What Are Calisthenic Workouts and Weight-Free Exercises

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What Are Calisthenic Workouts and Weight-Free Exercises

For a long time, calisthenics has been mostly associated with simple and sometimes even boring workouts done only by professionals in a school gym.

But the overall opinion on what is calisthenics has changed over the course of the last years as more people are finding it to be the perfect type of workouts for them.

These people have also proved that if you take calisthenics seriously, there is nothing boring about it.

So what exactly is calisthenics and what makes more and more people follow this trend of simple yet truly effective training?

First of all, it’s the fact calisthenics is all about building great strength and improving your aerobic capacity. This is what you can achieve if all of the simple exercises that need special equipment are done on regular basis and done correctly.

guy street workout

Training for strength and aerobic capacity is where the name Calisthenics comes from and proves that these workouts have been around for a long time. Two Greek words “kallos” and “sthenos” meaning beauty and strength accordingly is what perfectly describes athletes who take on calisthenics.

What else?

Well, as mentioned before there’s the fact that you need no special gym equipment to perform these exercises. Which means they are absolutely perfect to be done anywhere, anytime!

Of course, at a certain point using a pull-up bar or parallel bars comes in handy and gives you more freedom for workouts. But at its core, calisthenics workouts are all about using your body to train your body.

Outside the gym

There is no doubt that this is exactly what home gym owners and others, who prefer performing workouts outside the gym can really appreciate.

Calisthenics vs. Street Workout

People who are new to calisthenics sometimes get confused in understanding the difference of calisthenics and street workout.

The things it that the two are not completely the same and they really are not that different too.

Street Workouts are known to be as workouts that are done in urban areas outside modern public gyms or home gyms. What makes them special is that everyone is welcomed to take part and there is no subscription you have to sing or an investment in equipment to make.

street workout pull up

It could be argued that this culture of street workouts is what made the name of calisthenics and put it on the map for those who are looking for alternative workout possibilities.

Calisthenics is without a doubt the best types of workouts to do in urban areas. And the culture of street workouts has been growing to the point where authorities all around the world have been investing in installing the basic equipment that helps to take calisthenics to the next level. This of course usually is kept very basic by installing pull-up bars, parallel bars etc,

What makes calisthenics different from street workouts is that these workouts can be done anywhere. Therefore not all calisthenics workouts can be looked upon as street workouts even if most of the time street workouts are calisthenics.

street workout calisthenics

So what are some calisthenics workouts to try out as a beginner?

There are many options and we suggest you choose something that fits you based on where you are, what you do and how serious you are about taking this type of training.

Calisthenics Workouts

The great thing about different street workouts and calisthenics in general is that you can choose what parts of your body you want to develop and create a workout routine that is the perfect fit for you. Of course, for the best results, we suggest you create overall workout routines that would train your whole body.

Chest exercises

The best calisthenics exercises for you chest are without a doubt push-ups, chest dips and incline push-ups.

push ups on street

Keep in mind each of these has some forms of variations to choose from to train some specific muscles of your chest.

What we truly love about these is the fact that you can do these at home, the office or a hotel room etc, whenever you want.

Back exercises

Hyperextension, chin-ups and underhand chin-ups are what you need to perform if you are looking to train your back muscles.

These are great well-known exercises that don’t need a lot of explanation.

You will need to find a pull-up bar, but as we mentioned before, pull-up bars can nowadays be found in most urban areas if you don’t have one at home.

Thighs exercises

Don’t forget about your legs! Or as one would say, don’t ever miss out on leg day.

Ever for the most basic well-rounded workout routine training legs is crucial. And there are many options to choose from when it comes to calisthenics.

Squats and lunges are probably the best-known exercises that can be done anywhere. If you get bored from doing these two, try out sissy squats pr split single leg squats. After that, you can add gluts-ham raise and straight-leg deadlift to your workout.

Overall body exercises

These couple of examples go to show just how much options you have even when it comes to truly simple exercise. And it’s the same when we are talking about training other parts of your body as well.

And of course, as mentioned before, you should try and invest some time in learning more about calisthenics and different workouts, because if done correctly and regularly, they can promise truly great results.

Benefits of Calisthenics

Still, can’t decide if you want to try out street workouts or calisthenics?

Just think about all of the great benefits that these workouts provide.

First of all, you don’t have to worry about buying a gym subscription or investing in home gym equipment simply because there is no need to have any of that when you start off with calisthenics! This means you can try it out, and if you don’t like it, you lose nothing.

Simple and useful!

All of the workouts are also fairly simple. You have to follow simple exercise techniques and work out regularly to have amazing results. Plus you get the chance to create your own workout routine that trains the muscles you want and can be performed anywhere you desire to exercise.

If you want to take the next step and get more serious about calisthenics, the equipment you need is simple and does not cost a fortune at all.

And in most cases, you will be able to find everything you need in most of the urban areas where pull-up bars, parallel bars, and other essential equipment is installed by local authorities.

So we suggest you give it a try.