In the past few years, we’ve seen the rise of callisthenics, also called street workout, as a popular sport among fitness enthusiasts, thanks to inspiring figures such as Vadym Oleynik, Daniel Vadnal, and Simon Ata. One of the biggest names associated with the sport in the US is the one and only Chris Heria.
Recognised as one of the best Calisthenics athletes in the world as of 2023, Chris began his competitive career in 2012 when he became an official member of the popular street workout team Barstarzz. He proceeded to represent the US in the Callisthenics World Championships. Since then, he has transitioned into a fitness trainer, entrepreneur, and one of the most popular YouTubers in the fitness industry.
Here, we deeply dive into Chris Heria, revealing everything you might need to know about the impressive self-trained callisthenics instructor and his journey to the top. You should also stick around if you want to learn about his tried-and-tested workout routine and diet plan.
In This Chris Heria Story…
Chris Heria Quick Facts
| Name: | Chris Heria |
| Age (DOB): | 32 (December 21, 1991) |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 5 feet 9 inches / 175 cm |
| Weight: | 165 lbs / 75 kg |
| Children: | Zen Heria & Ocean Heria |
| Instagram: | @chrisheria |
| Twitter: | @ChristianHeria |
| Net Worth: | $8 million |
Chris Heria’s Age, Ethnicity & Background
Born on December 21, 1991, Chris Heria is 32 years old. He was raised in Miami, Florida, and attended St Brendan High School in Miami which he graduated from in 2008.
It was previously believed that Chris Heria is of Filipino descent, mainly because his family name, ‘Heria,’ is mostly found in the Philippines. Chris is, however, not from the Philippines. He comes from a mixed family, with his mother being Chinese and his father Cuban. Chis is, therefore half-Chinese and half-Cuban.
Chris has two brothers, and he is the youngest sibling. His eldest brother is Aaron C. Heria, a criminal defence attorney. Like Chris, his other brother, Stefan Heria, chose to pursue a career in the fitness industry. Stefan is a Calisthenics Fitness instructor working with Chris across his multiple establishments.
Chris Heria’s Height, Weight & Tattoos
Chris is 5’9” (175 cm) tall. This makes him about as tall as the average man in the United States. His weight is approximately 165 lbs (75 kg), but he has often jumped to 180 lbs occasionally. Chris’ relatively low weight is due to his strategy of staying lean and strong. This way, he can improve his muscles and strength while maintaining his athleticism.
Notably, Chris’ body is adorned by several interesting tattoos. On his chest, he has written “I will be heard” alongside an image of three faces looking left, forward, and right, respectively. An image of Albert Einstein is visible on his hand, and underneath this is a sea monster. He has also curiously gotten the image of serial killer Albert Fish tattoed on his left forearm, as well as the image of a large flower on his neck. Chris has several other inscriptions and tattoos on his skull, totalling around 19 tattoos.
Chris Heria’s Career
Chris cultivated an interest in fitness from a very young age. He and his brother Stefan started fitness training pretty early, with Chris reportedly acquiring a six-pack abs as early as the age of eight. The brothers were especially fascinated by callisthenics and, from their early teens, participated in multiple competitive events such as street workout championships. This allowed Chris to tour the world as he often competed and conducted workshops in Russia, Finland, and Norway.
Chris was just 20 when he represented the USA at the world championships with Barstarzz. Chris won the World Cup in Germany the following year, qualifying him to participate in the super finals. Subsequently, he competed in the World’s Championship again, representing the U.S. in Riga, Latvia.
At this point, Chris’s popularity on social media had increased significantly. He took advantage of this growing fame to establish his popular YouTube channel, THENX. He also opened a callisthenics indoor gym in Miami.
Who is Chris Heria’s Wife?
As far as we know, Chris Heria has never tied the knot with anyone. However, this does not mean he has not entertained any romantic interest. The famed trainer has had quite a dating history.
In 2011, while he was just 19, Chris’s ex-girlfriend got pregnant, and this marked the beginning of a tumultuous period in Chris’s life. He initially proposed to his then-girlfriend but was rejected. Things took a crazy turn a few weeks later when the mother of his child demanded that they get married and further threatened to cut off his access to his son if he refused.
To secure the right to see his son Zen, Chris had to fight a fierce legal battle that spanned multiple years and cost about U.S. $20,000 in fees. He has now reached a point where he can see Zen three to four times a week. Now 12 years old, Zen is a great kid with a vibrant personality. He is also a fitness enthusiast like his father, and in a 2021 interview with Men’sHealth, Chris shared that Zen could already pull off 100 push-ups on the ground.
Chris and Zen’s mom are no longer together, and it appears that Chris has moved on. He got into another relationship. The identity of this new girlfriend remains a mystery, as Chris hasn’t provided any information on her. He has, however posted pictures with a woman using the handle @arod-vanwild on Instagram, who he also referred to as “his girl.”
In 2023, Chris welcomed his second child, a daughter whom he named Ocean Heria. We have no information on who the mother of Ocean is or whether Chris is in a relationship with her.
Chris Heria’s Net Worth
Chris Heria is estimated to have a net worth of $8 million in 2024. His income is derived primarily from YouTube content creation. He has amassed over 4.8 million subscribers on his personal YouTube channel ‘CHRIS HERIA,’ where he shares videos centred around home workouts, diets, and fitness challenges. His other YouTube channel, THENX, has about 7.7 million followers. Bio Overview estimates that Chris earns about $1,500 daily from both channels.
In addition to YouTube content creation, Chris has established many other businesses. He is the founder and CEO of ThenX, a fitness program through which Chris and his team provide elite fitness instruction to clients worldwide. The fitness program generates additional revenue from the sale of merch, resistance bands, and weighted vests. He’s also the founder of Miami Trainer, Calisthenics Evolution Institute.
Chris has also launched a couple of apps. The first is Heria Pro, a training app that creates, customises, and schedules workouts and programs. He also released the ThenX app, which allows users to stream callisthenics workout videos. Both apps have thousands of monthly subscribers.
Chris Heria’s Workout Routine
Chris Heria’s workout routines are largely based on callisthenics, which focuses on exercising by using the weight of one’s own body to build strength and endurance. Chris has shared that he got inspired to explore calisthenics-based workouts by watching cartoons like Dragon Ball Z, which featured characters doing bodyweight training and pushing their bodies to the limit.
However, Chris doesn’t restrict himself to only one style of workout. He also incorporates free weights like dumbbells and barbells for certain routines. He is also known for his frequent use of weight vests.
He favours a holistic workout regime that hits muscles in different body parts from various angles, stimulating compounded muscle growth. His weekly workout routine is as follows: 5 days of intense training targeted at different body parts, followed by two days of rest to give his muscles time to recover. Here’s what his training split looks like:
- Day 1: Chest
- Day 2: Back
- Day 3: Shoulders
- Day 4: Legs
- Day 5: Arms
- Day 6: Rest
- Day 7: Rest
Chest Workout
- Weighted vest push-up – 25 reps
- Weighted vest ring dip – 12 reps
- Weighted vest push-up with bar – 25 reps
- Weighted vest ring pus–up – 12 reps
- Weighted vest decline push-up – 25 reps
Back Workout
- Spiderman push-up across – 5 reps
- Mountain climbers – 45 seconds
- Plank – 45 seconds
- Barbell deadlift – 4 sets of 5 reps
- Bent over row – 4 sets of 7 reps
- Pull up – 4 sets until failure
- Single-arm dumbbell row – 4 sets of 7 reps
- Barbell curl – 4 sets until failure
- Australian pull-up – 4 sets until failure
Shoulder Workout
- Single-arm pull-up – 3 sets of 4 reps
- Tuck planche press to handstand – 3 sets of 6 reps
- Barbell military press – 3 sets of 10 reps
- Tuck planche push up – 3 sets of 5 reps
- Handstand to 90 degrees push up – 3 sets of 10 reps
- Dumbbell rear delt fly – 3 sets of 12 reps
- Handstand push-up – 3 sets of 8 reps
Leg Workout
- Jump squat and hold – 4 sets of 15 reps
- Alternating lunge and hold – 4 sets of 20 reps
- Sumo squat – 4 sets of 20 reps
- Jumping jacks – 4 sets of 45 seconds each
- Calf raise and hold – 4 sets of 20 reps
- Pistol squat – 4 sets of 8 reps
- Wall sit – 4 sets of 45 seconds each
- Box jump – 4 sets of 15 reps
Arm Workout
- Pronated curl – 3 sets of 10 reps
- Supinated curl – 3 sets of 10 reps
- Neutral curl – 3 sets of 10 reps
- Overhead triceps extension – 3 sets of 10 reps
- Laying dumbbell extension – 3 sets of 10 reps
- Supinated triceps kickback – 3 sets of 10 reps
Before every workout session, Chris warms up by doing 10 minutes of cardio. He then cools down for 5 to 10 minutes after every session. He also recommends starting each day with 100 push-ups without fail. You can check out this video where Chris shows how to perform 100 push-ups with perfect form:
Chris Heria’s Diet
Chris maintains a flexible diet plan that is modified based on his fitness goals in every period. In particular, his carbs intake changes significantly depending on the workout he will perform. When training with heavyweights, he increases his carbs intake but reduces it when trying to burn fat.
In this video, Chris Heria takes us through his daily meal plan to get shredded:
1. Meal 1: Scrambled eggs with pepper
- Four eggs
- 1 cup of kale
- 38 grams of onions
- ½ cup of peppers
- ½ tablespoon of olive oil
This is about 453 calories, with 27.3 grams of fats, 20.2 grams of carbs, and 28.4 grams of protein.
2. Meal 2: Ground turkey with pepper
- 8 ounces of ground turkey
- ½ cup of peppers
- Onions
- Kale
- 3 ounces of pasta
- Olive oil
- One tablespoon of parmesan
Macros for this meal are 797 calories with 28.2 grams of fats, 79 grams of carbs, and 60.8 grams of protein.
3. Meal 3: Chicken and broccoli
- 8 ounces of chicken
- 1 cup of broccoli
- One and ½ cups of quinoa
- One medium-sized Lemon
- Olive oil
This meal constitutes 751 calories with 20.4 grams of fats, 62.7 grams of carbs, and 87.1 grams of protein.
4. Snack: Greek yogurt with fresh berries
Total daily macros: 2001 calories with 75.9 grams of fat, 161.9 grams of carbs, and 176.3 grams of protein.
Chris also incorporates the following supplements into his diet plan to keep his physique in top shape:
- BCAA
- Whey Protein
- Fish Oil
- Biotin
- Collagen
Chris typically has two small meals before a workout, each consisting of supplements, a medium-sized banana, and water. He recommends avoiding fast food, fried food, and foods containing artificial additives, refined sugar, and hydrogenated oils. Chris also engages in intermittent fasting.
Chris Heria’s Legal Issues
In 2012, Chris Heria had reportedly travelled down to Miami with his new girlfriend at the time and was attacked by a couple of teenage thugs. He was able to defend himself, managing to injure one of the assailants, who then threatened to find his house and kill him. This assailant later turned out to be his ex-girlfriend’s cousin.
A few months after the incident, Chris was arrested on his way to work. He was stopped and taken to custody by five police officers and was subsequently charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in connection to the stabbing of his ex-girlfriend’s cousin. Chris was eventually able to clear his name, but only after several visits to the court.
Chris Heria’s Music
A lesser-known fact about Chris Heria is that he once dabbled in music. In September 2018, the fitness instructor released his first music video for the single ‘On My Mind’. Later that same year, he released music videos for two other songs; ‘Feeling of You’ and ‘Patient.’
Impressively, Chris wrote, produced, and directed the music videos while managing his multiple different businesses. The videos didn’t do badly either; both ‘Feeling Of You’ and ‘On My Mind’ have been viewed over 1.7 million times as of January 2024.
In 2019, Chris released his first and sole album, ‘ Workout Music.’ The album contains nine songs, with the biggest hits being ‘Focus,’ ‘Smoke,’ and ‘Light It Up.’ Chris clearly has talents outside the fitness industry and is not afraid to explore them.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why was Chris Heria arrested? Chris got into some legal trouble back in 2012 when he was charged with aggravated battery for stabbing his ex-girlfriend’s cousin while defending himself in an attack.
- Is Chris Heria married? Chris Heria is not married to anyone currently and has never been. The fitness instructor has also become very private about his love life. As such, while he might have a girlfriend, her identity remains undisclosed.
- What is Chris Heria’s net worth? Various sources report Chris Heria’s net worth to be about $8 million, with the callisthenics enthusiast raking in over $300,000 annually.