What is calisthenics?
The term calisthenics might sound more complicated than it really is and, in fact, it is so common that you most probably have done some calisthenics training before. Calisthenics is a form of physical training focused on mastering your own body by using minimal equipment. What this really means is that with no or minimal equipment you do exercises that improves your overall body physique – functional strength, mobility, flexibility & cardio. And calisthenics is really good at it!
Great examples of exercises you will be doing when doing calisthenics training are pull ups, push ups, dips or squats.
Benefits of calisthenics training
Pull up – base of your calisthenics training
Calisthenics is targeting multiple muscle groups simultaneously rather than focusing on specific muscle group what you can achieve with bodyweight training. This results in training your entire body and improving your overall body strength, flexibility and coordination. There is no way you will have huge biceps and toothpick forearm at the same time.
You don’t need fancy equipment or a special dedicated place to do calisthenics training. Most exercises can be done without any equipment at all and by having access to pull up bar and parallel bars you will be king of the block. No more spending money on gym membership. And since you are not tied to gym you can go outdoors, enjoy a nice warm summer breeze at the sunset in beach and do your bodyweight workout. World is your playground!
Calisthenics is fun! For a long time I went to gym and lifted weights but I noticed that it gets quite boring at some point. All you are progressing towards is the amount of weight you can lift but exercise is exactly the same. Calisthenics completely changed my way of thinking in this aspect as with bodyweight exercises, apparently, you don’t increase weight but rather than change progression of exercise – read more about progressions in this article. It made it fun because I set my goal to be an exercise that seemed to be totally impossible but I regressed it to the point I could do it. And by gradually progressing exercise I could achieve this goal what seemed crazy at first.
How to start?
Plan your workout. If you are a beginner and want to get in shape by starting bodyweight training I would suggest doing full body workouts 3-4 times per week. If you are more advanced or have some specific goals but cannot make a plan yourself, our coaches are here to help.
Track your progress by downloading Caliverse on App or Play store, scheduling your week manually or by starting training plan and do all your workouts there. Caliverse automatically saves your workout history and shows you detailed progress on each exercise that helps you move towards your target.
Give yourself a reason why you are working out – getting fitter, increasing strength or unlocking some crazy moves. Without a goal your motivation to workout will slowly drift away till all your effort will seem pointless. Don’t let that stop your trainings. Celebrate every single small achievement!
Our extensive and professionally made workouts or training plans will give you a kickstart to your training. And if you need a great way to get into training routine check out Caliverse Challenges.
About the author : Daniels
