Your childhood friend was definitely taking steroids. And thing is, they don't really develop your tendons and other supporting tissues, and definitely not your cardiovascular system. So they tend to gain strength and muscles so fast the rest of the bodies doesn't have time to adapt. And in the case of "massive hulks", no body can really adapt to all that muscle mass.
About calisthenics, I think it's for people with proper motor coordination. You have to be able to pay attention to your whole body because one hand out of position can also mean an injury. Gym equipment, or even free weights, have way more "form cues" you can use to see if you're doing them right (if you truly care about form, that is).
About calisthenics, I think it's for people with proper motor coordination. You have to be able to pay attention to your whole body because one hand out of position can also mean an injury. Gym equipment, or even free weights, have way more "form cues" you can use to see if you're doing them right (if you truly care about form, that is).