Calisthenics – Building Strength and Flexibility In The Comfort Of Your Home

Finding new and exciting ways to exercise can be a bit of a headache. First of all, you need to find the motivation to actually get up from the couch to engage in physical activity. Secondly, with the number of exercises available, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher which one to choose.

Enrolling in a Yoga or Pilates class can cost you a few hundred dollars a month, signing up for a gym membership too. There are other alternatives to staying fit, and one of the most popular forms of exercise today is Calisthenics.

What Is Calisthenics?

Calisthenics is training that uses a variety of movements and exercises to achieve maximum strength and flexibility. Calisthenics is based on using gravity and one’s own body weight as muscle-building resistance. Other than making optimum results in strength, this method also works on balance and endurance.

A series of small strength movements are done within the comfort of your own home. Popularly known as the ‘street workout,’ Calisthenics doesn’t need expensive gym equipment or other tools. You can perform the basic movements using the couch, a small coffee table, and a few dumbbells. Which means you don’t have to go to the gym to workout, you can start in the comfort of your home or take it outside.

By incorporating a few easy exercises into your everyday routine, you can achieve a healthy physical form.

Calisthenics for Beginners

You don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to be able to take part in Calisthenics exercises.  The whole idea is to start simple, and as you gradually become stronger, you can increase the difficulty of exercises. Calisthenics is essentially a series of pushups, squats, dips, leg raises, and sit-ups. These fundamental exercises can be combined with stretching.  The movements are repeated in a short cycle with rest periods in between. 

To be able to start your Calisthenics journey, you should begin by doing only a few of these exercises.  After a week or so you can gradually increase the number of exercises you do. Always making sure you push yourself to achieve better results.

You will be able to do exercises more comfortably as you gain muscle mass.  With an increase in stamina and endurance you will be able to increase repetitions in the cycle.

You can achieve excellent results when you start small, even doing alternative and easier exercises.  Focus on performing the exercises correctly to get the maximum results.

Exercises for Beginners

You should be able to perform basic exercises that embody Calisthenics. Especially if you are a beginner, you will have some difficulty performing some of the following Calisthenics exercises. After some repetition and hard work, you will be able to execute the following Calisthenic exercises with ease.

SQUATS – Stand in an upright position with your feet parallel underneath your shoulders. Lower your body into a squat by bending the knees. Your chest and back should be held upright.

DIPS – Using a bench or a steady chair, bend your elbows, and use your tricep muscles to move up and down.  An alternative exercise for beginners is to support your weight on your legs. In due time, you will be able to do dip exercises and lifts from a higher surface.

PUSHUP – Get into a ‘plank’ position onto the ground. With hands flat on the ground, shoulder-length apart lift yourself off the ground and lower yourself again.  An alternative to a difficult pushup is to cross your legs and support most of your body weight with your knees. Eventually, you will be able to support yourself in the ‘plank’ position off of your feet.

CRUNCHES – Lay flat on your back. Your hands should be crossed on your chest or support your head by being placed underneath your head. Use your stomach muscles to lift your torso from the ground and lay back down again.

More exercises include: running, short sprints, lunges, leg lifts, and lunges.

The best thing about Calisthenics is that you use your own body’s weight as a counterpart to build endurance. So, you could do a few Calisthenics exercises anytime during the day. Lunge from the one end of the hall to the other and do a few press-ups of the edge of the couch while you watch your favorite TV show.

There’s no need to push your body too hard. Instead, execute five crunches correctly than doing 20 incorrectly.

Obtaining a six-pack isn’t Calisthenics’s primary goal. Expect to have an increase in body energy, strength, and endurance. Why not start giving it a go?