One of the major benefits of calisthenics is that is can be a lot of fun.
It’s a common thread between calisthenics athletes: After years and years of trying and failing to stick to gym routines, they try calisthenics and become addicted to the simplicity and progression style approach of calisthenics.
With that in mind, we’ve reached out to some of the people we look up to in the calisthenics world to give us their favorite exercises.
We hope that these will give you some ideas and motivation to start or change your calisthenics routine.
“My favorite calisthenics exercise is the noble Push-up. Push-ups work the entire upper body and require no equipment other than the ground beneath your feet. Furthermore, push-ups can be infinitely adjusted and scaled to be appropriate for just about any fitness level, from beginning (wall push-up) to advanced (one arm push-up). To this day push-ups are very much a part of my training. Keep the Dream alive!”
– Danny Kavadlo, author breaking muscle, personal trainer.
“Walking, because it is highly underestimated, extremely accessible and offers a wide range of benefits. The fact that nobody teaches you how to walk, but that everyone develops the ability to do so masterfully, is just one of the many reasons why the simple act of walking is extremely important in what makes us human.”
– Bar Brothers Groningen Team
“My favourite calisthenics exercise is the Front Lever. Obviously, it looks very cool, but also needs huge amounts of strength to hold with strict form – requiring full-body tension, from your shoulders all the way down to your calves! This is obviously a very advanced exercise, so if you’re not there yet, then start with pull-up progressions and hollow body holds to build up the strength.”
– Dave Mace, founder mpcalisthenics
And there you have it. 3 simple exercises that are well-rounded and fun. Some of these anybody can do; others will require a progression-based approach (for example, the front lever).
Remember that nothing is impossible, so set a goal and go after it.
Chris is an experienced Calisthenics practitioner focused on isometric exercises and street workout. He founded thehybridathlete.com in 2017, which was subsequently acquired by theyhybridathlete.com
He is based in Portland and has been working out using solely his own body weight and bars for the past 6 years.
