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Callisthenics is a form of training where you use only your body weight as resistance. It is an ancient form of exercise that has recently seen a resurgence in popularity. Most importantly, this type of training can be done anywhere and requires no special equipment.
What is callisthenics and what are the benefits of doing it?
Callisthenics is a form of exercise that uses your body weight as resistance. Consequently, it can be done anywhere and requires no equipment. Callisthenics includes a wide variety of exercises, including push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and lunges.
Callisthenics is a great way to get in shape because it works all your muscles simultaneously. It is also a good way to improve your strength and flexibility. And because it doesn’t require any special equipment, callisthenics is a great option for people who don’t have access to a gym or other fitness facilities.
How to get started with callisthenics?
To start with callisthenics, choose four or five exercises you would like to do. You can find videos online demonstrating how to do these exercises correctly. Once you have learned the proper form for each exercise, start by doing one set of 10-15 repetitions. As you become stronger, increase the number of sets and repetitions that you do.
The different types of callisthenics exercises that you can do
There are many types of exercises you can do by yourself such as Yoga or Pilates but callisthenic exercises have one big advantage – it is very simple. There are 6 basic categories of callisthenic exercises namely:
1. Upper Body Pushing Exercises
The upper body pushing exercises train the pressing muscles of your upper body. These include chest, shoulders and triceps!
You can break the exercise down further into two groups namely horizontal pushes or vertical pulls.
2. Upper Body Pulling Exercises
The upper body pulling exercises train the muscles of your back and biceps.
These muscles include the posterior shoulders, rhomboids, trapezius, lats and biceps
You can also break the exercise down further into two groups namely horizontal pushes or vertical pulls.
3. Knee Flexion Exercises
The knee flexion exercises train the muscles that allow you to squat down and squat back up.
Those muscles are the the quadriceps, the adductors, various other muscles in the hip and lastly the the glutes
4. Single Leg Exercises
Single leg exercises help train your ability to balance yourself on each leg individually. It may surprise you, but do you realise that you spend the majority of your day on one leg.
When you perform these callisthenics exercises you strengthen the quadriceps, adductors, the core musculature and all of the small stabilizer muscles that normally aren’t stimulated during bilateral exercises.
5. Hip Extension Exercises
The purpose of the hip extension exercises is to train the powerful muscles of the posterior chain to assist you in flexing and extending at the hip.
These muscles are the the hamstrings, glutes and the lower back.
6. Core Stabilizing Exercises
If you didn’t already know, here is a shocker: sit-ups and stomach crunches are NOT the best way to train your abs. In fact it, many experts agree that it is not the correct way at all.
The callisthenics approach instead, dictates that you need to train core stabilisation. This means the ability to resist motion under load.
How to progress in your callisthenics training
If you’re looking to progress in your callisthenics training, there are a few things you can do. First, try adding some weight to your exercises. You can use a weighted vest, ankle weights, or even hold a dumbbell while you perform the exercises. Second, try doing more repetitions of each exercise. Finally, try challenging yourself with more difficult variations of the exercises.
The most important thing you must remember is that you have to concentrate on keeping good form!
FAQs about callisthenics
Below are some frequently asked questions people have about callisthenics. Whilst there are many differing opinions, all the experts agree that callisthenics is a great way to improve your physical and mental strength.
Is Callisthenics Good For Fat Loss?
Callisthenics offers a great way to lose weight. It typically burns around 330 calories per hour for someone who weighs 11 stone, though less if you’re lighter and more often than not still seeing some good results at 20-30 minutes long sessions!
Is Callisthenics Good For Building Muscle?
The body is an amazing machine. It can do so much with the little it has available, and one way that exercise affects your muscles positively for all sorts of reasons, including building new fibres, is by making them stronger after each workout!
You will not get to look like the hulk with callisthenics, for that you need lots of protein, heavy weights and low reps.
Why You Should Start Doing Callisthenics?
Callisthenics is a great way to build strength, balance and coordination without having any of the negative side effects that other types of exercise may cause such as running or weightlifting.
The continued higher functionality of your body requires you to focus on agility so you can perform daily tasks with ease while being aware enough not only for what’s happening around you but also inside yourself too!
Will Doing Callisthenics Help Improve Your Performance In Other Sports?
Callisthenics is a great way to get in shape and maintain strength while playing sports. Professional athletes often rely on this form of exercise, which helps them develop fast-twitch muscles that can be used for quick movements like blocks or tackles during competition time!
Are Callisthenics Athletes Stronger Than Bodybuilders?
Bodybuilders in general will be able to lift much more weight as a result of specific training for specific movements. Callisthenics practitioners on the other hand tend to have a much better strength-to-mass ratio (and they don’t tend to look like cartoon characters).
Callisthenics or Calisthenics?
Let us clear up the spelling confusion on the correct spelling of callisthenics. It’s quite simple: both are correct! It simply depends on whether you are using British English (two L’s) or American English (one L).
The best resources for learning more about callisthenics
There are tonnes of resources online and many experts and even more people who call themselves experts. I can recommend Hampton from Hybrid Calisthenics (yes, he is from America, hence only one L).
I do so with confidence as he is someone that I follow and have for a long time. He has such a pleasant manner which is especially great of you are just starting out on your journey. I have learnt quite a lot from Hampton and I am sure you can too.
Give his channel a look and see for yourself.
Conclusion
So, if you’re looking to get stronger without bulking up, improve your agility and coordination, or just generally become a badass human being… callisthenics is the way to go! Just be sure to concentrate on keeping good form – no one wants an injury. And always consult a professional trainer before starting any new exercise routine.
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Let me know in the comments section below!
