Watching expert calisthenic practitioners on videos can trick you into thinking it’s not that hard. And yes, this is considering the fact that you know it’s not as easy as they make it look. That basically means it’s really, really hard; well, to reach expert level. If you have ever thought about becoming an expert on the bar, you need to know these 50 things nobody will tell you! Let’s get this one out of the way; the first thing no one tells you is that calisthenics is really, really hard. Sure, people will mention it off the cuff but calisthenics isn’t just a style of training; it’s an entire skill. Think about how complicated the barbell snatch is. Now think about if your entire training regime was that complicated! Ok, so it’s not actually that complicated, at least not the entire training system. However, being a pure calisthenics trainee requires time and dedication. You’ll learn more about that's you watch this video. With that said, one of the first things people think about when they hear calisthenics is exercises like muscle ups and human flags. But the second thing nobody tells you is that the reality is, some of the most popular exercises you do in the gym belong to the calisthenics family; we’re talking about things such as push-ups and chin-ups and dips and lunges and squat jumps and…well, you get the idea. These exercises are some of the most popular exercises we do as well as being the most effective. In fact, when you think of PE class or the military boot camp, the first thing you think about is pushups! And with that in mind, we want to mention the third thing nobody talks about; the majority of programs already have some calisthenics in them. A good portion of professional training programs will have at least one bodyweight exercise. The big ones being the pushup, pullups, chinups, dips, bodyweight lunges. So you’re probably already doing calisthenics; congratulations! You’re almost there! But when people say “calisthenics”, they’re generally referring to only doing bodyweight exercises. The problem with that is the fourth thing no one talks about, pure calisthenics can be a bit boring. Well, not boring but when you first start, you’ll find that there aren’t a ton of options for exercises. To be clear, there are a lot of different movements you can do, especially if you understand the fifth thing no one talks about; in order to optimize your calisthenics training, having some equipment can make a huge difference in your training. But if you truly only have your body to train with, you will be extremely limited in what you can do. Therefore, having a set of bars is the first thing you want; pull-up bar, low bar, parallel bars…they’re all good. Further, things like parallettes and even a curb or set of stairs can be very beneficial. But even with these, the amount of exercises you can do is substantially lower than being in the gym. That does not mean it's not effective. It just means if you like having a ton of exercise to do, you may be wanting more.
However, there’s one piece of equipment that makes a huge difference. The sixth thing no one talks
about is that having a TRX system is massive! And no, we are not getting paid to say that!
If you have a TRX, you just multiplied the amount of exercises you can do by a ton.
There’s really not a whole lot more to say but if you have a TRX system, you instantly
improve the amount of exercises as well as the overall roundness of your training.
It can also help new lifters train better. This is important because the seventh thing no
one talks about is that starting calisthenics requires a basic fitness level. Well,
not required but it helps a lot.
Calisthenics requires total body control,
advanced core strength and above average strength overall. These take quite a bit of
time to develop, making calisthenics a more challenging form of training when someone
first starts training. Again, this does not mean you can’t. You definitely can and will
but just know you’ll need to be dedicated.
Similar to this is number eight on our list;
calisthenics can be very difficult for overweight individuals. Again, since calisthenics requires
you to control your body, if you’re overweight, it’s going to be significantly more
difficult to perform exercises.
Being obese makes it very difficult to even
perform your basic exercises like a push up or pull up. It's not that you can’t but again,
know that it will be more challenging when you first start. At the same time, it’ll
also be a lot more rewarding!
The reason for the last two is because
of the ninth thing no one talks about; calisthenics is a style of training which tests
your relative strength. Your relative strength is simply how strong you are compared
to your body weight. This makes sense as you are using your body weight.
This is compared to something like barbell training which tests your absolute strength;
or the maximum amount of weight you can move. A person could theoretically be heavily overweight
at 400 pounds. However, they also have a really strong bench press and can do 400 pounds.
However, when compared together, they can only bench their body weight.
Compare that to a 200 pound man who could bench 350 pounds, 1.75 their body weight. Get it?
Having great relative strength is a sign of both athleticism as well as body composition.
Still, the tenth thing nobody talks about is that calisthenics training works the same as lifting
a barbell or using machines. Sometimes people will refer to bodyweight exercises as though
they’re easier; for example they may perform them on recovery days. Or, they will just knock out a
certain number of reps such as do 50 pushups.
In reality, your muscles can’t tell the difference
between moving your body or a loaded barbell. It is still activated in the same manner. This is why
when you’re training using bodyweight exercises, you should use the same exact principles as
when training with barbells or machines.
In fact, let’s look at the eleventh
thing nobody talks about.
If you’re able to load the push-up to the
same intensity level as the bench press, your muscles have very similar activation. What
this means is that if you could create a load that allowed you to do only 10 push-ups,
your muscle activation would be equal to using your 10 rep max on the bench press!
In other words, you can improve your strength and muscle mass with calisthenics in a
similar manner as using the barbell.
The obvious issue is how you can load
the push-up as it’s not as easy as just putting on another plate! This is important
because of the twelfth thing no one tells you, progressive overload works in the same way!
Progressive overload is the principle which says that in order to progress, you must continually
place a greater load on the muscles. This is the only way to progress. When lifting weights, you
can simply add more weight to the bar or do more reps. This makes it very easy to increase the load
and improve your strength while putting on muscle mass. Easy! Well, at least in theory.
Now, when it comes to calisthenics, we come to number 13 on our list. Improving in
calisthenics and applying progressive overload requires you to do progressively
harder versions of exercises.
This is important to note because many people will
get stuck on doing easy versions of exercises. For example, doing push-ups on your knees or
assisted chin ups. These are great tools to use for beginners but the fourteenth thing
on the list is that these modified versions should not be your ultimate goal!
When you do pushups on your knees, your goal should always be to work towards
doing push-ups on your toes. If you do chin ups with a band, your goal should always
be to do unassisted chin ups!
When used in this capacity, these exercises are
awesome. However, don’t let assisted exercises be your ultimate goal or you’ll never
see the improvements you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a method to get
this done, welcome to number 15, eccentric contractions are your best friend!
The eccentric contraction is the part of the contraction when the muscles lengthen and
lower the weight. For example, when the barbell comes down to the chest. Or more specifically to
calisthenics, when you lower the body down.
Research has shown that when the muscles
lengthens, it's able to produce more force. This is why perhaps if you can’t pull your body
up but you can lower yourself down slowly and in a controlled manner. In addition to producing
more force, research shows that the stress placed on the muscle during the eccentric portion plays
a greater role in muscle growth and strength.
So basically, you can use the eccentric
contraction in what are known as “negatives”; these are when you simply lower
your body down slowly. However, this will only get you so far.
The number 16 is you’ll need to eventually learn more complicated versions of exercises to
increase the load. As you only have your body weight, you must manipulate your body mechanics
so that a greater load is placed on the muscles. This generally consists of gradually working
on single arm or single leg exercises.
Depending on what exercise it is, your main goal
is to put yourself at a mechanical disadvantage so that your body will be “heavier”.
While these will get you far, there’s always number 17 that you’ll have to deal with; you
will eventually run out of exercises! Yes, when in the gym, you can alway place
more weight on the barbell. However, you can’t do this with pure calisthenics.
While it will take you a long time to reach your limit, eventually you will reach a point
where you won’t really be able to improve your strength or muscle mass. For example, when
training your legs, your ultimate goal is to do pistol squats. While these are great exercises,
they’re not not as difficult as you think, especially when you first start training.
But don’t worry, because for eighteen, we need to tell you this will take a long
time. Like really long. How long? Well, that’s hard to say but it’s likely going to take
years of consistent practice. Still, by the time you get there, you’re going to be crazy fit so
it actually won’t be much of an issue. Plus, even though there technically is an upper limit, the
vast majority of people will never reach it.
Well, this all depends. You can make it easier
to improve depending on how you feel with number 19. Using external loads can be very useful! Some
purists will scoff at this idea and say that using an external source isn’t calisthenics. However,
as long as you’re just using it to make your body heavier, many don't have an issue with it.
If you can use an external load, you can instantly increase the intensity of dips, chinups,
lunges, jumps…everything! In effect, you will never need to worry about loading the
muscles sufficiently. Technically, you’d never need to perform more technical exercises.
On the other hand, if you choose to only use your body weight, it will be more challenging.
This is especially true for number 20 on our list. Training legs is challenging.
Now, many hardcore calisthenic practitioners will swear that you can build your legs with
calisthenics. And you can; at least to an extent. The problem is once you’re able to do single leg
squats, there’s not a whole lot more you can do to make the movement more challenging.
Further, movements like pistol squats are very impressive but aren’t as challenging
as you would think, especially if you’re specifically training calisthenics. The point
is that unless you use an external load, you will never be able to build mass to the
same degree as you can in the gym.
This does not mean you can’t build
strong legs with calisthenics or big legs. It’s just more challenging due
to the nature of calisthenics.
In a similar way, number 21 on our list
of things nobody tells you is that you can forget isolations! Well, for the most part.
Maybe the only muscle you can isolate are your calves. You can also do a quasi-chest fly by
doing a pushup with really wide hands and some scapula pull ups, but that’s about it.
However, other than that, you’re not doing any bicep curls or triceps extensions. Now your
arms will still get awesome growth due to the chin ups and dips. It just means you won’t
be able to target specific muscles.
With or without isolations, number 22 is that
your exercise selection is still small. While there are a good amount of total exercises,
a good majority can be grouped together into a few primary exercises and variations. For
example, let’s look at pull-ups, you have; eccentric, assisted, full pull-up, archer
pull-up, typewriter pull-up, finger pull-ups, single arm pull-up; and so on.
it doesn’t really matter because of number 23 on our list; you can still put on plenty
of muscle mass and increase muscle strength with calisthenics. Somewhere along the way,
bodybuilders and other lifters have started to suggest that you can’t really build a ton
of muscle on calisthenics. Not true.
Now it is true that you won’t be able to
put on as much muscle as those in the gym, but unless you’re looking for that certain look,
you can definitely put on plenty of mass.
Still, this is primarily true for intermediate
and advanced lifters towards the later stages of their lifting career. Regardless, unless you’re
looking for that extra mass monster look, you can build a very nice body with calisthenics.
In fact, number 24 is that some claim doing calisthenics helps to build a more aesthetically
pleasing body. If we were to think about it, when the Greccian ideal was created to describe
the perfect body, putting greater emphasis on aesthetics, they didn’t have all of
the equipment you find in gyms.
Now this is primarily theoretical but it makes
sense. Training your body by only using your body in the way it’s supposed to move will
result in the most naturally, aesthetically pleasing body. This is generally a wide back
due to all the pullups and a tiny waist.
However, you can only build an aesthetic body
if you train correctly. Number 25 is that you need to rest! Similar to what we talked about
earlier, you can’t just train calisthenics daily! Why? Well, because it stresses
your body just like lifting weights!
In fact, if you are running
a pure calisthenics program, it will look very similar to a traditional
training program. That is, give your muscles 48-72 hours of rest and train each muscle twice a
week. There aren’t really any special principles that will affect your calisthenics training as
they’re identical to using external loads.
With that said, number 26 is that your body
splits won’t be as specific as when using external loads. In other words, you won’t be doing
a back day or a chest and shoulders day.
This is primarily due to lack of
exercises. For example, when doing legs, you can’t divide the exercises easily into
pulling exercises and pushing exercises. Well, you could but you would only have a couple
of each. Therefore, it makes more sense to just always train the lower body together.
A similar principle applies to the upper body. Let’s look at pulling exercises, one
which has a larger selection. However, most of the upper body pulling exercises are
either a form of pull-up or inverted row.
While you technically could use multiple pulling
exercises, you still can’t adjust the load meaning the muscles can become fatigued easily;
think about doing 3 styles of pull ups!
The point being is that most people
will use a lower/upper split.
Another area that will stay the same is number
27, your nutrition! Since your body responds exactly the same to training, your body will
need the same calories and nutrients.
Pay attention because you’ll hear this similarity
a few more times in this list. It basically boils down to the fact that training for calisthenics is
no different then training with weights so all of the other factors should remain the same.
With all that said, number 28 tells us something that no one ever talks about with
calisthenics; it’s awesome for your core! And no, we’re not talking about doing a bunch of
core exercises, we're talking about a good portion of other body exercise.
Calisthenics is ultimately training body control as you’re propelling your
body through the air. Think about it, a pushup is just a plank that moves up and
down! And the chin-up requires a ton of core strength to keep the body from swinging.
Obviously there is a lot of core specific training in calisthenics. However, in reality, everything
you do in calisthenics is core training!
If that’s not enough, then you’ll love
number 29; calisthenics is awesome for your mental health! Well, technically all
types of physical training is good for your mental health. However, how calisthenics
stands out is it gets you outside!
Training out in the natural environment and
getting good ol sunlight is a major plus for your mental health. And while we always
say this, there are actual studies that back it up. Along with getting vitamin D from the
sun, being outdoors seems to naturally cause the secretion of your feel good hormones.
At the same time, number 30 is that calisthenics may be a bit boring for beginners.
Noone really talks about this.
We have already discussed how calisthenics can be
challenging for beginners, especially if someone is overweight. Well, all this does is further
minimize the amount of exercises that you can train; unless you have TRX that is!
But seriously, as there is such a limited amount of options, a person can be stuck with
just repeating a handful of exercises.
In addition, we need to acknowledge number 31;
you need more discipline! Well, maybe.
Let us clarify. The fact is that most people like
training in the gym with weights and machines. This means that if you want to go to the park
to use bars, you’ll probably be there all by yourself. Now some people love this. However,
some people like having a bit of company.
If you’re training outdoors, it’ll often
just be you and no one to talk to.
But let’s get back to the exercises for a
bit. Number 32 is that you should start to learn ballistic and plyometric exercises. And
this is awesome as so many people completely neglect these exercises in their programs.
By calisthenics and ballistics, we are talking about things such as squat jumps, ballistic push
ups and broad jumps. These are awesome forms of exercises that let you train your power production
without the need for any other equipment.
In a similar manner, you should also learn
number 33; maximum velocity can be a powerful tool when training calisthenics. Maximum
velocity is similar to ballistics except you simply focus on performing the concentric
contraction as powerfully as possible.
For example, let’s pretend you’re performing
pull-ups. You would need to try and pull your body up as fast as possible. What this does is requires
the activation of more muscle fibers as you’re moving the load, i.e. your body, faster!
At the same time, number 34 is that calisthenics training is the ultimate form of functional
training. Functional training has been used to describe just about anything and there doesn’t
seem to be an agreed upon definition.
However, we would describe functional training
as training that best mimics natural movements and prepares the body for life events. As
calisthenics is only using natural movement patterns, it makes sense that it is the
supreme form of functional training!
At the same time, number 35 is that calisthenics
is going to improve your overall athleticism and mobility. Functional training goes hand and
hand with athleticism and mobility so this is pretty obviously needs to be said.
Now you can definitely improve both of these by only doing weight training, however, you
need to have a little bit more intent.
On the other hand, performing calisthenics
puts the body into natural movement patterns which naturally improve mobility; well, at
least if you use full range of motion.
But let’s be honest, improving athleticism and
mobility is awesome. However, most people are performing this to put on muscle mass; or
that’s at least a major part. One hack to get this done is number 36 on our list;
learning how to make small adjustments to exercises to optimize results.
For example, let’s take an inverted body row for example. Putting other obvious variations
aside for a moment, you make small adjustments to alter body mechanics and muscle activation.
The best example is changing your hand grip; underhand and overhand.
You can also alter your grip width or perform on legs bent or just
one leg. Understanding how to make these small adjustments to maximize growth
Another thing you can do to improve your workouts is number 37 on our list; you should
still warm-up when doing calisthenics. Many people tend to just want to jump right
into training calisthenics. This is yet another action that comes from people not equating
traditional weight training and calisthenics.
But as we mentioned many times in this
video already, they are! Therefore, to get the most out of your calisthenics
training, perform a proper warm-up before you up the intensity. Apart from a quick jog, this
can include some dynamic stretching. In addition, perform some isometric holds or a couple
negatives to prime the muscles.
Now, after your good warm-up, you’ll be ready to
go! However, before you start your main session, there’s one thing you need to know; number
38 on our list. Calisthenics training in real life is not as exciting as the
videos you see on social media!
Now this can be said for other types
of training but it seems that most calisthenics exercises are edited to look ultra
intense, usually including various gymnastic movements and advanced exercises.
Unless you’re advanced, you’ll just be doing the basic exercises, likely by yourself.
Now there is nothing wrong with this. However, we think you should have realistic expectations.
With that said, if you have the right expectations and the discipline, you’ll be able to make
those cool videos too in no time!
In the same breath, number 39 on the list is
that you need to train with the same intensity! This goes for training hard enough as well as not
training too hard! A professional training program isn’t going to have you train to failure for every
single set of every single exercise. However, many people tend to want to push it every
set when they perform calisthenics.
Since calisthenics stresses the muscles
in the same way as weights, you need to remember to give your body rest and recovery
in the same manner as weight training!
Now if you do this, you’ll get to experience one
awesome benefit of calisthenics! Number 40 on our list is that pure calisthenics seems to promote
more fat loss and improved body composition!
Now there are a couple reasons for this.
The first is that in order to succeed with calisthenics in the long-term, you will
need to drop weight. This is assuming you will want to do muscle ups and human flags.
The more advanced movements are very tough to perform with extra weight on the waist.
The second reason is that every movement is a large, compound movement. These types of
movements use a large amount of muscle mass meaning they require more calories and more
calories burned mean greater fat loss!
Together, calisthenics tends to promote more
weight loss as it benefits your success.
And that’s awesome especially because
of number 41; your back is going to get huge! Now we’ve already talked about
some of the training limitations on your muscles with calisthenics.
However, if the one muscle that stands out when doing calisthenics, or muscles, is
your back! Your entire back! This is largely to do with the fact you’re going to become
an expert with chinups and pullups.
Even if you were in a traditional gym,
these exercises still reign as the number one back exercise, and it just happens
to be your primary exercise! Really, training the back might be the greatest benefit by
training calisthenics, at least muscle wise.
Speaking of training tips, number 42 is to
master the dips for a massive chest! Spoiler, this isn’t calisthenics specific and is
really just a great training tip!