Troy Hurst holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Carroll University. He is a physical therapist specializing in both athletic and vestibular rehabilitation with an emphasis on performance running.
The best calisthenic exercises use your bodyweight to build strength, flexibility, and endurance. They are easy to learn, suitable for all ages, and require minimal equipment, making them convenient to perform almost anywhere. Calisthenic exercises help improve overall fitness and are ideal for all fitness levels, from beginners to advanced athletes.
Calisthenics exercises require minimal or no equipment, which make this form of training both convenient and versatile. While there are no definitive “best” calisthenics exercises, today we will share some of our favorites, based on a number of different goals, fitness levels, body regions (1).
Knee push-ups are a variation of the traditional push-up that is perfect for beginners because they work all of the same muscles, but at a decreased level of difficulty. Knee push-ups provide an effective stepping stone to the eventual progression to standard push-ups(2).
Seated dips are a great beginner exercise for increasing strength in your triceps, shoulders, and chest. It’s easy to learn, and you can do them almost anywhere as long as you have a sturdy chair or a bench(2).
Assisted squats are great for working out the lower body, helping to improve your strength and balance and get you ready for standard squats (3).
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The Superman exercise is an excellent way for beginners to strengthen their lower back, glutes, and shoulders(2).
Crunches are a popular core exercise that primarily targets the abdominal muscles. They can help build up your six-pack muscles (rectus abdominis), so they have better definition with a simple movement pattern (2).
The Dead Bug is a core exercise that focuses on stabilizing the spine while engaging multiple muscles in the abdomen, hips, and lower back. It is particularly beneficial for improving coordination and core strength. It’s also a lot of fun(3).
Read more: The Simplest Lower Back Calisthenics Guide for Beginners
Calisthenics exercises can be highly effective for muscle growth when performed with proper intensity, volume, and progression, especially when you choose exercises that target several muscle groups.
Push-ups are a fundamental calisthenic exercise suitable for various fitness levels and goals. They target the chest, triceps, and shoulders and are great for building strength and muscle(4). Many also enjoy using them as part of a 30 day calisthenics workout plan, working up to 100 push-ups per day(3).
Squats are a functional and essential movement pattern for the lower body. They primarily target the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, but also activate just about every muscle of the legs for stability and support(4).
If you want to grow your arms and back, adding pull-ups to your workout is a must. Pull-ups primarily target the latissimus dorsi (better known simply as the “lats”) and the biceps, but also get some help from the infraspinatus and lower trapezius(4).
Dips can be a difficult exercise to perform at home because they require parallel stable surfaces (such as parallel bars). Although some people use two sturdy chairs to perform this exercise, others may find that chairs do not provide enough stability and opt to seek a park with equipment that meets this need.. You also have the option of performing bench/chair dips in which your hands are on a bench or seat of a chair and your feet are out in front of you on the floor. This is a regressed version of the exercise, but does provide some of the same benefits.. Dips are a great way to build upper body strength and target the triceps, chest, and anterior shoulders(4).
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Several great calisthenic exercises for building legs exist, including the bodyweight squats we mentioned earlier. Greater leg strength can improve mobility, balance, and endurance(5).
Lunges are an effective lower body exercise for targeting the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. They also improve balance, coordination, and functional strength (5).
Reverse lunges are another great exercise for the legs. They work many of the same muscles as the forward lunge but in a manner that keeps the lead leg in a closed chain position, making the exercise more friendly on the knees and ankles and emphasizing the posterior chain (primarily the hamstrings and glutes) slightly more than the quadriceps (5).
The glute bridge is a highly effective exercise for targeting the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. It can also help improve core stability. It’s a great addition to any routine to ensure a complete leg workout(5).
The Bulgarian split squat is a hybrid of a single leg squat and a lunge. It’s more advanced than a standard lunge, but less advanced than a pistol squat. It’s a great way to transition into higher level exercises and can be easily modified depending on your fitness level. This exercise primarily targets the hamstrings, glutes, and quadriceps (5).
Read more: Calisthenics Shoulder Exercises: Techniques and Workouts
Calisthenics can be a great way to build your back. Several exercises, like the pull-ups and Supermans that we already looked at, target these muscles especially well, and there are quite a few others.
The inverted row is a powerful bodyweight exercise that targets the middle back, rear deltoids, and biceps, making it a great addition to any calisthenics workout plan. It’s easy to setup, and you can do it at home using an adjustable pull-up bar, TRX, or gymnastics rings(6).
Chin-ups are incredibly similar to pull-ups, with the only difference being your grip. Chin-ups use an underhanded grip instead of the traditional overhanded grip, which puts more focus on the biceps but targets mostly the same muscles(6).
Muscle-ups are an advanced calisthenics exercise that combine a pull-up and a dip into one powerful movement. They target the back, chest, shoulders, and arms for a comprehensive exercise (6).
Calisthenics and the gym are both great ways to get into shape and build muscle. The ultimate decision will depend on your fitness goals, and each has specific advantages(7).
You can start calisthenics immediately without any fees, memberships, or equipment. You can do them anywhere, including in a small space or outdoors. They will help improve overall body control, coordination, and functional strength.
In the gym, it is much easier to target specific muscle groups, and adding incremental weight is more precise than changing body position. You are also not limited by your body weight as to how much you can do in your exercises.
Calisthenics can be difficult, especially for beginners, because many of the exercises require significant strength, balance, coordination, and flexibility to complete and involve multiple groups of muscles working together, which can increase difficulty. Exercises can also be more challenging if you have a lower strength-to-weight ratio. Unlike weightlifting, where you can easily adjust the resistance involved, calisthenics requires creativity in regressing exercise resistance (8).
The amount of time you should spend doing calisthenics each week will depend on the exercises you choose, your fitness level, and how much effort you put into the workout. However, many experts recommend scheduling a 30 – 40-minute workout 3 – 4 times a week(9).
When you put your muscles to work through weight training or calisthenics, you create tiny tears in the muscle that require time to heal. It is this healing period that creates the larger, stronger muscles we are working for, so it is important not to skip this important step. If you’re a beginner, it’s best to schedule no more than 3 – 4 workouts each week, taking a rest day in between. It’s also important to get plenty of sleep, as that’s when your muscles grow(10).
As mentioned, calisthenics exercises focus on using your body weight as resistance when training. The primary exercises in traditional calisthenics are classified as isotonic exercises, which involve the contraction of muscles while moving through a range of motion. This is probably what you think of when you picture a strengthening exercise.
Plyometric exercises involve fast, explosive movements, and are often referred to simply as “jump training.” Plyometrics improve the efficiency of the stretch-shortening cycle and provide benefits for muscle power, speed, and agility. While plyometrics can also be performed with weights and resistive equipment, some calisthenic plyometric exercises include jump squats, clap push-ups, line hops, and box jumps..
Isometric exercises involve contracting muscles without any movement. The length of the muscle stays constant throughout the exercise to hold an object (including your own body) in a single place. This includes exercises like plank holds, wall sits, and dead hang.
Before you start doing any form of exercise, including calisthenics, it’s important to consult with your physician to be sure you are physically healthy enough to perform the desired activity. However, as long as you are healthy, there is no reason to think you are too healthy to start getting fit with calisthenics. While some exercises will be more difficult when you are overweight, there are many to choose from for any skill level and weight class. Starting with modified exercises like wall push-ups, knee push-ups, and bodyweight squats can help you build the strength you need to tackle the more difficult versions down the road(12).
The answer to this question depends on your goals. If your goal is to lift as much weight as possible or start competing in powerlifting, then calisthenics is objectively not as good as lifting weights because it is less specific to those goals. However, if your goal is to get in great shape, build muscle, improve endurance, and have a lot of fun in the process of developing amazing stability and body control, then yes, calisthenics can absolutely be as good as lifting weights!
Going through phases of bulking and cutting is never necessary regardless of the type of training you perform. Although many competitive bodybuilders subscribe to this method, it is not necessary for long term results. For some, it will cause more harm than good compared to a consistently well-structured diet plan.
One of the main reasons the military likely relies so heavily on calisthenics is that they are free and versatile. Soldiers can do them anywhere, even in a small enclosure, and they can help improve strength, balance, durability, and flexibility. They provide a full-body workout and help soldiers avoid injury(14).
Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced athlete, these exercises offer a versatile and effective workout option that will help you get stronger and more flexible without requiring weight, special machinery, or even a gym membership. Start with basic movements and progress gradually to more advanced exercises. Stay consistent and use proper form to reach your goals.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!