Calisthenics is an exercise option to work on strength, agility, and coordination while reducing stress and burning calories.
For Carmen, the pandemic not only meant working from home all day but also finding new ways to exercise since she used to go to the gym every day. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays she did a spinning routine, and on other days she did cardio and weight training. In this way she felt like she was dedicating time to herself, however, the confinement led her to try new exercises.
“About three years ago I was only walking when necessary and I always took the elevator when I could. But the stress of my job forced me to exercise, so at first I did yoga and pilates classes, but I didn’t like them,” says Carmen. So she decided to join a gym, where she could do a variety of exercises. At first, she found it difficult to attend, so she was quite irregular.
In response to this desire, she looked for exercises that she could do at home, without the need for any equipment. That’s how she found calisthenics exercises, which she now does from Monday to Saturday, one hour a day.
For Carla, it was crucial to have the support of her classmates, who, in addition to caring about her physical health, were also aware of everyone’s emotional health.
“Even though the classes are online, we have been keeping an eye on each other. We send each other class schedules via WhatsApp, and there was even a week when the trainer got sick, so we went online and did our class,” she says.
After 12 months of practicing this exercise, in addition to the physical benefits she has obtained, such as losing weight and feeling more energetic every day, Carla asserts that in calisthenics she found emotional health, companions, and friends with whom she shared all the lessons that the pandemic has left her.
Carla is sure that, of all the exercises she has practiced, calisthenics is her favorite because she can do it from the comfort of her home, without a major financial investment. “Even if I go on a trip, I just connect to Zoom from my cell phone and I can receive my class. There are no excuses not to exercise,” she says.
Characteristics
Calisthenics is a training system with physical exercises that are performed with one’s body weight.
In its purest form, it is practiced without additional weights. That is, it is the body itself that exerts resistance, working on strength and cardiovascular capacity, explains Jorge Contreras, personal calisthenics trainer.
The name comes from the Greek words “Kallos” meaning beauty and “Sthenos” meaning strength. “Calisthenics is not only about creating a more harmonious body through physical activity, but it also seeks beauty and harmony in the movement of the body in each exercise. That is why the greatest sign of progress is the increasingly precise execution of each movement,” says Contreras.
The search for this harmony makes calisthenics one of the most technical disciplines in the world of fitness.
Precision and coordination in each movement are essential to increase the difficulty of the exercises and avoid the appearance of untimely injuries. It is ideal for working on, in addition to physical strength, flexibility, agility, and coordination. A sporting discipline that will allow you to unite body and mind in a very special way.
Kindnesses
“The benefit most mentioned by those who practice it is that they can do it anywhere. I have had students who decide to exercise in their office to beat the traffic on the way home, others do it on the terrace or the patio of their house.
“You only need a small space to do a basic workout routine, especially if you do it without additional weight loads,” says the personal trainer.
In addition, the investment required is minimal because to practice it you need comfortable clothing and imagination to adapt to what the environment can offer you. There are those who, when they become enthusiastic, sign up for a gym or hire a personal trainer to work on other types of exercises, so it will require more investment, but it will depend on each person.
Unlike machine exercises at the gym, which work for individual muscle groups, calisthenics allows you to improve your overall fitness. Most exercises require constant activation and tension of different muscles, so you may be working different parts of your body at the same time without realizing it.
This way you will have muscle definition after months of exercising with calisthenics. With most routines, you work all muscle groups such as biceps, triceps, pectorals, and abdominals, among others.
Calisthenics can be considered a functional sport, so practicing it will be very helpful in your daily life. Everyday movements will be more comfortable and less aggressive. It will also improve your body position and the healthy technique of the different movements.
This exercise allows you to work on strength, agility, and coordination. High-difficulty routines require simultaneous work on all of these aspects. In addition, it works both body and mind simultaneously. “Brute strength is of little use if you are not able to manage it and transmit it to the appropriate part of the body. Once the exercises become more difficult, concentration becomes essential to support your weight and tense the muscle you want to work the most,” explains Contreras.
Guys
The exercises can be classified into:
Basic exercises: these are exercises that are performed to strengthen certain areas of the body and allow you to gain strength in more advanced movements. These include push-ups, pull-ups, squats, conventional sit-ups, and leg raises. These exercises help to improve endurance, burn body fat, and increase muscle mass.
Static exercises: these are complex and require great muscular strength. Coordination and technique are also very important when it comes to avoiding injuries. The full planche, the flag, the front lever, the back lever or the L sit are some examples.
Dynamic: These are movements that are incorporated into the calisthenics routine to improve agility and reflexes. These are technical and dangerous exercises if you do not have the necessary strength, coordination, and concentration. A small mistake can cause an injury, so it is important to do it with a professional by your side.
Importance of stretching
Before and after doing any exercise, it is important to stretch. This serves to prepare the muscle and make it alert to begin doing the exercise. It is a good way to keep it active and awake. In addition, it keeps it younger and more elastic against the stiffness that it contracts when exercising.
Stretching prevents muscles from becoming injured due to lack of mobility. When you finish exercising, the body releases lactic acid through the muscles, which crystallizes and creates rigid fibers. Therefore, to end this stiffness and prevent future injuries, it is necessary to stretch, explains Carlos Gutiérrez, physiotherapist.
Stretching should be slow and relaxed, as the goal is for both the muscle and yourself to achieve a feeling of well-being and body relaxation to relieve the tension generated by training.
“You can do simple stretches like moving your head in circles from left to right, then from right to left, and finally from top to bottom. Continue with your arms, moving them from top to bottom and then from inside to outside, as if you were hugging yourself. Try to touch the tips of your toes and then stretch your arms up, as high as you can, and return to touch the tips of your toes. Finally, make circles with your ankles,” suggests the specialist.