Is Calisthenics suitable for anyone?
It really is! Regardless of your age, your gender, your experience, or your weight there huge scope to find a level suitable to your strength and body type.
In Calisthenics we're essentially use our own bodies as the resistance, rather than using an external source, such as weights or resistance bands - no kit required to get started!
What are the benefits of Calisthenics?
Calisthenics provides so many benefits, such as increased strength, muscle hypertrophy, increased coordination and increased proprioception - and of course IT'S FUN! There's no hard and fast rules, it really is what you make it, based on your own goals.
Will my weight hold me back?
In Calisthenics we're fundamentally using our body weight as the resistance. If you are bigger or you have excess weight, it is going to be slightly harder, but please don't let that put you off because you can use progressions to safely learn all the fundamental exercises. Set realistic, achievable goals to work towards long term ones.
What are the Calisthenic fundamentals?
Surprisingly there aren't that many! and there are progressions for each and every one of them dependent on your level and what you have available to you.
- Push Ups
- Pull Ups
- Dips
- Squats
- Core work
How can I work towards Calisthenics fundamentals?
So many options! Just as an example - pushups, instead of doing a pushup on the floor, you can start with an incline. So you might want to start on the wall and slowly work your way down to eventually get to the floor. Check out our YouTube for more progressions.
Key Advice - DON'T GIVE UP
Progress with calisthenics can be excruciatingly slow, and also quite subjective. So grab yourself a camera and video as much as possible. Not only will you be able to look back in the future and see where you've come from, but it'll also give you a great perspective on what your form is looking like.
Make sure that you enjoy yourself and don't be too hard on yourself. There is something for everyone and you might be surprised what you can achieve with your body weight.
