Why do some calisthenics athletes seem to defy gravity with ease, holding positions that look physically impossible? It’s not magic, it’s the result of mastering a progression of skills, each of which builds on the last. This journey from basic movements to elite-level holds is what makes calisthenics such a rewarding discipline.
This article provides an insightful look into the hardest calisthenics moves and explains how you can start preparing for them, even as a beginner. We’ll explore what makes an exercise difficult, outline the foundational skills you need, and ultimately, rank the top five most challenging moves in calisthenics.
Before we rank the hardest moves, it’s important to understand what makes a calisthenics exercise difficult. Several factors contribute, and mastering them is the key to advancing your skills.
Leverage is the primary way calisthenics increases difficulty without adding external weight. By changing your body position, you move your center of mass further from your point of support (usually your hands) (1, 2).
This increases the torque, or rotational force, your muscles must counteract. For example, extending your body from a tucked position to a full, straight-body position in a front lever dramatically increases the difficulty of an exercise.
Your ability to lift and control your body is directly tied to your strength-to-weight ratio. A higher ratio means you have more strength relative to your body mass, which makes it easier to perform advanced movements (3).
This is why leaner individuals often find it easier to progress in calisthenics. It’s not just about having strong muscles, it’s about having strong muscles that can move your body efficiently.
Many advanced calisthenics moves, such as the planche and iron cross, are performed with straight arms. This places immense stress on your tendons and ligaments, particularly in the elbows and shoulders (4).
Bending your arms allows larger muscles like the biceps and triceps to assist, but keeping them straight isolates the shoulder and back muscles, which requires a different kind of strength that takes years to develop safely.
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Moves such as the handstand and human flag demand exceptional balance and core stability. Your body must constantly make micro-adjustments to maintain its position.
This requires strength and a highly developed sense of proprioception – your body’s awareness of its position in space (5). Without a stable core and precise control, even the strongest athlete will struggle with these skills.
Read more: What Makes a Good Calisthenics Workout Plan?
Every expert was once a beginner. Before you attempt the hardest skills, you must lay a solid foundation. These beginner exercises are the building blocks for every advanced move on our list.
Push-ups: This classic exercise builds foundational pushing strength in the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Mastering perfect push-up form is the first step toward more advanced skills such as the planche.
Pull-ups: Essential for developing pulling strength in the back and biceps. A solid pull-up is a prerequisite for moves such as the front lever and muscle-up. If you can’t do one yet, start with negative pull-ups (lowering yourself down slowly) or arch hangs.
Dips: Performed on parallel bars, dips are excellent for building strength in the chest, shoulders, and triceps, which is essential for handstand push-ups and support holds.
Rows: Horizontal pulling movements, such as inverted rows, are vital for balancing out all the pushing work. They strengthen the scapular retractors and build the back strength that is required for front levers.
If you’re looking to start your journey, you may be interested in our guide to the best calisthenics exercises to get started.
Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can move on to intermediate skills. These exercises start introducing the principles of leverage and greater body control, bridging the gap between beginner and advanced movements.
L-Sit: The L-sit is an excellent introduction to straight-arm strength and core compression. It requires you to support your body with straight arms while holding your legs straight out in front of you, forming an “L” shape. It builds the shoulder and core strength that is necessary for handstands and V-sits.
Tuck Front Lever: This is the first step in the front lever progression. By tucking your knees to your chest, you significantly reduce the leverage, which makes the move more accessible. It teaches you how to engage your lats and core to hold your body horizontally, preparing you for the full front lever.
Tuck Planche: Similar to the tuck front lever, the tuck planche is the entry point for the planche progression. You balance on your hands with your knees tucked, learning to lean forward and support your body weight. It develops the straight-arm shoulder strength and wrist conditioning required for the full planche.
Difficulty can be subjective, but in calisthenics, advanced moves are generally defined by a set of objective criteria. These skills demand an elite level of strength, control, and coordination that can take years, or even a decade, to achieve.
For our ranking, we’re considering the following factors:
Based on the criteria above, here are five of the hardest and most respected skills in the world of calisthenics.
The human flag is an iconic display of lateral core strength. In this move, the body is held parallel to the ground, supported only by the hands gripping a vertical pole.
The top arm pulls while the bottom arm pushes, which creates an immense amount of torque that the obliques and core must resist to keep the body straight. It requires incredible strength and full-body tension and coordination.
How to Perform the Human Flag:
The full planche is a foundational straight-arm pushing skill that makes you look like you’re floating. You balance your entire body horizontally on just your hands, with your arms straight and your feet hovering above the ground.
This move requires an incredible amount of anterior deltoid (front shoulder) and core strength to support your body weight at such a disadvantageous leverage. It also places extreme stress on the wrists, demanding years of careful conditioning.
How to Perform the Full Planche:
A classic gymnastics skill that is performed on the rings, the iron cross is a brutal test of straight-arm pulling strength. The athlete hangs with their arms extended directly out to the sides, forming a cross shape.
The difficulty lies in resisting the immense adduction force pulling the arms down and in. It requires powerful lat, chest, and shoulder muscles, in addition to exceptionally strong biceps and elbow tendons to prevent injury.
How to Perform the Iron Cross:
The manna is an elite-level skill that combines extreme shoulder extension, core compression, and balance. From a seated position, press your body up with your hands behind you, lifting your hips high into the air while your legs stay parallel to the floor.
This move requires an unbelievable degree of active flexibility in the shoulders and phenomenal triceps and posterior deltoid strength. The core compression that is required to keep the legs up is also immense. It’s a true demonstration of total body control.
How to Perform the Manna:
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The Maltese is arguably the pinnacle of straight-arm strength in calisthenics. Performed on rings, it’s a variation of the planche where the arms are extended wide to the sides, similar to an iron cross. The body is held horizontally, face down.
This position creates the longest possible lever arm, placing an astronomical amount of stress on the shoulder and bicep tendons. It combines the pushing strength of a planche with the adduction strength of an iron cross, which makes it one of the most difficult and rarest skills in all of gymnastics and calisthenics.
How to Perform the Maltese:
Do you want to learn more about how to progress from basic to advanced skills? Check out our complete guide to calisthenics moves.
Understanding where you stand is the first step toward progressing. Calisthenics skill levels are typically broken down into three categories: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
You’re likely a beginner if you’re working on the foundational movements. The focus at this stage is on building a solid strength base and mastering proper form.
Signs that you’re a beginner:
As an intermediate athlete, you’ve mastered the basics and are now working on more complex skills that require greater strength and body control.
Signs that you’re intermediate:
Advanced athletes have dedicated years to training and are working on elite-level skills. Your training is highly specialized and focused on mastering the most difficult movements.
Signs that you’re advanced:
Proper programming is essential for safely and efficiently progressing in calisthenics. The key is to work on skills that are challenging but achievable. Don’t jump ahead to progressions you’re not ready for, as this is a fast track to injury and frustration.
Structure your workouts around your main goals. Pick 2-3 skills you want to master and dedicate the beginning of your workout to practicing them when you’re fresh.
Follow this skill work with supplemental strength exercises that build the muscles that are needed for those skills. For example, if your goal is the front lever, your workout could include front lever progression holds, weighted pull-ups, and rows.
Read more: How to Perfect Calisthenics Workout Exercises for Maximum Strength
It can be tempting to jump straight to intermediate or advanced moves if you have a background in weightlifting or another sport. However, this is generally not recommended.
Calisthenics strength is highly specific. While general strength from lifting weights is helpful, it doesn’t prepare your tendons and ligaments for the unique stresses of straight-arm skills. Many strong individuals injure themselves trying to planche or perform an iron cross because their connective tissues aren’t conditioned for that type of load (6).
Always start with the basics to build the specific strength and conditioning needed for calisthenics. Master the foundational movements to ensure your body is prepared for the demands of more advanced skills. This will lead to faster, safer progress in the long term.
For a comprehensive training plan that covers all levels, explore our guide to basic calisthenics.
Yes, calisthenics can absolutely be self-taught. With the wealth of information that’s available online through videos, forums, and articles, it’s possible to learn proper form and progression paths on your own. However, progress is often faster and safer with guidance from an experienced coach who can provide personalized feedback. Neither is inherently “harder” – they’re just different. Weightlifting allows for easier progressive overload by simply adding more weight to the bar. Calisthenics requires you to progress by manipulating leverage and learning more complex skills, which can be a greater challenge in terms of body control and coordination. Both require immense dedication to reach an elite level. Yes, calisthenics can be more challenging for taller individuals. Longer limbs create longer levers, which means more torque is required to perform movements such as the planche and front lever. However, with consistent training, taller athletes can absolutely achieve these skills. Calisthenics is excellent for building functional strength and a lean, athletic physique. While it may not build sheer mass as quickly as heavy weightlifting, it’s highly effective for developing relative strength and an impressive “pound-for-pound” strength level. Consistent training combined with a proper diet will lead to significant muscle growth.Frequently Asked Questions
Can calisthenics be self-taught?
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Achieving the most difficult calisthenics moves is a long and challenging journey, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. It’s a testament to what the human body is capable of with dedication and smart training.
Start with the fundamentals, be patient with your progress, and listen to your body. By laying a strong foundation and consistently working on your skills, you can unlock your potential and start on the path toward mastering these incredible feats of strength.
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