Your typical calisthenics workout plan that you hear most of the calisthenics influencers out there promoting makes very little sense for your average gym bro (and I’ll explain why). However, if you program it correctly using an iota of common sense, a calisthenics workout plan can be even more effective and time-saving than your standard bodybuilding split. There, I said it.
I come from the bodybuilding branch of the fitness community, so the way I perceive any kind of new training philosophy is through the lens of bodybuilding. And when you understand how and why bodybuilding works, it gives you valuable insight as to how other types of training might work, or not work.
For the sake of simplicity, a higher-rep, bodybuilding style workout can be very effective at building muscle because of how higher reps stimulate hypertrophy a.k.a. ‘the pump’ in your muscles during training. This pump feeling is your muscle tissues expanding and filling with water and the effect of this is what leads to micro-tears in the muscle tissue and new muscle growth.
I’m not saying a low-rep, powerlifting style workout doesn’t build muscle, by the way. I think powerlifting can be a great way to shock your muscles into growth during a plateau phase, for example, but my general feeling is that a hybrid workout style that incorporates both powerlifting and bodybuilding will most often produce the best results (Mike O’Hearn’s (PB) Power Bodybuilding training protocol is one example).
So, where should calisthenics fit into YOUR training regimen? I’ll give you my recommendations further down this post.
First, let’s define what ‘calisthenics’ is.
What is calisthenics?
Today, calisthenics means a training protocol involving 100% bodyweight exercises done in full body workout fashion and with a daily or near daily training frequency.
Fez “Don’t get it twisted” Garcia
When I was in high school, at the start of gym class, coach would blow his whistle and yell, “Alright, men, time for some calisthenics!” (this was a fairytale time before co-ed gym classes), he’d hoist up his sweatpants and lead us through a series of jumping jacks, burpees, pushups, bodyweight squats and then finally some stretching. Afterwards, we’d pick teams and play basketball, or baseball, or soccer, or whatever sport happened to be in season at the time.
I never got super jacked from doing that kind of ‘calisthenics,’ however, I was pretty ripped and lean back then. But, regardless, that’s not what ‘calisthenics’ means today.
Today, calisthenics means a training protocol involving 100% bodyweight exercises done in full body workout fashion and with a daily or near daily training frequency.
So, a sample beginning calisthenics workout plan might consist of three sets of pushups, three sets of dips, three sets of bodyweight squats, three sets of pull-ups, three sets of pike pushups, and finishing up with some type of core routine. If you’re lucky enough to have access to high bars and parallel bars, you can incorporate some more advanced exercises into your workout, like muscle-ups, human flags, the superman, handstand pushups and all sorts of variations on bodyweight movements.
This type of training regimen might also necessitate using a slow rep tempo, circuits, drop sets, or shortened rest time to increase the intensity of your workout.
The problem with calisthenics
The problem with calisthenics is that it’s promoted as a daily, full body workout. Slamming all the muscles in your body with an intense calisthenics routine on a daily basis is a waste of effort if your goal is to build muscle mass because you’re neglecting the proper rest and recovery that leads to muscle growth (and at that point, you’re just doing cardio circuits). Not to mention, being in a near constant state of soreness from never allowing your body to fully recover from a workout could lead to overuse injuries and possibly destroy your T over the long term due to the resultant sky high cortisol levels.
-Fez “Someone has to say it” Garcia
Calisthenics is great. For most of us, it’s how we first started getting into working out. We’d do a bunch of pushups, crunches or dips in our kitchens, dining rooms, or wherever we could, because we were too young, or too broke to go to a gym.
Bodyweight exercises are effective because they can be very challenging when you’re first starting out as well as when they’re properly programmed into your workout routine. Plus, bodyweight exercises significantly reduce the risk of you getting injured while working out.
The problem with calisthenics is that it’s promoted as a daily, full body workout. Slamming all the muscles in your body with an intense calisthenics routine on a daily basis is a waste of effort if your goal is to build muscle mass because you’re neglecting the proper rest and recovery that leads to muscle growth (and at that point, you’re just doing cardio circuits). Not to mention, being in a near constant state of soreness from never allowing your body to fully recover from a workout could lead to overuse injuries and possibly destroy your T over the long term due to the resultant sky high cortisol levels.
What you will end up with is a physique that’s like a Bruce Lee i.e. extremely ripped and wiry, but not very “big” in terms of having a lot of muscle mass.
Not saying Bruce Lee didn’t have a sick physique because he did, but what I am saying is that you’re going to have to decide which look most appeals to you.
I, myself, prefer the Bolo Yeung (on the right) as opposed to the Bruce Lee, but that’s just me.
What does your high-level ‘calisthenics’ athlete look like?
If you think you’re going to get big, cartoonish muscles from doing ‘calisthenics,’ prepare yourself to be disappointed.
If you don’t believe me, here are some of the prominent faces in the ‘calisthenics’ world right now.
I want you to look at their physiques. Notice how much muscle mass they’re carrying. I also want you to notice that all of these guys actually incorporate some amount of bodybuilding, or weight-lifting into their workout routines, so very few of them have purely ‘calisthenics’ physiques.
It’s also difficult to determine whether they’ve built their foundational muscle with bodybuilding, or pure calisthenics because they may not necessarily admit it.
1. Chris Heria
Miami-based Chris Heria, who is likely the face and thought-leader behind the modern calisthenics movement, is strong AF, but doesn’t necessarily look it with a t-shirt on. He has a great ripped physique, probably looks awesome in a suit, but at the end of the day, doesn’t have the muscle mass a comparable bodybuilder would.
I’ve seen Chris lift dumbbells before and he promotes the use of weighted vests, but I still say he is one of the purest examples of what an ‘all calisthenics’ body looks like.
2. Central Park Joe
60 year-old Central Park Joe is a calisthenics athlete from New York City who he has an amazing physique for a guy of any age group. Again, an extremely ripped physique, but one that lacks the muscle mass you would find on a comparable bodybuilder.
Joe has said before in one of his videos that a big reason why he prefers calisthenics is because it’s easier on the joints, so he can continue to workout injury-free for years to come (not an exact quote).
For this reason, I say his physique likely comes close to a true ‘all calisthenics’ body, although he probably lifted weights at some point in the past and I’ve seen him use kettlebells in his workouts as well, so we can’t know for sure if he built his foundational muscle using a 100% calisthenics approach, or not.
Regardless, he’s a great guy and fitness role model with some very positive things to say to help us to all have higher standards for ourselves and others.
3. Bully Juice
Bully Juice is another calisthenics athlete with a ripped physique. I’m not sure if having full sleeves and chest tattoos is a requirement for becoming a calisthenics influencer, but regardless, he has a great physiqe.
Just keep in mind, like I said before, the calisthenics guys who look a bit more muscular, like Bully Juice does, actually incorporate weights into their routines.
4. Austin Dunham
It seems like all the most popular calisthenics influencers I’ve seen with top level physiques have either begun to incorporate weights into their routines, or used to lift weights and then transitioned to calisthenics.
In the case of Austin Dunham, I believe he started off with calisthenics and then began incorporating weights into his routines to achieve the look you see in the above picture, a combination of big and lean that is totally natural and achievable for those with good muscle-building genetics and for those who want to put in the time and effort required to look like this.
5. Goku Pump
Goku Pump is another calisthenics influencer with a fantastic physique, but if I’m remembering correctly, he insinuated in at least one of his videos that he used to lift weights, as in bodybuilding.
Now, he seems to have completely made the transition over to calisthenics at this point, but it should be stated that he has used both approaches over the course of his fitness journey.
The funny thing is, when you’re a string bean and only use calisthenics to build your physique, my gut tells me that you’re going to be very limited in terms of how much muscle mass you’re able to build because you don’t weigh very much to begin with, but if you already weigh more from having done bodybuilding, or powerlifting and then make the transition to calisthenics, you stand to gain a lot more muscle due to your increased body weight. At least, that’s my theory.
6. Broly Gainz
Broly Gainz looks awesome and shares a lot of great workout tips on his channel. He promotes calisthenics, but in all actuality, he’s really using a hybrid workout method that incorporates some weighted exercises. Interestingly enough, he also claims vegan status.
It’s true that the majority of the exercises he promotes only require basic calisthenics equipment, like dip stands and pushup bars, but if you take a closer look at his videos, like the one below, he’s also using weighted vests and dumbbells.
Nothing against him. I think what he’s doing by showing everyone out there that you can get in phenomenal shape from the comfort of your own home, or by working out at the park, using some very basic equipment (with minimal weights) has got to be an eye-opener for a lot of people.
A Calisthenics Workout Plan That Actually Makes Sense
I hope you don’t misunderstand what I’m saying about calisthenics. I’m not knocking it. It does work and is a very effective way to improve your fitness levels and build muscle, but in my view, it has to be programmed correctly into your routine to get the best results. And, in most cases, I think it should be paired with weight lifting.
Scenario 1:
If you have no experience lifting weights, definitely start out with calisthenics to build some foundational muscle, but after a certain point, you’re going to experience diminishing returns (in terms of building muscle mass). That’s when I would begin to add weights into your routine, whether its weighted vests, or dumbbells and barbells, but generally speaking, it would be wise to throw some bodybuilding exercises into the mix.
Scenario 2:
If you only have experience with lifting weights, weigh close to or above 200 lbs and would like to add some calisthenics in, I would start off your workouts with calisthenics-type exercises and then follow up with, drop-set, or super-set bodybuilding exercises. I fall into this category.
Sample Beginner’s Hybrid (Calisthenics/Bodybuilding) Daily Workout Plan
Here’s a sample beginner’s hybrid plan that I’m currently testing on myself that I think would work well in either of the two above scenarios.
Monday –> Chest, triceps, calves
- Slow tempo bodyweight standard pushups on the pushup bars (2-3 sets of 10-15 reps)
- Slow tempo bodyweight decline pushups with your feet positioned higher than your torso (i.e. feet are on the bench and your hands are on the floor) (2-3 sets of 10-15 reps)
- Incline bench press, or incline dumbbell flys with a weight that you can’t get more than 15 reps with (2-3 sets of 15 reps)
- Bodyweight dips (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
- Triceps pushdowns (on cable machine), or overhead triceps extensions with dumbbell (3 sets of 12-15 reps)
- Donkey calf-raises (with partner sitting on your back and while standing on the edge of a plate), or calf-raises off the stairs (3 sets of high reps)
Tuesday –> Abs/Core
- Ab roller (2-3 sets of 10-20 reps)
- Standard crunches (2-3 sets of 10-20 reps)
- Leg raises on the Captain’s chair (2-3 sets of 10-20 reps)
- Plank (2-3 sets of 30 seconds to 1 minute)
Wednesday –> Back, shoulders, quads
- Pull-ups wide, narrow, or underhanded (3 sets of as many as you can do)
- Commando pull-ups (2-3 sets of as many as you can do)
- Lat pulldowns (2-3 sets of 12-15 reps)
- Handstand pushups (with your feet positioned against the wall) (3 sets of 10 reps)
- Pike pushups (3 sets of 10 reps)
- Overhead dumbbell press for shoulders (3 sets of 12-15 reps)
- Goblet squats (3 sets of 15-20 reps)
- Wall-sit (30 seconds to 1 minute)
- Front squats (with barbell) (3 sets of 15-20 reps)
Thursday –> Abs/Core
- Ab roller (2-3 sets of 10-20 reps)
- Standard crunches (2-3 sets of 10-20 reps)
- Leg raises on the Captain’s chair (2-3 sets of 10-20 reps)
- Plank (2-3 sets of 30 seconds to 1 minute)
Friday –> Hamstrings, back, biceps
- Deadlifts (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
- Stiff-legged deadlifts (3 sets of 12-5 reps)
- Bent-over rows (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
- Dumbbell shrugs (3 sets of 12-15 reps)
- Cable curls (10-12 reps)
- Spider curls (3 sets of 12-15 reps)
- Cross-body curls (3 sets of 12-15 reps)
Saturday –> Rest
- Low-intensity cardio if you choose
Sunday –> Rest
- Low-intensity cardio if you choose
Why a hybrid approach is better than calisthenics alone . . .
This is basically a push-pull bodybuilding split that includes calisthenics exercises at the start of each muscle group you’re training (except for the Friday workout because the weighted exercises are way more effective). Splitting up the muscle groups this way allows for better recovery, especially for the novice trainee. And, as I mentioned, you could always increase the intensity by drop-setting, or super-setting some of these exercises.
For the Monday and Wednesday workout, the calisthenics exercises are put first because, in the case of pull-ups, pushups, handstand pushups and dips, these exercises can be even more challenging than the comparable weighted exercise. So, starting off with the harder exercise when you’re more fresh will help you to get better results.
Finishing each muscle group with a bodybuilding exercise will force more contractions and blood into the muscle and effectively ensure you’re training both the fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers, leading to a more well-rounded workout and more muscle growth!
The problem with sticking entirely with calisthenics is that, in most cases, you’re jumping into doing pull-ups when you’re not strong enough yet and would benefit more from lifting lighter weights at higher rep ranges and the same applies to some of the other muscle groups we discussed.
And, on the other hand, there’s the other problem of training quads using just bodyweight alone. Oftentimes, bodyweight squats are not going to be as challenging as they need to be in order to force the most muscle growth. That’s why I programmed in goblet squats and front squats from the get-go.
So, all this to say, calisthenics can be great when it’s programmed in properly. I’m getting great results from working out this way and I hope you also give it a try.
But, to say to someone who’s new to working out that they need to jump straight into daily full body workouts made up of way-too-challenging exercises like pull-ups and dips could lead to discouragement, frustration, and lack of adherence because the workouts are too intense or frequent.
Bodybuilding routines can be adapted much more easily (just by adding or removing weight) and have a much less steep learning curve than calisthenics does, contrary to popular belief. That’s why the average gym bro would be better-served following a hybrid approach, especially if their goal is to pack on muscle mass.
Some helpful tools (includes Amazon affiliate links)!
You don’t have to buy anything in order to get started with calisthenics, but it definitely makes things easier.
I have the wall-mounted pull-up and dip station that also doubles as a Captain’s chair. You can even do incline pushups on it and dips with your feet touching the ground as well.
It’s cheaper and more space-saving than a tower, does all the same things, and can be hung in the basement or garage (just make sure there’s enough headspace above it). I’ve had mine for over three years and it holds up well. Virtually no wear or tear.
I’d also get some cheap pushup bars if you don’t already have a pair because they really do help you to get a deeper pushup making your pushups way more challenging, especially if you go slow.
Give calisthenics a try, but do it intelligently
You don’t have to listen to anything I said. If you want to jump straight into daily full body workouts, go ahead, but just remember. You may not achieve the mass monster look you’re after 😉
Your training partner,
Read next: 10 Reasons Why I Loved Working As A Personal Trainer
