Trainers, coaches, and everyone else in the world of athletics know that calisthenics is an important part of every exercise routine. Calisthenics, also known as Body-weight Training, can wake up your body and get it prepared for a more intense workout, or it can be the workout itself.
Calisthenics workouts can be adapted to meet almost any fitness goal, whether it be losing weight, increasing flexibility, or achieving an impressive, ripped physique.
It all depends on the training routine, including the movements used, the acute variables(reps and sets) as well as other factors like diet and genetics.
Calisthenics have long been a part of physical education in school around the world. Kids did jumping jacks and squat thrusts for calisthenics, but the times have changed. Much more focused, dynamic exercises that concentrate on specific muscles and muscle groups provide better results.
Calisthenics exercising doesn't require additional equipment or special training environment, so it's perfect for everyone interested in improving their body conditioning and functionality.
Important Considerations Before Starting Calisthenics
When you decide to begin a calisthenics training program, it's important to understand what you're trying to accomplish through training. What you want to achieve directly affects the type of exercises and methods of training. Choosing the right exercise regimen helps the targeted areas gain greater value from the movements involved in the calisthenics. Decisions should be made on the following topics:
Which exercises will have the greatest impact? Is the goal to increase overall muscle conditioning and strength or is targeted to a specific muscle group or purpose? How many different exercises can be done to achieve your desired results? How much time and when can you devote the needed time to exercise? What equipment is needed to maximize the value of the training protocol? Where can your workout be done without interruptions or restrictions?
How to Get Started in Calisthenics
Like other activities designed to improve muscle tone and conditioning, it's important to determine exactly where you're at, body condition-wise. Young bodies and old bodies are very different in their ability to activate muscles to achieve the desired results.
Younger athletes don't have as many concerns about a heart condition or limited lung capacity but older athletes have to ensure their body can accept the training calisthenics will present.
Once you've determined your body can do the training, you should go into the training regimen slowly at first. Your body may not have had a good workout for a while and it takes time to build up conditioning and strength.
Focus on Technique to Start
Exercise is important and it's intended to improve the body's functionality. Doing exercises properly contributes to achieving better health. Not exercising properly can cause severe physical maladies that don't help toward achieving better health. The techniques involved in performing each calisthenic exercise must first be mastered before more advanced exercises can be performed.
Studying exercise movements and understanding the intended results contribute toward effective conditioning. Strengthening and conditioning muscles properly takes discipline and repetition. Performing an exercise incorrectly wastes time and effort.
Advantages of Calisthenics
Body conditioning is a life-long process. As children, we could run around the playground, hang on the monkey bars, and play dodge-ball for hours on end. As adults, extended periods of muscle exertion take more effort and concentration.
When we become older, calisthenics can become an important part of maintaining a healthier body as well as improving brain functionality. Many benefits are derived from regularly exercising like:
Improved muscle strength and durability Improved balance and flexibility Better Gastro-intestinal tract functionality Release of good hormones like Dopamine, Human Growth
hormone (HGH), Serotonin, and Endorphins Reduction in bad hormones like Cortisol (the hormone that makes your body hold onto fat) Weight loss and weight control Lower Blood Pressure and improved circulatory system function Improved athletic performance
Drawbacks of Calisthenics
While calisthenics makes a lot of sense for a lot of folks, some concerns can arise as a result of starting a calisthenics exercise regimen.
A conscientious program using calisthenics as the sole method of training to improve body conditioning has the ability to achieve many goals, but using calisthenics alone can have some limitations like:
Calisthenics works several muscles simultaneously with little opportunity to focus on individual muscles.
To gain greater strength and endurance additional resistance is required like using weights or resistance machines.
There is no simple measuring stick or tape measure that can tell you if you are stronger and have greater flexibility.
Exercising becomes boring and repetitive unless you can move ahead in the training to achieve greater levels of conditioning.
Growing the size of muscles isn’t always the aim of performing calisthenics and the results of exercising with calisthenics sometimes don't result in a lot of muscle mass growth.
Advantages of Weight Training
Combining additional resistance to an exercise program results in increased muscle mass and adds to muscle durability and conditioning. Weight training can be accomplished using barbells, dumbbells, kettle weights, resistance machines, and using other devices.
Resistance training is a critical part of bodybuilding because it provides focused exercises to increase individual muscle conditioning. Body Builders have to accentuate the size and configuration of muscle groups to win competitions and weight training is the perfect protocol to accomplish the desired results.
As with calisthenics, there are many benefits derived from weight training, such as:
Reduces the risk of muscle strain and injury Improved muscle strength and durability Improved balance Reduced risk of muscle strain or injury.
Release of good hormones like Dopamine, Human Growth Hormone (HGH), Serotonin, and Endorphins Reduction in bad hormones like Cortisol (the hormone that makes your body hold onto fat)
Weight control
Lower Blood Pressure and improved circulatory system function Improved athletic performance
Drawbacks of Weight Training
The biggest difference between performing calisthenics and lifting weights is that you don't need any extra equipment to do calisthenics and weight training requires equipment. That means you probably have to go to a gym or exercise studio to find the equipment needed or you have to have the equipment at home.
In either case, the freedom of working out is distinctly curtailed for weight lifters.
There are additional issues associated with weight training such as:
- Added resistance to muscle movement accentuates weaknesses and injuries that may already be present before starting a training protocol.
- Weight lifting equipment can be pricey as well as gym memberships. Many weight lifters employ personal trainers to improve performance which adds to the cost of improving your health.
While both calisthenics and weight training take time to accomplish, weight training can be additionally demanding due to the need to go where the training equipment is located. In addition to travel time is equipment availability at gyms or exercise studios that have a lot of clients working out at the same time you are.
The nature of resistance training using weights can result in a reduction of flexibility due to the reaction of muscles and tendons to the addition of weight during the exercise routine.
Muscle weighs more than fat and adding muscle may reduce fat by burning calories but it can be a double-edged sword. Added muscle mass will increase body weight over time as a result of employing added weight resistance.
Bodybuilders and exercising enthusiasts know that if you don't keep lifting weights and training, the muscles that were once nice and firm become soft and saggy. Not working out regularly can also cause a breakdown of overall strength and conditioning at an accelerated rate.
Calisthenics for Building Muscle Mass
Many athletes have discovered it is possible to build additional muscle mass using calisthenic exercises. Once the realm of weight lifters alone, increasing muscle mass and muscle size can be accomplished employing calisthenics.
Nutritional supplements and proper diet help the process of increasing muscle mass along with a well-organized set of exercises designed to stress muscles. The way to increase muscle mass is by tearing the muscle down so that when it recuperates from the workout, it comes back stronger for the next workout.
If your goal is to build muscle mass and get ripped through calisthenics, there are a few pieces of equipment that can improve your results drastically.
The best idea is to focus on the following areas to have a well-rounded exercise routine and more:
By maintaining the proper form and body position, the effect of an exercise is greatly improved.
Increasing the number of repetitions performed during a particular set of movements will help increase muscle endurance by pushing the muscles further than before which then results in additional muscle growth.
The use of an exercise program that is written down can help improve performance by setting goals to be achieved toward improving muscle size and strength.
Varying your workout helps reduce the boredom that can be associated with working out. Shaking up the exercise routine a little keeps movements and forms fresh in your mind. The biggest killer of exercising is boredom and a feeling that no progress is being made.
Calisthenics for Explosivity and Endurance
Two things a calisthenic exercise routine helps with are both reaction time and muscle durability. When the gun goes off and the race begins, it's often the first man off the blocks who has a distinct advantage over his competitors.
Calisthenics improves muscle reaction speed so that when the muscle is called upon to perform, it does so very quickly.
Many sports require quick reaction time and calisthenics performed employing starting signals with buzzers or lights help decrease reaction time. Endurance is improved because calisthenics conditions muscles to perform throughout the workout which results in having muscle durability last longer.
The Importance of Diet in Getting Ripped
The importance of nutrition for exercising can never be understated. Diets are unique to each person's particular metabolism. What's critical to keep in mind is that the body has to have the fuel to perform like a race car. Without the proper fuel, the engine won't function properly. You don't put regular gas into a race car just like you don't put junk food and processed ingredients into a body designed to perform at peak levels.
Nutrition must be a balance of fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, and other components designed to keep energy levels high so that workouts can be done at the proper intensity. Poor diet and eating habits will significantly increase the amount of time required to achieve the best results.
People Who Got Ripped From Calisthenics
Ever since ancient times, athletes and other health-conscious people have used calisthenics to improve their body image and strength. The ancient Greeks coined the word "Ka'los", meaning beauty, and "Sthe'nos", meaning strength and the Spartan culture embraced exercise like no other society.
Over time, calisthenics has evolved into a routine used by armies, athletes, and many others. In China, daily exercise routines based upon Tai' Chi' teachings are an integral part of everyday life and have been for thousands of years. In modern times, many famous people find calisthenics works for them, including:
Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson
Actor Chris Hemsworth
Cate Blanchett
Zach Efron
Megan Fox
Ryan Reynolds
Heidi Klum
The Time To Start Doing Calisthenics is NOW!
Embarking on a training protocol involving calisthenics is a good idea anytime! Young or old, fit or flabby, everyone can benefit from exercising even if it is only a little to start with. Calisthenics is easy to incorporate into a busy lifestyle and perfect for a sedentary lifestyle.
The health benefits far outweigh the time and effort required to engage in a well-rounded calisthenic workout. Seniors can improve their quality of life significantly and they can perform calisthenics at home or during a daily walk.
Athletes have to use calisthenics to warm-up before performing their sport or they can suffer from muscle sprains and injuries.
Young people who don't want to blimp up but prefer to stay trim and svelte will find calisthenics very affordable and doable at school or home.
Whoever you are and whatever your physical condition may be, calisthenics can help you improve your overall health, aesthetics, focus, and self-esteem. It can be a workout or a lifestyle, an investment or totally free—in any case it’s one of the least intimidating and most rewarding forms of exercise.
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