Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction To Calisthenics by Darek Wos
Introduction To Calisthenics by Darek Wos
TO CALISTHENICS
Complete guide
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Final Thoughts 45
2
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
to Calisthenics
3
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
WHAT IS CALISTHENICS?
4
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Feeling eager to start? Get ready for an exciting journey of discovering your
true potential, overcoming challenges, and finding joy in constantly improving
your body!
56
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
CHAPTER 2
Proper Technique
and Body Awareness
6
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Another area of your body that you need to focus on is your core. Whether you're per-
forming push-ups, squats, or planks, activating and maintaining a strong core is essential
for stability, balance, and overall performance. The core muscles, including the rectus
abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis, act as a solid foundation, transferring
force efficiently throughout the body. Engaging the core helps protect the lower back,
prevents injuries, and allows for more controlled movements.
7
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
There are also four main positions of your scapula that you need to master:
Scapula Protraction
(shoulder blades pushed forward)
Utilized in planche progressions and various types of pushing movements,
usually in the upper phase of the movement.
Scapula Retraction
(shoulder blades pulled together towards the spine)
Used in pull-ups, body rows, and many other pulling movements to fully
engage your back muscles.
8
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Scapula Depression
(shoulder blades pulled
down)
Scapula Elevation
(shoulder blades lifted
upwards)
9
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
3 Breathing
Proper breathing during exercises is essential to ensure an adequate supply
of oxygen to your muscles and brain. As a general rule, you should inhale
during muscle relaxation and exhale during the contraction phase of exer-
cises. For stretching, it is useful to learn to breathe with your diaphragm
rather than your chest to relieve unnecessary tension and promote muscle
relaxation. Maintain even and controlled breathing for best results in both
stretching and strength training.
4 Body Awareness
During calisthenics training, try to be aware of your body and the sensations
accompanying each exercise. Pay attention to muscle tension, stability, and
balance. Remember that in calisthenics, it's not about rushing through exer-
cises but performing precise and controlled movements. Slowly progress
into new exercises and prioritize the quality of your movements. The proper
technique ensures safety, maximum muscle engagement, and better train-
ing results.
Talking about body awareness, it is crucial to address this common phrase - “No
Pain, No Gain”, which is not always true. During exercises, individuals may experi-
ence different types of pain, and it is important to recognize that not all pain is
beneficial. There are two main categories of pain: good pain and bad pain.
On the other hand, bad pain, such as sharp or stabbing sensations, joint pain,
or pain that feels abnormal during the exercise, should be avoided at all
costs. This type of pain may indicate an injury or overexertion and requires
immediate attention. Listening to your body, recognizing the difference be-
tween good and bad pain, and knowing when to stop is crucial for your
long-term health and progress.
10
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
11
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
CHAPTER 3
Beginner Calisthenics
Exercises
12
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Regular push-ups
13
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Follow the checklist below to make sure that you’re doing them right!
Proper Technique Checklist:
Engage core muscles to stabilize your spine
Maintain a straight line from your head to your heels
Keep your glutes engaged to prevent your hips from sagging
Inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up
Elbows should point back, not flare out to the sides
Aim for the full range of motion
Regular push-ups are too hard? In that case you can focus on the eccentric phase
of the movement (going down) and try to perform it as slowly as you can. Ideally,
you should be able to hold the bottom positon for a couple of seconds. This exer-
cise is called “negative push-ups”.
Alternatively, you can place your hands on an elevated surface to decrease the dif-
ficulty of a push-up. Just keep in mind that the muscle engagement will slightly
change due to a different angle. See the table below:
14
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Push-ups on knees:
15
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Pike push-ups:
16
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Dips
17
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Pull-ups
If you find this exercise too difficult, you can decrease the intensity by using a rubber
band, support of a workout buddy or by doing negative pull-ups. Don’t worry!
Pull-ups are challenging for most beginners so don’t feel ashamed if you can’t
do a single repetition yet.
18
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Chin-ups
19
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Australian Pull-ups
20
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
21
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Plank
But before that, you need to make sure that your technique is on point. That means
keeping your body in a straight line without excessively bending your lower back or
retracting your shoulder blades.
22
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Hollow body:
The right technique involves having your lower back attached to the ground and utilizing
posterior pelvic tilt.
You can make the exercise easier by tucking your legs and/or bringing your arms closer
your body.
23
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Lungees
24
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Calf raises
25
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
26
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Before you visit our website, we want to reward you with a 10% discount code that
works on all programs and services that we provide.
Only for people who read this e-book.
CLICK HERE
27
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
CHAPTER 4
Workout Programming
for Beginners
28
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
The most common reason for slow progress is not following a specific training pro-
gram and not keeping track of your results. Training without a program means lack-
ing a clearly defined progression system, and not being able to assess your results.
If you prefer to create your own workout program or want to follow a pre-made be-
ginner routine first, then this chapter is for You. Follow these 5 Steps to create
a perfect workout program!
For beginners, we would recommend to keep 2-3 reps in reserve and work on mas-
tering the right techniques first. Once you have mastered the correct technique,
increase the difficulty to around 90% of your capabilities each set, keeping 1-2 reps
in reserve.
29
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
30
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
There are many ways in which you can achieve progressive overload.
The most important ones for beginners are:
Improving technique
Increasing the number of repetitions and/or sets
Moving to a more challenging exercise variation (e.g., transitioning
from knee push-ups to standard push-ups)
Reducing the rest time between sets
If you’re just starting out and the goal is to build strength - focus on
mastering the proper technique first, then try to increase your reps,
and then move on to the harder variations of exercises/new skills.
Knowing all of that, you should be able to create your own workout
program. An example of FBW workout program for a beginner could look
like this:
Workout A
Pull-Ups 4 sets 6-14 reps
Workout B
Chin-Ups 4 sets 6-14 reps
31
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
*Deload Week - depending on how tired you feel you can decrease the reps by 30 -
50% or even skip strength training. During that phase, you can focus more on active
rest (cycling, walking, swimming, yoga, stretching etc.)
32
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
33
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
CLICK HERE
34
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
CHAPTER 5
Calisthenics Skills
35
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
In this chapter we will introduce you to the incredible world of calisthenics skills.
Skills that seem to be out of reach for regular people, yet thousands of our trainees
have been able to consistently unlock them with help of our programs and coach-
ing. People just like You, who found beauty and passion in breaking the limits of what
the human body is capable of.
Handstand
DIFFICULTY: EASY REQUIREMENTS: NO REQUIREMENTS TO START THE HANDSTAND COURSE
36
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Muscle-Up
DIFFICULTY: MODERATE REQUIREMENTS: 10 CLEAN, HOLLOWBODY PULL-UPS
Once you achieve that, make sure to include dynamic, high pull-ups with the goal of gener-
ating as much force as possible with each rep. It will prepare your fast-twitch muscle fibers
that are responsible for moving your body in a fast and powerful way.
You can also include some straight bar dips to master the push phase of the movement,
muscle-ups with rubber band to master the technique, as well as negative muscle-ups to
work on the weak links limiting your progress. But keep in mind that the dynamic pull-ups
are by far the most important here.
37
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Front Lever
DIFFICULTY: HARD
The fastest way to acquire this skill is to work with a coach who specializes in this field and
can provide you with individualised program and tips.
38
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Planche
DIFFICULTY: INSANE
Desired by many, performed by a few - planche is extremely difficult yet achievable with
our coaching. The road to planche involves strengthening your shoulders and core muscles
starting with planche lean, followed by tuck planche, advanced tuck plance, straddle
planche, and many steps in between.
CLICK HERE
39
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
CHAPTER 6
Combining Calisthenics
with weightlifting
& other sports
40
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Here are some of the main benefits of implementing calisthenics into your
workout routine:
Training Variety:
Oftentimes the limiting factor preventing your from progress is doing the same
exercises with the same intensity over and over again. If that’s the case, then here
comes calisthenics. Combining calisthenics with your regular training allows you to
have a diverse workout, engaging different muscle groups and developing skills in
various types of exercises. The thing with calisthenics is that there are countless
variations and exercises and we can guarantee that there are some movements
that your body is currently missing.
By the way, google how arms of a gymnast look like. The funny thing is that they don’t
do biceps curls either.
41
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Planche
The point is that you can surely build some muscle with lifting weights, but there’s
so much more to sport and fitness in general. Calisthenics allows you to maximise
your strength in relation to body weight, target the often-neglected stabilizer mus-
cles (the ones that you probably don’t even know exist), and improve your mobility
at the same time.
The good news is that there's a solution that can help you stay on track no matter
where you are: calisthenics. Unlike traditional gym workouts that often rely on com-
plex machines and heavy weights, calisthenics is a form of exercise that harnesses
the power of your body weight. Any exercise that you’d normally do at the gym can
be replaced with a calisthenics one. This training method literally sets you free from
all struggles that come with training while traveling.
Staying motivated:
Consistency is key. And let’s be honest, it’s hard to stay consistent without feeling
motivated. Calisthenics offers a unique edge in sustaining motivation compared to
traditional weightlifting, largely due to its dynamic nature and tangible progress
markers. In calisthenics, you're constantly mastering new bodyweight movements,
which creates an ever-evolving challenge. For instance, as you progress from regular
push-ups to more advanced variations like handstand push-ups, the sense of
accomplishment is incredibly rewarding. These achievements act as consistent
motivational milestones, spurring you to push further.
Our journey as calisthenics trainers had its ups and downs, but thanks to that expe-
rience we’ve managed to create workout programs and courses that take the moti-
vation aspect into account.
42
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Planche
But how do you actually apply calisthenics to your current gym routine?
Follow the checklist below:
43
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Planche
3 Make sure you don’t overtrain.
So instead of doing cable crunches or using abs machine, implement planks and
hollowbody holds. On the other hand, if your main focus is calisthenics, you might
find lateral dumbbell raises or calf machine useful for targeting your weak points.
44
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
FINAL THOUGHTS
We truly believe that calisthenics is the ultimate workout method which combines all
the best aspects of physical training in a way that’s healthy, effective and so much more
rewarding than simply lifting weights. Numerous world-class athletes, coaches, and
even bodybuilders admit that working with your own body weight is oftentimes the
best way to go, especially for beginners.
Our goal with this e-book was not only sharing years of our experience and knowl-
edge, but also motivate you to ACT on it. Whether you are a comple beginner or
experienced athlete, we’ve got a program for YOU. Let us guide on how to become
the best version of yourself and join thousands of people from all around the world
who continue to improve their lives every single day with Calisthenics Training.
45
INTRODUCTION TO CALISTHENICS
COMPLETE GUIDE
Before you visit our website, we want to reward you with a 10% discount code that
works on all programs and services that we provide.
Only for people who read this e-book.
CLICK HERE
46