Calisthenics workouts have often developed a reputation that performing them will not help you increase your muscle size.
But, with the rise of bodyweight workouts as all the gyms are being shut down from around the world, people are finally becoming more knowledgeable about this style of exercise. Bodyweight workouts are no different than working out with weights when it comes to the development you could potentially make on your body.
Just like weightlifting, the focus is hypertrophy and putting muscles under sufficient tension and stress in order to elicit growth.
Getting Started
As you get into calisthenics, you will have to start with the basic movements. Examples of these movements are the pullup, chin up, pushup, squat, lunge, and sit up. These 6 exercises will serve as the foundation of your workouts as they target all the major muscle groups in your body. Unlike going to the gym, calisthenics promotes stability and balance as you will be utilizing a lot of core strength in order to execute the proper techniques.
One of the main philosophies Calisthenics has is that it encourages you to learn how to control your body in a variety of ways. We have seen advanced bodyweight fitness gurus balance their bodies to be horizontal on a pole thanks to their core strength and also be able to propel themselves in the air using only their arms as they do during headstand pushups.
The 6 basic exercises that were mentioned earlier also serve as a prerequisite to the actual workouts you will be performing. This is because you will need to increase your strength first to get used to carrying your body before you proceed with the harder exercises. You could start by doing 3 sets of 8-12 reps for each exercise and aim to workout at least thrice a week. Some exercises will be harder than others.
Pull-ups are notorious for being incredibly demanding on your upper body strength. And so, that may take more time to develop than the rest. If you struggle with doing pull-ups, you could always opt to purchase resistance bands to be able to help lift your body to the bar.
Having the Right Equipment
In Calisthenics, having the right equipment will also determine the effectiveness of your exercises. Items like gymnastic rings, pullup bars, parallel bars, and resistance bands serve as great tools in order to develop your physique.
The reason for this is because it will allow for greater options and variety when deciding what to workout on. More equipment signifies that you can target more muscle groups at desired angles. Take the parallel bars, for example, as they are widely considered to be the most versatile equipment for bodyweight exercises.
With these bars, you could perform leg raises, L-sits, tricep dips, lunges, shoulder raises, crunches, and even suspended push-ups. This also helps keep you interested if you are the type to get bored of exercising if you keep doing the same routine over and over.
Targeting the Right Muscle Groups
Once you have become more of a seasoned bodyweight exerciser, you can now start methodically planning your workout routines. The common routine is to break it down by muscle group (triceps and chest, biceps and back, & abs and legs).
Triceps and Chest
For your triceps and back, otherwise known as the “pushing” motion, a good workout plan would be to perform a variety of push-ups (close grip, regular, and diamond), dips, and lateral raises with the resistance bands.
If you are finding the pushups and dips to be too easy, perform them on gymnastics rings instead as you will be able to go deeper on the downward motion, giving your chest more stress and tension. A good rep range for these exercises is from 10-12 for 3-5 sets.
Focus on performing the moves in a controlled manner as that will trigger muscle hypertrophy.
Biceps and Back
For your back and biceps day, you will be focusing on “pulling” motions. The workouts involved here are pull-ups and chin-ups which are known to be more taxing on the body.
A solid workout plan for this day would be to perform pull-ups, chin-ups, resistance band bicep curls, and gymnastics ring rows. The rep ranges will still be the same with 10-12 as the target amount along with 3-5 sets, depending on how your muscles are feeling during the workout.
Abs and Legs Routine
Finally, we have the abs and legs. For this routine, you will be focusing on both controlled and explosive workouts to tackle muscle growth and cardiovascular development. Your ideal workout for this day would be Pistol Squats, Side to Side Squats, Box Jumps, Burpees, Mountain Climbers, Leg Raises, and Knee Tucks.
Your controlled workouts, focusing on hypertrophy, are pistol and side to side squats, leg raises, and knee tucks. These exercises will enable you to develop your quads, hamstrings, and abdominals by doing it in a controlled fashion for 10-12 reps.
As for the explosive exercises, these are also important as they can help burn off extra calories and improve your heart by increasing your endurance. Box jumps, burpees, and mountain climbers are perfect for breaking a sweat and engaging the core for an extended period of time.
Integrating Proper Diet
If you truly want to reap the benefits of your exercises, you should also focus on what you are putting into your body. Arguably, the most important aspect of working out is your diet. It should consist of nutritious meals that will give you the energy to perform bodyweight workouts at a high level. Also, you are going to need to determine your goals for your body (if you would like to lose body fat or maintain your weight).
A good diet consists of protein to help your muscles grow, sufficient carbohydrates to give your body the fuel and energy to exercise, and essential fats to help your body function properly and for improved brain development. Following these tips will lead to sizable gains for your body as if you never left the weight room.
This just goes to show that there is a huge misconception in the fitness community about how to grow your muscles because you can achieve it just fine without having to lift weights.