Calisthenics Training and Beyond

Overview:   Handstand push up is the best exercise for shoulders. They primarily work your anterior and lateral deltoids and the muscles in the back of your arms (your triceps). They also engage the muscles of the upper back (the trapezius). Handstand push ups also help to build strength for free handstands. A strong core and strong shoulders will help you find your balance and maintain the position more easily. Progression Choose one of the following variations which you can do 3 sets of between 4 and 8 repetitions with periods of between 1 and 2 min of rest between each set. When you can do 3 sets of 8, move on to the next exercise in the progression.  1. Incline pike push ups  Place your hands shoulder-width apart on a raised platform. Bend at the waist keeping a straight back. Your outstretched arms and torso should form a straight line. Bring your head to your hands.  2. Pike push ups. Same as above, without the platform. Make s...

Exercise Overview Plank is one of the best core exercises. You hold your body in a straight line over a period of time, the longer is the better. It sounds simple, but it is not that easy. The plank and all its variations will work your core muscles (the rectus abdominals and the obliques, as well as stabilizing deep core muscles) isometrically. It is a foundation of all good bodyweight programs, and a great introduction to static, isometric work. And like almost calisthenics exercises, it requires no equipment and can be performed just about anywhere (well, use your judgment). Plank muscle worked The progression Choose one of the following variations as a starting point and hold the position for 30 seconds. Gradually build up to a hold of one minute over time. When you can do the exercise for one minute, move on to the next variation in the progression. 1. Kneeling plank.  Performed on your knees, with thighs and spine in line. 2. Kneeling side plank.  ...

Leg raise is one of the best exercise for your core. It will help you develop not just a strong core, but functional too. Leg raise work the whole abdominals or "Abs" muscle and the obliques. Along with a appropriate diet program, you will get your sick-pack. Like other exercise in the series, you start by choosing one of the following variations as a starting point and perform 3 sets of between 4 and 8 repetitions with periods of between 1 and 2 min of rest between each set. When you can do 3 sets of 8, move on to the next exercise in the progression. 1. Knee tuck Knee tuck Sit on the edge of a chair or bench. Lean back a little, grip the edge of the seat with your hands, and straighten your legs. Your feet should be together with the heels raised a few inches from the floor.Then smoothly bring the knees up and in until they are approximately six to ten inches from your chest. Exhale as you draw the knees in. By the time the motion is complete, you should have...

A dip is a compound, push-type exercise like Push up but it works the muscles with the different angles. While push up is a horizontal push exercise, Dips is a vertical push exercise. A bodyweight dip requires you to have a pretty good base level of strength throughout your body, because you’re going to be lifting up your whole body up and down. You do Dips by first raising yourself on two dip bars with straight arms. Lower your body until your shoulders are below your elbows. Push yourself up until your arms are straight again. Parallel bars dips Muscle targeted Dips works many muscle at the same time, include Triceps, Chest and Shoulder. There are two version of Dips which are focus more on Triceps or Chest. Tricep version To get into the starting position, hold your body at arm's length with your arms nearly locked above the bars. Now, inhale and slowly lower yourself downward. Your torso should remain upright and your elbows should stay close to your bo...

Maybe I don't have to talk much here. Everyone should know about the Squats and  the two basics steps to do them. Sit down and Stand ups. That is it ! Bodyweight Squat Squat muscle targeted Muscle targeted Squats will work your entire lower body. They primarily target the muscles in your butt (gluteus maximus), the front of your legs (quadriceps) and the back of your legs (hamstrings). But they also engage some stabilizing muscles: your lower back (erector spinae), the outside of your thighs and bum (abductors), your inner thighs (adductors) and your calves (gastrocnemius and soleus). Tips for a proper squats Different depths of motion in squatting develop different muscles. A full range of motion develops all the muscles equally. For this reason, you should aim to master full squats. Some of the steps are half-movements, but they eXist only as stages in the process towards full squats. Half-movements must always be performed in conjunction with full movements. ...

According to Wikipedia, a push-up (USA English), or a press-up (UK English), is "a common strength training exercise performed in a prone position, lying horizontal and face down, raising and lowering the body using the arms." Push up is the ultimate upper body exercise. It generates strength, builds muscle, develops powerful tendons and trains the upper body pressing muscles to work in coordination with the midsection and the lower body. No other exercise in the world can achieve all these things. The bench press is often touted as a superior upper body exercise, but this is a fallacy. Not only does bench pressing isolate the upper body in an artificial way, it also destroys the rotator cuff muscles as well as irritating the elbow and wrist joints when performed over even short periods. The push up protects the joints and builds functional strength, real-world strength not just the kind of strength that can be used in a gym. This is why the push up is the number one...

A proper pull up Who wasn't inspired watching Sylvester Stallone performing uneven pull ups from that climbing frame in Rocky II training scene. Or in my other favorite movie - Terminator 2, Linda Hamilton cranking out pull ups from the legs of her upturned metal bunk. Pull ups along with Push ups and Squat are three fundamental exercises of Calisthenics. A pull-up is a compound upper body exercise and can done in 2 simple (but not easy) steps as the pictures. First step, you hang yourself from a bar, or a door, a wall, a stair, a tree, whatever you can. Hang all the way down ("Dead hang position") . Then, you started to pull yourself up until your chin over the bar. (Top position). Remember, do not swing or use any momentum. Muscle targeted Pull up target all the pulling - muscle on the upper back (lats) also with your biceps. Your forearm muscle used to hang yourself against the gravity while your core keep your body balance with no swing. This is a total...