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.
Calisthenics poses are a great way to build strength, flexibility, and body control without needing equipment or a gym membership. Whether a beginner or an advanced athlete, calisthenics progressions help you gradually increase difficulty and intensity to reach your goals.
From foundational exercises like push-ups and squats to advanced movements like the planche and muscle-up, keep reading as we explore the essential exercises and how to progress through them for the best results.
The best calisthenics exercises for you will depend on your fitness level, age, weight, and overall goals. There are many exercises to choose from that will help you target muscle groups in different parts of the body, and once you determine which parts need the most work, it will be easier to choose the best ones.
You can also modify most exercises to make them easier or more challenging to get the best workout. All without using weights(1).
The most popular choices include:
Learning the basic calisthenic exercises is easy because the poses follow the body’s natural movements.
Begin with foundational exercises like push-ups, squats, lunges, and planks to help you build the strength and body control needed for more advanced poses.
Proper form is essential to prevent injury, so spend time learning to do the exercises correctly and use a mirror or have someone watch over you to ensure you do them correctly(2).
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The four pillars of calisthenics refer to the fundamental movement patterns that form the basis of bodyweight training.
These movements target different muscle groups and are essential for developing:
The four pillars are push, pull, squat, and core (3).
They make up the foundation of calisthenics skills for beginners, a great place to focus.
Working on the push pillar involves pushing your body away from the ground or a bar, engaging the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Examples: push-ups and dips.
Pulling exercises involve pulling your body toward an object, and they will work your back and biceps.
Examples: pull-ups, chin-ups, and reverse rows.
Squatting movements target the legs, particularly the quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
Examples: bodyweight squats, pistol squats, and lunges.
Core exercises focus on stabilizing and strengthening the muscles around the midsection.
Examples: planks, leg raises, and various crunches.
The easiest standard calisthenics pose is likely the plank.
It’s a basic bodyweight exercise focusing on core strength and maintaining stability over time. It’s a foundational, easy-to-learn calisthenics exercise requiring no equipment or movement.
Several modified poses can be as easy or easier than the plank, including:
Read more: Calisthenics Vs Weights: Which Road Should You Go Down?
Many calisthenic exercises can be strenuous for even skilled athletes. However, the planche is incredibly challenging.
It requires lots of upper body and core strength to maintain balance and control while holding your entire body parallel to the ground, supported only by your hands, with no other contact points.
Other challenging poses in calisthenics include:
An excellent early goal when getting started with calisthenics is to master the fundamental movements like push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and dips, which will help you build the strength you need to do more complex exercises.
Once you learn the movements, a common goal is to gradually increase the number of repetitions, which will help build endurance and muscular stamina.
As their workout becomes easier, even with plenty of repetitions, many people will aim to incorporate more difficult exercises into their routine.
Advanced calisthenics movements can include:
An effective calisthenics routine will consist of learning exercises, increasing the number of repetitions, and incorporating more difficult movements through progressive overload.
Your routine should feel balanced and fit right into your responsibilities and priorities, such as job, school, or family schedules.
Look at your calendar, block the time off, and reschedule your workouts when needed.
Having a reasonable routine makes it easier to stick with your workouts and make steady progress toward your goals.
Consistency is a key part of any workout plan and should be a primary goal.
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Read more: Calisthenics Vs Weights: Which Road Should You Go Down?
To begin a calisthenics workout at home as a beginner, start with a 5–10-minute warm-up to get your blood flowing and muscles ready for exercise.
Jumping jacks, arm circles, and leg swings are all great options.
Aim for three rounds of the exercise routine and add more rounds as needed, with 60 – 90 seconds of rest between each exercise.
Focus on exercises that target different muscle groups to get a total-body workout.
For instance, you can begin with push-ups and move on to squats, followed by dips, before ending with pull-ups.
Many calisthenics exercises can be difficult, especially for beginners, because they require you to move your entire body weight, unlike weightlifting, which allows you to start with a lighter weight and add to it in small increments. However, most exercises have modifications that make them easier to perform, like knee planks that are easier than standard planks(7). While it’s hard to say whether calisthenics is the healthiest form of exercise because everyone has different fitness needs, they rank highly. These exercises build strength, improve cardiovascular health, enhance mobility, and promote weight loss while remaining low-impact and easy on the joints. Calisthenics is easy to scale to all fitness levels, and you can do them anywhere since they don’t require any equipment, making them an excellent choice for people of all ages(8). Whether calisthenics is more demanding than the gym will depend on your specific fitness level, goals, and the exercises you are comparing. Calisthenics requires more body control, balance, and coordination, especially when performing more challenging exercises like the planche. In contrast, lifting heavier weights can be very taxing on muscles, joints, and the nervous system without proper rest periods in between (9). Yes. Calisthenics is a form of training that requires the accumulation of many skills. It requires developing specific skills involving body control, balance, and technique. Like learning a new sport or musical instrument, calisthenics movements require practice. For instance, achieving the muscle-up involves breaking down the muscles and movements into manageable components. Work on and master the components separately, then combine them into a single fluid movement.Frequently Asked Questions
Why calisthenics is so hard?
Are calisthenics the healthiest?
Is calisthenics tougher than gym?
Is calisthenics a skill?
Mastering calisthenics poses is a journey that can take time but provides endless possibilities for improving strength, promoting weight loss, and improving cardiovascular health.
Start with the fundamental exercises, like the plank and squat, if you are new to calisthenics, and move on to more challenging exercises as you are capable. Remember to focus on form to maximize your workout and reduce the risk of injury.
You can develop a comprehensive fitness routine that targets all major muscle groups by incorporating proper form, technique, and consistent progressions.
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