Calisthenics For Beginners
Calisthenic exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, and bodyweight squats are three of the most effective and versatile movements in all of fitness. These movements require no special equipment and can be performed anytime and anywhere. Plus, they can be modified and adjusted depending on your level of fitness. Whatever your goals are, these workouts can be adjusted to meet your specific needs. Calisthenics for beginners is about starting simple and moving well before progressing to more advanced movements.
Because these movements are so simple and so effective, they have become staples among calisthenics practitioners from all over the world. For those not familiar with calisthenics, here’s a short definition:
“Calisthenics are gymnastic exercises designed to develop physical health and vigor, usually performed with little or no special apparatus.”
The word calisthenics is a portmanteau of the Greek words “kallos”, meaning beauty, and “sthenos”, meaning strength. Literally, it means achieving bodily (read: aesthetic) perfection while building strength.
The practice of calisthenics traces as far back as 480 BC, when it was practiced by the Spartan army led by King Leonidas. If you remember the jacked dudes from the movie 300, that’s what calisthenics is all about.
Though that shouldn’t make you scared. Again, calisthenics is for everyone, not just for 300 jacked dudes ready to take down an army.
Calisthenics Today
The practice of calisthenics has found its way into nearly every form of exercise. Groups and individuals from soldiers to professional athletes, bodybuilders, powerlifters, strongman competitors, martial arts practitioners, and CrossFit athletes all make use of calisthenics in various shapes and forms. The applications are almost endless. If you have the chance to look at fitness throughout history, you’ll find countless variations and permutations of calisthenic exercises among different cultures and nationalities.
Like the ancient Greeks, people today use calisthenics as a way to raise overall fitness and improve appearance. Few exercises bring together fitness and aesthetics the way calisthenics does. Imagine being able to get fit and look good. How’s that for a win-win?
Why Is Calisthenics So Popular?
The practice of calisthenics has stood the test of time because of its universality. Calisthenics is available and accessible to everyone with a body--no frills or special machines needed. In fact, apart from a functioning body and a little space, there isn’t much more you need. No other fitness framework gives you as much bang for your buck than calisthenics.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a pro-athlete or an Average Joe; in fact, it doesn’t even matter if you’re on the road or even if you’re a thousand miles from the closest gym. With calisthenics, you can always get a workout in, anytime and anyplace.
Research shows that calisthenics can improve exercise capacity, physical fitness, and quality of life, while reducing fatigue in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
A similar study found that COPD Sitting Calisthenics (CSC) aided in the Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) of patients with COPD after having the patients perform calisthenics exercises at home for three months. At the end of the study it was recorded that CSC could potentially aid in the improvement of respiratory function and strength of the muscles in the arms and the legs (Takahashi et al., n.d.). Furthermore, calisthenics has been proven to be a safe way to improve the physical fitness of patients with COPD, comparable to cycling exercise in various treatment programs (Duruturk, Arıkan, Ulubay & Tekindal, 2015).
Both healthy and recovering individuals can benefit from performing calisthenics-type exercises provided said exercises are adjusted according to the individual’s specific needs.
Even elderly people have found improvements in their flexibility after training with calisthenics-type movements. A study that involved elderly individuals asked them to perform calisthenics type exercises three times a week for 52 weeks. After the 52 weeks, it was observed that the subjects in the study did not suffer the same flexibility losses that were otherwise found in sedentary elderly people (Farinatti, Rubini, Silva & Vanfraechem, 2014).
Furthermore, a study involving adult women found that after three months of training with calisthenics, they had improved coordination (Kaya, Duzgun, Baltaci, Karacan & Colakoglu, 2012).
Younger individuals can also benefit from performing calisthenics type exercises. In a study involving 39 youth, both boys and girls, it was found that their strength levels improved after being introduced to a calisthenics-based exercise program (Santos et al., 2017).
Calisthenics benefits the entire body
The standard push-up, which targets the chest and back muscles, can be performed to strengthen the upper body. Several variations of these are used by calisthenics practitioners to put more emphasis on certain body parts; the possibilities are almost endless. Varying hand positioning and hand width helps you target and activate different parts of the chest, triceps, and shoulder muscle groups.
Additionally, adjusting the positioning and elevation of your feet and hands allows you to work your body in different ways. Depending on your fitness level and goals, push-ups can be modified to better suit your training. Adding weight can make the movement more difficult while placing your hands on blocks, a bench, or any elevated surface can make the movement easier.
Looking for more ways to shake up your workout routine?
Spend more time under tension and perform repetitions with different tempos. Varying your push-up pace can stimulate your muscles differently (Contreras, 2017).
In this tutorial below, from Bodybuilding.com, Eduard Checo discusses proper form when performing push-ups. He outlines some key points to ensure that you are performing the movement properly so you can avoid injury and maximize muscle recruitment. Checo also provides regressions if performing the standard push-up are too difficult for you and progressions if you want to make the movement more difficult.
How to do Push Ups for Beginners with Progression | Barstarzz
Here’s a video from the FitnessFAQs YouTube channel that demonstrates 25 different push-up variations that you can include in your training to extend your workout and help ensure that you are maximizing your upper body development. You’ll find that some variations hit certain muscle groups more than others, which can help you build strength and size evenly across your body. The video alone is more than enough for any chest day. Imagine all the other variations you can discover along the way. You can also add variations using a set of gymnastics rings.
The 25 Best Push up Exercises
Pull-ups are also another movement that you should include in your training routine. Pull-ups put emphasis on the back muscles and activate the biceps as well. Much like push-ups, varying hand positioning and grip width contribute to greater activation of certain muscles. For instance, using a pronated grip for the pull-up recruits the middle trapezius more (Dickie, Faulkner, Barnes & Lark, 2017).
Pull-ups can also be varied to better fit with your goals and fitness level. Using resistance bands and negative pull-ups can help if doing a standard pull-up is too difficult. On the other hand, you can also add more weight (via a weighted vest or plates) if you want the movement to become more difficult.
In this video by the Calisthenics & Weight Training Youtube channel they demonstrate proper form in performing pull-ups & chin-ups, muscle activation during the pull-up & chin-up, and easier movements to perform to help you build strength towards performing a pull-up or chin-up if you currently cannot do so.
Pull Up & Chin Up Progression Guide incl. 10+ Exercises (Beginners Workout)
Never skip leg day!
Bodyweight squats are the most widely performed movement to target the muscles of the lower body. In a study that investigates the effects of bodyweight squats on muscular function and thigh circumference in college students, it was found that the movement can potentially be an effective movement in helping a trainee build power and increase hypertrophy in the legs. There are several variations of the overweight squats that can help with developing explosiveness such as the jumping squat and there are also variations that help improve balance such as the lunge and pistol squat. Rachel Buscher Vaziralli discusses how to perform the bodyweight squat in this video from the Howcast YouTube channel.
How to Do a Squat | Boot Camp Workout
Like the movements discussed earlier, performing variations of the bodyweight squat can develop different parts of your legs and improve your overall lower body strength and balance. Here in the next video, Ivan Nikolov demonstrates some of the most effective lower body calisthenics you can incorporate into your routine.
Calisthenics exercises: Lower body exercises-beginner to intermediate
Want to up the ante?
Use resistance bands to increase the load and tension of basic exercises. Adding a resistance band to your basic movements allows you a greater range of progressions and regressions to make your workouts easier or more difficult, depending on your fitness level. Resistance bands can be used for support and torture--your choice! The video below by Barstarrz demonstrates how to modify basic exercises using resistance bands. You can get resistance bands here.
How To Use Resistance Bands for Calisthenics
To help you get started with calisthenics, here are some sample workouts from the Bar Brothers website. The first workout is a full-body routine that combines both upper body and lower body movements; the second workout is an upper body focussed workout that emphasizes the chest, back, and arm (biceps and triceps) muscles; and the third workout is a lower body focussed workout that emphasizes targeting the quadriceps, glutes, and calves.
You may adjust any of the movements according to your goals and fitness level by using either the beginner movement progressions (as tackled in the videos) or by adding a resistance band for a more challenging workout.
Full Body Workout
3 Chin-ups
30 sec wall sit
12 Dips on a chair
8 Squats
8 Push-ups
2 Pull-ups
3 Hanging Leg Raises
7 Decline Push-ups
Perform this circuit three times resting four minutes in-between each cycle and resting for one minute between exercises.
Upper Body Workout
10 Push-ups
6 Chin-ups
3 Dips (Straight Bar)
6 Pull-ups
6 Dips (Parallel Bars)
Perform this circuit at least three times resting four minutes in-between each cycle and resting for 45 seconds between exercises.
Lower Body Workout
10 Squats
10 Lateral Lunges (Each Leg)
12 Calf Raises (Each Leg)
10 Lunges (Each Leg)
10 Squat Jumps
20 Seconds Duck Walk
Perform this circuit for a total of four times resting three minutes in-between each cycle and resting for 45 seconds between exercises.
Calisthenics has been proven to improve balance, coordination, strength, flexibility, mobility, and power in children, adults, and the elderly. Furthermore, it has been tested throughout time by professional athletes, scientists, and people from all walks of life. Whether you’re a total beginner or an elite-level competitor, there’s always room for calisthenics in your workout routine.
Looking for creative ways to get stronger, faster, and fitter?
Try any of the workouts above and incorporate as many variations as you can. You’ll be surprised at how much you can do even when you’re away from the gym!
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