Calisthenics have exploded in popularity during the last two decades with YouTube sensations performing impossible feats and CrossFit gyms incorporating many of the exercises into their routines. But outside of being a cool party trick, is there any benefit to calisthenics?
Calisthenics are bodyweight-based exercises. Examples of calisthenics exercises include bodyweight squats, push-ups, pull-ups, and crunches. While there are some optional pieces of equipment you can purchase such as a pull-up bar and push-up handles, in general, calisthenics require no additional equipment to perform.
If you're looking to build a calisthenics gym at home, check out our articles and reviews of the best calisthenics equipment.
Can these seemingly simple exercises improve your health? Let’s take a look at the proven benefits of calisthenics.
Benefits of Calisthenics
The following benefits are the most agreed upon by the scientific and fitness communities:
Weight Loss and Weight Management
Bodyweight exercises might seem simple, but don’t be fooled. Calisthenics exercises can be progressed, creating a heightened intensity, and making them ideal for increasing caloric expenditure or calorie burning.
Studies show that calisthenics are a time-efficient way to effectively promote fat burning. Researchers also noted the potential of calisthenics for long-term weight management.
Compound lifts like deadlifts and hang cleans can be intimidating and dangerous for beginners. However, their equivalents in calisthenics are completely safe, and will likely feel a lot less foreign to people just starting on their fitness journeys. Everyone knows how to a pull-up, even if their body is not quite their yet. But most of the important compound lifts are sufficiently difficult and dangerous as to require a beginner to hire a personal trainer or have an experienced friend.
Functional Strength
When you think of “strength”, what comes to mind? If you’re like most, you think about being able to lift a lot of weight in one relatively static direct such as during a bench press. This traditional form of strength building is effective, but there’s a better alternative: functional strength.
Functional strength involves movements that utilize the greatest number of muscle fibers and activating them in a way that will be useful for everyday movements. They don’t necessarily focus on weight-bearing, but rather intensity in movement.
For example, a heavily loaded barbell squat will increase traditional strength, but an explosive jump squat will target functional strength.
Studies show that calisthenics significantly improve functional strength. The long-term implications of focusing on functional strength over traditional strength is a reduced risk of injury and an increased sense of independence.
Reduced Risk of Injury
When someone is performing different forms of weightlifting, especially powerlifting and CrossFit, the question of getting injured isn’t “if?” but “when?”
Studies show that those who primarily focus on calisthenics have the lowest risk of injury. As mentioned above, this makes calisthenics ideal for long-term fitness well into old age.
A sedentary lifestyle is the number one factor contributing to injury risk for the older population. Getting started with a calisthenics program now and maintaining it can dramatically decrease the risk of injury while improving the overall quality of life and independence.
Cost-Effective
The cost of fitness is rising. Even if you visit a chain commercial gym that offers you what seems to be a reasonable price at $20 per month, you’ll be subject to a variety of hidden costs. If you’re on a budget, calisthenics are completely free and require no equipment.
Even if you are interested in purchasing some calisthenics-friendly equipment such as push-up bars, this is a small one-time expense compared to a costly annual contract at a local gym. Best of all, calisthenics equipment is a quality, long-term investment that will be around for years.
Convenience
Imagine being able to exercise anywhere. Whether in your local park, your apartment, or a hotel room, calisthenics exercises can be performed anywhere within reason. This makes calisthenics ideal for travelers, businessmen, or anyone who is constantly on-the-go and not able to get to a proper gym. But why subject yourself to a dirty and crowded gym when you can exercise outside?
My general rule of thumb is that you just need enough space to perform a standard push-up and you’ll have access to dozens of calisthenics exercises.
Psychological Benefits
Calisthenics have seen a massive resurgence in popularity over the last two decades. I think this can partially be attributed to the beautiful simplicity of a form of exercise that allows your body to transform itself, without the use of complicated equipment.
Progressing in calisthenics means improving your mind-body connection, pushing through barriers, and achieving a lot more than just an increase in strength. Unlike in weightlifting, where you simply have to add more weight in order to progress, calisthenics requires you to get creative. If you want to build more mass, you're going to have to learn and train with new, more dynamic movements. More than just an exercise, calisthenics become a skill set you're always adding something to.
All these things together mean calisthenics provides a huge boost to self-esteem, confidence, and focus. Every gain you will have earned, and every bit of progress will have been hard-won. But on top of that, you probably will have had a lot of fun, and gained a community of like-minded people along the way.
If you're looking for that kind of a community, I recommend looking into the Bars Brothers Calisthenics Course. More than just a list of exercises, it provides access to a world of people trying to achieve the same goals in life and fitness.
References
1. Willis LH, Slentz CA, Bateman LA, et al. Effects of aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass and fat mass in overweight or obese adults. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2012;113(12):1831–1837. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01370.2011.
2. Thomas, Ewan & Bianco, Antonino & Mancuso, Esamuela & Patti, Antonino & Tabacchi, Garden & Paoli, Antonio & Messina, Giuseppe & Palma, Antonio. (2017). The effects of a calisthenics training intervention on posture, strength and body composition. Isokinetics and Exercise Science. 25. 1-8. 10.3233/IES-170001.
3. Kaiser S, Engeroff T, Niederer D, Wurm H, Vogt L, Banzer W. The epidemiological profile of calisthenics athletes. Dtsch ZSportmed. 2018; 69: 299-304.