Calisthenics Strength Exercises

Calisthenics are a type of exercise that builds strength using minimal to no equipment. Among the best calisthenic exercises for your entire body are crunches, sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, and explosive butt lifts. These are all bodyweight exercises you can perform virtually anywhere. Learning how to correctly perform each of the four moves is imperative to reap the maximum benefits while minimizing any potential injury. Yes, that's right; you can hurt yourself even when doing crunches, so make sure to do them the right way! You also need to warm up and cool down for safety purposes. A 5 to 10 minute light jog on a treadmill will do the trick. Perform three sets of 12 to 15 reps for each exercise as part of your calisthenics strength workout.

  1. Crunches

    • Crunches are one of the best moves for your rectus abdominis, the fancy term for your central abdominal muscle. This exercise literally mimics the function of the rectus abdominis, which is to flex the spine. Once you get in position with your back flat on the ground and knees bent at 90 degrees, you must flex or round your spine so that you raise your back off the ground and contract your abs. Failure to round your spine will lessen the involvement of your abs and place the emphasis on your hip flexors, which should not be the target muscle during the crunch.

    Sit-ups

    • You don't want to mainly work your hip flexors during crunches because this group of muscles will be primarily worked during sit-ups. Yes, you read that correctly, sit-ups work your hip flexors more than they work your abs. This is because you must bend your hips during sit-ups to raise your torso off the ground. You also need to round your spine during this movement, but the main movement is hip flexion. And, unlike crunches, you are raising your entire torso off the ground until your chest is close to your thighs, as opposed to just raising your upper back off the ground during crunches.

    Push-ups

    • Speaking of the chest, you can target this large muscle group by doing push-ups. This exercise also works your shoulders and arms. To do push-ups, get on all fours with your hands a little more than shoulder-width apart. Straighten your legs behind you, bend your elbows and slowly lower your chest so your body is almost parallel to the ground. Hold for a second and then straighten your arms to elevate back up.

    Pull-ups

    • Pull-ups are one of the best exercises for your back. They also work your arm muscles. To do this exercise, hang from a bar with your hands in a pronated or overhanded grip a little more than shoulder-width apart. Pull your body up towards the pull-up bar by bending your arms until your chin or neck region is near the bar. Then lower your body back down by extending your arms.

    Explosive Butt Lifts

    • Explosive butt lifts work, well, your butt. To be more specific, the move works your gluteus maximus. That's your large, round butt muscle. It's actually the largest muscle of your entire body, which is all the more reason to exercise it! Butt lifts also work the hamstrings of your thighs. To perform this movement, first lie face-up on the ground with your knees bent at 90 degrees. Lift your butt off the ground in an explosive manner while keeping your back straight. Explosive refers to moving in a fast and powerful motion. You have to extend your hips to lift your butt. Squeeze your glutes and hold for a second, then bend your hips to lower your butt to the ground.