What Is Calisthenics?
Calisthenics is basically a fancy name for bodyweight training. However when we look into the origin of the name 'calisthenics' we start to learn why it's become one of the most popular fitness trends in the world!
Calisthenics comes from the two Greek words, Kalos and Sthenos, meaning 'beauty' and 'strength' respectively. So at the very centre and essence of calisthenics is the notion of being beautifully strong. This gives real meaning and purpose to calisthenics. It means it's more than simply 'just bodyweight training'. It encompasses both beauty and strength. Beauty that comes from control of your own body. Strength that comes from controlling your own body and co-ordination to produce beautifully strong shapes.
A push up is no longer a push up. It's one of many steps towards a handstand. A pull up is no longer a pull up. It's one of many steps towards a muscle up and the list could go on.
Benefits Of Calisthenics
There are a number of huge benefits to calisthenics and that's why we are so passionate about it and helping people get started. Firstly it requires little or no equipment, which just means it's accessible to anyone!
It requires you to learn new skills, new movement patterns, linking body parts together and training the body as one complete unit. This allows you to explore what your body is truly capable of, your physical potential. You might not think it when you start but impossible things like Human Flags start to become a reality and eventually when you redefine your impossible, it changes the way you look at everything, not just your training!
Finally we believe with calisthenics we are being encouraged to have a different goal or purpose to our training. Rather than focusing on how much we weigh, what our body fat percentage is or how we look, we are striving for an outcome, trying to achieve a handstand for example. The net result of learning how to handstand, for example, would be; you've learned a new skill, can take cool holiday photos but you'll also have built up shoulder strength and stability, core strength and body alignment, getting fit and having fun along the way!
Beginner Calisthenics Workout
It's a circuit of four exercises working on building some basic strength and body control. So make sure always focus on keeping good form over doing more reps. Poor reps will only hold you back on your long term progression.
The four exercises are;
1. Push Up Plus (6 to 10 reps)
2. Walkout (6 to 10 reps)
3. Pike Push Up (8 to 12 reps)
4. Leg Lowers (12 to 20 reps)
Take 10 to 30 seconds rest between exercises before moving on to the next one. See if you can complete 3 to 5 rounds of the circuit with 1 to 2 minutes rest between each circuit if needed.
