When people used to see an individual that had huge muscles only one thought would come into the mind that was he born inside the gym or what? However, in this day and age Calisthenics has made quite an impact on fitness minded individuals and some even prefer it over going to the gym!.
What is Calisthenics?
Now what is calisthenics and the hype around it? And most importantly, can it really provide an alternative for the gym? Calisthenics comes from the Greek word “kallos” which means beauty and “sthenos” that means strength.
To put it in simple worlds calisthenics is a type of physical activity that can be done without or with minimal equipment by a person no matter where he or she is.
These types of exercises are often termed as bodyweight exercises as opposed to weight training that usually goes on in the gym. Pushups, Pullups, Squats and hundreds of other aerobic exercises as a whole make up calisthenics.
Does Calisthenics build muscle? What is the science behind it?
Now the question that arises in every individual’s mind is that how by not using weights can a person become stronger and grow bigger muscles? The answer to this question can be found in the science behind growing muscles.
Achieving strength and building huge muscles are made possible only when you apply enough pressure to an individual muscle to tear it and then give it the necessary amount of recovery time to help it grow stronger and bigger.
This can be made possible by doing bodyweight exercises only if you perform them in a continuous and rigorous manner. Moreover, when these exercises are done in a time-pressed environment they give you exceptional results like increased strength and more aerobic capacity.
What are the benefits?
So, that we have established the fact that bodyweight exercises do build muscle but that’s not all. Calisthenics mainly relies on your body to do all the work and this makes these exercises highly functional. Functional exercises are those that allow a person to perform his daily life activities easily and with minimal risk of getting an injury.
For example, let’s take the example of pullups, because if you are able to efficiently perform this exercise with the proper technique then it would be very easy for you to perform any lifting activity in your daily life. Whether you want to lift your child or help move a box to the roof you can do it all with little effort.
Furthermore, other benefits of doing calisthenics is that almost all of its exercises are compound which means that if you do a pushup you are not only targeting your chest but your arms your legs and your core are getting a solid workout from this exercise.
Moreover, Calisthenics endorsers also suggest that endurance and flexibility can easily be achieved if a person opts towards free weights. Stretching is a bodyweight exercise that is done prior or post workout and it makes your joints less prone to injury while increasing the range of movement in your workout.
Last but not least, bodyweight exercises eliminate the need of going to gym and you do not need to pay expensive subscriptions and registration fees to keep your membership going. However, one point should be kept in mind which is that these exercises will only benefit when done with the proper technique and designated number of sets and reps depending on your goal and personal needs.
Sample Callisthenic Workouts
A sample full body workout has been pasted down below that ranges from beginner to advanced.
Have a look:
Beginner:
· 5-7 pull ups
· 10-15 pushups
· 20-30 squats
· 15-20 crunches
Intermediate:
· 10-15 pull ups
· 20-25 pushups
· 25-35 squats
· 20-25 crunches
Advanced:
· 25-30 pull ups
· 35-45 pushups
· 35-50 squats
· 35-40 crunches
Allsportspk also compiled a list of the top 6 YouTube Channels that you can benefit from. They post regular videos on body weight exercises, technique and nutrition.
- Frank Medrano (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP8wqLAt5qYMmOwMB7-mvTQ)
- Bar Brothers (https://www.youtube.com/user/
novoic ) - Brendan Meyers (https://www.youtube.com/chann
el/UCKrd5VRxcXFvMf4-9VmpLuA ) - Hannibal For King (https://www.youtube.com/chann
el/UCtKds9KfvOmnthJbPkA8m7w ) - Dominik Sky (https://www.youtube.com/chann
el/UCNQjYSosLXPZjRyhhnAIriA ) - Al Kavadlo (https://www.youtube.com/user/
alkavadlo )
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