Before fancy gym equipment and aerobics classes came out, there were calisthenics. Calisthenics are basic exercises that involve the use of little to no equipment to be effective. Most calisthenics exercises involve leveraging your own body weight to challenge your muscles and heart, improving your athletic performance. In addition to enhancing your fitness, basic calisthenics can be a good measurement of your existing fitness level. Organizations like the military and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports use calisthenics exercises as a sign of overall fitness.
Arm and Leg Exercises
Basic calisthenics exercises are some of the most common in your exercise arsenal. Calisthenics exercises for your arms and legs include pushups, squats, lunges and triceps dips. In addition to these exercises, you also can do exercises like buttocks kickbacks. To perform this exercise, start on all fours and lift your left leg in the air behind you. Bend the lower leg to create a 90-degree angle with your thigh and lower leg, and then pulse the leg up in the air to focus on your buttocks.
Core Exercises
Your core muscles consist of your abdominal and back muscles. Strengthening them helps stabilize your body, maintain good posture and reduce back pain. Examples of calisthenics exercises that strengthen the core muscles include twisting crunches and pelvic tilts. Examples you may be less familiar with include jack knives, which involve lying on a weight bench with your legs extended and your hands behind your head. Slowly lift your knees toward your chest, and crunch up with your upper body, bringing your upper body and legs toward each other. Side bridging is another exercise example that involves lying on your right side with your right elbow propped up. Slowly lift your body off the ground, making a straight line from your head to toes.
Benefits
Calisthenics exercises are beneficial because they help sculpt and strengthen the body with minimal equipment. The exercises are advantageous for those who travel frequently because they also require minimal space to perform. Finally, calisthenics exercises are ideal for building muscular endurance because they are dynamic exercises, meaning you must use a full range of motion to complete them.
Considerations
Although calisthenics do not involve the use of heavy equipment, it is still important that you warm up and cool down just as you would when engaging in any type of fitness training session. Start with a five-minute warmup of walking, jumping rope or lightly jogging. When you conclude your calisthenics exercise routine, stretch the muscles you worked to reduce muscle tension and improve flexibility.
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