In my last article “What is calisthenic workout”, in the category of health & fitness I defined Calisthenics Workout, it’s merits and demerits. In this article, I am going to take you through different calisthenics exercises that you can do anywhere. You just need a little space and about 30 minutes of your time. This workout routine is for beginners only. Also, I would keep on documenting my progress and results with due course of time.
Since I like cycling a lot, which is an amazing cardio workout and also helps me in traveling to far off places. I have decided to club my calisthenics routine with my cycling schedule. I ride to Nahargarh almost every alternate day in Jaipur. You can watch all my videos on my youtube channel which I made during my ride to Nahargarh!
Now let’s come back to calisthenics. There are a variety of exercises that you can do under calisthenics workout, however, as a beginner, we would do limited exercises with limited repetitions and limited sets. So Let’s begin!
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Beginners Calisthenics Workout
I have also just begun calisthenics workout, and one of my friend who is, in turn, the master of these kinds of workouts routines is helping me out. This workout which I am sharing with you all is to be done only 3 times a week, in sets of 3 only. Always remember don’t overstress yourself with too much workout. Too much workout can lead to injury and fatigue. We don’t what that, so let’s keep it simple, easy and let’s try to progress slowly.
Below is what we are going to do for one week, and then we would change the intensity of our workout routine, by changing intensity I mean we would increase the repetition.
- Pushups (30)
- Forward Lunge (20 per side)
- Lateral Lunge (20 per side)
- Plank (One Minute)
- Squats (20)
- Crunches (20)
Do these 6 basic exercises for a week, and you will see the difference yourselves. Let me explain these exercises in details so that you do not make a mistake while doing them. Always remember more than exercises, the correct posture/way is important. If the way of doing the workout is not correct, wrong muscle group will be targetted and you will not get the desired results.
Pushups (Total 30, 3 types)
Ever watched those Hollywood war flicks. Ever seen those nasty drill instructors turning the trainee’s life hell by punishing them with pushups. This basic calisthenics exercise can be done anywhere, without any types of equipment. All you need is your body weight, which always is with you. Now at the starting of our training regime, I would do 30 pushups a day. Three different types of pushups. All that you have to do is change the position of your hands and by doing so different muscle groups would be targetted.
Normal Grip Pushups (10 Reps)
Look at the picture below. This type of pushups distribute your body weight proportionately and target your chest, shoulder, and triceps.
Wide Grip Pushups (10 Reps)
Look at the picture below. This is a bit difficult and the muscle group that it targets is your chest. One of my favorite exercise.
Diamond Shape Grip Pushups (10 Reps)
This grip pushup is for targetting triceps. All you have to do is make a diamond with your hands and do the pushups. Take a look at the picture below for reference.
Forward Lunges (20 reps)
One of my favorite exercise. Why? Because it targets a lot of muscles like core, hips, hamstrings, quads, glutes, and the hard-to-reach muscles of the inner thigh. Do the 20 reps of this exercise.
Lateral Lunges (20 Reps)
An amazing exercise which works on your Quads, Glutes, Inner thigh. Advance out to one side and move your body weight over your right leg, hunching down to a 90-degree point at the right knee.
Plank (1 Minute)
This is a boon to your core. If you do this regularly your core muscles are going to be tough as a stone. Not only does it helps you to sculpt your body, but also helps you in improving your posture. We would do two types of plans here, forearm plank and side plank as shown in the picture below.
Squats (20 Reps)
I just love squats. The reasons are many. Squats help in burning fat, strengthening muscles, and is a great way of exercising the whole body. Most you might think squats to be legs exercise however it’s not. This exercise is a compound movement which involves your knees and your butt joints. Stand straight, no bend or arch in the back, face straight and push your butt back words and then go down. The important point here is that squats should start with your butt going back and not directly going down on your knees. Take a look at the picture below.
Crunches (20 Reps)
A phenomenal exercise for your core and losing belly fat. Lie down on a flat surface, with your knees bend. If you have a chair or some stable platform keep your legs on it and bend knees at 90 degrees. Traditional way if doing it is to take your hand behind your head. I don’t do that because of the fact that you might pull your head upwards, which is not advised. What I do is, I raise my hands straight pointing up, and then raise your shoulders and lift your upper body. Now do not try to use the momentum to complete your reps. When you do crunches the idea is to do this very slowly. Lift your shoulders up slowly and bring your body down slowly. You should start feeling the tension in your core muscle group after few sets. Take a look at the picture below.
Now that you have read the complete article about how to start practicing calisthenics as a beginner, I would urge you to watch the video that I made for this workout routine. This video is on my YouTube channel. Also If you like to leave comments, please do so at the bottom of the page.
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