Calisthenics are exercises where you use your body as weight resistance, making it easy to do in the comfort of your home.
However, you should keep in mind that when you do calisthenics workouts, it’s essential that you keep up a routine, and shoot for 25-25 minutes per day.
You don’t need any gear for your calisthenics workout, so you can start right away if you want to. But if you’re not sure where to start, this article should get you heading in the right direction!
Beginner Calisthenics
When you start calisthenics, you should remember that good form is the most critical aspect.
Many beginners make a mistake in beginning exercises that aren’t at their skill level, but in this guide, we’ll give you some advice on three basic calisthenics movements to start.
These are: push exercises, pull exercises, and leg exercises.
Push Exercises
You can do push exercises to train the anterior side of your upper body. When you think of push exercises, the first that should come to mind is push-ups.
While this may seem underwhelming to some, the push-up can be modified with various levels of complexity. So, if you want an exercise to start with push-ups are always a great choice. Don’t forget to drop to your knees when you are just getting started or get tired to do a few more extra reps!
You’ll need a pull-up bar or even some gymnastic rings. So, it should be no surprise that one of the first exercises you should think of doing here is the pull-up.
Leg Exercises
You’ve most likely done leg exercises, as they involve squats and lunges.
Leg exercises are some of the most challenging exercises as your legs already carry so much weight regularly that your body weight won’t have too much effect.
So, you may have to look into getting some weights to give yourself more challenges as time goes on.
Beginner Workout Routines
You should remember that when you do your workouts, make sure to keep a diary of what exercises you have done. This way, you can ensure that you know how much you’re exercising and which ones you’ve been doing.
Now that you understand the workouts let’s start by suggesting warm ups. You don’t need to take long to warm-up, as you only need around five minutes to get the body warmed up and ready for exercise.
If you ignore the warm-up step, you will be putting yourself at risk of injury.
Push-Pull Leg Workouts
Now, while some people prefer to work on one muscle group at a time, in this workout, you can train all of these muscle groups at the same time.
You can start this exercise with a variation of a push-up. You can do your push-up either with an incline or with your hands elevated on a ledge.
You could close your hands, or if you want to challenge yourself, you can try a one-handed push-up. However, you shouldn’t do this unless you are further along in your fitness journey and comfortable with complex exercises.
You should do three sets of 10-15 repetitions of your push-up variation. You can also stick to regular push-ups if you’re uncomfortable doing a variation. Just remember to use a push-up variation as you progress in your exercises.
Wall Pulls
Next, you should do a wall pull. The good thing about the wall pull is that you need to use a doorframe. Find a stable one that supports your weight and grab onto it with both hands.
Make sure these are at the same level as your breast bone. Then place your feet as close to the frame as possible and lean back so your arms are fully extended.
Then begin pulling yourself to the frame until your chest makes contact with the door.
By doing this exercise, you can get accustomed to pull-up exercises. Do 3 sets of wall pulls for 10-15 reps.
To challenge yourself as you progress, you can lower your hands, pull from your waistline, or hold for three seconds longer.
Squat Variations
Last, do your squat variation. To start off with, try doing an air squat. This is essentially a basic squat.
If you want to challenge yourself, close your stance, so your legs are closer together. Remember to do 3 sets of 15-20 repetitions of these.
Second Workout
Crow Pose
You should try the crow pose to help prepare yourself for handstands. You must crouch down and place your hands on the floor with your palms face down and shoulder-width apart.
Bring your knees up to your armpits above your elbows. Don’t worry if your elbows bend. That will happen regardless. You then begin leaning forward until you can feel your feet come off the ground.
Then, hold this position for around thirty seconds. This exercise is also great for practicing balance, but you will also need to be able to hold the pose. Do three sets of this, with 10-15 repetitions.
Pull-Ups
You may be worried about doing pull-ups and I know this can be daunting. You will need a pull-up bar to suspend your entire body in mid-air.
Reach it with your arms shoulder-width apart and make sure you have a tight grip on the bar.
With your feet close together and pointed forward, engage your glutes and pull yourself up by bringing your chest to the bar.
Don’t throw your head back and don’t swing in the air if you can help it. Raise yourself up until your chin is over the bar, then slowly lower yourself down. Remember to do this slowly, then try again. Do 3 sets of as many reps as you are able to, understanding 8-12 will be a difficult task.
Glute Bridge
In your last workouts, you can do a glute bridge where you lie on the floor with your knees bent.
Do three sets of ten repetitions for this one. If you want to add more to your workout, you can add some weights or stretch your leg out one at a time.
Third Workout
Plank
Do a plank and hold for twenty-second holds. You could do this with one arm or both.
Ultimately, many plank variations are available, which are great for your core muscles. Remember to keep your body straight as you do this, or else there won’t be as many results.
Leg Raises
Another method of a core workout is to do leg raises. You need to do 3 sets of 15 ten repetitions of these. Make sure your legs are straight when you do this.
Final Thoughts
These are a selection of three different workouts that you can do. Remember to keep a record of your workouts.
Keep a record of how many repetitions you do to track your progress as you continue through your workouts.
Remember that it’s essential that you do your workouts every day. Vary your workouts, or else they will not have an effect.
Add more to your workout by extending the amount of weight you add or the number of sets you do each time. You can do more if you want to! As long as you don’t overwork yourself and take time time to rest, you will be able to continue this routine for the rest of your life!
Hi, my name is TJ Daniels. I am a certified personal trainer dedicated to health and fitness for the past 20+ years. We have found that consistency is the key to wellness and our company is founded on this philosophy. If you would like to learn more, please see our About Us page or Contact Us with questions, feedback, suggestions for future content, or collaboration opportunities. Let’s enjoy this journey together!
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