If you’re a beginner or a seasoned fitness enthusiast, you’ve probably heard about calisthenics but might be still confused with what is it all about. It’s a popular type of exercise because of its capability of building overall body strength without needing any equipment. It also offers a wide range of exercise options that suits any gender, age group, or fitness level.

It could be intimidating at first to try, that’s why we’ve put together everything you need to know about calisthenics and how to get started. With that said, let's go over the basics.

What Is Calisthenics

Calisthenics is more commonly practiced than you think. Probably most of the exercises that you’ve done before is some form of calisthenics in itself. Simply put, it's a type of a bodyweight resistance training that uses your own bodyweight rather than free weights or exercise machines.

Calisthenics range from very simple exercises (squats, push-ups, and lunges), to more advanced routines (dips, pull-ups, and jump squats). It is flexible and can be easily incorporated into a workout program or training.

Why Should You Start Doing Calisthenic Exercises?

Calisthenics offers various benefits to fit your fitness goals and current health condition. It’s straightforward, has a variety of exercises, and is appropriate for all ages. But why exactly should you start doing calisthenics? Here are a few reasons:

• You Can Choose When & Where to Exercise - since calisthenic exercises use your bodyweight, equipment is not required. This means you can do calisthenics virtually anywhere: at home, in the park, or in your hotel room while you’re on holiday or traveling to work. This flexibility allows you to take control of your workout routine.
• It’s Great for Beginners - many calisthenic exercises are simple and are very accessible to everyone. If you’re just starting your fitness journey, calisthenic exercises can help you learn the correct form safely before starting weighted exercises.
• It Uses Whole-Body Exercises - unlike the traditional weight training, most calisthenic exercises are designed to incorporate your whole body into the movement. This means you increase the strength of your entire body, rather than just focusing on single areas at a time.
• It Makes You Stronger - calisthenic exercises help improve full-body strength. It allows you to work on not only on your core, but also on your arms, back, and leg muscles by only using your own bodyweight.

Calisthenics Vs Weightlifting

There is an ongoing debate surrounding which form of exercise is better: calisthenics or weightlifting? In reality, there are benefits to both approaches. Both can be effective in helping you achieve your fitness goals and used in conjunction with one another.

Weightlifting has the benefit of allowing you to rapidly increase your strength and muscles with the option of gradually increasing the amount of weight lifted. Calisthenics, on the other hand, does not require any equipment and is a great starting point for beginners to learn the correct form for various routines.

To help you differentiate one from the other even better, here’s a quick list:

• Training Flexibility - calisthenics gives you the freedom of doing strength training anytime or anywhere for free, while weightlifting requires more attention to build up the right muscle groups through guided training, gym equipment, and the right exercise routines.
• Endurance - calisthenics is all about exercising to build core strength and endurance, while weightlifting tests your core strength and endurance to build muscles.
• Functional Strength - calisthenics help develop physical coordination and movement control, while weightlifting improves your physical force.
• Weight Loss - calisthenics can be easily integrated with other workout routines to help burn fats faster. Weightlifting, on the other hand, is focused on building body mass but has lesser effect to weight loss.
• Body Mass - calisthenics can build overall body mass using your own bodyweight, while weightlifting offers more accurate results as it has designated routines to improve body mass on specific parts of the body.

Common Misconceptions about Calisthenic Exercises

• You Can’t Build Muscle With Calisthenics - some argue that calisthenics doesn’t allow you to build muscle mass as much as weightlifting does. In reality, calisthenics is more applicable in building muscles for the whole body. If your goal is to build specific muscle groups more accurately and faster, go for weightlifting instead.
• It’s Not for Women - because a lot of calisthenics involves upper body strength exercises such as pull-ups, some say that women don’t or shouldn’t do it. It's true that women have significantly lower body muscle mass than men, but calisthenics is for everyone. Regardless of the gender, anyone can reap its benefits with proper execution and consistency.
• You Can’t Progress With Calisthenics - there’s an assumption that without the option to increase weights, you can’t progress in your training beyond your own bodyweight. However, just because calisthenics exercises don’t require equipment, does not mean you can’t use them. To increase resistance in certain bodyweight exercises, there are several things you can do such as:
• Using a resistance band
• Increasing the reps that you do
• Raising the difficulty of the routines (e.g., progressing from pull-ups to the chest to bar pull-ups, and eventually muscle-ups)
• Wearing a weight vest or using dumbbells
• Doing ‘jumping’ versions of the exercises to increase your heart rate (e.g., jumping squats)

The Latest Research on the Benefits of Calisthenics

All the health benefits that calisthenics offer have been backed by scientific studies. A 2017 research by the Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit at the University of Palermo found that calisthenics training is a “feasible and effective training solution to improve posture, strength, and body composition without the use of any major training equipment."

Another study published in 2019 found out that strength training and calisthenics improves both mental and physical health in older institutionalized adults. Additionally, people who are using weight training machines were more likely to report lower-back pains than those who are doing calisthenics or free weights.

Essential Equipment to Get Started with Calisthenics

As mentioned, calisthenics mainly relies on your bodyweight, but adding a few pieces of equipment to your routine can raise the difficulty a notch higher. Here are some great picks to name a few:

• Gym Rings - ring attachments that help build muscle, core strength, stability, and coordination
• Suspension Trainers - a thick elastic band that can be used to accommodate variable resistance in your bodyweight exercises
• Parallettes - two bars on stands that sit parallel to each other
• Pull-up bar - a horizontal pole that you can use to ‘pull up’ your bodyweight

Best Calisthenic Exercises

Calisthenics offers a wide range of difficulty levels for its exercises and is great for all beginners. Most of the routines don’t require any equipment, but you can choose to use them after about 6 months of training. Below are a few exercises we recommend for beginners as they will work on individual or core muscle groups.

Basic Routines:

• Squats - can be done on your own or with a resistance band wrapped around your thighs for more challenge.
• Lunges - can either be done with alternating legs or as ‘walking’ lunges. You can even up the intensity and do these as ‘jumping’ lunges for a challenge.
• Planks - usually done in a plank position while your arms, knees, or feet support your bodyweight. This is great for improving balance, and core strength.
• Crunches - done by “curling up” the body to work out your core muscles.

Routines That Require Equipment:

• Doorway Pull-ups - the pull-up bar can be installed anywhere in your home without major carpentry work. Gym rings can also be used for added challenge due to their instability.
• Bodyweight Rows - a horizontal pulling exercise using a set of dipping bars.
• Ab Wheel Roll - using an ab roller, slowly extend your body horizontally which offers exercising your abs, core strength, and back.

If you are just beginning your fitness journey or getting back after some time, we understand that it can be difficult to find the starting point. Most of the basic calisthenic workouts are those that you may have already done before without realizing it. A good rule of thumb is to attempt doing as many reps as you can and gradually add more reps or increase the intensity of the workout.

In Conclusion

Calisthenics is a great form of strength exercise that is appropriate for all individuals. It offers the flexibility to choose when, where, and how challenging you want it to be. It is also a perfect alternative to working out at a gym to lessen your exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

However, it is highly recommended to consult first a health professional and/or an expert fitness trainer to assess the current condition of your body and health. These assessments will help determine your starting point with the fitness journey as well as safe progressions over time.