Quick answer: Calisthenics is strength training that uses your own bodyweight as the resistance: push-ups, rows, pull-ups, dips, squats and core holds. You make it harder by switching to a harder version of each movement instead of adding plates, so a beginner and an advanced athlete can train the same movements at different levels. You can start with no equipment at all.
This guide answers the questions beginners usually ask first, in the order they usually ask them, and ends with a way to start this week.
Where the name comes from
Calisthenics comes from two Greek words: kallos, beauty, and sthenos, strength. The idea is old, and the modern version is simpler than the name suggests. You train a handful of basic movements with your own body as the weight, and you get stronger by moving to harder versions of them.
What calisthenics trains
- Push: push-ups and dips, for the chest, shoulders and triceps.
- Pull: rows and pull-ups, for the back and biceps.
- Legs: squats, lunges and split squats.
- Hips: glute bridges and similar hip work.
- Core: planks, hollow holds and leg raises.
Skills such as the muscle-up or the handstand sit on top of these basics and come once the basics are strong. That is why the muscle-up program starts at two sets of ten strict pull-ups.
How you make it harder
With weights, you add a plate. In calisthenics, you change the version of the movement. A push-up, for example, goes from hands on a table (incline), to knees on the floor, to a full push-up, to feet raised on a step (decline). Each version puts more of your weight on your arms.
The simplest rule for when to move up: when you reach the top of the rep range on every set, take the harder version next session. That rule is what turns a list of exercises into a program.
Does calisthenics build muscle?
Yes, as long as the sets are hard. A muscle responds to how hard a set is, not to whether the resistance is a barbell or your own body, so a set of push-ups taken close to failure can build muscle much as a set of bench presses does. The limit shows up in the legs first. Bodyweight squats get easy quickly, which is why programs move on to lunges, split squats and single-leg work, and why some people later add weight with a weighted calisthenics program.
Calisthenics or weights?
Neither is better in general. Calisthenics needs little or no equipment, works anywhere, and leads to skills like the muscle-up. Weights make small, exact jumps in load easy, and legs are simpler to load heavily. Plenty of people do both. If you are starting at home without a gym, calisthenics is the obvious place to begin.
What equipment you need
Nothing to start. The floor covers push-ups, squats and planks, a sturdy table or two sturdy chairs cover rows, and a chair covers dips. The first purchase worth making is a pull-up bar, because pulling is the hardest pattern to train without one. For the rest, see how to choose calisthenics equipment.
How to start
- Test first. Find out how many clean push-ups, rows and squats you can do, so you know which version to start on and can see your progress later.
- Train three days a week, with a rest day between sessions and the whole body each time.
- Stop each set with two or three reps left. Hard, but not to failure while you learn the movements.
- Move up by the rule above, one movement at a time.
To try a single session first, the beginner calisthenics workout takes about thirty minutes. For the whole plan, the free 28 day calisthenics challenge does all four steps for you, with a test on day 1 and day 28.
Start in THYMOS. The 28 day challenge is free in the THYMOS app: pick the starting version of each movement and log every set. THYMOS is an offline-first strength and calisthenics app; read the current product facts and FAQ for supported features and platforms.
