A Calisthenics Guide For Beginner Athletes

It’s known that exercise offers many benefits. It can strengthen your bones and muscles. Exercise also helps to improve mood and overall mental health. This activity can also boost metabolism.

If you’re looking to start an exercise routine, one example that you can try is calisthenics. This type of exercise can be ideal for both veteran and beginner athletes. If you’re a beginner athlete, who wants to try this exercise, it can help if you know more about it.

Without further ado, this article will state the definition of calisthenics and the factors to consider before starting this exercise. It will also tackle a list of bodyweight exercises for you to perform. Lastly, you will know the equipment you can use for this exercise.

 

What Is Calisthenics?

Calisthenics is an exercise training that comes from two ancient Greek words: Kallos (beautiful) and Stenos (strength). It consists of using body weight to promote muscle strength and growth. It also builds coordination, mobility, and endurance.
You can perform calisthenics in various rhythms and intensities. At times, light handheld tools such as wands and rings are used when having this type of training.

 

Two Crucial Factors To Consider Before Starting

Now that you know briefly what calisthenics is all about, it’s time to consider two vital points before you begin it. These two points can help you to make the most of your calisthenics and overall fitness journey.

1. Goal Setting
It’s crucial to determine the reason why you want to perform calisthenics. Thus, set an accurate, measurable, and realistic goal once you start your fitness journey. This is so you’ll stick to your training objectives. If you want to know some examples of fitness goals that you can choose, you can aim for the following:

– Lose fat
– Practice a particular calisthenics skill like handstand
– Build strength and muscles
= Improve mobility on specific bodily joints

Ultimately, have a goal of continuing the training and obtain the benefits you want.

2. Realistic Mindset
Having a realistic mindset is crucial once you decide on your fitness goals. Though you may want to attain bulging biceps or washboard abs within a 2-week program, calisthenics requires continuous training that you should do with patience and effort.

You should know that improving fitness and health takes time. There are always areas for improvement, and you must put effort into them. Motivation to perform calisthenics becomes attainable if you take these things as part of your mindset.

Calisthenics Equipment
Calisthenics is a type of training that you can take without any equipment. Thus, it can be an ideal form of strength exercise for beginners. It’s also suitable for at-home workouts and can help you stay active during holidays.

But if you want to use some equipment for this exercise, it can be helpful to know some examples, such as:

Resistance Band: This equipment is ideal for muscular contraction. Once your muscles contract, it’s possible to strengthen muscles whenever you pull against the band.
Parelletes: These are two light bars that sit parallel to the floor and each other. If you buy this equipment, you can choose those made from metals, polymers, or wood.
Pull-Up Bar: This is a horizontal pole used for calisthenics exercises, such as pull-ups, hanging knee raises, and muscle-ups.

By incorporating these pieces of equipment into your calisthenics workouts, you can add variety to your exercises and challenge your body in new ways. Remember to always use caution when using calisthenics equipment before moving on to more advanced ones.

 

Types Of Calisthenics Exercises For Beginner Athletes

There are various types of calisthenics exercises that you can do. You can choose one that targets specific parts of your body. Ultimately, performing basic calisthenics exercises can help you to carry out more advanced training.

1. Push-Ups
One example of a calisthenics exercise you can perform as a beginner is push-ups. Push-ups are a practical and straightforward bodyweight exercise that can improve your core and upper body strength. This exercise targets the pectoral muscles in your triceps and chest.
There are various types of push-ups for beginner athletes like you. These are:

– Incline push-up
– Decline push-up
– Diamond push-up
– Bent-knee push-up
– Seated push-up

You can perform the variations above if you want to do this activity besides the standard push-up.

2. Calf Raises
Calf raises exercises strengthen your calves and the muscles surrounding your ankle. Ideally, you can do this exercise while focusing on proper form instead of quantity. For one, performing more reps quickly will make it hard for you to obtain the benefits that calf raises can offer.

If you want to know how to perform calf raises, you can follow the steps below:

– Stand straight on a yoga or exercise mat. If you don’t own a mat, you can do this exercise on the floor.
– Keep your toes faced forward and your feet shoulder-width apart. You should also keep your shoulders back and down while you engage your abs.
– Raise your heels off the mat or floor to stretch your calf muscle.
– Pause for a few seconds, then gradually allow your feet to touch the floor again fully.
– Repeat the last two points for three sets.

In the end, calf raises can help you use your lower leg muscles for various purposes. This exercise allows you to walk, run, jump, and perform functional movements.

3. Planks
Plank exercise specifically targets your core muscles. This exercise can target muscle areas such as your rectus abdominis, lower back, and inner oblique by maintaining stability, tension, and alignment.

There are different types of plank exercises that you can choose, such as:

– Knee plank
– Medicine-ball plank
– Forearm plank
– Standard plank
– Single-leg plank
– Side plank

Ultimately, planking will not only strengthen your core muscles. It can also improve your metabolism and muscle definition. Thus, you should consider it once you start your calisthenics routine.

 

Final Thoughts

Calisthenics is an exercise that you can incorporate into your daily routine. Here, you’ll have to use your body weight to strengthen and grow different areas of your muscles. You can perform calisthenics with or without equipment.

Additionally, you should consider some crucial points if you’re a beginner athlete who wants to try calisthenics. Being knowledgeable about these things ensures that your activity will be done smoothly.