Calisthenics for Beginners: 7 Best Moves to Start With
David J. Sautter
The article is verified by David J. Sautter,
NASM Personal Trainer, NASM Fitness Nutrition Specialist, ACE Sports Conditioning Specialist, NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist
Table of Contents
Despite what you might have heard, you don’t have to defy the laws of gravity with handstands and pull-ups to do a beginner’s calisthenics workout.
Calisthenics simply means exercising with your body weight. And exercises like squats, push-ups, and burpees are all examples of exercises you can expect to find in a calisthenics workout.
Below, we cover what calisthenics is, the best beginner’s calisthenics exercises, and a 30-minute workout anyone can try, anywhere.
What is a Calisthenics Workout?
Calisthenics is an umbrella term for exercising with your body weight — forget dumbbells, kettlebells, and barbells.
It spans compound exercises like push-ups and lunges to advanced gymnastics commonly found in CrossFit and functional strength training programs.
Bodyweight exercise is endlessly accessible, which means beginners are just as likely to reap the benefits as advanced weightlifters. If you’re new to lifting weights, calisthenics is considered a handy stepping stone for moving into strength training.
It also lends itself to building functional, foundational strength, although beginners could notice an initial increase in muscle mass. The first step is to master the basics. From there, you can build upward with a robust and injury-resistant foundation using daily calisthenics.
Benefits of Calisthenics for Beginners
Why all the fuss about calisthenics workouts?
This workout method is soaring in popularity as people find more ways to sculpt a powerful body without defaulting to high-impact weight training.
There are several benefits for at-home calisthenics. Here are some of them:
A study by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning found significant increases in upper body strength following a calisthenics program compared with a bench press group.
Calisthenics movements lay a strong foundation by training the body’s stabilizing muscles, which can be beneficial when transitioning to weightlifting, ensuring better form and technique.
Calisthenics exercises are bodyweight movements that emphasize controlled motion, reducing the risk of injury as no external weights are added, ensuring a safer workout experience.
These workouts not only strengthen muscles but also improve joint health, mobility, and overall body coordination, promoting a more versatile and agile physique.
Since many calisthenics movements require stabilization from the core, regularly practicing these exercises leads to a more robust and well-defined midsection.
Calisthenics focuses on using one’s body weight, which can result in hypertrophy (muscle growth) over time, leading to a toned and lean physique without the bulkiness that heavy weightlifting might produce.
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Calisthenics vs. Weight Exercises: What’s the Difference?
The most obvious difference is that calisthenics relies on body weight alone, while weight training includes weights — think kettlebells, barbells, resistance bands, and dumbbells.
Weight training can be divided into two groups: strength training and hypertrophy.
- Strength Training: Builds the maximal strength of your muscles but not necessarily size and usually includes higher loads and sets but fewer reps per set.
- Hypertrophy: The process of building muscle size and includes higher reps, lifting at a lower percentage (between 60-80%) of the maximum weight you can manage.
Without equipment, you’ll work with your own size during calisthenics, although you can work with pull-up bars, benches, and outdoor terrain. It’s more accessible, but you won’t be able to build maximal strength like you can with heavy weights.
That said, weight lifting can lead more easily to overtraining, injury, and high impact on the joints, which you’ll find less of during a calisthenics program.
We reckon everyone who can should be able to pull and push their body weight, and calisthenics teaches you these skills from the ground up.
How To Start Calisthenics At Home: Best Exercises for Beginners
Calisthenics offers a solution for those who prefer the comfort of their homes over crowded gyms or simply wish to integrate a new regimen into their routine.
Unsure how to start training calisthenics at home? We’ve got you covered.
Here are some tips and exercises to get you started with a calisthenics workout at home.
- Warm-Up: Remember to warm up with mobility exercises that target the muscles you’re about to work and resemble the moves you plan to do. Try to work your joints through a range of motion and avoid static stretches.
- Compound Contraction: Before starting calisthenics, practice compound contraction. That means trying to contract as many muscles as possible together. Focus on squeezing muscles from head to toe, which should activate your bigger muscle groups and smaller stabilizing muscles. Controlling muscle activation strengthens your neuromuscular system, which improves coordination and balance.
- Acute Variables: Start with 2-4 sets of 6-12 reps as a guideline, and scale as you need.
Here are 7 beginner calisthenics exercises to get you started.
1. Superman W-Pull
How:
- Lie face down on the floor with arms and legs extended.
- Lift your arms, shoulders, and chest off the floor, keeping your core engaged.
- Simultaneously, bend your elbows in 90-degree angle to create a W. Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Hold for a few seconds, then lower back to the starting position.
Target muscles: rear deltoids (backs of the shoulders), erector spinae (muscles that hug your spine), upper back, glutes, hamstrings, core.
2. Reverse Crunch
How:
- Lie on your back and keep your spine neutral throughout the exercise.
- Bend your knees, engage your abs, and slowly raise your legs so the knees are straight over your hips and your lower legs are parallel to the floor.
- On exhale, curl your hips toward your chest, preserving the same angle in the knees.
- Inhale, return to the starting position.
Target muscles: abs, transverse abdominis, hip flexors, lower back, legs.
Place your hands under your lower back for an easier variation.
3. Back Extensions
How:
- Lie face down on the floor with your hands behind your head or extended in front of you.
- Lift your upper body off the ground by contracting your lower back muscles.
- Lower your body back down to the starting position.
Target muscles: erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings, calves.
Focus on lifting your chest with control and squeeze your glutes at the top. To make the exercise harder, slow it down.
4. Squats
How:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly pointed outward.
- Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back, as if you are sitting down.
- Keep your chest up and back straight, and lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Push through your heels to return to the starting position.
Target muscles: core, hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves.
You could practice with different foot positions. A narrow stance provides a quad bias, while a wider stance (a sumo squat) targets the outer glutes.
5. Reverse Lunge
How:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Step backward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle.
- Push through the front heel to return to the starting position.
- Repeat with the other leg.
Target muscles: core, hips, quads, hamstrings, calves
Elevate your back leg on a bench for a variation called Bulgarian split squats, which hits the glutes harder. Lower with control, then explosive push up through your front heel.
6. Front Plank
How:
- Start by lying face down on the floor.
- Lift your body up onto your forearms and toes, forming a straight line from head to heels.
- Engage your core muscles. Practice holding for 20-30 seconds, then increase as it gets easier.
Target muscles: This isometric exercise builds strength without the muscles lengthening or shortening and hits pretty much every muscle group.
It’s low impact, but there are various ways to scale your plank gains. Lift one leg or arm at a time for a progression, or lower the knees to the floor to make it easier.
7. Close-Grip Push-Up
How:
- Assume a standard push-up position, but with your hands placed close together, directly under your chest.
- Lower your body to the ground by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides.
- Push back up to the starting position.
Target muscles: triceps, chest.
Move to your knees if you struggle with full-range push-ups.
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30-Minute Full-Body Calisthenics Workout: At-Home, No Equipment
Unsure how to start calisthenics at home? This full-body calisthenics no-equipment workout can be done anywhere, anytime, at any ability level.
30-Minute Calisthenics Workout for Beginners:
Try this simple calisthenics workout to get you started.
Warmup
Superset 1 x 3 rounds, 30sec rest
- Superman — 15reps
- Lying Leg Raises — 10-12 reps
Superset 2 x 3 rounds, 30sec rest
- Back Extensions — 10-12 reps
- Squats — 10-12 reps
Superset 3 x 3 rounds, 30sec rest
- Reverse Lunges — 10-12 reps
- Close-Grip Push-Ups — 10-12 reps
Front Plank x 3 rounds, 30-60sec rest
Bottom Line
Unsure how to start calisthenics at home? This full-body calisthenics no-equipment workout can be done anywhere, anytime, at any ability level.
- Calisthenics refers to bodyweight training and can be done at any level, anywhere, any time without equipment.
- These exercises are compound (multi-joint, multi-muscle) and functional, replicating the sorts of movements you do daily.
- Calisthenics for beginners at home could help you build functional strength, lean muscle, balance and coordination, as well as increase your mobility and strengthen the bones as you age.
- Remember to always warm up using mobility exercises specific to the workout you plan to do, and practice contracting as many muscles as possible.
- Try the above seven-move calisthenics no-equipment workout and modify it to your current fitness level. Stop if you experience persisting pain and seek medical advice from your doctor or a qualified personal trainer.
