Top 10 Basic calisthenics exercises for beginners to Build Muscles

Last updated on February 1st, 2024 at 07:28 pm

Whether to go the gym or work out at home, you are always in this dilemma, another problem you probably face is what type of gear should be used to get fit. I will share 10 Basic calisthenics exercises for beginners.

Calisthenics are exercises that don’t rely on any equipment but body weight. Calisthenics exercises allow for the development of endurance, strength, flexibility, and coordination. Follow the guide in this article of 10 Basic calisthenics exercises. These are low-resistant exercises that use your body weight rather than other equipment.

Calisthenics exercises are performed with different levels of intensity and rhythm. Sometimes calisthenics exercises are done with light handheld tools such as rings and wands. These exercises were developed in ancient Greece and became popular in the early 19th century.

Benefits Of Calisthenics Exercises

Calisthenics exercises, also known as bodyweight exercises, involve using your own body weight for resistance. These exercises can provide a wide range of benefits for overall fitness and health. Here are some key advantages of incorporating calisthenics into your workout routine:

• Enhance Strength, Stamina, and flexibility.
• Help in building and strengthening muscles.
• Improve Agility, balance, and coordination.
• Burn calories.
• building lean muscles instead of the bulky look added by weights.

Calisthenics exercises help build functional strength by engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Movements like push-ups, pull-ups, and squats target various muscle areas, promoting overall body strength.

Regular calisthenics workouts can enhance muscle definition and tone. These exercises focus on bodyweight resistance, encouraging lean muscle development and a more sculpted physique.

Many calisthenics movements involve a full range of motion, promoting flexibility and joint mobility. Exercises like dynamic stretching and bodyweight squats can contribute to improved flexibility over time.

Calisthenics requires minimal equipment, making it a cost-effective and accessible form of exercise. You can perform these workouts at home, in a park, or virtually anywhere without the need for specialized gym equipment.

Calisthenics exercises often emphasize body control and awareness. Movements like planks and handstands require stability and coordination, fostering a better connection between the mind and body.

Many calisthenics exercises are dynamic and can elevate your heart rate, providing cardiovascular benefits. Incorporating exercises like jumping jacks or burpees into your routine helps improve cardiovascular endurance.

Calisthenics focuses on natural, functional movements that mimic real-life activities. This can enhance your ability to perform everyday tasks and activities with greater ease.

Calisthenics workouts can contribute to weight management and fat loss by burning calories and increasing metabolic rate. High-intensity calisthenics routines are particularly effective for this purpose.

Calisthenics exercises can be easily scaled to match different fitness levels. Beginners can start with basic movements and gradually progress to more challenging variations as they build strength and proficiency.

Calisthenics training, especially when performed with minimal rest between exercises, can improve muscular endurance. This allows you to sustain effort over a more extended period.

10 Basic calisthenics exercises

1. Crunches

Crunches are great for burning fat from the abdominal area, improving coordination, and building a strong core.

Works On – lower abs, upper abs, mid abs, Obliques, quads, hamstrings, glutes, lats, and shoulders

Steps

• Lie on the ground on your back and bring your legs together.
• Your knees should be bent and your feet should be on the ground.
• Keep your hands below your head.
• Now slowly raise your head, shoulders, and neck.
• Try to lift your left elbow and move it towards your right knee.
• After this, Do this exercise with the right elbow and left knee.
• Repeat this exercise.

Crunches are a popular abdominal exercise that targets the muscles in the midsection. Here are some key benefits of incorporating crunches into your fitness routine:

The primary benefit of crunches is the development of core strength. The exercise targets the rectus abdominis, which is the muscle responsible for the “six-pack” appearance. Strengthening the core is essential for overall stability and support for daily activities.

Regularly performing crunches can contribute to muscle definition and toning in the abdominal area. As the muscles become stronger, they may become more visibly defined, enhancing the aesthetics of your midsection.

Strong abdominal muscles play a crucial role in supporting good posture. A stable core helps maintain the natural curvature of the spine, reducing the risk of poor posture-related issues such as lower back pain.

2. Pushups

Pushups help you build chest, shoulder, and core strength and endurance. If you don’t find the regular push-up challenging, try one-arm push-ups.

Works On: Biceps, triceps,core, Pectorals and deltoids

Steps

• First of all, come into a high plank position.
• Keep the weight of your feet on both toes and keep them exactly equal.
• Place both your palms just below both shoulders.
• After this, straighten your neck and look ahead.
• Now open the shoulders and bring the chest towards the ground.
• Keep in mind that during this time your neck, waist, and hips should be in a straight direction.
• When the chest is very close to the ground, hold for one second and return to the starting position.
• The chest should not be allowed to touch the ground.

3. Pullups

Pullups help you increase upper body strength by working all the muscles from your limbs to your core. It is best for burning calories and muscle toning. 

Works on:-Deltoids, lats, biceps, triceps, and core, Pectorals.

Steps

• Stand facing an exercise bar.
• Grasp the bar from the top with your arms slightly more than shoulder-width apart.
• Use your shoulder muscles to pull you up, bringing your head up over the bar.

4. Burpees

 Burpees is one of the best fat-burning workouts. It is also called squat jump thrusts and is a cardio-strength training combination move.

Works On – Shoulders, chest, hamstrings, quads, Core and glutes

Steps

• First of all, come into a squat position by spreading your legs shoulder-width apart and bending your knees.
• Keep in mind that at this time your waist should be completely straight.
  Now from this position, keeping both hands on the ground and opening the legs backward, come into the pushup position and do one pushup.
  Keep in mind that during this time do not let your waist bend and keep it straight.
  Now jump back to the squat position.
• After this, stand up and jump as high as you can in the air, keeping your hands above your head.
• After jumping, come back to the starting squat position and repeat the same sequence again.
• In the beginning, you may face some difficulty in coordinating between these two parts. But soon you will be able to adjust without any problem.
• It is not difficult to do this exercise. But you may get very tired of repeating this sequence. Do as many reps of this exercise as possible.

5. Lunge Jumps

Jump lunge exercises are great for toning and strengthening your legs and improving balance and coordination. Additionally, This exercise also helps burn calories and build lower body limb strength.

Works On – Quads, calves, glutes, and lower abs, Hamstrings.

Steps

• To do this exercise, stand in a normal position and move your right leg forward. Now keep the left leg in its place. The right foot should be at least 2 feet forward.
• If you are not able to balance, you can take support by holding a wall or chair.
• Now maintain your upper body straight while maintaining balance.
• Note that when sitting down, only the toes of the back foot should touch the ground, not the entire foot.
• Now bend the knee and lower the body until the knee of the back leg is 2 inches above the floor.
• During the exercise, the thigh of the front leg should be parallel to the floor and the back knee should be downwards.
• Now after holding for 1 second, push yourself back upward, keeping the weight on the heel of the front foot. This will bring you to the starting position.
• This will be called 1 rep. Similarly, do 3 sets of 12-15 reps with both legs as per the advice of the trainer.

6. Jumping Jacks

Jumping jacks are one of the most common exercises for burning calories and strengthening the body. Jumping jacks provide good cardio and are beneficial for the heart and lungs. This workout plan is considered one of the foundation exercises in calisthenics. 

Works On – Shoulders, Chest, Calves, Hamstrings, Glutes, Core, Lats.

Steps

• To do jumping jacks, first, stand straight and make a slight gap in the legs.
• Now jump, raising your hands straight above your head, and spread your legs.
• Come back to the old position, bring the hands down, and join the legs together.
• Initially, do this exercise for 2–3 minutes.

7. Donkey Kicks

Donkey Kicks are one of the best exercises for shaping the glutes and improving the muscle tone of the lower body. Donkey Kicks help in building core strength and upper-body muscle endurance.

Works On – Shoulders,Glutes, hamstrings, quads, core.

Steps

• To do the donkey kicks exercise, sit on your knees.
• Leaning forward, placing your elbows on the ground, come into a meditation posture.
• Keeping the elbow on the shoulder, move a little forward on the ground.
• You have to keep in mind that both hands should be at equal distance from the shoulders.
• Slowly take the left leg backwards and lift it upwards and then remain in the same position.
• Take the leg down and return to the first position.
• Now you have to repeat the same process with the other leg also.
• You have to complete 2 sets of this cycle.

8. Chin-Ups

Doing chin-ups increases the strength and shape of the upper arms. The grip of the hands is strong.
This is a great bodyweight exercise, which strengthens the upper body.

Works On:Biceps, triceps,lats,Pectorals, deltoids.

Steps

• First of all, hold a bar at shoulder width.
• During this, keep in mind that your palms should be towards the body.
• Now keeping your body stable, tighten your stomach and pull the body upward with your hands.
• When your chin reaches above the bar, hold for 1 to 2 seconds.
• After this, slowly come back down.
• Keep in mind that in order to do more chin-ups, do not forget the steps of doing chin-ups.
• Try to do as many reps as possible while doing chin-ups in the correct manner.

9. Box Jump

Box jumps can increase your cardiovascular fitness. Additionally, while exercising, you will find that you will also have to work on your arms and core. Doing box jumps daily can also increase strength and muscle tone. It also builds strength in both the upper body and lower body and it especially helps in burning calories.

Works on: Glutes, hamstrings, quads, and lower abs

Steps

• Stand in front of a box with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Bend and lower your knees slightly, keeping your arms behind you.
• Push off the floor to jump onto the box.
• Make sure you land softly on the box, keeping your knees slightly bent.
• Stand straight, step back, and return to the starting position.

10.Sit ups

Doing sit-ups exercise strengthens the abdominal and core muscles.Sit ups are also a good exercise to tone the abs. Doing sit-ups exercise provides stability to the core. Doing sit-ups increases spinal flexibility.
Doing sit-ups exercise reduces the chances of injury.Sit ups exercise increases muscular endurance.

Steps

• To do this, lie down on the floor facing upwards and then bend your knees.
• If you have a partner with you, you can place your toes under his feet, so that your feet do not move off the ground.
• Now place your arms on your temples and tighten your core. If there is a load on your neck or there is a bend, then you can cross your hands and place them on the alternate shoulder, this will not put the load on the neck.
• After this, take a deep breath and pull the stomach inward. Now use your abdominal muscles to lift your back off the ground.
• Now keeping the hips in place, raise the upper body up to 70 degrees. This will create pressure on the core muscles.
• After this, go back towards the ground. But keep in mind that do not touch the upper back on the ground. Similarly, do 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps.

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