Calisthenics training is not usually used to maximize muscle mass gain, since it is usually considered that the optimal option in this case is bodybuilding.

This is largely true, although it could be questioned and analyzed in more detail, but what is clear is that Calisthenics training has unique characteristics that give it a series of obvious advantages:

• It requires less time
• There is a lower risk of injury
• It requires little or no equipment and therefore you can train at home
• It allows you to train outdoors
• It encourages socializing and creating a community if you train in a park
• It is free

These characteristics make Calisthenics training much more viable to sustain over time, since it adapts perfectly to your circumstances.

For this reason, in my opinion if we tried to guess an average of the physical results that people get with calisthenics and an average of those they get with the gym, we would see that calisthenics come out on top.

This is my guess, because I don't have any statistics on this, but I think that, if we take into account the number of people who join the gym and then go only a couple of times, or a couple of months at most and then quit, or people who are forced to leave the gym because they can't afford it… I think the average results are quite low.

However, people who start calisthenics training have a much easier time continuing their training, since if they don't have much time they can do a quick routine at home. If they have to stop for a while they can start again without having to pay. Training groups are created in parks that encourage each other to continue, specific exercise goals are achieved that motivate you to continue, etc.

Therefore, I think it is a good approximation to say that surely, if we take into account all the people who start and who quit, better results are achieved with calisthenics.

You don't need specific equipment, isolation exercises, a lot of volume, time, programs, access to the gym, or to copy the routine of a professional bodybuilder. With a small park, a pull-up bar, some rings, or even no equipment at all, you can achieve remarkable results.

Even if your long-term goal is to maximize muscle mass gain or dedicate yourself to bodybuilding, you can get a large part of your gains first with Calisthenics, and then do more specialized weight training to finish squeezing your genetic potential. And even then, it is likely that the basics of calisthenics will still have a place in your routine, it is common to see the best natural bodybuilders do dips or pull-ups in their workouts, since these exercises are tremendously effective for the muscles involved in them.

The good news is that to have a healthy, well-trained, muscular physique, you don't have to accept the disadvantages of the gym, such as having to pay to train, having to be locked indoors, the increased risk of injury, the monotony of the exercises, the lack of challenges that motivate you to continue, the poor social environment, having to wait to be able to use a machine that is occupied, etc.

The most advantageous path to a healthy, muscular body is through calisthenics. Most people want an athletic body, with a low percentage of body fat, similar to the classic look of the Greek gods, and to achieve that you don't need to resort to bodybuilding in a gym.

The routines that professional bodybuilders do are designed to squeeze even the smallest gain out of bodies that are already at their limit, without getting into issues of using anabolic substances. Therefore, it is not necessary for you to copy that type of routine when your situation and your goals are not the same.

Calisthenics is not bodybuilding, but it makes you strong in a simple way, and if there is a specific muscle that is lagging behind or that you want to strengthen more, you can go to the gym whenever you feel necessary.

If you are hesitating whether to start training calisthenics or pay a gym, I recommend that you first try calisthenics and I think you will be surprised by the gains you can achieve in a fun, simple and free way.

If you still need extra help, in our Calisteniapp application you have training programs for a much lower price than a gym membership.

I hope it helps,

Yerai Alonso