Calisthenic Exercises

[LilJojo]

Because of the coronavirus the gyms in my country are closed, what are some good calisthenics exercises? Are there compound exercises like in lifting?

 

[Deleted member 5081]

Pull Ups, Dips, Push Ups, Pistol Squats, Leg Raises, Handstand Pushups (with back against a wall, no balanced needed, just strength)

 

[Deleted member 5081]

Look into Convict Conditioning, a masterpiece for calisthenics training

 

[randomuser2407]

-Chin ups/Pull ups (back and arms) - you can buy a solid pullup bar from Rogue Fitness (cheap doorway bars fall and break too easily)
-Pushups (chest, shoulders and arms)
-Running (cardio and legs)
-Planks (abs)

Do it 5 times per week with high volume (4-5 sets of 8-12 per exercise) and stick to those 3 things since they are the most effective.

People often talk about pistol squats but they don't do anything since they are just a balance show off move and don't require a ton of strength, Kinobody can do them very well but he can only squat 315 lbs for 1 rep, which is very weak.

You'd be better off doing barbell rows than chin ups, and doing bench press, overhead press, curls and skullcrushers instead of pushups, and squat and deadlifts instead of running but it's still better than nothing.

Very high frequency combined with high volume works well here because calisthenics exercises are easy to recover from.

To add weight, get a backpack and add weight to it with rocks or books that you have at home, add 5 lbs every time, to know how much you are adding, use a scale to weigh your backpack while you add weight to it. If you do this and maintain proper form, you'll get really strong and muscular with just calisthenics.

You should add weight to all exercises except running, for running, just increase the speed on your treadmill. It won't grow your legs like the squat or deadlift but it's more effective than bodyweight squats which do absolutely nothing.

 

[LilJojo]

-Chin ups/Pull ups (back and arms) - you can buy a solid pullup bar from Rogue Fitness (cheap doorway bars fall and break too easily)
-Pushups (chest, shoulders and arms)
-Running (cardio and legs)
-Planks (abs)

Do it 5 times per week with high volume (4-5 sets of 8-12 per exercise) and stick to those 3 things since they are the most effective.

People often talk about pistol squats but they don't do anything since they are just a balance show off move and don't require a ton of strength, Kinobody can do them very well but he can only squat 315 lbs for 1 rep, which is very weak.

You'd be better off doing barbell rows than chin ups, and doing bench press, overhead press, curls and skullcrushers instead of pushups, and squat and deadlifts instead of running but it's still better than nothing.

Very high frequency combined with high volume works well here because calisthenics exercises are easy to recover from.

To add weight, get a backpack and add weight to it with rocks or books that you have at home, add 5 lbs every time, to know how much you are adding, use a scale to weigh your backpack while you add weight to it. If you do this and maintain proper form, you'll get really strong and muscular with just calisthenics.

You should add weight to all exercises except running, for running, just increase the speed on your treadmill. It won't grow your legs like the squat or deadlift but it's more effective than bodyweight squats which do absolutely nothing.

So lifting would get me more muscles?

 

[randomuser2407]

So lifting would get me more muscles?

Yeah of course, it doesn't help intermediate lifters who can already overhead press 135 lbs, barbell row 200 lbs, bench press 225 lbs, squat 315 lbs and deadlift 400 lbs, but it does help guys who are just starting to lift or whose numbers are very far from that, so it's perfect for a beginner. Ideally, you should get a home gym, but if that's not possible, you can do those calisthenics exercises that I listed and it will be enough if you do them at least 5 times per week and you do them for 4-5 sets of 8-12 reps with proper form.

You may be unable to do more than 5 reps for chin ups and pushups at first, this is normal, but by doing them that frequently, you will gain strength really quickly.

 

[LilJojo]

Yeah of course, it doesn't help intermediate lifters who can already overhead press 135 lbs, barbell row 200 lbs, bench press 225 lbs, squat 315 lbs and deadlift 400 lbs, but it does help guys who are just starting to lift or whose numbers are very far from that, so it's perfect for a beginner. Ideally, you should get a home gym, but if that's not possible, you can do those calisthenics exercises that I listed and it will be enough if you do them at least 5 times per week and you do them for 4-5 sets of 8-12 reps with proper form.

You may be unable to do more than 5 reps for chin ups and pushups at first, this is normal, but by doing them that frequently, you will gain strength really quickly.

Let's say I do 50 perfect push-ups 50 perfect dips without any weights, how many muscle would I be able to put on? Do I need to bulk? Everyday*

 

[LilJojo]

Yeah of course, it doesn't help intermediate lifters who can already overhead press 135 lbs, barbell row 200 lbs, bench press 225 lbs, squat 315 lbs and deadlift 400 lbs, but it does help guys who are just starting to lift or whose numbers are very far from that, so it's perfect for a beginner. Ideally, you should get a home gym, but if that's not possible, you can do those calisthenics exercises that I listed and it will be enough if you do them at least 5 times per week and you do them for 4-5 sets of 8-12 reps with proper form.

You may be unable to do more than 5 reps for chin ups and pushups at first, this is normal, but by doing them that frequently, you will gain strength really quickly.

 

[delusionalretard]

Progressive overload is key. Your body does not count reps, what matter is the strain they are put under. Also, make sure to sleep adequately. If neglected, you will deteriorate. Good luck.

 

[randomuser2407]

Let's say I do 50 perfect push-ups 50 perfect dips without any weights, how many muscle would I be able to put on? Do I need to bulk? Everyday*

You don't need to bulk unless you're underweight. Bulking is a waste of time and it is unhealthy, you just need to eat enough to maintain your weight and if you are 15% body fat, you will gain muscle while losing fat, this is known as a recomp and it is doable until you reach a very high level because at a higher level, muscle gain becomes so slow that recomping becomes impossible at that point.

And there is no way to calculate the amount of muscle you will put on, you'll just see it in the mirror, you'll see your muscles getting bigger and six pack abs will appear if you don't bulk which means you'll look good in 6-12 months, it's a slow process but it does work.

You should be able to see a good difference when you are able to do 1 set of 14 chin ups and 1 set of 40 pushups, and, even with average genetics, it is even possible to reach 1 set of 22 chin ups and 1 set of 67 pushups.

Those may seem like an easier thing to accomplish than the strength standards for weightlifting but you have to take into account that we are talking about using perfect form, so you must not use your legs to do chin ups, and you must do full range of motion on both chin ups and push ups, so you go all the way down and all the way up, without cheating. Those who cheat will find that they don't look great even after hitting those numbers.

 

[Blackpincel]

Check this out OP:

kb/recommended_routine - bodyweightfitness

Bodyweight Fitness is for redditors who like to use their own body to train, from the simple pullups, pushups, and squats to the advanced...

old.reddit.com

This is seriously all you need. The progression for each thing is there.

In case you need a tldr:

playground - bodyweightfitness

Bodyweight Fitness is for redditors who like to use their own body to train, from the simple pullups, pushups, and squats to the advanced...

old.reddit.com

 

[eduardkoopman]

-Chin ups/Pull ups (back and arms) - you can buy a solid pullup bar from Rogue Fitness (cheap doorway bars fall and break too easily)
-Pushups (chest, shoulders and arms)
-Running (cardio and legs)
-Planks (abs)

Do it 5 times per week with high volume (4-5 sets of 8-12 per exercise) and stick to those 3 things since they are the most effective.

People often talk about pistol squats but they don't do anything since they are just a balance show off move and don't require a ton of strength, Kinobody can do them very well but he can only squat 315 lbs for 1 rep, which is very weak.

You'd be better off doing barbell rows than chin ups, and doing bench press, overhead press, curls and skullcrushers instead of pushups, and squat and deadlifts instead of running but it's still better than nothing.

Very high frequency combined with high volume works well here because calisthenics exercises are easy to recover from.

To add weight, get a backpack and add weight to it with rocks or books that you have at home, add 5 lbs every time, to know how much you are adding, use a scale to weigh your backpack while you add weight to it. If you do this and maintain proper form, you'll get really strong and muscular with just calisthenics.

You should add weight to all exercises except running, for running, just increase the speed on your treadmill. It won't grow your legs like the squat or deadlift but it's more effective than bodyweight squats which do absolutely nothing.

WOW.
You've become a gymmaxxer?

How is the yourney going? i hope no injuries.

 

[randomuser2407]

Progressive overload is key. Your body does not count reps, what matter is the strain they are put under. Also, make sure to sleep adequately. If neglected, you will deteriorate. Good luck.

The amount of reps does matter. Progressive overload can only happen if the reps or weight are increased. Increasing time under tension doesn't count as progressive overload since it only does a tiny difference and it's bad since it can cause too much soreness afterwards. Reps shouldn't be done slowly, they should be done in a controlled manner though.

 

[randomuser2407]

Check this out OP:

kb/recommended_routine - bodyweightfitness

Bodyweight Fitness is for redditors who like to use their own body to train, from the simple pullups, pushups, and squats to the advanced...

old.reddit.com

This is seriously all you need.

In case you need a tldr:

playground - bodyweightfitness

Bodyweight Fitness is for redditors who like to use their own body to train, from the simple pullups, pushups, and squats to the advanced...

old.reddit.com

That is too complicated. A lot of calisthenic exercises are about balance, not strength, so a lot of the exercises are just good for showing off and the more exercises you do, the more difficult it is to do properly because instead of having to learn the form of 2-3 exercises, you have to master 10 or more which isn't easy especially for beginners.

And besides, he is asking about how to gain muscle without weights, not how to look cool by walking on his hands like a monkey. I'm not mocking guys who do this though, if they like it then fine, but it doesn't match his goals or the goals of most people on this site.

Balancing movements don't build a lot of strength so they don't build a lot of muscle, to build muscle you must get stronger. To get stronger, you must train harder than last time and you must be able to measure your progress. When the technique can be changed over time by accident, it is very difficult to measure your progress, this is why inverted rows are a bad idea for most guys. Push ups are fine because if you practice them 5 days per week and make an effort to improve your form, you can get really good at them and do them well, especially if you watch lots of tutorials.

 

[delusionalretard]

The amount of reps does matter. Progressive overload can only happen if the reps or weight are increased. Increasing time under tension doesn't count as progressive overload since it only does a tiny difference and it's bad since it can cause too much soreness afterwards. Reps shouldn't be done slowly, they should be done in a controlled manner though.

With regards to time: Proper form with FROM is very important. Sloppy approach = sloppy results.
I'd say volume matters more so than reps. 8-12 is optimal for hypertrophy since adequate weight required for PO is accounted for, it's just that most people don't exercise with the proper weight/resistance that is required for volume gains.

 

[randomuser2407]

WOW.
You've become a gymmaxxer?

How is the yourney going? i hope no injuries.

I have a home gym, so I don't need to do calisthenics, I do only 7 exercises:
1) Overhead Press
2) Bench Press
3) Barbell Row
4) Bicep Curls
5) Skullcrushers (triceps)
6) Squats
7) Deadlifts


This is my current progression.

This is the program that I use (I made it myself):


Monday (Upper):

Overhead Press 4x4-8
Bench Press 4x4-8
Barbell Rows 4x4-8
Barbell Curl 4x8-12
Tricep Skullcrushers 4x8-12

Tuesday (Lower):

Squat 4x4-8
Deadlift 4x4-8
Calf Raises 4x8-12

Thursday (Upper):

Overhead Press 4x4-8
Bench Press 4x4-8
Barbell Rows 4x4-8
Barbell Curls 4x8-12
Tricep Skullcrushers 4x8-12

Friday (Lower):

Squat 4x4-8
Deadlift 4x4-8
Calf Raises 4x8-12

Saturday (Upper):

Overhead Press 4x4-8
Bench Press 4x4-8
Barbell Rows 4x4-8
Barbell Curls 4x8-12
Tricep Skullcrushers 4x8-12

 

[eduardkoopman]

I have a home gym, so I don't need to do calisthenics, I do only 7 exercises:
1) Overhead Press
2) Bench Press
3) Barbell Row
4) Bicep Curls
5) Skullcrushers (triceps)
6) Squats
7) Deadlifts


This is my current progression.

View attachment 891720

This is the program that I use (I made it myself):


Monday (Upper):

Overhead Press 4x4-8
Bench Press 4x4-8
Barbell Rows 4x4-8
Barbell Curl 4x8-12
Tricep Skullcrushers 4x8-12

Tuesday (Lower):

Squat 4x4-8
Deadlift 4x4-8
Calf Raises 4x8-12

Thursday (Upper):

Overhead Press 4x4-8
Bench Press 4x4-8
Barbell Rows 4x4-8
Barbell Curls 4x8-12
Tricep Skullcrushers 4x8-12

Friday (Lower):

Squat 4x4-8
Deadlift 4x4-8
Calf Raises 4x8-12

Saturday (Upper):

Overhead Press 4x4-8
Bench Press 4x4-8
Barbell Rows 4x4-8
Barbell Curls 4x8-12
Tricep Skullcrushers 4x8-12

Nice routine.

I hope the muscles grow.

 

[Blackpincel]

That is too complicated. A lot of calisthenic exercises are about balance, not strength, so a lot of the exercises are just good for showing off and the more exercises you do, the more difficult it is to do properly because instead of having to learn the form of 2-3 exercises, you have to master 10 or more which isn't easy especially for beginners.

And besides, he is asking about how to gain muscle without weights, not how to look cool by walking on his hands like a monkey. I'm not mocking guys who do this though, if they like it then fine, but it doesn't match his goals or the goals of most people on this site.

Balancing movements don't build a lot of strength so they don't build a lot of muscle, to build muscle you must get stronger. To get stronger, you must train harder than last time and you must be able to measure your progress. When the technique can be changed over time by accident, it is very difficult to measure your progress, this is why inverted rows are a bad idea for most guys. Push ups are fine because if you practice them 5 days per week and make an effort to improve your form, you can get really good at them and do them well, especially if you watch lots of tutorials.

He can just ignore the more advanced "show off" stuff and stick to the basics. The ones on the top of the spreadsheet are related to build strength in order to do the more advanced stuff.

I'd recommend focusing on the pull up, squats and push up progressions.

 

[randomuser2407]

With regards to time: Proper form with FROM is very important. Sloppy approach = sloppy results.
I'd say volume matters more so than reps. 8-12 is optimal for hypertrophy since adequate weight required for PO is accounted for, it's just that most people don't exercise with the proper weight/resistance that is required for volume gains.

When you do calisthenics, it's very difficult to add weight, you can use a backpack of course but it's still not that comfortable but you can get the same result with more reps. Adding reps is easy if you stick with proper form. The rep range doesn't matter as long as there is enough volume and frequency, that is what most people don't understand.

And, it's not that higher reps are for hypertrophy while lower reps are for strength, that is a myth, the truth is that the more reps you do, the more sets you can do because if you do your best on the first set and manage to do 8 reps, you may only be able to do 6 reps on the second set, then 5 reps on the third, then 3-4 reps on the fourth, so you can do 4 sets with the 4-8 rep range. But when you do 2-5, you can't do as many sets because you'll hit your 1RM very quickly and you'll have to reduce the weight which is really bad for progression, that is why higher reps are better.

I didn't even learn this myself, I learned this thanks to a new youtuber who discussed this, and he explained that this is why 10x10 and 5x5 are bad, because they don't use a rep range, and if you do your first set properly, your second set can't be another 5 reps so you'll get stuck fast without a rep range. So the amount of sets depends on the amount of reps and your ability to recover from the training. And you add weight to stay within the rep range. Going above 12 reps would be bad for weighted exercises, but for calisthenics exercises, it's a good idea.

 

[randomuser2407]

He can just ignore the more advanced "show off" stuff and stick to the basics. The ones on the top of the spreadsheet are related to build strength in order to do the more advanced stuff.

I'd recommend focusing on the pull up, squats and push up progressions.

You can't do squats when you don't have access to a barbell, you could use a backpack with some rocks but it's not going to be stable even if you try to hold it like a kettlebell, and bodyweight squats don't do anything, I know because I still had chicken legs after doing 3 sets of 100 reps of bodyweight squats with proper form ATG.

So, it's best to run instead of doing bodyweight squats if you can't do barbell back squats, because at least you'll build some cardiovascular endurance, some leg strength and you'll actually make progress.

For the upper body, the only calisthenics exercises worth doing are the chin up/pull up and the push ups and they must be done with as many reps as possible as often as possible to see progression. Calisthenics exercises are easy to recover from because they cause very little muscular damage, so you can train many times per week and still recover.

The trick to training hard enough is to try high volume and high frequency with a low exercise selection (1 exercise per muscle group), and then you adjust the volume and frequency based on your ability to recover. If you don't make any progress and you recover quickly, you can do more sets and/or train more frequently, and if you can't recover, you can do less sets and/or train less frequently. This, combined with progressive overload guarantees very fast progress both in strength and in muscle mass as long as you make sure to eat enough. Eating enough means you maintain your weight if skinny fat and recomp, you gain weight if skinny/underweight, and you lose weight if fat.

 

[Yusu]

for training neck intensive cocksucking should be enough

 

[SadnessWYJ]

Handstand Pushups (with back against a wall)

just fuck yout back up, do it with chets to wall