Jackie12
At present calisthenics has become extremely popular across the globe. At times, I find it hard to believe what folks can do to their own bodies. In this article, I will share with you my own views regarding calisthenics and why it is considered so important by the fitness buffs out there.
In recent times, calisthenics came into the limelight mainly because of the increasing interest in street exercises. According to some individuals, training outdoors is going to be more interesting as compared to that of a gym.
In fact, one will like to perform workouts in the middle of green natural surroundings instead of inside an enclosed room. The outdoors will provide you with fresh air as well as sunshine to make you feel fresh all the while.
I am of the notion that one reason why calisthenics has become so popular at present is because of the minimalism movement. Many individuals prefer living a simpler life without much possession.
Calisthenics will be the best option to support this objective when it comes to throwing away your gym equipment and working out with your own physical body. I have been performing calisthenics for the last few years and it has given me a toned and slim physique which I have always dreamt of. Below I will mention some essential reasons why calisthenics happens to be my favorite.
Benefits provided by calisthenics:
1. Calisthenics is affordable
I was able to carry on performing calisthenics at times when I was suffering from financial constraints. It is perhaps the greatest advantage offered by calisthenics since there is no need to purchase any expensive equipment. I always have everything I want with me irrespective of where I go. Money is not an obstacle to me anymore!
2. Calisthenics is portable
I have the experience of carrying with me a couple of dumbbells inside my bag on some occasions when I was on the go. I want to admit the fact that it was not a very enjoyable thing for me. The dumbbells proved to be quite heavy for me to carry and I was easily exhausted. The condition became even worse when I had to travel long distances.
However, the best part of this adventure was in store for me once I returned home. I feel extremely elated about that. I wonder whether you also have a similar type of experience with your workout equipment. Sometimes I was delayed to reach my destination because of the heavyweight; but still, I had a smile on my face once I reached there.
However, while practicing calisthenics I always have the fundamental equipment with me all the while. There is no need for me to carry a heavy dumbbell along with me to any destination where I travel.
In case I find myself tempted to perform some chin-ups or pull-ups, there is no need for me to carry any pull-up at all. I am absolutely sure that I will be able to find something useful in virtually any situation.
3. Calisthenics will help to enhance your confidence
Any kind of training will enhance your confidence to a great extent, and I am not an exception to that. However, I believe that the impact will be even more when it comes to calisthenics. But have you ever wondered why?
Sometimes it came to my mind that lifting a heavy barbell might make it bend conspicuously. On the contrary, I like the idea of performing workouts like one-arm chin-up, muscle up or one-arm push-up after entering the fitness center as a part of my regular exercises.
Most of the men who are playing with weights in the gym usually stare at me in disbelief. This very situation makes my confidence very high since people performing strength training are not able to perform these workouts. Frankly speaking, although they might appear to be in great shape, their strength might be even less than that of you.
I believe that lifting weights is not a bad idea. Nevertheless, the game will reach an entirely new level once I am able to control my body with 100% precision. Just look at the Russian guys who are performing street exercises in the park.
The performance of these people will make you simply amazed and mesmerized. Now please come back to real life … will you be able to perform some workouts like chin up, plank, pull-up, squat, and bridge with effortless ease? Unfortunately, most of the guys will answer in the negative. As for me, I’m not able to perform any of these workouts at present.
Nevertheless, I am striving to make my form okay every single day. However, the crux of the problem is that all the movements like these are quite natural for human beings. In case you are skeptical, venture out to the park and find out some kids. Ask them to perform these exercises.
I will challenge you that they will do those within seconds. Of course, let us hope that these children are not the ones who are suffering from weight problems.
On the contrary, request any adult person to perform these workouts. While most of them might need a couple of minutes for warming up, the rest will prove to be a failure. And what is more interesting is that these adult people need not be obese. Although they might appear to be quite fit, they will find it hard to perform these workouts.
Calisthenics will prove to be useful in such cases. There is no need to feel embarrassed and it will be possible for you to use your own body weight and get the job done. Believe me, it happened in my case! I slowly got the desired results and it has enhanced my confidence significantly.
4. Calisthenics will help to fix your muscle imbalances
Muscle imbalance can damage your self-confidence to a great extent. In fact, I’m one of those guys who had to deal with these types of issues on a regular basis. The left side of my body became weaker as compared to my right side since I lost approximately 90 pounds a few years back.
I started bodybuilding by making use of free weights once I was able to lose weight. It helped me considerably, but I still have problems in assessing the proper weights to train with.
In fact, this has resulted in the lowering of my motivation and I still am able to carry on because of my sheer perseverance and willpower. I came across calisthenics a few years back. I read some books on calisthenics which I borrowed from the library and fell in love with it almost instantly.
But why is it so that calisthenics has been able to fix my muscle imbalances? The reason is obvious. While performing some bodyweight exercises, you are actually making use of your whole body instead of only some parts one at a time.
It is for sure that you are using some muscles more as compared to the others according to your movement. Nevertheless, you will still like to use these muscles too. It happened to me and I observed some performers of calisthenics out there. I observed that their muscles are extremely balanced and the reason for this is that they are engaging their muscles on every side equally.
Another reason, according to me, is the fact that all these movements are absolutely natural for your system. As a result, our body is able to adapt to all these movements so easily. Nevertheless, it does not imply that one can just go for calisthenics without giving any thoughts whatsoever.
I always proceeded slowly and put my body under pressure gradually. Otherwise, I might have done more harm to my body than good.
5. Calisthenics will enhance your posture
Calisthenics has helped me in another way; it has improved my posture significantly. I spent a lot of time working at my desk in front of the computer and this made my back become more rounded over time and my stance was also not as straight as before. I also encountered some pain in my neck and back over time.
However, I was so busy at my work that I often neglected my posture and my concentration was absolutely devoted to what is happening around me. Now the question that arises is that how calisthenics has helped me?
I performed bodyweight training on a regular basis and my weak muscles were stressed and also exercised which prevented them from deteriorating. Moreover, once my muscles started getting stronger, it was easier for me to sustain a healthy posture. I comprehended that this training stuff had lots of benefits to offer me. For instance, while my muscles become stronger they began to function better as well.
This implied that these muscles helped to keep my body in proper posture which was possible even without any conscious effort on my part. I think it is the main reason why most of the men begin to perform some sort of men’s workout whether it is bodybuilding, calisthenics, martial arts, or anything similar to that.
My muscles became stronger with training and I was able to maintain a healthy posture automatically.
Next, I will be talking about 3 workouts which I perform during my calisthenics training session. These 3 happen to be squats, dips, and pull-ups. Let us talk about each of them one by one.
Squats:
I prefer performing squats during my calisthenics training session given that it helps to gain muscle mass and also shed pounds at the same time. Squatting is going to engage my calves, quadriceps, the lower back as well as gluteus maximus simultaneously.
Sometimes I hold a barbell with weights on my shoulders and lower myself gradually and rise again. I tend to lower myself slightly parallel with the floor and squat all the way down since it offers me a wide range of motion and lots of benefits at the same time. I think that squatting ought to be included in any type of full body workout, and although one might feel a bit awkward initially, he will soon become familiar with it with practice.
Pull-ups:
It is known to most of us that pull-ups can prove to be extremely effective when it comes to enhancing the strength of the upper body as well as men’s health in general. I never skip this particular exercise during my training routine and I simply need a bar to hang from.
Sometimes I tend to combine other workouts along with a pull-up which might be a push-up as well. I often try performing pyramid sets of these exercises. I begin with one rep and take rest for a short while before performing a couple of reps and taking rest once again. I repeat this process still I become exhausted; however, my target will be to see how many pull-ups I’m able to perform in 5 minutes.
Dips:
Frankly speaking, I love performing dips. I find them very easy to perform, and also make sure that I do them correctly. In fact, dips are almost identical to performing push-ups and the majority of the fitness centers out there will feature dip-bars.
However, sometimes I perform this exercise on just about anything I find provided it is possible to do so. In case I hang from a bar, I make sure that my feet stay off the floor. Before grabbing the bars I usually jump up and ensure that my arms are straight and also carrying all of my weight.
I don’t need to bend my legs; but if it is unavoidable, you can bend your legs a bit as well. I allow myself to go down as far as possible, and then again push myself back up. The process is simple, but I always bear in mind to remain straight as far as possible. I never put too much stress on my shoulders.
That’s pretty much it! It is simple as well as short. Remember to stay motivated and stick to a daily calisthenics routine along with a couple of your buddies. This will help you not to feel monotonous and in case you work hard, you will definitely be able to achieve your objectives. I have done it myself and I can assure you of this.
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Interesting article. Seems as if people have discovered basic exercise is just as useful and relevant as it was before the whole body building movement and other new and chic styles and programs promoted by fitness experts became all the rage. Some weight training is very helpful, but what makes more sense for most of us is to improve or overall physique, muscle tone, elasticity, agility and endurance. Then we can be healthy and able to do the things we need to do. Too many are mislead into believing that heavy weights and lots of sets, sore muscles, special diets and hours at the gym is the way to go and it’s not the only way nor is that the best route for some.
As the article says, exercises are “portable.” You don’t need expensive equipment and facilities. I’ve had gym memberships and used the equipment and torture machines, but I never felt comfortable with it and no longer bother with it or pour membership fees into the toilet. I grew used to the “Army Daily Dozen” and those exercises don’t require any special equipment. You don’t have to do them all, but its a place to start (google Army Daily Dozen). For many years my exercise routine was Mon, Wed, and Fri, the Airborne Physical Fitness Test: 45 push ups in two minutes, 45 sit ups in two minutes, and a two-mile run in 15 minutes (approximately, can’t recall the exact time). The test has been changed a bit and today’s requirements are a little different. Anyway, I’d always go for 50 or better push ups and sit ups. That is by the way the fitness standard for soldiers 17-36 to attend jump school. If you can maintain that or close to it then you’re in pretty good shape. Of course it does not hurt to throw in some other exercises. The point is, you don’t need to max your credit card buying home equipment you see of TV or have a gym membership.