Calisthenics

I am into Calisthenics. Big time. Ever since a friend of mine told me about it few years ago, I knew that it was exactly what I was looking for. Here is why I love it and the reason why you should too!

The history

What is Calisthenics? That is a type of exercising that was practiced for thousands of years, in many ancient cultures. In this type of training, you usually use only the weight of your body to build strength, endurance and fitness. Many gymnastic exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, squats etc. were introduces in the educational system in the 19th and 20th century.

Calisthenics as a movement did not become popular until the second part of the last century. Over time it got really popular as part of street workout because it was free, accessible to all, way of exercising in the open (usually in parks). Today, you have the whole culture of street workout around the globe, even the world Championship in Calisthenics / Street Workout that is held every year, etc.

My evolution

When I was younger, I was training in the gym, thinking that ‘pumping iron’ (combined with jogging) is the only way to build muscles and get in real shape. Yes, with weights, you can get great results relatively fast and be happy that you are no longer that skinny or that chubby kid (that was me :)).

Bur for some reason, I always felt that the gym is not really ‘my thing’ when it comes to training. I was looking for something else, something different. A friend of mine told me about some people who are doing bunch of ‘’crazy gymnastic exercises on bars’’ and that they are rather strong. That sounded to me like a cool, retro approach to fitness. So I started digging deeper into it.

Calisthenics is an ‘’old school’’, more of a holistic approach to getting strong and fit, using your own body weight in numerous ways (Advanced practitioners use some weights, when they feel that they own weight is not enough challenging for them anymore. In these cases, they are doing, for example pull-ups or dips with weighted vests etc.).

When I had seen what people like Hannibal for King or Frank Medrano can do, I knew this was what I was looking for. At the age of 35, I was excited about Calisthenics as a kid in toy store! In addition, I was highly motivated to train as often as I could manage and that desire is still with me.

The lure

There is something raw and rudimentary about working out on bars in the park, as opposed to going to the fancy gym. You are outside, like a farmer in the field, trying to do some rather difficult exercises. It feels good, natural, as in ‘’back to the roots‘’ type of training.

So, what is your goal when you start working out? Let us be honest: when you see it for the first time, you know you want to reach the Holy Grail/s of Calisthenics. Those are the muscle up, dragon flag, handstand, planches etc. All the other stuff is great but this is real deal! If you are in decent shape, you are thinking: ‘’OK, this could take a few months, but I will manage it.’’ Then, after a while, you realize that this is much harder than you thought. For example, you can maybe do 10 pull-ups in a row, but you are nowhere near a muscle up. Hmm, that could mean you need to work out more often, which is a big problem if you have with many things daily on your plate.

On the other hand, if you can do 10 proper form pull-ups, you probably have the strength to do a muscle up. The thing that is lacking is the Technic. The muscle up is actually made of two exercises: a pull-up and a dip. You need to develop the Technic to combine these two into one fluid, explosive movement that makes a proper muscle up. That is why you need to keep working out until you reach your goal.

Gym

At the time around New Year, I have enrolled myself into the gym (Lords of Calisthenics, please forgive me :D). I was probably the only guy there who was not using weights in any shape or form, but I didn’t care. My eyes are only on the prize: a proper muscle up. When I accomplish that, then the focus will be on dragon flag. For those of you that do not know, this was the exercise that Bruce Lee allegedly invented and one of his favorites. That one is also a huge challenge for anyone who is not really advanced Calisthenics practitioner.

As you can see, there are many very difficult exercises that you can do with your own weight. It is a lot like playing a video game: you have a lot of quests, or tasks to do in order to advance your hero/avatar to the new level of power. The challenges are numerous, but the game is addictive and you will do what it takes to complete it. If Calisthenics is your ‘’cup of tea’’, you will not get discouraged by temporary setbacks or lack of progress. You will keep going and enjoy the process. It is not (just) about the goal; it is about the journey.

Bottom line

Why is Calisthenics so cool and why do I prefer it comparing to weights training? As already said, this type of exercising has a more holistic approach to your fitness. For example, when you are doing push-ups, you are not using only your triceps or Lats muscles, but many muscle groups at the same time. That way, you are making sure that you are developing your body evenly. For me, the most ridiculous thing is seeing an incredibly buffed guy, with a huge torso and skinny legs that look like tooth pics :).

If you want to be able to perform the most advanced exercises in Calisthenics, you have to strengthen all the muscle groups. Therefore, you will have a very proportionate and pleasing physique, which is obvious with people who train it for years.

On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with weights training. That is perfectly good way to get stronger and fitter, by focusing on a specific muscle groups. If you do it properly, with a trainer, the results will be almost guaranteed. So it is not about body weight vs. weights. I just feel that you should first master the basic exercises: the push-ups, the pull-ups, squats. After that, if you have also mastered the hardest exercises in Calisthenics (muscle ups, dragon flag, handstand, etc.), then and only then you are “eligible’’ to use weights to make further progress. In my humble opinion, that is the most natural progression you can have. Yet, do not get me wrong: there is no rule that says you have to follow this path. You can start your first training with weights, if you choose so.

Either way, do not procrastinate about the best possible way to start training. Any (reasonable) type and intensity of training will do your good. Just get up and do it. No excuses, no explanations! If a 41-year-old guy like me can do it, so can you.