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Calisthenics may sound like a fancy form of fitness, but it’s really as basic as it gets. The term refers to exercises that you do using just your bodyweight, meaning you don’t need any additional weights, bands, or machines. Examples include air squats, step-ups, push-ups, and dips.
There are a lot of great things about calisthenics. They’re beginner-friendly, easy to do at home or while traveling, and highly functional—meaning, they strongly correlate to movements in daily life. But do they also qualify as strength training?
Anyone whose legs have quaked after step-ups, or whose chest has felt personally attacked by push-ups, would argue “yes.” On the other hand, calisthenics don’t use the tools most people typically associate with strength training, like dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, and weight machines, so…do they even count? And are they legit enough to be the only resistance work you do?
We spoke with fitness experts to understand whether calisthenics tick the box for strength training, or if you really do need to add outside load to grow your muscles bigger and stronger.
So, does calisthenics qualify as strength training?
First, let’s get clear on what we mean by strength training. Basically, it’s any movement where you’re contracting your muscles against a load, Susie Reiner, PhD, CSCS, an assistant professor in the exercise science department at Seton Hall University, tells SELF. A load could be external—like dumbbells for a bench press, a resistance band for glute bridges, or a leg press machine. Or, it could be the weight of your body (with or without the added resistance of gravity), as is the case with calisthenics.
By that definition, calisthenics can certainly fit the bill for strength training. In fact, the answer to this question is a “hard yes,” Ben Yamuder, CSCS, an exercise physiologist at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, tells SELF.
There’s a catch, though: Your muscles adapt pretty quickly to the demands you place on them, and if you want them to keep growing bigger and stronger, you have to continually challenge them by upping the intensity of your workouts. This is the principle of progressive overload. “You can absolutely progressively overload with bodyweight exercises,” Yamuder says. For example, you can make bodyweight exercises more challenging by adding reps, performing reps at a slower pace (which increases the amount of time your muscles are under tension), or tweaking an exercise to be more difficult (for instance, doing a single-leg versus double-leg squat, or performing a push-up with your feet elevated instead of on level ground).
But—and here’s where the asterisk comes in—at a certain point, calisthenics won’t provide the challenge your muscles need to grow bigger and stronger. And that’s when external load becomes necessary. How long it takes to reach that point depends on several factors, including your age, current fitness level, and background with exercise. For example, a 20-something former college athlete would likely plateau with calisthenics pretty quickly (perhaps in a matter of weeks or months) and would need to add weights to continue progressing. But someone who’s older and new to working out could probably reap strength benefits from pure calisthenics for “many, many” years, Yamuder says.
The answer also may vary by muscle group. “The legs are so much stronger than the upper body,” Reiner says. That’s because you’re constantly using them to walk around and literally carry you. The upper body, by contrast, is not accustomed to supporting much load, she explains. Because most people have a higher baseline level of strength in their legs, these muscles reach their limit with calisthenics much quicker than those in the upper half. That’s why air squats may feel too easy in a matter of weeks, whereas it could take months (or years! or never!) to reach that threshold with push-ups.
Beyond building strength, calisthenics has a lot to offer.
We’ve established that bodyweight exercises are sufficient for strength training, at least up to a certain point. But they offer a ton of other important benefits, too.
For one, a lot of calisthenics mimic activities of daily living, Reiner says, which makes them highly functional. A split squat, for example, is similar to how you might stand up from the floor. And a push-up is reminiscent of how you’d open a heavy door. This overlap means doing calisthenics “can be really helpful to make those daily tasks feel easier,” Reiner says. Calisthenics also help train your small stabilizer muscles, Yamuder says, which are important for overall balance and stability. The push-up is a prime example: It works not just your chest but also your core and the muscles that help stabilize your shoulders, Yamuder explains.
Then there’s the convenience factor. Calisthenics, Reiner says, are “similar to running, where all you have to do is lace up your shoes and go.” That makes them “the most accessible muscle-strengthening strategy available,” she says. And unlike other forms of strength training that are best reserved for experienced exercisers (like power lifting, for example) calisthenics are beginner-friendly. “Almost anyone can do them,” Yamuder says.
Their accessibility also makes them a smart first step for anyone new to strength training. Calisthenics, Reiner explains, provide the ideal setting to perfect your form, which can lower your risk of injury if and when you do add external load.
Lastly, calisthenics are great for training your power—an important but oft-neglected component of fitness that’s all about how quickly you can move load. “Incorporating some reps that are really fast in your bodyweight workouts can help you maintain the fast-twitch muscle fibers that we lose as we age,” Reiner says.
Here’s how to add calisthenics to your routine.
If you don’t already have a strength-training routine in place, calisthenics are a great place to start. You can do calisthenic-centric workouts two to four times a week, Yamuder says. And even if you do already train with weights, incorporating calisthenics into the mix can be a smart idea, since they help build stability in the smaller muscles that support your balance and posture, he adds. Calisthenics can also be a great option for weight lifters who have plateaued and would benefit from switching things up, as well as those who’ve taken a hiatus from the gym and want to ease back into things as safely as possible. And, like we mentioned, they can also be really beneficial for power training.
One caveat with upper-body calisthenics: It’s difficult to target the back and shoulders with them, Reiner says. Using external resistance—in the form of weights, bands, or machines—is the most practical way to work those muscle groups. Think: a bent-over row or lat pull-down. (The pull-up is a great bodyweight back exercise, but it’s an advanced move, which means it’s not an option for many people, Reiner caveats.) So if calisthenics is your only form of strength training, consider employing a little help to give these areas the challenge they need.
The bottom line
Calisthenics is a great option for strength training, especially if you’re new to working out, coming back from a hiatus, or don’t have access to a gym or equipment. These exercises are also stellar for power training if you do them explosively. “From a general health perspective, calisthenics can take people really, really far,” Reiner says.
But if your goal is to build tons of strength and muscle, you’ll eventually hit a ceiling. Weaving in exercises with external load can help you break through to the next level and add more variety to your routine, which is beneficial both physically (you’ll see greater gains if you inject novelty) and mentally (to reduce boredom and burnout).
Ultimately, Reiner says, “calisthenics always have a place in a program where they are used with intention.”
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Originally Appeared on Self