Calisthenics, derived from the ancient Greek words “kalos” (which means beautiful) and “sthenos” (which means strength), is a form of exercise that exclusively uses your body’s weight as resistance in order to build muscle. It has been recorded that the application of calisthenics dates back to the times of the ancient Greeks and their military services.
The Spartans were one of the main armies to implement calisthenics-based workouts into their training regime. However, the art of bodyweight exercising only started to gain recognition in the early 19th century when a German man by the name of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, also known as the “Father of Gymnastics”, incorporated it into his gymnastics routines.
The following years after, Friedrich’s ideas started to spread which in turn, allowed the philosophy of calisthenics to reach the United States in the 20th century where it was further popularized.
Today, we are seeing more bodyweight exercise enthusiasts because of social media. Street workout videos are going viral around the internet which makes viewers want to try them. The rise of calisthenics in the modern era has become so great that it has turned into an official sport as we are now seeing international competitions being held all over the world.
Muscle Development through Calisthenics
When it comes to calisthenics, people are often hesitant to consider it as a viable option for developing their physique because of the absence of weights.
Weightlifting has become the solution society turns to if they want to improve how they look. That is the way it has always been for the general population. They see weights as the be-all-end-all for putting on size and definition where in reality, it could not be further from the truth.
It might not seem that way for the average person because, for some reason, we have all been geared to think that muscle size can only be developed through lifting dumbbells. This is not the case, however, as it has been scientifically proven that you can gain muscle mass from calisthenics by doing a variety of bodyweight exercises.
If we take a closer look into how muscles are developed, you will notice that in order for muscle growth to be stimulated, it will first have to go through a high amount of stress and tension; this is known as hypertrophy. It does not matter whether it is tension from lifting a 100-pound barbell, or from doing 12 pull-ups, as long as your muscles are sufficiently stressed, growth will happen.
Focusing on “Resistance”
Your main focus during your time exercising should be “resistance”—this is the key to building muscle.
When workouts are too easy, your muscles will not be pushed enough which will lead to no size gains. That is where the debate between bodyweight and weightlifting exercises comes into play.
At the gym, it can be very simple to add resistance when you find yourself breezing through your lifts. Add more weight until you are adequately challenged then start again. With calisthenics, people will tell you that doing 10 to 20 pushups might end up being too easy at some point in time, which is why weightlifting is superior.
What they fail to realize is that you can also increase resistance levels to bodyweight exercises. It is just not as straightforward as grabbing a heavier pair of dumbbells from the rack as it requires a little more creativity.
Let us use pushups as an example.
As a beginner, you will start off doing 3 sets of 10 pushups. Once you start to get stronger, you can increase that to 15-20. Once that becomes light work, more resistance can be introduced by elevating your legs or putting more pressure on your shoulders and arms.
If that is not enough, you can also prop your feet up on the wall and perform headstand pushups which puts a tremendous amount of pressure on your deltoids. In this case, this type of resistance actually turns out to be better than working out with weights because you will need to keep your balance during the process (keeping your abdominals engaged) as opposed to just sitting or laying down on a bench.
Benefits of Calisthenics
Pushups aside, calisthenics incorporates a lot of useful exercises that promote balance and stability like pull-ups, planks, lunges, handstands, and L-sits. These will enable you to maximize your body’s mobility, which is very practical for daily life.
Another benefit is that these exercises are more accessible, and they also save a lot of traveling.
Gone are the days of having to sit through traffic in your car on the way to the gym when you can be working out in your garage or living room by doing calisthenics.
Switching to this form of physical fitness also solves a lot of indirect issues about the gym. In certain cases, people are ashamed to go to the gym because they are insecure about their bodies. That alone can hinder them from achieving their dream of attaining a nice physique. With bodyweight exercises, they can take comfort in the fact that they will be on their own and not have to be mindful of the people around them.
But perhaps the biggest reason to consider calisthenics is how cost-effective it is.
When you are an avid bodybuilder, you will be paying for the gym’s membership fee and gas money if you drive there.
The bodyweight equipment needed to be able to properly develop your physique is most likely a fraction of that total amount. Pullup bars, resistance bands, and fitness parallettes are inexpensive and with the right amount of resistance training, can grant you the same benefits you would have obtained in the weight room.
With the emergence of calisthenics, it is quite easy to see why people have bought into this style of fitness.
It eliminates the robotic-style of weightlifting that we have all gotten used to in the gym and introduces a more creative way to stimulate muscle growth. It also gets rid of the boring routines our bodies have to go through in the gym.
We no longer have to dread performing the same exercises repeatedly as calisthenics offers a plethora of workout variations that will keep us challenged and entertained at the same time.