The American College of Sports Medicine recommends resistance training as an essential part of any fitness program (1).
What happens when you cannot do traditional weightlifting due to unavoidable constraints? Well, calisthenics for strength training can be a great alternative.
Calisthenics is a form of exercise that involves using your own body weight as resistance to build strength, flexibility, and mobility. It’s an effective way to train the entire body without the need for any equipment and can be done anywhere.
We’ll unpack everything you need to know about calisthenics for strength training in this beginner’s guide.
Calisthenic strength training involves performing a variety of body weight exercises in a controlled manner to build strength, endurance, and overall fitness.
These exercises are typically compound movements that work multiple muscle groups at the same time, which makes them efficient and effective for building lean muscle mass.
Furthermore, calisthenics strength places a strong emphasis on control and form, as it requires the individual to use their own body weight as resistance. This promotes muscular strength and improves coordination, balance, and body awareness (2).
Calisthenics will help you build muscle as it’s a form of resistance exercise that uses your body weight to create muscular tension and stimulate muscle growth. Let’s take an in-depth look at how;
To build muscle, you need to subject your muscles to some form of resistance. In traditional weightlifting, the resistance comes from external sources such as dumbbells or barbells. However, in calisthenics, the resistance comes from your own body weight.
As you perform exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, and squats, your muscles are required to work against this resistance in order to complete the movement. Over time, this leads to muscle growth and strength gains (3).
One of the key aspects of building muscle is progressive overload, which involves gradually increasing the demands placed on your muscles over time. Calisthenics allows for this by offering a wide variety of exercises with varying levels of difficulty.
For example, if push-ups become too easy for you, you can progress to more challenging variations such as diamond push-ups or one-arm push-ups. This constant progression and variation keep your muscles continuously adapting and growing (3).
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Another important factor in building muscle with calisthenics is the enhancement of core stability (4). Many calisthenic exercises, such as planks, leg raises, and hanging knee tucks, are heavily reliant on the core muscles to maintain proper form and balance.
A strong core contributes to overall strength and aesthetic muscle definition and improves performance in other exercises by providing a solid foundation for the body to work from (5).
These Core Structural Exercises can be a great addition to your routine.
Calisthenics focuses on natural body movements and functional strength, which translates into improved performance in everyday activities and sports. Exercises such as squats, push-ups, and dips mimic real-life movements, engaging multiple muscle groups and enhancing muscle coordination (6).
This type of training helps build muscle and improves agility, power, and flexibility, which makes it a comprehensive and practical approach to strength training.
Beyond sheer muscle growth, calisthenics also helps increase muscle endurance. By performing high repetitions with body weight exercises, your muscles can become more resistant to fatigue.
This endurance supports longer workout sessions and enhances your ability to perform more repetitions of a given exercise, thereby contributing to muscle growth over time. Activities such as high-rep squats, lunges, and push-ups are excellent for developing muscle endurance through calisthenics (7).
Read more: How to Build Core Strength from Nothing
These exercises are fundamental in any calisthenics workout routine as they engage multiple muscle groups and can be modified to suit different fitness levels. They are also highly versatile and can be combined to create a full-body workout. Let’s take a closer look:
1. Body Weight Squats
Muscles Targeted: Quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
Benefits: Builds lower-body strength and enhances balance. Body weight squats are perfect for beginners.
Equipment Required: None.
To Progress: Use weights such as dumbbells or weighted vests, Try pistol squats or jump squats for an added challenge.
2. Body Weight Push-Ups
Muscles Targeted: Chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Benefits: Push-ups are a staple exercise for building upper-body strength and power. They also engage the core muscles and can be modified to target specific muscle groups.
Equipment Required: None, but resistance bands or an elevated surface can be used to increase the difficulty.
To Progress: Try variations such as wide-grip push-ups, diamond push-ups, or decline push-ups using an elevated surface.
3. Pull-Ups
Muscles Targeted: Lats, biceps, shoulders, and upper back.
Benefits: Enhances upper-body strength and improves grip strength. Pull-ups are excellent for building a V-shaped back.
Equipment Required: Pull-up bar.
To Progress: As you gain strength, try adding weight using a weighted vest or belt. For an advanced challenge, you can experiment with one-arm pull-ups or muscle-ups.
4. Dips
Muscles Targeted: Triceps, chest, and shoulders.
Benefits: Builds tricep strength and enhances upper-body power. Dips are highly effective for developing pushing strength.
Equipment Required: Parallel bars or a stable surface.
To Progress: Perform weighted dips using a dip belt or try ring dips for added instability and challenge.
5. Planks
Muscles Targeted: Core, shoulders, and glutes.
Benefits: Planks are highly effective for building core strength, stability, and endurance. They work to improve posture and can reduce the risk of back injuries.
Equipment Required: None.
To Progress: For an extra challenge, try side planks, plank variations such as plank jacks, or add resistance with a weighted vest.
6. Lunges
Muscles Targeted: Quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
Benefits: Lunges are excellent for developing lower-body strength and improving balance and coordination. They also engage the core for stability.
Equipment Required: None, although dumbbells can be used to add extra resistance.
To Progress: Include variations such as walking lunges or reverse lunges or add weights for increased difficulty.
7. Pike Push-Ups
Muscles Targeted: Shoulders, triceps, and upper chest.
Benefits: Pike push-ups are an excellent exercise for developing shoulder strength and increasing upper-body pressing power. They also help improve balance and coordination.
Equipment Required: None.
To Progress: Move on to handstand push-ups or perform on an elevated surface for added intensity.
8. Leg Raises
Muscles Targeted: Core and hip flexors.
Benefits: Leg raises are highly effective for strengthening the lower abdominal muscles and improving core stability. They also contribute to better posture and enhanced balance.
Equipment Required: None, although a pull-up bar can be used for the even more challenging hanging leg raise.
To Progress: Try hanging leg raises, toe-to-bar movements, or add ankle weights for increased resistance.
When creating a strength training program, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends performing 8-12 repetitions of an exercise at a challenging intensity for 2-3 sets (1).
When it comes to calisthenics, you need to find your individual and comfortable range of repetitions for each exercise. You should push yourself enough to challenge your muscles and make progress, but also listen to your body and avoid overtraining or injury.
As a general guideline, you should aim for 8-10 reps of each exercise, with proper form and control throughout each repetition (8). As you become stronger, gradually increase the number of sets or add resistance to maintain a challenging intensity.
Listen to your body and adjust accordingly. If you feel that you can do more reps with good form, go for it. If you’re struggling with maintaining proper form, decrease the number of reps or take breaks as needed.
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30 minutes of calisthenics can be enough to build muscle, as long as you perform a variety of exercises that target different muscle groups and challenge your muscles with enough resistance.
The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week for overall health benefits (9), so 30 minutes of calisthenics every other day can be a good starting point.
However, it’s important to continually progress and challenge your muscles in order to see continued muscle growth. This can include increasing the intensity or resistance, trying new exercises, or varying your workouts.
Yes, it’s perfectly fine to lift weights while doing calisthenics. In fact, incorporating weight training can help complement and enhance your calisthenics workouts as you progress in your strength and muscle-building goals.
Weightlifting allows for more specific targeting of certain muscle groups and can provide a greater range of resistance options. It can also help improve overall strength and power, which can benefit your calisthenics performance.
Make sure you warm up properly before lifting weights and incorporate proper form throughout the movements to reduce the risk of injury. As always, listen to your body and adjust accordingly, being careful not to overtrain or push yourself too hard.
Read more: 6-Day Calisthenics Routine: Tips, Exercises, and FAQs
There’s no set time frame for building calisthenics strength as it depends on various factors such as starting fitness level, consistency and intensity of workouts, diet, and genetics.
However, with consistent and progressive training, you can expect to see improvements in your calisthenics strength within a few weeks to a few months.
Generally, it may take anywhere from 6-12 weeks to see noticeable changes in strength, but it’s important to remember that everyone progresses at their own pace and with dedication and patience, you can continue to improve over time.
We’ve discussed Super Slow Strength Training in detail in our previous blog.
Yes, you can replace the gym with calisthenics for building strength, endurance, and muscle tone. Calisthenics involves using your body weight for resistance, which makes it a versatile option you can perform almost anywhere. It also enhances functional strength and requires no equipment. Just ensure you progressively challenge yourself to see consistent gains (2). Many bodybuilders can do calisthenics, but they may find certain bodyweight exercises challenging at first. This is because bodybuilding and calisthenics target muscle strength and coordination differently. Bodybuilders focus on lifting heavy loads with the minimal use of stabilization, while calisthenics emphasizes balance and muscle control. In addition, the main objective of bodybuilders is to increase their overall mass and with an increased body mass, calisthenics exercises would be more challenging. With practice, bodybuilders can adapt and improve their calisthenics skills. Our 12 Weeks Mass Building Workout is a great routine for muscle building and efficient bulking. Calisthenics can help you get ripped by building and enhancing muscle definition. However, it also depends on factors such as your diet, body fat percentage, and consistency in training. Calisthenics can be a highly effective tool for achieving a lean and toned physique when combined with proper nutrition and an overall healthy lifestyle. Calisthenics can target both strength and hypertrophy, depending on how you structure your workouts. For strength, perform exercises with lower reps and higher resistance or leverage. For hypertrophy, aim for higher repetition ranges and intense muscle engagement. Adjust your routine to meet your specific fitness goals. This depends on your goals and preferences. Calisthenics offers flexibility, convenience, and functional strength improvement without needing equipment. However, gyms provide a broader range of equipment and resistance options, which may suit those who are looking for specific muscle isolation or maximum strength training. Ultimately, combining both can yield the best overall fitness results.Frequently Asked Questions
Can I replace the gym with calisthenics?
Why can’t bodybuilders do calisthenics?
Can you get ripped with calisthenics?
Is calisthenics strength or hypertrophy?
Is calisthenics better than the gym?
Embrace the power of calisthenics to transform your body and fitness journey. With just your own body weight and minimal equipment, you can build formidable strength, enhance your flexibility, and boost your endurance.
Calisthenics is suitable for all fitness levels and offers a versatile and effective path to achieving your comprehensive fitness goals. Start today and experience the limitless potential of your own strength.
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