What is Calisthenics?

23. August 2021

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Calisthenics is an internationally used cultural term that presents fitness exercises with one’s own weight. The focal points are so-called calisthenics parks. The respective exercises are practiced e.g. with rings, horizontal bars, parallel bars or completely without equipment.

IS IT DIFFICULT TO LEARN?

Learning this sport is pretty easy, because everyone knows how to do classic push-ups, pull-ups or similar workout basics. You too, right? The movement sequences are easy to train without a trainer, but not everyone is able to adapt their workout plan ideally in order to achieve visible results quickly. Thus, most of them quickly become desperate and throw in the towel after a few weeks of training. But not you! Because the only thing you should consider in order to build muscle successfully and healthily is:

Train in sets (preferably less repetitions for several sets)
Perform the exercises properly, because the cleaner you do them, the more intensive is the effectiveness of the workout!
Nutrition is the be-all and end-all! Because never forget that 70% of the diet is the well-being and the progress of your training. (Example: drink enough water, pay attention to protein and eat vitamins/fiber)
You should also take breaks from training. Don’t train every day!

Because muscles also need sufficient recovery in order to grow!

After the first successes in training, you will become more and more familiar with your workouts on your own and you can easily create individual training plans for yourself at any time. Until then, you can also join groups and communities that you know with experience or calisthenics and ask questions, everything is now very easy and possible via social media. As an example: “PARKOUR LANDSHUT“

(public Facebook group, for parkour/freerunning/calisthenics)

What are you waiting for? Let’s go!

HOW DANGEROUS IS THE SPORT?

The sport is of course becoming more and more demanding, depending on the level and experience, as there will be more and more difficult exercises that can become painful with insufficient “warm up” or preliminary exercises for the training goal. However, as already mentioned, it is necessary to approach everything step by step and therefore sufficient experience grows with you over time. Since the training is practiced practically without additional weight, it is far from being as risky as lifting weights in the classic gym. To support all exercises in calisthenics, a fitness band (resistance band) or a weight vest, which increases the intensity when doing pull-ups, for example, usually helps. However, it does not cause anything dangerous that could injure muscles or the like.

Are you in? What are you waiting for? LET´S GO BE A NINJA!

HOW FIT DO YOU HAVE TO BE?

In this, as well as in the sports I have previously introduced, it is not important how old, tall or heavy you are, it is all about the art of locomotion and the fun of exercising. Through which you can feel from time to time how new insights and ideas are opening up. You start to perfect your exercises in the workout, to set yourself new challenges and to feel your body in a new way. You develop so much body control and real strength!

Because some look muscular and can’t even do ten clean pull-ups, and you as a calisthenics athlete may only look defined, but you have real body control and incredible power behind it!

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE TO SPEND?

You determine yourself the time required for this sport.

It always depends on what you want to achieve with this sport.

Experience shows that as a team athlete you train about 5 times a week for 1 hour and as a normal recreational athlete about 2-3 times a week for 1 hour. Both are possible in a club or privately. It is advisable to pay attention to a safe training location such as calisthenics parks, or e.g. in a gym with a stable horizontal bar, parallel bars, and possibly also trainers who support you at the beginning.

WHAT DOES IT COST TO DO THE SPORT?

Depending on the location, the cost of practicing the sport varies.

It is common to discover and practice the sport in a club, in a private sports school, among friends or in workshops. The cost of a calisthenics training in a club is of course the cheapest and one of the safest options. Because everything is most comfortable for you to train thanks to the professionally equipped gym. The monthly fee here is on average between € 7.00 and € 10.00.

The sports equipment is not expensive. It is enough if you bring comfortable sports or leisure clothes and sports shoes with sturdy soles, plus a sufficient amount of water and a juicy portion of motivation!

WHAT CAN IT ACHIEVE WITH IT?

With this sport you, as a person, achieve a new kind of perception, both extreme body control and self-assessment. Strong discipline is created, which makes it much easier to achieve your goals in sport as well as in life (e.g. to achieve your desired figure, professional athlete or trainer, as well as gain respect and increase awareness …). The sport of “calisthenics” changes the way you think and everyone who practices it. The first Calisthenics World Championship has even been held since 2011, where the best athletes were able to prove their skills on the horizontal bars, etc.

There are currently a lot of big brands that have cooperated with professional athletes and thus receive a lot of advertising, especially on social media, for their merchandise. The best example: GORNATION etc … Through championships, this sport has been put in the spotlight and has thus reached even larger audiences. There are worldwide top athletes under contract with “Gornation” who connect bring this sport to their communities.

Are you already an athlete or do you want to become one?

Then just give it a try and see how far you can get with the sport!

Maybe you will soon be a professional too?

WHERE CAN I DO THE SPORT?

You can easily reach the sport through the international communities in the social media world and thus establish contacts more easily. It is widespread, but to differing degrees depending on where you live and is mostly popular and easy to find in large cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich. However, many small cities such as Landshut are currently managing to build up their workout community and to keep up with other large cities with the leisure activities and workout parks for outdoor training. In addition, a large number of fashion items, especially for calisthenics, parkour/freerunning sports, have been released and are now being sold online worldwide (for example, “Urban Sports Clothing” by Alexander Siemens).

WHERE CAN YOU TRY THIS?

You can try the sport on your own, or you can put yourself in the hands of experienced coaches and athletes right away. That is up to you, but you should always act cautiously, only train when you feel comfortable and always decide from your inner gut feeling up to which level you want to train at the moment.

The sport itself, should you practice in workout parks or gyms, it is best to always briefly check all equipment before starting the training: keep an eye on stability, slip resistance and fall protection such as meadow or rolling surfaces in the event of a fall.