Calisthenics – Bodyweight workout

Calisthenics is a form of exercise where the person uses his/her own bodyweight as resistance. This type of workout is not that different from the traditional gym workout which involves free weights. At the gym, you use barbells, dumbbells, and other equipment, but here you use your own body weight to create a different level of resistance for each muscle group.

Calisthenics is good for people who do not want to go to the gym, or have a hectic work schedule and do not have the time to go to the gym. It is a great alternative for improving strength, endurance, and flexibility.

You will not need any special equipment when performing this type of exercise. However, you might need a small pullup bar for some activities that require a change in body position.

In this post, we will show you some Calisthenics exercises, and their benefits.

Photo by Nicole De Khors from Burst

Benefits of Calisthenics:

can be done anytime and anywhere:

You will not need ample space and or so much equipment to start training. The mental barriers that prevent the majority of people from going to the gym are eliminated here, where you can just start training like RIGHT NOW.

maximize efficiency:

It maximizes the efficiency of your exercise, which can be helpful if you are a person who has little time to exercise. unlike the gym where you will need a minimum of an hour to complete your workout, you can go from one exercise to another with no roadblocks such as waiting for equipment to be available.

help you burn more calories:

In general bodyweight exercises are compound exercises, where you will be training several muscle groups at once. For instance, push-up exercise will train your chest, shoulders, core, and triceps if you do it properly. By training multiple muscles at the same time, not only you will burn more calories, but also build more muscle.

It is better for your body:

When lifting weights at the gym you are at risk of injuries especially if you do not use the right technique. Unlike the gym workout, Calisthenics reduces the risk of injury which is good news for your joints. The Human body is built to move in different ways, which means bodyweight training is more suitable for your joints, tendons, and muscles. One more bounce is that the recovery process when your bodyweight train is faster than when lifting weights.

“Calisthenics actually increases your resting metabolic rate, as well as enhance and develop muscular and aerobic endurance. Not only that, but it is more effective at developing lower-body coordination compared to Pilates within the same period of time”

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Calisthenics Exercises:

We will divide the exercise into two categories, beginners’ exercises and advanced exercises:

Beginner Exercises:

Squat:

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Back straight, chest out, shoulder down.
• Squat downwards until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
• Straighten your legs to return to the starting point.

Lunges:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart
• Take a step forward with your right foot
• Then slowly bend both knees until your back knee is just above the floor.
• Stand back up, take a step forward with your left leg
• Slowly bend both knees until your back knee is just above the floor.

Knee push-ups:

• Start in the push-up position, but with your knees on the floor, and your feet crossed in the air.
• Lower down until your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
• Push back up again
• Make sure that your wrists are directly under your shoulders
• Keep your body straight
• Breath in as you go down and breath out as you go up

Planks:

• Start by lying down on your stomach
• Place your elbows below your shoulders
• Make sure your hands and palms are on the ground, and onto your toes
• This will create a straight line from your shoulders to the heels
• Hold this position for approximately 10 seconds and If you can hold longer that is great

Advanced Exercises:

Burpees:

This exercise consists of jumping, squats, planks, and pus-up.

• You will start with a jump, where you need to make sure that your head is aligned with your heels
• Go down with wide knees, then hop up and land right back into a squat position
• When landing into a squat make sure that your head is aligned with your tailbone, knees go out wide, then drop straight down with your chest up.
• your hands need to come down, and your knees need to be wider than your elbows and keep straight back
• Then jump back into a plank position, your shoulders should be over your wrists, your body nice and flat, straight line from your head to your heels.
•  lower yourself down to a push-up position and come back up
•  jump your knees on the outside of your elbows, where they track over your toes, this way you can come right back to the jump and do another rep.

Pull-ups:

• Start by standing directly below a pull-up bar. Place your hand in an overhand grip where your palms face away from your body.
• If you can’t reach the bar from standing on the floor, place a box beneath you and stand on it.
• With your hands a little further than shoulder-wide apart, stick your chest out and curve your back slightly; that is our starting position.
• Pull yourself towards the bar using your back until the bar is at chest level.
• Slowly lower yourself to the starting position.
• Make sure to breathe out as you pull up and breathe in as you are coming down.

Bridge Exercise:

• Lie down on your back using a mat, and rest your hands at your sides.
• Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor beneath your knees
• From that position raise your hips to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders
• Squeeze your core and pull your belly button back toward your spine
• Hold that position for a few seconds
• Lower your hips to return to the starting position

What are you waiting for?

you do not need gym equipment or training background to start with calisthenics. the bodyweight exercises can be incorporated into your daily routine which will have a great impact on your overall health.

sitting all day whether at home or at your job has a bad effect on your health. all you need to do is to give these exercises a go. do the simple ones and with time try to increase the number of exercises.

commitment is the key here, never give up and push yourself until these exercises become a part of your daily routine

Click the links below for more workouts:

• The best 5 Cardio Exercises At Home to burn calories
• the best 8 Resistance Band Workouts at home