You have undoubtedly witnessed calisthenics in action, even if you don’t fully understand what it is.
The toned man at your gym who can raise his entire upper body above a pull-up bar is performing calisthenics and is performing a muscle-up.
That person you saw performing dips in the park is also performing calisthenics, as is the guy you watched on YouTube who transformed himself into a human flag by keeping his body parallel to the ground.
“Calisthenics is a type of exercise that tests your level of fitness by using bodyweight leverage and gravity.” Kenneth Gallarzo, the creator of Systematic Calisthenics, said, “I think that’s the easiest way I can put it.”
We’ve put up a comprehensive introduction to the discipline with Gallarzo’s assistance. He has years of experience teaching both himself and others, so whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or experienced practitioner, we have something to teach you about the art of managing your own bodyweight.
About Calisthenics
Greek terms “Kalos,” which means beauty, and “Stenos,” which means strength, are the source of the word calisthenics.
Calisthenics was formerly intended to help schoolchildren maintain their health “and thus securing beauty and strength,” but it has now developed into a training regimen that is quite similar to gymnastics. In contrast to gymnastics, however, it is a “street workout” that may be done outside.
The majority of individuals learn calisthenics by seeing someone perform a more difficult variation of it. Many of the discipline’s current practitioners most likely witnessed Hannibal Lanham, often referred to as Hannibal for King, whose calisthenics practice, which he performed in parks around Queens, New York, brought the discipline to the attention of millions of people.
However, Gallarzo found considerably more regional inspiration. Prior to discovering calisthenics, Gallarzo says, “I was already into fitness; I worked as a personal trainer at a large corporate-style gym, so I was doing the traditional type of lifting. I had never seen someone perform muscle ups like that before, but there was this one man.
After doing some research and seeing it on YouTube, I was so impressed that I decided to give bodyweight training a try.
The Advantages of Gymnastics
Now that you are aware of its origins, what makes practicing calisthenics worthwhile? We had a conversation with Tayo Awoderu, the Steel Warriors calisthenics trainer and online instructor, and he gave us several reasons to gain muscle using only your bodyweight.
No Equipment Is Required
The ability to perform calisthenics anywhere without pricey equipment or a gym membership is one of its greatest benefits. For an excellent exercise, all you need is your body and some free space.
Enhances Strength in Function
The movements used in calisthenics mimic the squat, leap, pull, and push actions of the human body. Improving functional strength helps with daily chores and sports performance.
Boosts Mobility and Flexibility
Calisthenics requires a wide range of motion, which improves mobility and flexibility. Over time, this type of activity may improve overall health and reduce the chance of injury.
Increases Lean Muscular Mass
Exercises including calisthenics target several muscle groups at once, giving the body a more defined and toned appearance. You may increase your body composition and gain lean muscle mass with regular exercising.
Offers a Complete Body Workout
Exercises with compound motions that target many muscular groups at once are common in calisthenics programs. This makes it an efficient and effective type of exercise since you may receive a full-body workout in a short period of time.
Exercise Regimen vs. Weight Training
If you prefer weight training to calisthenics, you’re not doing fitness incorrectly because both are beneficial training techniques. However, you might wish to modify your workout to fit your personal goals if you have any. Let us clarify…
Regarding Hypertrophy
Workouts with a barbell or dumbbells may be more beneficial if your objective is to develop big arms or a fearsome, chiseled chest. This is not to suggest that you cannot or will not gain muscle with calisthenics; on the contrary, using weights throughout your workout will facilitate the isolation and targeting of particular muscle groups.
According to Kate Neudecker, fitness writer for Men’s Health, “Lifting weights will enable you to drive a particular muscle group closer to failure, increasing the possibility that you will acquire size in that particular location if focused hypertrophy is your aim.”
With calisthenic workouts, you may be able to exert the same muscle group nearly to failure; the difference is that more muscles are used and the resistance is often reduced. Having said that, there is debate among those who have attempted tricep dips without success, since it depends much on the workout.
For Strength
All you need to do to determine if you can develop strength using only your bodyweight is to see how incredibly thin and powerful gymnasts are.
Naturally, we all know that the best way to demonstrate strength is to lift a lot of weight. However, it may be worthwhile to inquire, for what reason?
Of course you should strive high if it keeps you motivated, consistent, and enjoyable. However, a pistol squat, the ultimate measure of single-leg power, humbles many people with excellent deadlift statistics, according to Neudecker.
Exercises including calisthenics also have the added benefit of being a good indicator of strength in proportion to body mass. So, a press-up or pull-up rep target is a terrific way to track progress for those who have body composition objectives but aren’t big on the scale, she clarifies.
To Burn Calorie
Although lifting weights can help you lose weight overall, calisthenics is our recommendation if you want to lose a significant amount of weight.
All resistance training, including lifting weights and bodyweight exercises, can enhance your daily caloric expenditure, but bodyweight exercises often involve high repetition ranges or circuit training, which can raise the workout’s overall energy output, according to Neudecker.
Research Findings Regarding Calisthenics
In addition to our expertise, science has also determined that doing calisthenics has genuine advantages.
Researchers from the Sport and Exercise Sciences research unit at the University of Palermo, Italy, found that calisthenics training is a “effective training solution to improve posture, strength, and body composition without the use of any major training equipment” in their 2017 study,
“The effects of a calisthenics training intervention on posture, strength, and body composition.”
28 guys were used in the study, and they were split into two groups. For eight weeks, one group engaged in calisthenics exercises, and the other stuck to their regular exercise regimens.
Following eight weeks, each participant had a handgrip test, a press-up and pull-up test, a posture evaluation, and a body composition study.
Even though the men’s calisthenics training didn’t involve these particular movements, the researchers nevertheless found that the men had reduced their body fat percentage, improved their posture, and boosted their capacity for press- and pull-ups.
On the other hand, the group that stuck to their regular training regiments didn’t actually get much better than they were before the eight weeks started.
Basics of Calisthenics
Just as you wouldn’t anticipate to enter a gym for the first time and begin benching 100 kg, you shouldn’t anticipate performing a human flag exercise on the first day of your calisthenics program.
You should begin with simple exercises. In calisthenics, the simple press-up is one of the most fundamental, yet crucial, movements. That being said, there are beginner and intermediate variations of even the press-up. Gallarzo suggests starting with an inclined press-up if you are unable to perform a press-up.
To achieve that, place your hands on a bench or any other surface that is the same height as your bodyweight and support it. Then, with your feet planted on the floor, focus on perfecting your press-up technique.
You’re going to be controlling more of your bodyweight in conventional press-ups once you’ve mastered the incline press-up. You can proceed to doing dips if you can complete 20 of them, but be advised that doing so requires complete body control.
In addition to practicing fundamental pull exercises like rows, Gallarzo suggests that beginners focus on bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, and planks.
Reach for a bar and land on your back to complete a row. As you draw your chest toward the bar, make sure your feet are constantly in contact with the floor.
Starting on an incline makes this action easier; the harder you go, the more parallel you are to the ground, and that’s how you improve.
Calisthenics for Beginners
Use this beginner’s calisthenics workout to include the beginner’s exercises into a full regimen once you’ve tried them out and are satisfied with the results.
The following exercises should be done in two to three rounds, with a two-minute break in between.
Press-ups
5 to 20 repetitions, according on your level of fitness. Continue on to the intermediate workout below if you can complete more than 20 reps.
Assume a straight posture with your hands beneath your shoulders and your weight supported on your toes. Make sure your heels, glutes, and head make a straight line by maintaining a tight core. Extend your arms fully to create an explosive drive up after lowering your body till your chest is only an inch above the ground.
Squats
15–20 repetitions.
Place your feet shoulder-width apart as you stand. Bend your knees and sit back with your hips to begin the exercise. As soon as you’re as low as you can, swiftly raise yourself back up to your starting position. Throughout the exercise, maintain a straight back and an upturned head.
Plank
For 30 to 45 seconds, according on your capacity.
While performing a press-up, place your weight on your forearms as opposed to your hands. Tense your glutes and abdominal, and make sure your back is straight. Remain upright by without letting your hips drop.
Grab-inverted Row Close-grip
5 to 20 repetitions.
Place a bar in the squat rack and place your hands shoulder-width apart to grasp it with an underhand grip. Maintain a straight posture from your neck to your ankles as you raise your body until your chest nearly meets the bar. After pausing, return to the starting position by lowering yourself.
Lunges While Walking
10 to 15 for each leg.
Stretch your right leg as far forward as you can while bending your following knee until it nearly touches the floor. Push off into the next lunge with the heel of your right foot, leading with your left leg this time.
Activities for Calisthenics
The calisthenics exercises that are best for beginners have already been covered; however, there are other exercises that you may do if you’re more experienced.
Broad-grip pull-ups
With your arms outstretched and your hands facing away from you, grab the bar. As broad as you can comfortably make your hands, that is. To raise your chin over the bar, squeeze your shoulder blades together, release the air, and move your elbows toward your hips. Return to the starting position while maintaining control.
Dips
With your arms straight and your palms facing inward, grab the bars of a dip station. Make sure your elbows remain tucked against your body and don’t flare out as you slowly lower them until they are at a straight angle. Get back up to the top and do it again.
Superman Plank
Put yourself in the standard plank posture, using your forearms and toes to support your body as it forms a straight line. Next, raise and extend one arm and the opposing leg gently. Hold the position for five seconds, or for whatever long is comfortable.
Return your leg and arm to their initial positions and elevate the leg and arm on the other side. You can hold the superman posture for a longer period of time if you’ve perfected the maneuver.
Press-ups utilizing the Handstand
Step in front of a wall and place your hands on the ground. Arms straight, kick yourself up against the wall. Try your best to maintain a straight body and legs. Bend your arms so that your back is parallel to the wall. Push yourself up and let out at the bottom.
