When you start trying to get in shape, the first thing that usually comes to mind, especially
for men, is to lift weights.
After all, lifting heavy weights, in particular, is the embodiment of fitness, at least according
to the bros.
Certainly, lifting weights is great and will definitely help meet most people’s goals.
But it’s not always necessary.
In fact, I would argue that, unless your goal is specifically tied to lifting weights, such
as powerlifting, bodybuilding, or Olympic weightlifting, virtually anyone, especially
beginners, will benefit greatly with calisthenics.
Yes, that’s right, calisthenics.
The use of your own bodyweight as resistance.
If you’re already an avid body weight trainer, you know the power calisthenics obtains.
It definitely deserves consideration for any beginner.
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits.
The first and perhaps the clearest benefit is expense.
Lifting weights obviously require purchasing weights or purchasing a gym membership.
Calisthenics, conversely, is done solely with your bodyweight, which to my knowledge, is
absolutely free.
You might also live nearby a public park containing gymnastics bars that can further expand your
calisthenics repertoire.
If the option is training from home, you might require the purchase of a pull-up bar and
some plyo boxes.
You can also pick up some parallettes like the Lebert Equalizer, that can further expand
training possibilities, as well as train difficult-to-target muscles such as your biceps, lats, and upper
back.
All of which at a fraction of the price of weights or a gym membership AND the bonus
of saving time not needing to drive to a gym.
As for beginners, another benefit of bodyweight training is the initial low learning curve.
Don’t get me wrong, advanced calisthenics certainly cannot be achieved in a day, but
the basics, such as push-ups, squats, and pull-ups, are just as simple to learn as they
are effective.
But, one of the gripes of calisthenics for building aesthetics is the difficulty of isolating
a single muscle, which is definitely true.
But the thing is, humans aren’t built to isolate, but instead built to balance.
Calisthenics might not be great for isolating muscle groups, but its movements, which require
moving your body through space, are the basis of human kinetics and balance.
And this fact is what ties all other benefits together.
One of which is burning fat.
The essence of burning fat require activities with abundant use of energy.
In this case, the more muscles utilized, the more energy used.
For beginners, sticking a bunch of basic compound bodyweight movements, such as push-ups, box
jumps, inverted rows, and lunges, all into one big circuit or HIIT workout, will shoot
your energy output through the roof.
Additionally, since most beginners will benefit from the effect known as newbie gains, doing
such movements can help you burn fat, build muscle, and build strength simultaneously,
especially if done at an intense rate.
And this is only with basic movements.
Calisthenics, of course, goes well beyond that and into complex movements such as the
front lever and the l-sit, movements you’ll be hard-pressed to find an equivalent with
lifting weights.
These tougher movements will also help you developed coordination and body awareness
with the amount of body control required.
Which also means you will develop an extremely strong core, the muscles that keep everything
stable.
So, what was once seen as a detriment, ie lack of isolating muscle groups, actually
ended up being calisthenics’ greatest strength.
And there also exists some more intrinsic benefits.
Some find it emotionally rewarding to finally accomplish a very difficult bodyweight movement
they’ve been practicing for months rather than hitting a new lifting PR.
Some find calisthenics to be more enjoyable than lifting weights because of its creative
nature, which can also keep them more motivated to exercise.
And more importantly, tying all of these emotional benefits can have lasting impressions on one’s
own self-image and confidence, considering that they’re doing movements that they probably
never fathomed themselves capable of doing.
Certainly, you can achieve this with lifting weights, too.
However, only one type of exercise will have you upside down floating on a pair of steel
bars.
That’s calisthenics for ya.
Share your thoughts on calisthenics below.
If you’re interested in bodyweight training, I highly suggest you take a look at the Lebert
Equalizer bars.
I personally use them and believe they might be the missing ingredient in your arsenal
that can change your outlook on calisthenics entirely.
Also, if you use my affiliate link below, you can get $20 off your own Equalizer purchase!
Make sure you use the link in the description and apply the coupon code, “PICTUREFIT20,”
in order to get the discount.
Other than that, as always, thank you for watching!