curated by many contributors "Sotka" is transferred from the Internet project to real life, they find new friends and like-minded people, which helps them stay in class even after completing the program.

• "Sotka" can be used at any level of physical fitness. The program is easily adaptable even for those who have never done a street workout before. She will tell you what to do if you cannot perform any pull-ups, and push-ups are available only from the knees. For those who already have some experience, a 100-day workout will also be very useful.
• You can do it anywhere and at any time, while getting the desired result. Regular exercise will help you gain a slim body, tone your muscles, and improve your mood. One of the main advantages of a workout is that a person learns to control his own body. In addition, such training can be an excellent base for any sport.
• Since the load is your own body weight, both men and women, adolescents and the elderly will cope with the exercises. The age of Sotka participants, according to statistics, ranges from 7 to 65 years old.
• There are no costs involved in participating in the program. All information is provided completely free of charge. All you need to invest is a little time and a personal desire to get better. To complete the “hundred days”, you do not need to pay for a gym membership, buy sports nutrition and pay a personal trainer.
• By the end of the program, the participant assimilates a lot of theory and masters practical skills, which are sufficient for further independent studies. He becomes a nutritionist and trainer for himself.
• "Stodnevka" promotes the acquisition new acquaintances. Participation allows you to connect with fellow newbies both online and in person by meeting other athletes and mentors.
• The program provides Feedback. The organizers are interested in the opinion of all participants and are ready to answer any questions.

The Stodnevka is not just a training schedule, but a much larger project that affects both the body and the lifestyle of the participant in general. This is achieved by combining three components:

• Theory. One of the interesting topics related to training, diet, possible injuries and problems is raised every day. From the very first days, all actions that the participant must take are explained in detail, and videos with additional and clarifying information are offered for viewing.
• Practice. Every day, the participant receives a training plan of 3-4 exercises, which are performed in a circular manner. The exercises are very simple at first, accessible to anyone. Over time, the difficulty increases and the intensity and volume of the workout increases. The average duration of a lesson is 30 minutes. It starts with a warm-up, followed by the main part and a hitch. One day a week is dedicated to stretching.
• Self-development. The course teaches you how to set realistic goals and achieve them, manage your own time and your actions, and keep yourself motivated for daily changes.Thanks to this, the program improves the quality of life, makes the participants more aware, and changes their mental state for the better.

• Before starting the passage, it is recommended to take a photo from several angles, perform basic exercises and write down their number (these include pull-ups, push-ups and squats), measure your weight and volumes, and determine your own goals.
• In the early days, attention is paid to topics "Base unit" - how to correctly perform this or that exercise, how to warm up and stretch, how to draw up an individual nutrition plan, how much water to drink, how to breathe correctly during training. Separately, they consider the need for good rest, ways to increase motivation and achieve success in training, the specifics of training at different times of the year, returning to training after a break, duration of training, lack of muscle growth or difficulty losing weight.
• Further, the material becomes more complex - from the 50th day it begins "Advanced block". They study advanced techniques, master new exercises, consider the effect of hormones, immunity, alcohol, the risks of injury, changes in the body during training. Participants learn about periodization of the load and learn to design training programs.
• From the 92nd day, an additional "Turbo block" with more active workouts. It is designed for people who can easily cope with advanced tasks. If, at an advanced level, training was given with difficulty (for example, if a woman without any experience or a young mother goes through the program), then the "turbo" block can be abandoned, returning to classes from the already familiar circles.

The last days of Sotka are devoted to summing up the results. Participants are encouraged to submit their results to the website or application so that the creators analyze and adjust the program to increase its effectiveness. If someone did not have time to write down the data for 99-100 days, this can be done within 2 more weeks after the completion of the "hundred days".

Participants must record their squat, push-up, and pull-up results, and indicate their weight at the end of the 100-day workout. In addition, they are asked to answer several questions - to tell about positive or negative changes during the "Sotka", to rate whether they liked or did not like the program.

Restrictions for the passage of the "hundred days" are the same as for other physical activity. If you have any medical conditions, it is important to see your healthcare professional to make sure that exercise is not harmful.

To cope with the tasks of the "Sotka", you need a suitable sports ground. It is obligatory there must be a horizontal bar or a projectile that will replace it. The site map is available on the WorkOut website.

If the weather is not conducive to training, you can complete the daily task at home or in the gym. Motivating yourself to practice in bad weather is difficult, so getting together with like-minded people is a good option.

At the same time, it is important to choose the right clothes. Oddly enough, but one of the common mistakes of training in the cold season is extra clothes. People worry that they will freeze, but because of warm clothes during exercise, they sweat quickly and the risk of a cold increases. To prevent diseases, you need to use several layers of clothing that will well remove heat and moisture (thermal underwear, fleece). In addition, when exercising outside on a cold day, it is better to breathe through your nose and go home immediately after exercising.

A lot of attention is paid to the principles of nutrition in a 100-day workout, because the quality of food is very important for noticeable results.Questions of building a ration for a worker are considered already in the second week of the "basic block". Participants will learn about calorie balance and are tasked with keeping a food diary. The main task is to get all the necessary nutrients from a variety of foods, because this helps to recover better and gives strength.

During the program, they will also learn what to do if they are having difficulty losing weight or not growing muscle, what is the normal percentage of fat, what are eating disorders and much more.

After completing the program, you will have the knowledge to stay in good physical shape all your life.