Calisthenics from A to Z

 

On this page we will reply to the most common questions we’ve read online and have been asked over the years.

 

All the information you find in this website comes from different sources (quoted) and/or from our personal experiences (and loads of mistakes) and knowledge we collected over several years of training and research; they are not dogma, nor the ultimate absolute truth, nor carved in stone, nor made out of gold (as most things usually are) or any other precious material.

Feel free to give your suggestions and criticisms as we are all here to learn, nobody is a master, and we aim first of all to improve the knowledge and share what we know for the common good.

 

We hope you will find this information useful and if you have any other questions or doubts by all means feel free to comment below and ask freely.  We will do our best to respond to the best of our possibilities and capabilities.

 

 

What is the meaning and definition of Calisthenics?

There are many different definitions of Calisthenics, some more common and some less:

 

“Calisthenics is a form of fitness which utilises gravity and body weight leverage to challenge your fitness level. I feel like that's the easiest way I can put it,” says Kenneth Gallarzo (Progressive Calisthenics)

“Calisthenics are exercises that don’t rely on anything but a person’s own body weight. These exercises are performed with differing levels of intensity and rhythm. Sometimes these exercises are done with light handheld tools like rings and wands.  These exercises allow for the development of strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination” (https://www.healthline.com/health/fitnessexercise/calisthenics)

I personally found this definition quite balanced (from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calisthenics):

“The word calisthenics comes from the ancient Greek words kalós (καλός), which means "beautiful" (to emphasize the aesthetic pleasure that derives from the perfection of the human body), and sthenos (σθένος), meaning "strength" (great mental strength, courage, strength, and determination). It is the art of using one's body weight as resistance in order to develop physique.”

The practice was recorded in use in Ancient Greece, including the armies of Alexander the Great and the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae.” 

 

I think these are all rather nice definitions, and they complement each other.

I would say however, that it is worth underlining how calisthenics has (and is) been practiced has changed throughout history.  Some versions, especially at the beginning, were developed to train the whole body, and were not focused on performing specific movements.  Gymnastics was developed on this basis and for a long period of time the two words could have been used as synonyms.  Then both gymnastics and calisthenics began to diverge and distinguish one from the other, developing their own rules and routines.

 

Gymnastics became more and more specialized until it developed into the one everybody now knows practiced in the Olympic Games, aiming to execute very precise movements and isometrics.

 

Calisthenics had several developments, differing from country to country and generation to generation, being used as training for women in the domestic sphere (something slightly comparable to a sort of fitness or Pilates routine), and as training for soldiers and army forces in several countries.

 

 

Calisthenics vs Gymnastic 

What is the difference between Calisthenics and Gymnastics?

If we want to be practical, differences (as in any topic) come into play after somebody starts establishing clear and well-defined rules.  This usually happens when a certain activity gets recognized as a discipline and starts creating federations, associations and any other judicial group made exactly for the purpose to organize the discipline itself.

While gymnastics developed very strict and specific protocols and rules over time, calisthenics developed throughout its history in several different forms and versions, according to the practitioners.

 

In these modern days, Gymnastics is a discipline aimed to train the body indoors (usually with proper equipment and in specific dedicated environments), through endurance and strength workouts in order to be able to develop the proper conditioning to be able to perform complex and particularly hard isometric and movements.

 

This usually requires for the practice of Gymnastics to begin at a young age in order to have the proper time to develop the required body conditioning (being particularly hard on joints and ligaments) and be able to perform all the movements at an age where body strength and endurance usually (averagely), reach its peak.

 

Calisthenics shares similar elements of movement and isometrics, aiming to learn and perform skills comparable to those of gymnasts, but combining it with a more freestyle approach and less strict rules (so far).  Usually, this allows for people no longer in their prime (youth), to practice all the skills and movements as well as train.

 

Many “purists” are developing calisthenics to have very strict and ruled levels, training in a way extremely similar to regular gymnasts.

 

Others have oriented themselves more on the freestyle side of the discipline, often popularly called a “street workout”, which usually includes freestyle performance of several movements mainly on iron bars and on the ground.

 

Some focus mainly on the upper body, developing a conspicuous strength especially in their arms and shoulders, almost completely ignoring the lower body.

 

Others prefer to keep to a wider approach, training the entire body in a somewhat more old-fashioned way of practicing calisthenics, and include cardio, lower body full training and several other tasks.

 

Some train themselves with circuits and routines, while others prefer to focus on specific muscles or skills, dedicating their entire workout to these specific tasks.

 

Many use equipment, while others do not…etc. etc. etc.…. there are as many options as you wish.

 

Some say that gymnasts execute more complex and high-level isometrics and skills.  This is not necessarily true, for the simple fact that this comes with the skills of each practitioner, and I can guarantee that many people I personally know who practice only calisthenics (who definitely did not start at a young age), were, in the end (we are still talking about years of training, not days….) able to develop all the full movements and skills that an average gymnast is able to perform.

 

At the moment, the world of “modern calisthenics” is still developing and clear definitions and rules are not yet written in stone.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing… after all we started practicing calisthenics because we were eager to learn some of these really cool movements and we were aiming to develop our bodies and live a healthy life.

 

Rules come in handy mainly for competition purposes, but on the training ground, I always remember with pleasure all the differences that every new guy brought to the group, each one so different in background and physical abilities.  It was exactly because of being able to bring something new to the group that allowed for everybody to evolve and grow with that new piece of information and knowledge.

 

 

Beginner Calisthenics Workout

  

In an ideal and utopian way, starting with a body predisposed for this sport and committing to a serious and well programmed calisthenics workout, it would be possible to start training with the single Calisthenics skills/movements right away.

 

That said, everybody is different and has a different background so will be able to approach Calisthenics safely in a different way.

 

Physical pre-disposition plays a huge part, as for any sport some people are more predisposed than others for specific movements and workout routines.

 

That is where conditioning comes into play.  Few people have the conditioning required to train and hold the isometrics typical of Calisthenics and Gymnastics.

 

So exactly as for gymnastics, practitioners of Calisthenics require long years of consistent training in order to allow their body to get properly conditioned and able to bear this kind of solicitation to their joints, muscles etc.

 

The background you come from plays a very important part as well.  Someone who already has a very well-trained body in bodyweight movements will potentially have an easier life than somebody who does not.  As you are well aware, to be particularly strong and able to lift huge weights in the gym on a bench press doesn’t necessarily and automatically mean that you’re able to lift your own body on an iron bar, or even do a single pull-up.  We saw a multitude of people, physically extremely fit, coming from years and years of serious training in various sports, who were completely unable to lift their own body or perform a single pull-up.  The good news is that is always possible to learn and improve.

 

Therefore, a beginner should get into the mindset of allowing their body to get accustomed before jumping into hard isometrics.  It is not difficult to overload the body and arrive to injure ourselves, so this is always useful to keep in mind as you will win in the long run for it is a marathon, not a sprint.

Firstly, give yourself time to condition your body, especially the joints, ligaments, and muscles you have rarely used before.

 

A good routine (as the gymnasts perform), would be to properly warm up and condition the wrists, shoulders, and rest of the body with simple but highly effective preparatory movements.  Read the section dedicated to warm up and conditioning to learn more about that.

 

In my opinion the first and most important suggestion is this:  don’t be hasty… we have all been very eager to perform a full planche, but it is simply not something you learn to do in a week.  A gymnast takes years, so use good common sense and do not try to prove to the world that you are the one in one billion able to take a short cut and do it overnight.

Injuries takes time to recover from, and even if you’ll be back at the best of your condition after that, it will still force you to fully rest for quite a while.

 

Simply put, use common sense, don’t push your body over its own limits and be consistent.

 

To not push your body over it’s limit doesn’t mean to sit and passively accept that you will never improve… quite the opposite.  It means that it is not just a simple physical exercise where you’re trying to exhaust your muscles as you would do in a “regular gym” training.

 

Here most of the effort and tension is taken on by the joints and ligaments.

Differently from muscles, you don’t “train them”, you don’t grow them, you just use them.

That’s why conditioning them properly is very important in order to avoid as much as possible in having them injured.

 

I guess you have observed the body of a professional gymnast.

 

They took years and years to develop those muscles, perfectly fitting the role they are going to play in performing a certain routine.

 

So, until your body develops a structure perfectly shaped for the training you’re practising, it will be your joints that will pay the biggest price.

They do not regenerate, so be careful, they need to last you a lifetime.

This is not said to scare you or prevent you from fully enjoying calisthenics workouts, but simply to allow you to have a long, satisfying and hopefully injurie free “career”, for as long as you will wish to practice this sport, and it can be practiced for quite a long time… many of our friends are definitely not teens and still practice calisthenics at very good levels even in their 50s, 60s and way older.

 

Sometimes it’s hard to have precursor/preliminary movements to train skills besides conditioning, so here is where the good practice of “Buffering” comes in.

Buffering exercises in calisthenics, as in any other sport, help you to train exactly the movements you want (or as a pre-step), without excessively loading your joints or exhausting yourself.

In short, you will train your buffering routine to a % that allows you to be consistent in your training without the necessity to skip entire days/weeks of training because you’re worn out.

 

How much buffering you need to do depends on you, your level of conditioning, strength and the skills you’re going to train.

As a very generic guide, it is possible to start with buffering in order to finish your training feeling tired but not being physically worn out.

In that way you preserve energy and avoid inflammation to the joints and ligaments.

Whenever you find yourself in doubt, question athletes who are more expert than you, and if you feel in pain, head straight to a physician in order to not make the situation worse by training over an injury.

 

 

Calisthenics Park

What is better than training under the sun in a nice park with friends?  One of the greatest benefits we have experienced practicing calisthenics is the possibility to train outdoors as well as indoors, spending the entire summer meeting in different parks all over the city to share our workouts with both old and new guys.

 

There are quite a few parks equipped for calisthenics in most of the cities, but much equipment to start training properly for calisthenics is really not required.

We started training in a big park in the suburbs of our city, a place usually used only by joggers and people willing to take a break from the grey cityscape.

The park had only one iron bar, a wooden structure with a very peculiar shapes and some classical features such as a couple of benches and a rubber ground.

All I can say is that it was more than enough to allow 40 people to train together every single weekend for years, learning and practicing all the skills that this sport aims to achieve.

So, give it a try… and if you know of some parks in your neighbourhood, please share them in the comments, so that others who are passionate about this sport will be able to hopefully find a convenient spot for his/her/their outdoor training. 

 

 

Calisthenics at the Gym

 

Calisthenics can be practiced outdoors as well as indoors.  Several gyms started to hold specific Callisthenics classes and programs (some just in name and some very well organized).

Many people expect to see something special when Calisthenics is held in a gym, being accustomed to weight rooms, CrossFit Gyms etc. they often expect glorious pieces of equipment.

In order to not disappoint this huge chunk of the market many gyms provide their members with all sorts of equipment and tools: gymnastic rings, Olympic level parallel bars, elastic bands and any possible contraption used for warming up, stretching up etc.

Now, I’m not saying that it’s useless, as Calisthenics still has no strict rules, and everyone is more than welcome to train as they see fit according to his/her body and preferences.

However practically speaking, especially at the beginning, most of the training should be focused on reinforcing and conditioning the entire body in order to be properly prepared to endure future workouts.

Most of the time, gym clients do not want long and committed years of training.  They are simply looking for an “I did my weekly workout” kind of approach.  They want to feel cool and trendy in a top level fully equipped gym learning how to master skills, that takes a gymnast decades to perform, in only a matter of weeks.  Well… to each his own… free country, free training.  But please give a tutor or teacher or gym the benefit of the doubt if they offer you an empty room over a fully equipped, shiny, fluorescent sci-fi looking one.  It doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a terrible course or that they will be unable to properly teach it.

 

 

Calisthenics vs Weights

 

This is like to compare swimming to diving or running to jumping.

They are both sports, they are both physical activities, but they aim towards different goals, using different techniques and approaches.

 

Calisthenics is body weight training and weights is… well, the word speaks for itself.

Training with weights focuses on very specific angles of work, movement and compartments, training one or few groups at the time and in a very precise way.

 

Calisthenics has a huge engagement of several muscles, ligaments and joints, required to work all together in order to perform a specific movement.

Practicing specific skills in calisthenics and gymnastics, it is immediately visible how despite having very strong main muscular groups it would be impossible to perform the skill itself because some “minor” muscle is totally untrained and unfit to perform and bear this effort.

 

So, calisthenics implies a more engaging training and movement and that explains why it is so hard to perform isometrics over weight lifting.

 

However, both sports can complement each other and help the whole body by strengthening and improving specific features.

 

 

Calisthenics vs Bodybuilding

These are two completely different sports aiming to achieve two completely different results through different techniques and approaches.

In short, they are not comparable because they simply do not aim towards similar goals.

Did you know Schwarzenegger also practiced calisthenics?

 

 

Calisthenics vs CrossFit 

This is an eternal dilemma that so many people asked us about.

Which one is better?  Which one is the most effective?

Simple response: is it better to go on a holiday to the sea or to the mountains?

It depends on what it is you’re looking for and the same is for here.

They are, once again, both sports, with goals and techniques.

They can sometimes have equipment in common or train similar elements and skills, but they do not do it in the same way nor aim towards the same goal.

 

CrossFit is mainly organized in circuits and routines with the purpose being to complete the routine in a specific amount of time.

 

Calisthenics (in modern times) aims to perform isometric skills and/or routines of isometric “passages” and in that sense it is much more similar to proper Olympic gymnastics even if not necessarily with the same goal.

 

 

Bar Calisthenics

 

These are the most used pieces of equipment during a Calisthenics training.

Used principally for pull-ups, they can be used for a huge variety of training as an alternative to the ground or parallel bars.

 

We all started with anything available: from the wooden beam of a swing in a park to the super fancy stainless steel, rubber grip, multiple angled ones in a gym.

Whatever the shape, size, material or colour the purpose is the same.

If nothing can safely hold your weight at home there are several movable ones available for sale in any sport center or online.

 

 

At Home Calisthenics

 

Can I do Calisthenics training at home?

Home is as good as being at the gym, as it offers you practically all you need properly and effectively.

You have a floor, right?  So, you’re off to a good start. 

Some of the best Calisthenics athletes I have ever had the pleasure of meeting trained at home with nothing more than their floor for equipment.

With time, if you wish to learn specific skills such as a front lever or if you simply want to do pull ups and you can’t find anything safe and helpful whatsoever at home, you may consider purchasing a bar and two little parallels.

 

 

Leg Workout Calisthenics 

 

Even if not very popular amongst the modern practitioner, Calisthenics leg workouts are an important part of the training itself.

Always intended as a full body workout, this allows for making the body fit for a huge variety of situations.

It’s no coincidence that it has been used since ancient times by the Greek soldiers and the celebrated Spartans as part of their routine.

Running, squats, and several other exercises were part of a normal workout.

In modern times, many people practising calisthenics tend to skip leg workouts (yes, this doesn’t only happen in regular gym training), not simply because they don’t like it or because it’s not as visible a part as the upper body, but mainly because some think it will negatively impact their performance.

 

Observing Olympic gymnasts with their massive upper body compared to their relatively skinny legs, an attitude developed to focus only on the upper body and completely ignore the legs.

 

It’s a personal choice of course and everybody has his/her own legitimate goals and wishes.

But if this piece of information can be of use to some, I can well confirm many excellent athletes have very well-developed leg muscles as well.

 

Not only are legs used in Calisthenics for several skills and isometrics such as the front lever and planche, but even if not bent or under a “weight load” (as happens in a regular gym), they are definitely forced to be a very active part of the workout.

 

Despite being static for definition, isometric movements are extremely hard to perform, and require a huge amount of strength and training to be executed properly.  This is quite unlikely if the muscles are not properly fit to bear such kinds of effort.

 

The same is valid for the popular hearsay claiming that only short people can practice gymnastics.

Physics is a fact, and we are all subject to gravity, especially in a sport where the weight is our body itself.  So, a long leverage is notoriously at more of a disadvantage when compared to a shorter one.

But that doesn’t mean that a tall person wouldn’t be able to perform Calisthenics skills at all.

I personally have several friends whom I would say are fairly tall (they are all around 6ft., so I guess they would be considered tall in most parts of the world) who are able to perform all the skills and movements included in a Calisthenics routine.  They definitely needed to train hard, be extremely committed and hold on for quite a good amount of time, but in the end they succeeded and I can say they are all excellent athletes.

 

 

Calisthenics for Women

 

Is calisthenics for women? Can women practice calisthenics? Two questions often asked by people wondering if they should approach this discipline.

It shouldn’t even be necessary to underline that Calisthenics can be practiced by anyone, despite the gender to which you belong.

As for Calisthenics, I can say without any doubt that I have seen a multitude of women training and obtaining impressive results, not in any way inferior to members of a different gender.

There is still the old urban legend that women are weaker in the upper body and heavier in the lower body because their thighs are generally more muscular than men.

I will allow myself to disagree on that point also as it is not really related to gender but to the status of fitness, genetics, and many other factors.

I personally saw several girls capable of making men blush at push-ups, pulls ups and any possible Calisthenics skills.

The same is valid for the legs as there are many men with skinny legs, but it is also true for women as well.

Statistically speaking, men are traditionally more predisposed to developing bigger muscle volume on the shoulders, back and arms, and that can make some movements easier, but again, it is not a dogma, nor a signed fate.

Everyone, independent of gender, can aim for what they wish for the most and some simply run for the field their genetics favour the most.

It isn’t just coincidence that most of the athletes belonging to the same kind of sport have similar body structures, it’s simply more effective and allows them to give their best.

 

 

Calisthenics Benefits

 

What are the benefits of calisthenics? 

As with any sport you enjoy practising, you can obtain a higher level of wellness and well-being.

Some of the main benefits of calisthenics is the fact that it is possible to practice it virtually anywhere, it requires a very low amount of money (or none), and it gives the whole body an all-around training (if the routine you choose includes exercises for the whole body and remember, … don’t skip the legs… maybe they don’t fit in the mirror, but they are as important as the biceps.

 

 

Calisthenics Physique

It’s hard to give a universal, clear definition to this.

It mostly depends on genetics, and what kind of training, diet and workout routine you are following, but very, very…. generally speaking, let’s say that an average Calisthenics athlete who trains consistently and properly to a medium-high level of intensity and duration and time, will develop a physique that is kind of similar to a gymnast’s shape.

 

 

Calisthenics Before and After

 

I’m sure you’re not new to observing the impressive crazy Calisthenics body transformations online.

Totally (and quickly) skipping over the fake “1 week training to turn you from a pudding shape to Schwarzenegger 2.0”, I can say in our humble experience that we found significant changes in our body shapes after several months of proper and continuous intense Calisthenic workouts.

More or less, as you well know, some body structures are more predisposed than others to develop certain kinds of shapes and muscles.  Some who are overweight require more time to lose the excess fat, and so on and so forth…

 

 

Can You Get Ripped with Calisthenics?

 

In short, sorry, but… no.

It’s not the practice of Calisthenics that makes you shredded and ripped as a Greek sculpture, but the consistency of the training itself associated with a corresponding diet, genetic predisposition and lots of commitment.

I can speak for myself of how I have strived and struggled for decades looking for the classical “super Saiyan” kind of shape, but I realized soon enough it was not something within my grasp.

Some people accumulate fat deposits more abundantly in specific areas, while some are more predisposed to being lean.

Some of my friends had a back that looked like a geographical map of the Himalayan Mountains, but believe it or not, their bellies were still far away from showing the “supreme turtle ABS” (not even a baby turtle to be honest).

Even after years of training, they never developed the much sought after 6 pack.

The process of losing fat (and eventually getting ripped), is deeply influenced by your genetics.  As you well know, some bodies rarely accumulate fat, while others do very easily, and it’s the same for losing it, besides the fact that fat accumulates not just in one day; it’s a long process due to lifestyle and routine.

Day after day, the unused excess of calories may get deposited into fat storage, and it usually goes away following the same principle: a long time to accumulate it, a long time to get rid of it.

It’s not rocket science and it doesn’t mean “I got overweight over 20years…so it will take me 20 years to lose it”.

Your new (possibly healthier) lifestyle will play a huge role in that, and as you accumulated the fat step-by-step, you will also remove it step by step.  This doesn’t mean that you need to train 20 hours a day, 7 days a week in order to lose it faster.  We are not part in a manga, we are not Goku.

We need rest and nourishment as much as we need training.

And if we break, we do not necessarily recover overnight like fictional characters.

So, the final goal is not to train to the point of exhaustion and burn all the energy from our bodies, but to make our lifestyle our training.  In this way, we can train without crashing; consistency pays off more than intensity in the long run.

 

 

Calisthenics for Arms

 

Arms and shoulders are used the most in any single Calisthenics skill.

But specifically speaking the amount of “involvement” required by the arms will obviously depend on the movement itself that you will be performing.

To hit specific muscular groups, different exercises will work out great for you:

Dips, Front triceps,

Chin-ups and Pull-ups for dorsals 

Forearms will be continuously solicited by the fact that you will be holding the bar or rings or holding your grip on the ground.

 

 

Calisthenics Workout Using No Equipment

Can I practice calisthenics without equipment?

Calisthenics is popularly known to be a bodyweight exercise so it can potentially be done without any specific tools or equipment.

We all started in that way: nobody got any gymnastic rings or fancy parallels; we didn’t even have a fully equipped gym nearby.

So, we all made good use out of any sort of “tool” publicly provided.

Parks offer quite an abundance of iron bars which are excellent for most upper body training exercises, and a simple solid floor will provide the rest.

There is potentially nothing you can’t do with a simple solid (please be sure that it’s solid …too many started doing pull-ups on old pieces of rotten wood or rusty decandent iron elements and ended up paying quite a hard price) structure that allows you to grasp it with your hands and lift you up.

One of the most difficult exercises to perform without equipment are classical “dips”, but even here furniture comes in handy, and two tables can make a wonderful piece of equipment.

 

 

Calisthenics with Weights 

Weights are not a necessity nor required whatsoever, but we have noticed they can come in handy when you need to help your body out, focusing on specific muscle groups and angles.

Calisthenics skills do not cover every single muscle and they do not work on each of them with the same intensity, so in some cases when aiming towards specific goals, weights can still play their part and be a collateral auxiliary tool to your calisthenics workout sessions.

One exception is the heavy jacket used to train hands free with the surplus weight acting as a  ballast in order to allow you to push your limits combining the heavy lifting with body weight training.

 

 

Calisthenics Rings

These are the Crown Jewels of a Calisthenics athlete or gymnastic athlete… simple but great, they allow you to train in a quite unique and challenging way.

As with anything, they come with pros and cons.

They can be widely used in a multitude of exercises but for the first time it is highly suggested to avoid them to train “skills” for the simple fact that the body is still not properly conditioned and ready to perform movements on this kind of tool.  Rings require a lot of training and strength in order to be properly controlled and to use them for movements such as front lever, muscle-ups etc.

It’s easy enough to lose control over them and get injured in the process (we did and regretted it), but it’s not necessary to spoil the fun with that.  They can be effectively used for several exercises, from Pull-ups to Push-ups, to help your joints get accustomed and conditioned to using them.

 

 

Calisthenics Results

 

When it comes to training for running, aiming to stay healthy is quite different from aiming to compete in the Olympic Games as a marathon runner.  In Calisthenics, it too depends on what you’re aiming for.

Some aim to improve their strength, some to live a healthier life and stay in shape, some to learn and perform specific skills and some aim to compete as Professional athletes.  I can personally say that for what we saw during several years of training, the results can be quite remarkable.  I have personally experienced a multitude of different sports but have found true satisfaction and happiness performing Calisthenics.

 

 

Calisthenics Build Muscles

 

Can I build muscles practicing calisthenics? The short answer is yes… but well, after all what sport doesn’t? 

If practiced properly and consistently Calisthenics can definitely help to build muscles and develop your body shape.  Saying that, physical activity is only one factor impacting muscle growth; genetics, diet and proper programming and scheduling of the training itself plays an equal, if not more important role.

 

 

Calisthenics Diet

What’s the best calisthenics diet? There is no specific diet for this specific type of training, considering that it is strictly related to your body, metabolism, kind and intensity of training, genetics (yes genetics once again, I know… it’s a recurring word) etc. etc. etc.

Having said that, the best approach would be to establish the best diet according to the results you are aiming for, the number and intensity of your workout sessions, and how well you react to that, maintaining a healthy body and mind.

A well balanced and diversified diet is good to keep a proper balance of macro and micro-nutrients in your body and allow it to perform at its best.

For a specific diet oriented to a specific goal, it is always recommended to ask a professional physician or dietitian, who will be able to help you figure out the proper diet through a deep knowledge of the subject and proper testing.

 

 

Calisthenics for Weight Loss

 

Can I lose weight with calisthenics? As with any other physical activity it likely may.  That obviously depends on your physical condition and any response related to medical conditions should be asked directly to a professional physician.

Calisthenics allows you to burn calories due to the movement of the body itself, and the Calisthenics routines practiced by many athletes are particularly intense and definitely able to burn a huge amount of calories.

But we are talking about people training properly and mindfully, avoiding anything that could injure or prevent them from having a healthy life.  And there is always to keep in mind that weight loss is not only related to practicing physical activity, but diet, genetics and several other elements come into play as well.

 

 

Calisthenics for Mass

Can I gain mass with calisthenics? Genetics and diet influence the raising of mass and muscle building to an extent not inferior to the physical activity itself.  As with many sports that train strength and endurance, Calisthenics may help to develop muscular mass, shaping and developing your physique, but how much and how fast is not related only to the sport itself.  After all, we already established that developing the impressive Conan the Barbarian Schwarzenegger body shape by pushing a mill in the middle of a desert is highly unrealistic and confined to the fantasy movie itself.

 

 

Calisthenics Outdoor 

 

May I practice calisthenics outdoors? Totally!  That’s one of the great benefits of this sport… it can be practiced virtually anywhere, and where better to train if not outdoors and in the middle of nature.

 

 

Calisthenics Books

 

What are the best calisthenics books? There are a variety of excellent books dedicated to the sport of Calisthenics and are very useful in developing your knowledge of the subject.

I would like to start with a classic: overcoming gravity by…

A real treasure trove of information straight from a great gymnast.

 

 

Calisthenics “Skills”

 

Everybody usually wants to immediately move on to the juicy isometric poses called “skills”.  After all, we can all do Pull-ups, right?  These names are fairly typical of Calisthenics, but I saw them used in other activities and disciplines as well.  Some “skills” are simply called by different names in “proper gymnastics”.  So, I’ll stay strictly with what I know and what we always used in our Calisthenics community.

So, what are the most popular calisthenics “skills”?

·      L-sit

·      V-sit

·      Muscle-ups

·      Human Flag

·      Front lever

·      Back lever

·      The impossible

·      Planche (to not be confused with the Plank, as that is a completely different exercise, even if people often say: ‘Oh, you can do a planche? Cool, me too!’, and you look at him with your eyes popping out of your head wondering if he ever did a single day of training in his life.

 

Cool names huh? 

 

They make you wish to perform them simply by saying them.

 

There are many other more or less traditional names, but I would like to suggest taking them with a grain of salt as I saw the names change according to the country and the training group.

 

Besides these, there are several others that are more basic, or let’s say less spectacular, and therefore not considered amongst the ones athletes aim for, but simply something they use in order to reach their goal.

 

Amongst them are:

 

·      Plank (yes, this time it is Plank, not Planche)

·      Push-ups

·      Pull-ups 

·      Dips

·      Handstands

·      Archer pull-ups 

 

 

And of course, the more the athlete evolves the more they potentially become able to improve his/her repertoire of movements, along with several others from gymnastics:

 

·      Manna

·      Iron cross

·      Pelican

 

As said, everybody considers one or another approach as being more or less “real Calisthenics” according to their personal goals, ambition and potential.

 

After all, things evolve and so does Calisthenics.

 

The approach and definition has changed quite a bit over time, so I’m sure you’ll be understanding if our list doesn’t squarely fit the definition of everyone in the field.

 

 

Calisthenics vs Street Workout

 

Short response: they could be synonyms… or at least they have been.

Practically they have changed, and actually they (sometimes) developed skills that make them distinguishable.

Street workouts may be a sort of free-style version of calisthenics, but to my knowledge (and for most people), they still aim (more or less) for the same kind of results.

 

I know (and you know) that nobody likes to be compared to others, especially when you are quite focused and enthused with your new sport.  Ever heard someone ask: “What is that?  CrossFit?”

You’ll see faces turn red, teeth clench and terrible grimaces change even the kindest of facial expressions.  No bad feeling towards CrossFitters… several of my friends are excellent athletes in this sport and I have the highest respect for the whole lot of them.  It is definitely not an inferior nor a superior sport, with many forms and variations of the same activity.  It’s much like trying to compare Boxing to Karate or Swimming to Water polo; they are two completely different sports that simply share a few elements here and there... and not as many as some people may think.

 

I saw practically every possible approach to Calisthenics: from the purist that quickly passed to a true Olympic Gymnast workout routine, to people interested more in the freestyle version of it, and hence more oriented to a street workout or even mixing it all together in order to improve their Parkour skills.

 

Did you know that many Parkour athletes train in the same way that Calisthenics athletes and Gymnasts do?

 

The final goal changes significantly according to the one you decide to dedicate your time to.

 

An old friend and gymnast once told me: “It’s cool that you train doing what we do for a warm-up”.

 

I don’t know if it was meant to mock or an honest statement, but it was true… no need to feel bad about it, as with CrossFit, it is not an inferior or minor activity and sport, simply a different one, aiming to do different things.

 

In my opinion, Calisthenics can be defined as a freestyle version of Gymnastics, not aiming to compete on an Olympic level (you can simply be a gymnast if that’s your dream).

 

Another difference is usually the timing.

 

A gymnast usually starts training when he/she is still a child as conditioning is a very long process and the body requires several years in order to perform certain movements and hold certain isometric poses properly.

 

Therefore, considering that most of the people approaching Calisthenics for the first time are not children, it is quite unlikely that they will ever reach an Olympic Gymnast level.

 

Gymnast’s do not begin practicing their sport as young children by mere coincidence.

 

So, let’s say that Calisthenics gives you the possibility to do some serious badass athletic moves despite not being a gymnast and despite not being trained since you were a toddler.

 

Beside all of that, people who usually prefer to orient themselves more toward street-workouts and 

freestyle forms of training aim towards being able to perform quite a complex and articulated performance made up of different elements, sometimes even in quick succession without interruption and long holding positions (as in gymnastics).  In that, Calisthenics is usually more similar to proper gymnastics, and competitions aim to have a certain amount of time for performing “routines”.

 

Is there a clear definition and distinction amongst all of these sports and activities?

 

Yes and no.  I once saw a gymnast who preferred to be a Calisthenics athlete because of their longer training and consequent possibility to excel at it.

 

As well, I saw Calisthenics athletes being real purists and training and aiming to execute exactly the same routines and performances you see in Olympic Gymnastic competitions.

 

Some prefer free styling, jumps, loops, and death spins, while others prefer the solid strength and cleanliness of a “full planche “on the ground.

 

 

Is Calisthenics Just for Men?

 

Quick answer… nope.

 

“But it’s a hard sport, very demanding, and requires a very strong upper body… how can a woman be able to do that?”, some may ask.

 

Once again, if you still haven’t had the chance to see this urban legend totally demolished, you should definitely see some of the women training in Calisthenics.

 

I can say, without any doubt, women are some of the most motivated, dedicated and strongest athletes I have ever seen.

 

“Are women able to perform a perfect “front lever?  Usually, only men with massive upper body strength and light “chicken legs” can do that; no way can a person with long legs, or a girl with heavy muscular thighs, perform it.”

 

Wrong again.  Women are totally capable of performing every single calisthenics “skill” to perfection.

 

Many different things influence the possibility of performing the different “skills” involved in the sport.

 

Some can have an advantage, that’s a fact, and some can be predisposed, but is that not true for everything in life?

 

“Is it just for big muscular men who are ripped like a Greek sculpture?”

 

Definitely not.

 

Does it help you to develop a fit and ripped body?

 

It definitely could.

 

However, as you well know, diet is not merely a secondary element for such a goal.

 

“But a big guy, a bodybuilder maybe, he would definitely have an advantage, right?”

 

Quite the contrary. 

 

Their body may be massive, maybe extremely strong as well, but their muscles, their training, their conditioning is oriented to obtain a very specific goal, usually with the use of machines and different kinds of equipment, all with very specific angles, postures and timing.

 

So no, their bodies are not necessarily better suited to being a Calisthenics athlete.

Often, they have never needed to lift their body weight, and believe it or not, most of the people going to the gym have never even made one single free pull-up in their entire life.

 

I saw men who were as fit as the great Mr. Schwarzenegger and able to lift a 150kg bench press without even blinking at the end of an entire set, yet they were totally unable to lift themselves even one time on an iron bar.

 

Sound familiar? 

 

It’s not the strength itself, but how the body was conditioned and prepared for that specific movement, associated with the weight/strength ratio that makes the difference (yes genetics plays it’s role too obviously…).

 

So, skinny or not, whatever is your sex, age or body shape, if no medical condition prevents you from practicing this specific sport, you have all that you need to give it a try and improve.

 

Maybe you won’t be the next “lord of the rings” in the Olympic Games, but I can say that it is a given fact that every skill and isometric pose you learn will make you considerably proud of yourself.

 

 

Conditioning

Despite what many people think, one of the most important parts of proper calisthenics training and workouts is conditioning your body.

 

Why is that?

 

Because despite how strong or physically capable you can be, the calisthenics movements and workout you will be performing will not just be using your muscles, but it will have a deep impact on your joints as well.

 

Conditioning your body is probably the most important part of your training, helping your body to be fit and sound during your Calisthenics session.

 

The one I personally used over several years of Calisthenics practice is the same one adopted by professional gymnasts preparing for their daily workouts.

 

It’s quite different from warm-up and stretching exercises despite having some elements in common.

 

As for Calisthenics, it helps to make your body accustomed to the pressure that the isometric positions will exercise on your joints and ligaments.

 

It’s not a one day or once a week thing, and it’s certainly not something you do just before you train.

 

It is something that requires commitment and time; something that will provide a benefit over the years to come.

 

Over the long term, it gets your body “conditioned” and able to bear longer and longer training sessions.

 

https://gymbc.org/public/uploads/Strength-and-Conditioning-Manual-2020.pd

 

https://www.usagym.org/pages/home/publications/technique/1996/8/strength.pdf

 

A book that should not be missed by any sportsman or sports enthusiast interested in body weight training is “Overcoming Gravity”.

 

Often considered the Best Book on the topic, it is definitely a real gold mine of information:

https://www.amazon.ca/Overcoming-Gravity-Systematic-Gymnastics-Bodyweight/dp/0990873854

 

and has been extremely helpful in both the training and workout sessions of myself and my friends, giving awesome insights and priceless tips and techniques.

 

Some would say that it leans a little more towards gymnastics than Calisthenics itself, but after all, gymnastics comes from the Calisthenics exercises used in days gone by.  Whatever is your goal, ambition or dream, learning some tips from a top gymnast will definitely not be a waste of time.

 

Warming up

 

This is just (or it should be) common sense.

First of all, stretching is not warming up, and so true is the opposite.

 

Quoting one of the most authoritative websites on this field:

“It is widely accepted that warming-up prior to exercise is vital for the attainment of optimum performance.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26400696/

 

Are you going to have an intensive workout?  Then give your body the time to warm up in order for it to give its best performance during the training session.

 

In this instance, opinions tend to overlap from those who claim that it’s just a waste of time, to people who say that warming up is the main part of the workout itself, necessitating a longer time for warming up than the actual training session.

 

What is the purpose of warming up your body before starting the real part of the training?

 

According to Kurz, warming up brings: 

"an increased awareness, improved coordination, improved elasticity and contractibility of muscles, and a greater efficiency of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems."

 

If you would like some extra information on this topic, please see:

 

https://tomkurz.wordpress.com/tag/age-and-stretching/

 

https://www.amazon.ca/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149451

 

It also helps you to properly prepare your body for its upcoming workout.  It shouldn’t be too long or intense, nor too brief and lame, but perfectly fitting for the kind of sport you’ll be performing.  If properly done, warming up can do way more than just loosen your muscles and raise your body temperature: it can actually improve your performance and help you to avoid injury.

 

 

Stretching

 

Now that your muscles are warmed up, you’ll need to do something more.

 

Yes!  I’m talking about stretching!  Unfortunately, it’s like the “leg workout”.  Nobody likes it (well, almost nobody...), but it should not be skipped.

 

Many (if not most) people end up skipping this step altogether.  But is that the right thing to do?

 

Whether you’re one of the ones skipping it, or you know somebody else who has this attitude, read on as the following information will maybe make you think otherwise.

 

Stretching is not merely a way to spend 5 minutes relaxing your mind after a training session.

 

It is a major and very important part of your workout.

 

Stretching benefits and affects your body practically.  In order to give you a reputable source, let me quote the MIT website itself:

 

Stretching can do more than just increase flexibility. According to M. Alter, the benefits of stretching include:

 

·      enhanced physical fitness

·      enhanced ability to learn and perform skilled movements

·      increased mental and physical relaxation

·      enhanced development of body awareness

·      reduced risk of injury to joints, muscles, and tendons

·      reduced muscular soreness

·      reduced muscular tension

·      increased suppleness due to stimulation of the production of chemicals which lubricate connective tissue  

·      reduced severity of painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea) in females

 

https://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_5.html#SEC39

 

 

Calisthenics Equipment 

It sounds like a bit of nonsense considering that it’s a body weight form of training, but in some circumstances and with a few types of exercises, you can use certain pieces of equipment.

 

Is it a necessity?  No… it is simply a choice according to your style, goals and tastes.

 

Some people love to add a few coordination exercises to their Calisthenics routine.

 

Medicine Balls, balance step and so on and so forth.

 

Many Calisthenics practitioners were (and are) not so keen in using anything but their bare hands, training simply on the ground or using iron bars they find suspended over the floor.  The motto was: “use whatever is available and train”.

 

But some equipment, such as Loop Bands, became more and more popular, winning over some of the most stubborn abstainers.

 

This piece of equipment is probably the most popular that I have seen used.

 

Some only use it for warming up or as an auxiliary tool during stretching, but it got more and more popular as a 360 degree around tool and used to assist in most of the preparatory exercises for the main “skills”.

 

Wrapped around your waist, under your armpit or your knees, it is widely used to facilitate the movement but not overwhelm the joints when the body is still not ready to bear the full form of a skill.

 

Let me explain that a little deeper:  As you know, to gain a “skill” takes a lot of time, sometimes weeks, months or even years (once again gymnasts do not usually start to train as children simply out of fun).

So, during all this time, the body gets used and put under quite a large amount of pressure, especially when it comes to joints, ligaments and muscles… with consequent risk of injury.

 

If I workout properly, warming up, stretching and taking my sweet time, will I get injured in any case?

 

That’s the thing…the quick response is, as always, it depends.  Everybody reacts in a different way.  Despite looking similar, the anatomical structure of each of us is very different.  Some bodies have more sensitive shoulder joints, some can be coming from a previous injury, and some can have muscles particularly predisposed and reactive and able to bear the load of work easier than others without considering the weight (the joints and ligaments of an overweight person will obviously have more weight to carry), body shape (longer leverage will definitely bring a higher load on the joints) and  physical condition of the body, usually influenced by other sports and/or physical activities you practiced.

 

For example, a very tall slender soccer player who continually trains only his legs would potentially have a harder time approaching the discipline of calisthenics than a guy who just regularly practices physical fitness. This is a very general example… not saying at all that one precludes the other or grants somebody superhuman strength… this is simply statistically speaking.

 

In short, it depends on who you are and your life experiences.

 

So, coming back to Loop Bands:  made of elastic, they are used to reduce your body weight.

As you know they exist in different shapes, thicknesses and consequently “strengths”.

 

They can therefore be used to allow you to train advanced preparatory movements (or sometimes the “full form” itself) instead of using your full weight, and train in steps until you gain enough conditioning and strength to be able to bear the next phase.

 

Since a picture can tell more than a thousand words, allow me to show you with some photos.

 

Whatever is your level or approach, you can always use them if you are comfortable with that, as they definitely reduce the weight load on your body.

 

I was personally using them to train one arm pull -ups, front level and planche.

 

Another piece of equipment are gymnastic rings.

 

Are they an indispensable tool to train with?  No.

 

Some people love them, and some people hate them… so it’s mainly a personal choice.

 

As you probably know, they are actually used (sometimes just for trend, sometimes with a real purpose) in many gyms.

 

CrossFitters use them a lot in many of their circuits and routines, even if their movements, exercises, and goals are quite different from those of a Calisthenics or gymnastic practitioner.

 

They can be made of different materials but mainly wood or rubber.

 

I saw some made of metal but, well let’s say that to have sweaty hands holding onto a smooth piece of metal when you’re hanging upside down in the air 2 meters above the ground may not be the best kind of experience you would like to try.

 

The rubber ones are usually made to help you with your grip and are easy to clean as well as waterproof and shockproof.

 

The wooden ones are the classical ones that you see in the Olympic Games (even if there are different qualities and kinds).

 

In Calisthenics, I saw them used mainly for high level movements and isometric poses, not just because it would be hard to train an iron cross on a bar, but because training on the rings requires a high level of strength and conditioning.

 

First of all, the moves you use… in order to hold the position and pass from one pose to another you need to be ready for that.

 

The simple vibration of your hands and body while trying to hold the rings in place, burns most of the energy you have… even before doing the movement or pose itself.

 

Even if some of my friends swear they prefer the rings over the bar and think they are way easier and more comfortable to use than a bar, let’s just say that it’s usually sufficient to try them out once in order to judge for yourself.

 

You have most likely watched some videos or gymnastic competition athletes using “magnesium powder” before taking to the bars and rings.

 

Magnesium powder helps to keep your hands dry and grants you a better grip, while at the same time allowing you to move your hands smoothly over the surface.

 

Some usually ask why not simply use leather gym gloves? 

 

Well… try to imagine a gymnast on the rings passing from one movement to another wearing rubbery gloves... not so fun.

 

They may be excellent for barbell/dumbbell lifting and classical gym machinery, but beside the fact that they generate quite a lot of abrasions on the hands themselves, when the hands slide fast as when doing muscle-ups etc., they usually become more of an impediment than a help.

 

Plus, you usually want to feel that you are in full control during your movements and gloves do not exactly give you the same feeling as bare hands do.

 

However once again, it is your body, it’s your training session, and you are the one that should be comfortable training… so, (being cautious) use the solution that best fits and suits you.

 

The list of equipment is actually finished… after all it’s a body weight form of training, right?

 

If you have any suggestions, or you have seen someone using different forms of equipment and tools than those listed here, please feel free to tell us in the comments.

 

 

Music for calisthenics workout

 

There is a music compilation for practically everything, so what about Calisthenics?

 

I’m sure all of you have your own playlist and hit compilation for your workouts.

 

So, if you’re willing, please share it with us, and we’ll collect them all, selecting the most appreciated in order to provide an awesome Calisthenics workout music compilation.

 

 

 

Calisthenics Parks

 

We all know how hard it can be to find a place to train in the neighborhood in which you live.

 

For a long time, my group and I were practically the only people using the bars set up for fitness buffs and kindergarten kids at the park.

 

Some of the best ones were usually those set up for the kindergarten/public training park. They always fascinated us the most, as we always wondered how a little kid was supposed to reach up and use an iron bar set two meters above the ground… the city must be full of great tiny future gymnasts!

 

Usually, the people using the parks for their daily routines of jogging, fitness, Pilates etc. hardly use bars or wall bars at all.  Yet still there are countries where the bodyweight parks are wonderful… the dream of every passionate participant of bodyweight training.

 

So why not use this page as a spot for everybody to share their favourite training locations, public training parks, equipped areas or maybe even a single bar where other fellow Calisthenics lovers can train.

 

Sometimes these spots are closer than you think… you just don’t know they’re there yet!

 

We will create a worldwide map where everybody can pinpoint locations to share with other practitioners.

 

 

Athletes 

 

Athlete.  Usually, this word can be quite discriminatory and only gets used when referring to somebody who competes at the highest worldwide level or wins something recognized by a major association or institution.

 

I quite disagree.  Not just the Olympians are great athletes, and a person doesn’t have to have a medal hanging around their neck in order to make them an athlete.

 

Therefore, we will post all our favourite athletes here, from any nation, any gender, etc.  Anyone is welcome… no discrimination at all, just please don’t suggest Michael Phelps or Michael Jordan or any other great sportsman who does not use bodyweight workouts.  I love those guys, but let’s try to stick to Calisthenics.  However, if you happen to know that some of these exemplary sportsmen practice Calisthenics, street workouts or any other related discipline, please, by all means feel free to share these insights with us.

 

On a sidenote: Schwarzenegger himself was a Calisthenics practitioner in his youth!

 

 

Videos

 

We want to share with you the best highlights of this sport we all love.

 

As with the Park and Athlete pages, this will be a perpetually open topic… so by all means, feel free to comment and link any videos that you would like us to share with others.

 

To keep the page enjoyable, usable and safe for anyone of any age, we will only stick with non-adult content, non-discriminatory, non-offensive, and not hurtful to any people of any gender/faith/age etc.

 

We are preparing more detailed articles, digging deeper into these important topics, so if you want to know more, stay tuned and follow us!

 

Do you or maybe your friends have some footage of your training?  Would you like to share them? Please comment below.