Put down the weights, forget the gym and try this three-move calisthenics workout on for size. It is short but effective and relies only on your bodyweight to build strength all over your body.
You will need a pull-up bar or similar, but push-up bars are optional. Other than that, you don’t need any equipment. The bodyweight routine has been created by Roy King and posted to his YouTube channel, and I am a big fan of it.
It plays right into what I love coaching as a personal trainer: functional, uncomplicated movements that translate to everyday life and can be progressed over time as you get fitter and stronger. Intrigued? Here’s how to dip your toes into the world of calisthenics.
What is calisthenics?
Calisthenics sounds fancy, but really, it’s more of an umbrella term for bodyweight exercise that can scale up to gymnastics. Yes, handstands, planche pikes (above) and other slightly scary-looking exercises do feature at the advanced end, but even just moving with your bodyweight and practicing primal, animalistic movements without weights (try this animal flow routine for a better idea) count.
It’s about building a strong, mobile and agile body and moving in a functional, healthy way. If you can stand on your head in time, then great. If not? Don’t worry about it.
That said, you will need one tool if you plan to try calisthenics for yourself: conscious contraction. This means what it says — consciously contracting your working muscles as you move to improve the connection between your brain and muscle fibers, known as the mind-muscle connection. This will also help you engage your core as you move and protect your back.
Watch the 3-move beginner calisthenics routine:
The routine is pretty simple, but it is high volume, which will test muscular endurance. Going to failure —repeating the routine until you physically can't do it any more — will create intensity without weights and still achieve total-body fatigue, so be prepared.
Perform two sets of pull-ups or chin-ups, push-ups and jump lunges to failure, meaning as many reps per set as possible until your form gives out and you need to stop. Add 1 to 10 reps to each move each week, depending on your ability. You can remove the jumps from the lunges and perform standard lunges if you prefer.
Why I love this routine
I’m a huge fan of its simplicity; we live in a world where jazzy workouts attract the most attention, but functional, compound movements hit the most muscles and joints in a way that translates to life, so you can stay more mobile and injury-free as you age.
At the end of the day, movement means longevity, but it’s about finding movement that works the best for you and your body. I will advocate for bodyweight workouts all day long; if you can’t perform a pull-up, push-up, or lunge with a full range of motion, then don’t add weights to them. Some of the hardest workouts I have done over the years haven’t included a single load other than my bodyweight.
All you need is three moves — over to you.
If you believe a workout isn’t worth the chalkboard it's written on unless it’s heavy weights and power lifts, this one will change your mind.
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