Why You Should Try Doing Calisthenics

Calisthenics is essentially resistance training using your body weight — push-ups, lunges, squats, jumping jacks are all examples of calisthenic exercises.

Keep reading to learn more about calisthenic workouts and their benefits.

What Is Calisthenics?

“Calisthenics is a form of strengthening the body using a series of movements, or flows, that rely on gravity and your bodyweight for the challenge,” says Holly Perkins, BS, CSCS.

Calisthenics — which comes from the Greek words meaning “beauty” and “strength” — combines strength-training exercises and gymnastics movements. Unlike weightlifting and certain types of strength training, though, calisthenics requires minimal to no equipment.

“Nearly all calisthenics movements are considered closed kinetic chain movement patterns,” Perkins says. “This means you are moving your body around an immovable object, like the ground or an anchored bar.”

Because calisthenics exercises are versatile and non-load bearing, a lot of people do them to warm up for sports, HIIT classes, or cardio — but they also make a great workout on their own.

Calisthenics serves as the basis of Just Bring Your Body (JBYB) on BODi, a bodyweight-only fitness program designed to build muscle, burn fat, and unlock mobility from head to toe. Four expert trainers will take you through 30-minute workouts that incorporate cardio, strength training, and core work to help you transform your body.

What Are the Benefits of Calisthenics?

Here are a couple reasons why you should consider a calisthenics routine.

It builds muscle and functional strength

The purpose of calisthenics is to improve strength, coordination, flexibility, and mobility, and it can be an effective tool for building muscle mass.

“Calisthenics exercises are functional,” says Alex Robles, M.D. and certified personal trainer. “This means major calisthenic exercises resemble normal human movement patterns. As a result, they help you build real-world strength.”

Regularly doing calisthenics means you’ll be more equipped for day-to-day activities like carrying heavy groceries, moving furniture, and walking up and down stairs. Pick the right calisthenics moves, and you can also improve your endurance and stamina.

It’s convenient

The benefits of calisthenics go beyond improved strength and increased muscle tone, though. Calisthenics is also one of the most convenient workouts.

Here are a few reasons why:

• There’s no barrier to entry. Regardless of your age, fitness level, or prior strength training experience, you can start doing calisthenics today.
• It’s free. There’s no need to purchase a set of weights or even a mat — you just need your body weight.
• You can do it anywhere: in a gym, at a park, in a hotel room, on the sidewalk, or in your home.

Calisthenics vs. Weights

With its focus on large, compound movements, calisthenics training is an efficient way to build strength and muscle as well as burn calories. But just as with traditional strength training routines that incorporate free weights, maximizing a calisthenics workout routine requires using a challenging load. That load in this case, of course, is your own body weight. And that can be a pro or a con, Braun says.

For people who have poor relative strength (how strong you are in relation to your body weight), calisthenics can sufficiently challenge the body to build muscle and lose fat. With time, of course, you’ll have to increase the challenge to continue progressing. That could involve either increasing reps, changing the tempo, adding a plyometric component, or trying more challenging variations.

That’s why JBYB offers plenty of modifications, to help you progress over time. Even if you take the 60-day program multiple times, you’ll have a range of options when it comes to each move.

“As you advance from the basic movement patterns to the more advanced exercises, you gain better body control and strength, which is the foundation of bodyweight training,” says Cody Braun, CSCS. To build a calisthenics body, the key is pushing yourself. By tailoring your calisthenics exercises to your current strength levels and performing them to fatigue, you can easily build muscle and strength using only the weight of your body.

Calisthenics Workout Plan for Beginners

If you’re new to calisthenics or other forms of strength training, start small by incorporating a few exercises at the beginning or end of another workout, like a run or yoga session.

To start, a calisthenics workout can look something like the following:

• Walking lunges: three sets of 10 reps OR two minutes
• Plank: three sets of 30-second holds
• Push-ups: three sets of four to 10 reps

You can program your own workout with additional or different bodyweight exercises. If you’re challenging multiple muscle groups at a time, start with two to three calisthenics workouts a week, Perkins suggests. Once your body adapts after a few weeks, you can bump up the frequency to three or four times a week, she adds.

And remember: Correct form is key — not just for avoiding injury, but also for maximizing each exercise’s effectiveness.

“When done properly,” Perkins says, “calisthenics are much harder than they appear.”

To ensure you’re using proper form, watch an instructor perform each exercise first, then check your own form in a mirror.

If this feels like too much to do yourself, leave the programming to the experts and try a program like JBYB. All you have to do is follow a preset calendar, hit play on your workouts, and follow the trainers you see on your screen. They even offer modifications for every move, so you can progress at your own pace.

Should You Try Calisthenics?

The short answer: Yes! Calisthenics is a fun, convenient way to challenge yourself, improve your functional strength, and work on your coordination.

Plus, the moves are easy to incorporate into any exercise routine.

If you’re a cardio fanatic, for example, you could try capping your sweat sessions with a few calisthenics exercises to work your muscles to the point of fatigue.

Or try other bodyweight programs like CORE DE FORCE and INSANITY on BODi.

If you love to lift weights, use calisthenics as a warm-up for carrying heavier loads.

Or, if you’re just getting back into exercise after a hiatus, try doing a few simple calisthenics moves as you walk around the neighborhood and get your heart pumping.