What is Calisthenics for Beginners and Why is it Ideal to Start?

Many people think that, to start training Calisthenics, they must have a minimum of arm strength or overall upper body strength, and this makes them reluctant to start.

But nothing could be further from the truth. One of the greatest advantages of Calisthenics is that it can be easily adapted to any level, even for people who have never trained in their lives and are starting from an absolute level 0 of strength.

Different exercises have progressions—some more well-known than others—that allow you to adapt the level to any ability.

In the article where we discussed how to start calisthenics from scratch, we saw these progressions in detail, and today we are going to review these exercises and also see routines and training tables using them.

Benefits of Training Calisthenics as a Beginner

Apart from what we mentioned about the ease of adapting exercises, another advantage of calisthenics for beginners is that results and progress can be seen quickly.

A few weeks after starting training, you will see how you can already perform an extra repetition, you can slightly increase the difficulty of the progression, and you will see a clearer path toward achieving basic exercises like full push-ups, pull-ups, or parallel dips.

In addition, on a physical level, you will also see changes in the mirror and notice that you have more strength and endurance.

Calisthenics Exercises for Beginners

The exercises we are going to perform are versions of the basic calisthenics exercises (push-ups, pull-ups, dips, and squats) but adapted into progressions that anyone can perform, regardless of their strength level. Additionally, we will add some abdominal work.

• Level 0 Incline Push-ups: Perform push-ups with your hands supported on an elevated surface. The higher it is, the easier the exercise will be, with the easiest level being done with your hands against a wall. Adjust the height where you place your hands so that you can perform at least 6 to 10 repetitions.

• Level 0 Australian Pull-ups: Pull-ups with your feet on the ground; again, the higher the hand support, the easier the exercise, with the easiest version being a bar at chest height. You can keep your legs straight or semi-flexed. Adjust the height where you place your hands so that you can perform at least 6 to 10 repetitions.

• Assisted Squat: Perform squats while holding onto a post, bar, or similar. Bend your knees until you reach 90º. To adjust the difficulty, modulate the force you apply with your arms to help yourself more or less, depending on your ability. In this case, we aim for 8 to 15 repetitions.

• Level 0 Abdominal Crunch: Lie on the floor face up, with your legs semi-flexed and arms extended upward. Perform an abdominal crunch by lifting your upper back off the floor. You don't need to sit up completely—which would be a "sit-up"—just lift your upper back off the ground. To adjust the difficulty, use a shorter or wider range of motion; the easiest level is barely lifting your upper back, and the hardest is almost reaching a seated position. For this exercise, we will aim for a range of 10 to 20 repetitions.

With these 4 exercises, you have a solid foundation that will allow you to condition your body. Furthermore, as you have seen, you can adjust the difficulty of each one to start at a level suitable for you and progress little by little, increasing repetitions and difficulty.

Calisthenics Routine for Beginners

Using the exercises we saw in the previous section, we are going to form a basic routine that you can do 3 to 5 times a week, where you can progress by adapting the difficulty to your increased strength as explained.

• 3x8 Level zero Incline Push-ups
• 3x8 Level zero Australian Pull-ups

• 4x10 Assisted Squats
• 3x10 Abdominal crunch with arms extended

Remember to progressively increase the repetitions and difficulty of each exercise as explained in the previous section.

Calisthenics Challenge for Beginners (21 days)

In our app Calisteniapp, we have a 21-day challenge for level 0 beginners that you can see here.

This challenge is ideal for starting training with a small daily challenge that helps you build the habit, adapted for people who have never trained. Additionally, by activating the free trial, you can try it for a week without paying, and if you are not satisfied, you cancel the trial and nothing will be charged. Start it now!

Most Common Mistakes When Starting Calisthenics

Error #1: Wanting to do advanced exercises

Many people believe that Calisthenics consists only of exercises like pull-ups, muscle-ups, planks, front lever... and, therefore, from the moment they start training, they want to attempt these exercises. As we mentioned, there are progressions, variations, and much simpler exercises adapted for beginners, which are the ones you should work on during your first months of training.

Error #2: Overusing elastic bands

Stemming from the previous error, some beginners, seeing that they cannot perform the typical exercises, simply resort to doing them with elastic bands. As we have mentioned in previous articles, elastic bands are a good supplement to our training, but it is not effective for them to be the main part of it. All exercises have beginner progressions without bands that should be your priority, using band variations only as a complement.

Error #3: Focusing too much on "core" or abdominal training

Another myth beginners often fall for is thinking that the "core" or abdominal muscles are absolutely the most important and where all the strength comes from, thus giving it immense importance in training. This reaches the point where this muscle group takes up a very high percentage of training time. As we also mentioned, this is incorrect. The "core" is just another muscle group, and it is important due to its stabilizing function in many exercises, but it shouldn't be prioritized over other groups that are also very important and primary for strength gain, such as pushing, pulling, or leg muscles. Therefore, abdominals should be present in our training, but not to a greater extent than other muscle groups.

Error #4: Changing the planning too often

Another problem we often find in beginners is establishing a training program and, shortly after, changing it for a different one. This usually happens for two reasons: one would be the rush to get instant results and, secondly, the initial "enthusiasm" that makes the beginner constantly look for information, research training methods, and learn new things. You should know that the effective way to get results is by maintaining the same program for long periods of time, allowing you to advance on a solid base. If you decide to change your planning, you should know that you are sacrificing yourself in that aspect and must decide if it is worth it for you or not.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you do calisthenics without bars? Yes, there are all kinds of calisthenics exercises to train without equipment.

How many days to train as a beginner? Between 2 and 4 days a week would be an optimal range.

How long does it take to notice calisthenics? Regarding your strength and ability to do different exercises, you will notice improvement in the first few weeks. On an aesthetic level, you can notice some changes starting from the first month.

Can you gain muscle with calisthenics from scratch? Yes, muscle mass is gained from the moment you start performing the first exercises.

Start today with Calisteniapp

If you want guided training programs with weekly planning and everything you need to progress in Calisthenics, we have everything you need in our app. Download it now.

By Yerai Alonso