Calisthenics Workout: Quick Directions For Beginners

A calisthenics workout is best when you cannot get to the gym or go to hot yoga. Coined from the ancient Greek Times, the training program is easy and can be done anywhere. Keep reading to find out more.

What Is A Calisthenics Workout?

A calisthenics workout is a form of exercise that uses your body’s resistance and gravity to enhance your coordination, improve your endurance, and strengthen your muscles. According to fitness experts, almost every bodyweight or strength training exercise is a calisthenics workout – crunches, lunges, pushups, and squats.

A calisthenics workout also ranges from easy-to-do exercises like squats that do not require equipment to advanced workout routines that require bars, such as pull-ups, and complex programs like gymnastics.

A calisthenics workout routine can also complement other training programs, or one can choose to focus entirely on the calisthenics alone.

The most exciting part about the best calisthenics workout is that they are flexible, and you can always do them whenever you want – in your backyard, at the gym, or at the office.

How Should A Beginner Start Calisthenics?

When it comes to beginner calisthenics workout routines, you must focus on figuring out how to handle the basic calisthenics exercises with good form. One of the most significant mistakes you would ever make when doing calisthenics is doing exercises that are not appropriate for your level.

The best thing you can do when doing calisthenics for beginners is to split your routines into four parts:

• Dips – The beginner calisthenics workout is a compound, bodyweight exercise. You can do dips by raising yourself on two dip bars with straight arms. Then lower your body until your shoulders are below your elbows. Afterward, push your body up until your arms are straight. These help work your arm muscles, back, chest, and shoulders.
• Push Ups – You can start doing this calisthenics for beginners’ workout on your knees or standing with your hands against a wall and ultimately move towards pushups on your toes. It is an excellent way to build upper body and core strength.
• Pull Ups – The beginner calisthenics workout is an upper-body exercise that involves hanging from a bar with your palms facing away from you and lifting your body with your arm and back muscles. It helps build holistic upper body strength.

• Lunges – You can do this beginner calisthenics workout on the spot by bending your torso and lowering your body towards the floor or by trying walking lunges, where you take a lunging step forward rather than bringing your feet back together.

  You might even try increasing the intensity of the calisthenics for beginners by trying jump lunges for more of a challenge.

• Squats – The calisthenics for beginners workout is a simple but highly effective exercise you can do on its own or by using a resistance band placed around your thighs.

Calisthenics At Home

The best calisthenics workout for home mainly involves no to minimize equipment. They include:

• Mountain Climbers – It is one of the best calisthenics workouts, no equipment to try if you are looking to start your fitness journey. It strengthens your core and gets your energy off the roof. Begin in a plank position with your hands down and keep your core tight. Bring one knee close to your chest, then take your foot back to rest and alternate.
• Bent And Straight Leg Raises – Another incredible calisthenics workout no equipment. You do these by lying on the ground to boost stability in your lower back.

  As your strength multiples, you can use a bench or switch to hanging leg raises, holding on to rings. It is also one of the best calisthenics leg workouts.

• Jumping Jacks – These are the easiest calisthenics for beginners’ workouts. They work your legs and get your heart rate up. When jumping, extend your legs just over shoulder-width apart and keep your arms together over your head.
• Tricep Box Dips – As mentioned before, dips work your arms, and we all want killer arms (zero fat included). What’s more, you can perform the beginner calisthenics workout anywhere there is an elevated surface – on a chair, sofa, wall, or box.

  To perform it, rest your legs in front of you as you would with typical dips and concentrate on slow-down motion and explosive upward movements.

• Planks – The calisthenics workout is simple but sweat-breaking and is excellent for balance, core strength, and stability. For more variation, push up to a high plank with one hand, then lower back down.

• Sit Ups – According to studies^[1], sit-ups are incredibly important, especially if you struggle with chronic back and neck pain.

  To perform the calisthenics workout routine, lie on the floor with your legs bent and your feet anchored. With your hand behind your head, tighten your core and sit up using the strength of your hips and waist.

• Top Tip – To minimize back and neck strain, keep your lower back pressed on the ground and your spine C-shaped.

How To Stretch For A Calisthenics Circuit Workout

Doing stretches before and after a calisthenics workout routine is vital. It not only builds strength but also prevents any joint pain and muscle strain issues. To ensure to get out the best from your workout session, try these stretches:

Shoulders And Upper Body Warm Up^[2]

• Tuck your pelvis forward while keeping your core tight.
• Place your right hand on your neck while the back of the left palm touches your lower back.
• Push into your body and then pinch your shoulders.
• Slowly hover off your back, then lock out your arms.
• Rotate your arms, hover again, and then push into your body.
• Pull into the scalp, pull off your back, and lock out the arms.
• Rotate both shoulders, then hover before pushing into your body again.
• Do five reps.

Spine Opener

• Keep your toes and hips widened
• Bend your knees just a bit
• Push your hips away and lower your elbows right inside your thigh
• When you can’t go lower, push your hips back and then let them go up in a rotative motion
• Do five reps and then do it anti-clockwise

The Requirements For Your Calisthenics Workout Plan

You need to be particularly careful when making a calisthenics workout plan. To get the most out of it, make sure you:

• Define Your Goals – One of the best ways to set a calisthenics workout routine plan is to define your goals. What is it that you aim to achieve? It could be becoming fit or simply adding some muscles. To get the most out of your routine, having a goal will help you get more organized.
• Build A Solid Program – Choose the type of calisthenics workout no equipment routine you want to perform, and that you will be repeating each week for a certain period. Some of the best exercises to add to your routine include a push-day workout, pull-ups, and jump squats. Remember, consistency is the key here.

The Three Basic Calisthenics Movements

Below is a breakdown are a few basic calisthenics workout programs you can try:

1. The Push Calisthenics Exercises – The first type of calisthenics workout is the push exercise. This movement primarily trains the anterior side of your upper body, especially your chest, shoulder, and triceps.

The most basic type of calisthenics workout is the push-day workout. As underwhelming as it might be, there are numerous ways you can amp up the complexity and increase difficulty levels in the movement.

A push-day workout involves advanced movements such as handstands, triceps extensions, overhead presses, and chest flies.

2. The Pull Calisthenics Exercises – The second form of calisthenics workout is the pull exercise. The movement trains the muscle in the posterior side of your body, especially the biceps, lats, posterior shoulders, rhomboids, and trapezius.

Unlike the push-day workout, the only problem with this calisthenics exercise is that you require some equipment, such as a gymnastics ring or pull-up bar. The most basic pull calisthenics exercise is the bent-over row, bicep curl, and pull-up.

3. The Leg Calisthenics Exercises – Another type of calisthenics workout routine is leg exercise. This form of exercise involves various forms of hip extensions, lunges, and squats to help strengthen the gluteal muscles, hamstrings, and quadriceps.

The only drawback to this calisthenics workout is that you will ultimately outgrow it. Your legs are powerful, and your body weight will not offer enough resistance to stimulate them repeatedly.

Types Of Calisthenics And How To Do?

1. 10 Pull-Ups – The pull-up is one of the best calisthenics workouts. To perform:

• Stand facing your exercise bar.
• Grasp the pull-up bar from the top with your arms considerably more than shoulder-width apart.
• Use your shoulder muscles to pull yourself up, bringing your head up the bar.

2. 10 Chin-Ups – To perform the best calisthenics workout, be sure to:

• Stand facing the pull-up bar.
• Grab the bar from underneath with your arms in a tight, considerably closer-than-shoulder-width grip.
• Use your biceps to pull yourself up, bringing your head over the bar.

3. 20 Dips – This is one of the best calisthenics leg workouts. To perform it:

• Stand inside a dip bar and use your arms and shoulder to lift yourself off the ground.
• Bend your elbows back using your tricep muscles to move up and down.
• If you do not own a dip bar, use an exercise ball or your chair by placing your feet on the ground and knees at a 90-degree angle.

4. 25 Jump Squats – Jump squats are the best calisthenics workout routines for beginners. To perform them:

• Stand with your body facing forward and feet parallel to the ground, directly underneath your shoulders.
• Move your feet inches apart with the toes pointed somewhat outward.
• Get into a squat position, lowering your hips back and down as you bend your knees.
• Have your chest upright, with the head and face forward.
• Go deep into a squat and then explode forcefully upwards into a jump.

And did we mention it is one of the best calisthenics for women? Now you know!

5. 20 Pushups – A push-day workout is incredible for your heart rate and productivity. To perform:

• Go down on your knees and place your hands underneath but somewhat outside your shoulders.
• Widen your legs as you hold your body up with your arms, getting into a plank position.
• Ensure not to let your back sag or stick up into the air.
• Lower your body as you bend your elbows close to your body until your chest touches the ground.
• Your upper arms should be at a 45-degree angle when the top of your body is in the lower pushup position.
• Stop while you’re in the lower position and then push back up to the initial position quickly.

Note: For your push-day workout, ensure to keep your core flexed during the entire movement.

6. 50 Crunches – It is one of the best calisthenics workout no equipment. To perform it:

• Lay on the floor with the back flat.
• Keep your feet flat on the floor, placing your knees at a 90-degree angle.
• Cross your hands on your chest while keeping your head at a fist’s distance from your chest.
• Ensure to tighten your core and sit up until your elbows or chest touch your knees.
• Use your core muscles to pull yourself up, breathing out as you sit up and in as your lie down.

7. 10 Burpees – To perform this calisthenics leg workout:

• Stand facing forward with feet shoulder-width apart and keeping all the weight in your heels and arms at your side.
• Push the hips back, bend your knees, and get into a squat.
• Place your palms on the ground in front of you, a little narrower than your feet.
• Put some weight into your hands and jump your feet back, landing on the balls of your feet, your body in a straight plank position.
• Be sure not to let your backside sag or stick up into the air.
• Jump your feet forward, so they land next to your hands.
• Push your arms over your head and jump quickly into the air.

What Are The Benefits Of Calisthenics?

Here are some of the benefits of having a calisthenics workout:

• It Is Perfect For Beginners – Any calisthenics workout, even calisthenics for women, is incredible for beginners and does not pose a high risk of injury. So, if you are a newbie, calisthenics can improve your form and confidence.
• It Improves Your Mobility – A calisthenics leg workout routine incorporates upper and lower body exercises. It engages your core and helps you manage various joint pain and muscle strain issues.
• It Makes You Stronger – A calisthenics workout no equipment helps you build your full-body strength and improves your muscle mass. Apart from various pushup variations, you can enhance the difficulty of a squat by adding single-leg squats.
• It Is Fun – It does not matter if you are trying to learn a basic push-day workout or trying to master the pull-up bar; there are numerous ways to make your training exciting as you enhance your strength and flexibility.

Calisthenics Vs. Weight Exercises

A calisthenics exercise, including a calisthenics leg workout, requires an individual to use their bodyweight as resistance. Weight exercises, on the other hand, build your strength using equipment such as barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, or medicine balls.

Both workouts are incredible ways to enhance your strength and, according to studies, produce similar results, at least in the short term. For instance, a study^[3] following 15 men (engaged in a weight-based program) and 17 men following the US Army’s calisthenics-based training program for 1.5 hours every day, fives days a week, for eight weeks showed that both groups achieved similar results.

However, making progress with weight exercises requires continuous overload (you have to slowly increase the weight you lift). Calisthenics, even calisthenics for women, involves working towards complex activities or variations such as decline pushups and plyo push-ups.

The Harsh Truth About Your Calisthenics Progress

Many individuals should reap the benefits of a calisthenics workout routine after two to three months, provided they work out a minimum of thrice per week. You will improve your strength, especially in your upper body, and start seeing changes in your arms, chest, and shoulders.

PPA’s

Take Away!

Anyone can try calisthenics – you do not require equipment or a fitness trainer. The key to getting the most out of the workout routine is starting and being consistent. Try the calisthenics workout today, and let us know how it goes!