Calisthenics Body Weight Exercise

 

Calisthenics Tone Your Body

Calisthenics is a type of exercise performed using body weight with varying degrees of intensity designed to build physical strength and stamina. Specific exercises can function as physique builders using body weight training in an effort to lose body fat while building lean muscles.  The exercises arose in the early 19 century from the work of the Germans Friedrich Ludwig Jahn and Adlof Spiess in popular gymnastics programs and was especially stressed by Per Henrik Ling of Sweden as an important development for women. In the United States, Catherine Beecher was an early advocate of calisthenics and wrote Physiology and Calisthenics For Schools and Families in 1857. Beecher promoted calisthenics intended solely for women but quickly became popular among both men and women. Exercising using your body weight promotes endurance, strength, stability, coordination, and flexibility placing controllable demands on specific groups of muscles increasing the general well being of the body.

Calisthenics exercises with weights known as street lifting involve performing exercises like squats, dips, and pullups adding weight with each exercise to increase the intensity of each exercise.  Many people turn to this training after mastering the basics to build muscle toning the entire body.  Specific exercises target each muscle group with motion, bending, twisting, jumping, kicking, and swinging as well as specialized movements for the core abdominal workout: sit ups,  push ups, and chin ups all performed using your body weight. Calisthenics can also serve as a warm up before strenuous exercises gradually warms up your cardiovascular system raising your body temperature increasing blood flow to your muscles. The health benefits of performing calisthenics were recognized throughout the Western world and used as regular exercise as part of training during workouts. Today calisthenics can be performed at any location at any local gym, at home or at specialized calisthenic parks that are available across the U.S. in a location near you.

Calisthenics can be performed using your body weight and only a mat to tone your entire body performing each exercise with precision. Each exercise performed should be 20-30 reparations for each specific set. Squats strengthen your lower body targeting your glutes and quadriceps, hips, hamstrings, calves, core, and obliques. Squats help your body burn off calories aides in weight loss. Intensify squat routine holding a hand weight in each hand to create more resistance. Perform squats standing straight with both feet hip distance apart squatting down as if you are sitting down. Stand back up straight. Repeat for 20-30 repetitions. Core abdominal exercises benefit the abs and low back strengthening posture improves balance and stability of the body. Perform a core workout laying on your back on a mat with your legs bent and your arms crossed over your chest. Lift your upper body toward your knees then lower back down to the mat. Repeat core crunches 20-30 repetitions.

Core abdominal leg lifts is a good way of strengthening core abdominal muscles enhancing mobility, endurance, and flexibility improving body posture. Perform abdominal leg lifts laying on your back on the mat with your legs extended straight out and your hands under your lumbar spine low back area. Gently lift both legs straight up toward the ceiling with both feet flexed then lower both legs to the floor. Repeat leg lifts for 20-30 reputation per set. Jumping Jacks are a great cardio exercise that uses oxygen to meet energy demands stimulating your heart muscle. Adding 20-30 jumping jacks in between sets of calisthenic exercises can intensify any workout, increasing the metabolism to burn off calories more effectively. Burpees is a full body calisthenic workout that works the abdominal muscles, chest arms and legs and some parts of the back. The burpee is a full body exercise used in strength training that works your entire body. Burpees are one of equipment-free exercise that can give you a great cardiovascular workout while challenging muscle groups.

Start the Burpee standing straight with your feet shoulder apart.  Bend at your hips into a squatting position bringing your body closer to the floor. Place your hands on the floor in front of you directly under your shoulders. Kick your feet back into a plank position jumping both feet back behind you at the same time. Drop all the way down into a pushup position keeping your hands on the floor with your elbows up in the air and your arms close to your body.  Press up with your arms jumping your feet forward performed in one smooth motion standing straight once again. Do 15 Burpee repetitions to complete one set. Once you master basic calisthenics try variations of each exercise to intensify each interval to challenge your body as your progress. Best calisthenic exercises are Burpees Pushups, Squats, leg raise, calf raises, dips, lunges, Front lever, back lever. Chin ups, pull-ups, handstands, crunches, abdominal exercises, wall pushups. Calistengthis strengthens muscles toning the entire body increasing endurance using your body weight and a mat.

Cheers!

Patricia Lynn

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