How To Start Calisthenics

Are you looking to start your calisthenics journey but don't know where to start? If so then this post is for you

My name is Andrew and I help men in their 20's and 30's build athletic physiques and functional strength with calisthenics.

In this post I am going to be breaking down how to start your calisthenics journey and the most important tips I have after 4 years of training

Let's jump right in

4 years ago I started my calisthenics journey and had no idea what I was doing, but I saw all these crazy bodyweight movements and lean shredded physiques and thought to myself "I want to do that" and that's where my journey started 

This journey has been a long but rewarding one full of learning and growing as I continued to progress to harder and harder exercises, and in this post I wanna share with you how to start calisthenics the best way in my opinion

What is it that you are hoping to achieve with calisthenics? 

Are you doing it because you think it's cool, or are you doing it because you think it's the best way to get in shape? 

Perhaps you are doing it because you don't have access to equipment or you don't like lifting weights 

Are you wanting to do tricks and compete in competitions, or are you wanting to master static holds? 

Whatever your goals are will determine what you focus on and how you train 

If you just want to look good, you don't need to do handstands or planches, but would still greatly benefit from incorporating calisthenics moves like pull ups and push ups in your routine 

If you wanna be a bodyweight master then you will be training for years to master these advanced skills 

Regardless of you what you wanna do, become clear on that and then decide where you wanna focus your energy

If you're like me you probably saw all these cool bodyweight exercises and wanted to do that. 

However, long before you do handstand push ups and muscle ups you are gonna have to master the basics 

This means you need to drill exercises like push ups, pull ups, dips, pike holds, and so forth 

If you are currently struggling with doing a few pull ups or push ups then you need to focus on that - not doing crazy skills - so that way you can build a strong foundation on your journey 

The exercises I would recommend you focus on are pull ups (or Australian pull ups if you can't do a pull up yet), push ups, dips, pike holds and pike push ups, bodyweight squats, and bodyweight ab exercises 

As you continue to drill these exercises you will build essential strength and a foundation for yourself on your calisthenics journey

Along with drilling the basics, you also need to be drilling perfect form. 

Doing 100 push ups won't do you any good if they are done in sloppy form, and it certainly won't translate to harder exercises like handstand push ups where strength, balance, and perfect form are essential to even doing the exercise correctly 

Be sure with every exercise to do a full range of motion and ensure that your form is correct 

For example, on exercises like the push up you don't want your arms to be flared out, and with exercises like the pull up you don't want to be kipping. 

Getting your form dialed in essential. 

You see all these pros who look so clean on their form, and that's because they drilled the basics until they got it perfect

Don't overlook good form. This isn't Crossfit, it's calisthenics

Before you train you need to stretch and warm up the muscles you are going to be working that day 

This means before you do pull ups up need to stretch your lats, biceps, forearms, traps, and so forth 

Before doing push ups you need to stretch your chest, front delts, and triceps to prepare 

When doing these stretches, be sure to do them dynamically, not statically. 

Dynamic stretching is typically used before your workouts to loosen you up and consists of 2-5 second long stretches as you move dynamically 

Static stretching is 10+ second long stretches (usually closer to 30 seconds minimum) and is used to increase flexibility and release lactic acid from your muscles after a hard workout 

Not only that, but you wanna warm up properly.

Do a good 5-10 minute warm up that involves the muscles you are gonna work, plus some light cardio to get your heart rate up

So let's say you are going to do pull ups. Your warm up could consist of jumping jacks, Australian pull ups, jumping pull ups, and maybe finish off with some high knees, for example. 

This will increase blood to the areas you are going to be working and help prevent injury during your workout. 

As tedious as this can be, it's essential to prepare your body for a hard workout

This is a marathon, not a sprint. This is going to be a long journey, and there is no way to make it go faster 

I know you see these cool skills and want to jump right in, but it takes time to master these skills 

For context, it took me almost a year to be able to easily hold a handstand for a lengthy amount of time 

It also took me close to two years to do muscle ups and handstand push ups. 

It took me 4 years to get the 90 degree handstand push ups 

I've just recently achieved the front lever and still have a long way to go on planche 

This is not a quick journey, but it is a rewarding one, and every one goes at a different pace 

Even though it took me a year to master the handstand, it may take you a couple months 

Who knows, just don't try to rush the process and enjoy the journey

This is one of the pit falls many people fall into when starting calisthenics. 

They see all these skills and incredible feats of strength and want to learn all of it at once 

If you pursue too much at once you will dramatically slow your progress and never accomplish anything 

Instead, decide on the exercises and skills that are most important to you and become laser focused on them 

However, don't try to do harder things before easier things 

For example, don't try to do handstand push ups before you have perfected the handstand, or muscle ups before you have mastered pull ups 

Decide on a skill that is reasonable at your level 

For me, the first skill I got focused on was the handstand.

For the first year I would warm up before my actual workout routine by doing handstands against the wall and doing handstand kick ups

No other skill was really on my radar until I mastered the handstand 

Now I don't train it like that anymore, it's just part of my normal workout routine like any other exercise because it's easy for me now, but I had to focus on it for a season before I could do that

I know a lot people out there just wanna do calisthenics and are all elitist about everything having to be bodyweight training 

I hate to break it to you, but calisthenics isn't perfect, and there is a place for weights and external resistance 

I personally incorporate a lot of external resistance in my training because it's just better and more efficient in my opinion to utilize both for different reasons 

For example, the rotator cuff is one of the most important muscles for shoulder health and is almost never included in most training programs, and it's almost impossible to really target without external resistance of some kind 

Another example is your legs. Your legs carry around your bodyweight all day long and makeup more than 50% of your bodies muscle mass 

It's very hard to achieve hypertrophy in your legs with just bodyweight. 

Not that it can't be done, but do you really wanna do 200+ bodyweight squats to get there? I didn't think so

There are a variety of other muscles that are hard to hit without external resistance like upper traps, biceps, forearms, etc. 

Point is, don't be so narrow minded that everything you do has to be calisthenics only. 

Include bands, weights, a weight vest, and so forth and you will see way better results

If you don't have any structure in your training and you just do a bunch of push ups, pull ups, dips, squats, and sit ups then you are going to end up with some severe muscle imbalances 

Not only that, but you won't make the progress at the rate you would like.

You may find yourself plateauing and getting stuck doing the same exercises over and over and not knowing when or how to progress properly 

That's where following a program or working directly with a coach could help you dramatically shortcut the process and help you see progress much quicker. 

It's a long journey, and having the foundation strong from the beginning will transform your results.

If you are looking for a coach you can book a free call with me HERE and we can see if we are a good fit to work together

If you enjoyed this post and want to watch the video version, head on over to my Youtube channel