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The Benefits of Calisthenics

So, you want to know what the benefits of calisthenics are? Well, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will discuss what all of the perks of calisthenics training include.

Shirtless sweaty calisthenics male athlete doing wall-assisted handstand push-up at home

Table of Contents


 

The Benefits of Calisthenics

Calisthenics is an excellent sport that allows individuals to exercise with no equipment, only utilising the weight of their own body as a form of resistance. Naturally, this offers a large number of advantages.



Build Muscle & Strength

Man doing one-arm pull-up L-sit on pull-up bar at outside gym

A major part of calisthenics is that it involves a huge amount of compound exercises. This means it engages multiple muscle groups at once in order to complete the movement. It requires a high amount of movement which, over time, helps you strengthen and develop your muscles.


However, the strength developed in calisthenics is not the typical strength you would get from exercises such as deadlifts. Instead, calisthenics helps you to increase your functional strength, which improves balance, coordination, flexibility and mobility. The better your functional strength is, the easier you'll find daily activities and your general sports performance would be enhanced.


Calisthenics Exercises for Building Muscle & Strength:
  • Dips

  • Lunges

  • Plank

  • Push-Ups

  • Pull-Ups

  • Chin-Ups

  • Burpees


 

Improve Cardiovascular Fitness

Strong muscular man doing human flag on lamppost

When performed with the correct intensity and in a continuous manner, calisthenics exercises can significantly elevate your heart rate. Movements such as jumping jacks or burpees require rapid muscle contractions, stimulating the cardiovascular system and improving overall cardiovascular fitness. This is also good as it allows individuals to burn calories more easily.


Other Benefits of Improved Cardiovascular Fitness:
  • Lowered risk of disease

  • Better strength and stamina

  • A more active immune system

  • Managed weight

  • Stronger bones

  • Better mood.


 

Promote Flexibility

Flexible female calisthenics athlete woman strecthing at gym

Every calisthenics exercise requires a full range of motion if you want to complete the movement, which helps to improve flexibility and mobility. Also, calisthenics exercises can stretch your muscles and can help your body move and bend better. Over time, this type of training can help reduce the risk of injury and improve overall health.


Other Benefits of Enhanced Flexibility:
  • Reduced risk of injury

  • Less pain

  • Improved posture

  • Enhanced balance

  • More positive mind

  • Greater strength

  • Improved physical performance.


 

Improve Balance & Coordination

Man doing back lever on pull-up bar at home gym

Using your own body weight to exercise not only builds muscle size in accordance with your body to retain mobility for movement but also improves your brain-body connection since calisthenics requires good motor coordination when doing complex (and basic) bodyweight movements. If athletes do not have good coordination, they will find it extremely difficult to stay balanced and retain proper form during each movement.


Other Ways to Improve Balance & Coordination:
  • Tai Chi

  • One-legged stand

  • Weight shifts

  • Yoga and Pilates

  • Heel-to-toe walk

  • Back-leg raises

  • Knee curl

  • Toe stand.


 

Positive Impact on Mental Health

Woman doing hanging L-sit on climbing frame

Not only does calisthenics improve your overall physical health, but it also improves your overall mental health. But how does it do this?


  • Releases endorphins which are natural mood lifters

  • The focus required during calisthenics promotes mindfulness

  • Increases the levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin

  • Achieving calisthenics goals boosts self-confidence and self-esteem

  • More positive body image

  • Increases blood flow to the brain, promoting neurogenesis and improving cognitive functions

  • Concentration needed for calisthenics translates to better focus in daily activities.


 

Provides Accessible Way to Exercise

Ripped man doing calisthenics moves on parallettes

Calisthenics is great for anyone as it provides people with a more accessible way to exercise since it can be done anywhere at any time with no equipment at all. One good thing about not needing any equipment is that you can be literally anywhere in the world and start exercising as all you need is your own body weight. This makes calisthenics a much more convenient sport than others such as weight lifting.


What's more, the fact that no equipment is needed for calisthenics makes it significantly more affordable than weight lifting. However, some calisthenics athletes do prefer to utilise equipment such as parallettes, gymnastics rings or pull-up bars in their training in order to maximise their progress.


 

Summary

In this article, we have discussed what the main perks of calisthenics training are. These benefits included:

I hope you have found the information in this article useful and I hope any questions you had have been answered. Thank you for reading, please come back soon.

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