Calisthenics Workout for Mass: How to Use Body Weight Exercises to Build Muscle

Common misconceptions about calisthenics include that it’s only useful for improving muscular endurance and not for building muscle mass, and that your body weight is not enough to challenge your muscles and stimulate growth. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Calisthenics workouts can actually be incredibly effective for building muscle mass when done correctly. In fact, many bodybuilders incorporate calisthenics exercises into their training routines to help them achieve a more balanced and functional physique.

In this guide, we’ll discuss how you can use bodyweight exercises as part of a calisthenics workout for mass gain. 

Can You Gain Mass with Calisthenics?

You can gain mass with calisthenics, but there are a few things you need to understand first.

You Can Achieve Progressive Overload Without Weights

Unlike traditional weightlifting, where you can simply add more weights to continue challenging your muscles, calisthenics relies on manipulating leverage and body positioning to increase difficulty.

This means that in order to see progress and build muscle mass with calisthenics, you’ll need to continuously challenge your muscles by increasing the difficulty of your exercises (1). 

This can be achieved by changing the angle or temp or by adding more complex variations to your movements.

You’ll Have to Be Patient

Building muscle mass with calisthenics takes more time and patience than weightlifting.

It’s important to set realistic expectations and understand that it may take longer for visible muscle gains to show. But with consistency and dedication, you’ll definitely see results.

Proper Nutrition Is Key

No matter what type of workout routine you follow, proper nutrition is essential for building muscle mass. This applies to calisthenics too.

In order to gain mass, your body needs a surplus of calories and enough protein to support muscle growth. Make sure to eat a balanced diet consisting of lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and plenty of fruits and vegetables (2).

Good Recovery Is Crucial

Muscles grow when they are given time to rest and recover after being challenged. This is when they repair and adapt, becoming bigger and stronger (3).

Ensure that you include enough rest days in your workout routine and prioritize getting enough quality sleep each night.

Part of rest and recovery is destressing; too much stress can hinder muscle growth (4). Take the time to relax and engage in activities that promote mental and emotional well-being, such as yoga or meditation.

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6-Step Calisthenics Workout Plan for Mass Gain

Now that you understand the basics of building muscle mass with calisthenics, let’s dive into a sample workout routine you can follow to get started.

Step 1: Start with Basic Movements

Beginner calisthenics practitioners often make the mistake of trying to jump straight into advanced movements that their bodies aren’t yet ready for. This can lead to injury and slow progress.

Instead, you should focus on mastering basic movements such as push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and lunges before you move on to more challenging exercises.

For a full-body workout, you can choose:

• Push-ups
• Pull-ups or chin-ups
• Squats
• Lunges
• Planks

Step 2: Move Slowly Through Each Rep

To effectively stimulate muscle growth, it’s important to slow down your movements and focus on the mind-muscle connection. This means consciously engaging and contracting your muscles throughout each rep.

For example, when doing a push-up, take 3 seconds to lower yourself down toward the ground, pause for 1-2 seconds at the bottom position where your chest is closest to the floor, and then take another 3 seconds to push yourself back up. This will increase time under tension and make your muscle fibers work harder. Another effective strategy is a slow eccentric (lowering) and an explosive concentric. This method has been shown to be effective for muscular hypertrophy when properly programmed.

Step 3: Use Angular Training

Manipulating leverage and body positioning is key in calisthenics for progressive overload. One way to do this is by incorporating angular training.

This involves changing the angle of your body in relation to gravity when doing an exercise. For example, instead of doing a regular push-up, you can elevate your feet on a bench or chair to increase the difficulty and target different muscle groups. 

Instead of doing a regular pull-up, you can position yourself sideways to the bar, gripping it with your hands in a parallel position. This adds a rotational challenge and engages different parts of the back and biceps. This is a commando pull-up. 

Most exercise variations use angular training techniques to progressively challenge muscles and stimulate growth.

Step 4: Use Unilateral Movements

Unilateral movements are exercises that require you to use one side of your body at a time. They are great for isolating and strengthening individual muscles, improving balance and coordination, and preventing muscle imbalances.

Incorporate exercises such as single-leg squats, single-arm push-ups, and single-arm pull-ups into your routine.

What this does is it forces each side of your body to work independently, which can be more challenging than bilateral movements (using both sides simultaneously). This helps identify and address any muscle weaknesses or imbalances.

Step 5: Periodize Your Training

Periodization is a training technique where you divide your workout into phases or cycles, each of which focuses on different goals and training methods. This allows for progressive overload, helps prevent plateaus, and reduces the risk of injury.

Your calisthenics periodization program can include phases such as:

• Hypertrophy phase: Focused on building muscle mass through higher rep ranges (8-12 reps) and shorter rest periods.
• Strength phase: Focused on increasing strength by using heavier weights or progressing to more advanced movements with lower rep ranges (3-6 reps).
• Power/explosive phase: Focused on improving explosive power through plyometrics and dynamic movements. Rest periods should be longer to allow for full recovery between sets.
• Deload/recovery phase: This phase is important for giving your body a break and allowing it to fully recover before starting another period of intense training. It can also help prevent overtraining and burnout.

By implementing these different phases into your training plan, you can continuously challenge your muscles and avoid stagnation or plateauing.

Step 6: Personalize Your Routine

It’s easy to get a general workout routine and follow it without much thought, but in order to truly progress in calisthenics, you need to personalize your training plan.

This means assessing your current fitness level and setting realistic goals for yourself. It also involves adjusting exercises, reps, and rest times based on your personal abilities and progress.

You can also incorporate exercises you enjoy and that target specific goals or muscle groups you want to improve. By personalizing your routine, you’re more likely to stick with it and see results.

That being said, here’s a sample 1-week calisthenics workout routine for mass (upper/lower split) you can use to start with:

Key Points:

• On Days 4 and 5, you’ll repeat the same workout as Days 1 and 2
• On Days 3 and 6, you’ll rest
• On Day 7, you’ll engage in active recovery (light activities e.g. walking, swimming, or yoga)
• Follow the first basic workout for 6 -8 weeks before you move on to the progressed version
• Form Focus: Prioritize proper form to prevent injury and ensure muscle engagement
• Gradual Progression: Increase difficulty over time by adjusting reps, sets, or exercise variations
• Recovery: Ensure adequate rest and recovery for optimal muscle growth and performance

Is Calisthenics Strength or Hypertrophy?

Calisthenics can be tailored for both strength and hypertrophy, depending on how you structure your workouts:

1. Strength: By focusing on low-rep, high-intensity exercises, such as advanced movements like one-arm push-ups or muscle-ups, you can build significant strength. The key is to challenge your muscles with difficult variations that require maximal effort.
2. Hypertrophy: To promote muscle growth, you can perform higher-rep sets with moderate intensity, focusing on exercises that increase time under tension, such as slow push-ups or pull-ups. Incorporating progressive overload through variations and increased reps is essential for hypertrophy.

Ultimately, calisthenics is versatile and can be adapted to meet your specific fitness goals, whether you’re aiming for strength, hypertrophy, or a combination of both.

Is it Ok to Bulk in Calisthenics?

It’s OK and can even be beneficial to bulk in calisthenics. Building muscle mass with calisthenics requires a calorie surplus. Bulking allows you to consume the necessary amount of calories and protein needed for muscle growth.

Calisthenics has some unique benefits when it comes to bulking.

Joint-Friendly Movements

Calisthenics exercises are generally lower impact and place less stress on joints than traditional weightlifting. This can be particularly beneficial for those with joint issues or injuries, as it allows them to still participate in muscle-building exercises without risking further damage (5).

Functional Strength Gain

Unlike weightlifting, which more often isolates specific muscles, calisthenics exercises engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously. This results in functional strength that enhances daily activities and sports performance (6).

Read more: Calisthenics Workout for Strength: Exercises, Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

Balanced Physique

Calisthenics reduces the risk of developing muscular imbalances as each exercise requires both sides of the body to work equally. This promotes a more symmetrical and proportional physique (6).

Increased Mobility and Flexibility

Many calisthenics exercises involve a full range of motion movements, which enhances overall mobility and flexibility. This is essential for preventing injuries and maintaining joint health (6).

Convenience and Versatility

One of the biggest advantages of calisthenics is it can be done anywhere, anytime, without any equipment. This makes it a convenient and versatile option for those with busy schedules or limited access to a gym.

Is Calisthenics Better than the Gym for Bulking?

Both calisthenics and gym workouts can be effective for bulking if you follow a structured program and maintain a calorie surplus with adequate protein intake.

Calisthenics emphasizes body control and functional strength, which can lead to a more balanced and agile physique. Gyms offer a wide range of weights and machines, which makes it easier to apply progressive overload by simply adding more weight.

The best choice will be dependent on your personal preferences, access to equipment, and specific fitness goals. Some people even combine both methods to enjoy the benefits of each.

We’ve compared and contrasted the two further in our blog calisthenics physique vs bodybuilding.

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Does Calisthenics Need Protein?

Yes, protein is essential for anyone who engages in calisthenics, particularly if your goal is to build muscle mass or enhance recovery. Here’s why protein is important:

• Muscle Repair and Growth: Protein provides the building blocks (amino acids) that are necessary for repairing and building muscle tissues after workouts (7).
• Recovery: Adequate protein intake helps reduce muscle soreness and speeds up recovery, which allows you to train more effectively and frequently (7).
• Performance: Consuming enough protein supports overall performance by maintaining muscle mass and strength (8).

For those doing calisthenics, it’s important to ensure you get enough protein through your diet. This can come from various sources such as lean meats, dairy, eggs, legumes, and plant-based proteins. 

The exact amount needed can vary based on factors such as your body weight, activity level, and specific fitness goals, but a common guideline is to aim for about 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for those who are looking to build muscle.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What are the big 3 calisthenics exercises?

The big three calisthenics exercises are push-ups, pull-ups, and squats. These foundational movements effectively target multiple muscle groups and are essential for building strength and muscle through bodyweight training.

• Is 20 minutes of calisthenics enough?

Yes, 20 minutes of calisthenics can be sufficient, particularly for beginners or those who are focused on high-intensity interval training (HIIT). The key is to maintain intensity and focus on compound movements to maximize the workout’s effectiveness.

This beginner 12-week calisthenics program may be the perfect place to start.

• How many reps is too much calisthenics?

Too many reps in calisthenics can lead to diminished returns and increased risk of injury. Generally, exceeding 20-25 reps per set may indicate the need to increase exercise difficulty for better strength and hypertrophy gains.

• Is milk good for calisthenics?

Yes, milk is a good source of protein and essential nutrients, which can support muscle recovery and growth for those practicing calisthenics. It provides a convenient way to enhance your protein intake post-workout.

The Bottom Line

Calisthenics is an effective way to build muscle, improve strength, and enhance overall fitness. By using techniques such as slowing down reps, incorporating angular training, unilateral movements, and periodization, you can continue to progress and achieve your goals in calisthenics. 

Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and try new variations, as this is the key to making progress and seeing results in your training. Remember to always listen to your body and adjust accordingly, as proper form and technique are essential for preventing injury.