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Calisthenics

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Calisthenics76 topics

Anatomy Exercises Equipment Programming Principles

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On this page:Exercise Progression Skill Principle

Duration

◆ Exercise

47 topics

Ab Wheel RolloutKneeling (or standing) and rolling a wheel forward to extend the body, then pulling back — a dynamic anti-extension exercise that overloads the core through a long lever.

Archer Pull-UpA wide-grip pull-up where you pull up to one hand while the other arm stays straight along the bar — shifting most of the load to one side as the bridge toward the one-arm pull-up.

Archer Push-UpA wide-stance push-up where you lower toward one hand while the other arm stays nearly straight, shifting most of the load onto the working arm — the key bridge to the one-arm push-up.

Band-Assisted Pull-UpA full pull-up with a resistance band looped over the bar under the feet or knees, offloading part of bodyweight so you can train the complete range; thinner bands give less help.

Bodyweight Calf RaiseRising onto the balls of the feet to train the calves; done off a step for full range and on one leg to overload without weights.

Bodyweight SquatA free-standing squat using only bodyweight — the base lower-body pattern, training the quads and glutes and teaching the squat mechanics behind every harder variation.

Bulgarian Split SquatA split squat with the rear foot elevated on a bench, shifting most of the load onto the front leg — a powerful unilateral builder of the quads and glutes and a key step toward the pistol.

Crow / Frog StandBalancing on the hands with the knees resting on the backs of the upper arms — the entry-level arm balance that teaches hand balancing, wrist strength, and forward lean.

Dead HangA passive hang from a bar with straight arms — the first step toward a pull-up, building grip endurance and shoulder/lat tolerance for loaded hanging.

Diamond Push-UpA push-up with the hands close together under the chest (thumbs and index fingers forming a diamond) that shifts the emphasis onto the triceps and inner chest.

Elevated Pike Push-UpA pike push-up with the feet on a raised surface so the hips stack higher over the shoulders, approaching the vertical loading of a handstand push-up.

Freestanding HandstandHolding an inverted vertical line on the hands with no wall — balance maintained by pressure through the fingers and small shoulder/body adjustments.

Full Front LeverThe complete front lever — body straight, legs together, held horizontal and face-up beneath the bar on straight arms — the culmination of the front-lever progression.

Full PlancheThe complete planche — legs straight and together, the whole body floating horizontal and parallel to the floor on straight arms — the culmination of the planche progression.

Full Pull-UpA strict pronated-grip pull-up from a dead hang to chin over the bar and back down, with no kipping — the bodyweight benchmark for vertical pulling strength.

Glute BridgeLying on your back with knees bent, drive the hips up to full extension and squeeze the glutes — the base bodyweight hip-extension exercise.

Handstand Push-UpA full overhead press performed inverted in a handstand — lowering the head to the floor and pressing back up — the strongest bodyweight shoulder press, done first against a wall and then freestanding.

Hanging Knee RaiseHanging from a bar and drawing the bent knees up toward the chest — the entry-level hanging ab exercise and the regression for the hanging leg raise.

Hip Thrust (Bodyweight)A bridge with the upper back elevated on a bench so the hips travel through a larger range, keeping the glutes under high tension at full lockout.

Hollow Body HoldA face-up hold with the lower back pressed flat to the floor and the arms and legs extended off the ground — the gymnastics core position underlying levers, handstands, and the L-sit.

Incline Push-UpA push-up with the hands on a raised surface; the higher the surface, the lighter the load — a graded bridge from wall to full push-up.

Inverted Row (Australian Pull-Up)A horizontal pull lying under a fixed waist-height bar (or sturdy table edge), pulling the chest to the bar — the most accessible bodyweight rowing movement.

Jump SquatAn explosive bodyweight squat that ends in a jump, training lower-body power through the stretch-shortening cycle and a soft, controlled landing.

Kick-Up to HandstandLunging and swinging one leg up to drive into a back-to-wall handstand — the entry skill for finding and holding the inverted vertical line.

Knee Push-UpA floor push-up pivoting from the knees instead of the toes, shortening the lever to reduce load while keeping the full horizontal chest angle.

L-SitSupporting the whole body on straight, locked arms with the legs held straight out front in an "L" — a static support-and-compression hold.

Negative Pull-UpJump or step to the top of the bar, then lower yourself as slowly as possible — eccentric-only training that builds pulling strength before you can do a full rep.

One-Arm Push-UpA push-up performed on a single arm — the top of the horizontal-press progression — demanding maximal unilateral chest/triceps strength plus intense anti-rotation core control.

Pike Push-UpA push-up done in a high-hipped pike (downward-dog) position so the press becomes more vertical, shifting load onto the shoulders — the entry to the handstand-push-up line.

Pistol SquatA full single-leg squat — descending to depth on one leg with the other held straight out in front — combining single-leg strength, balance, and deep ankle mobility.

Planche LeanA straight-arm plank with the shoulders leaned far forward past the hands and held — the foundational strength builder for the planche.

PlankA straight-body isometric hold on the forearms and toes, bracing the whole core to keep the spine neutral — the foundational anti-extension core exercise.

Pseudo-Planche Push-UpA push-up done with the shoulders shifted far forward over the hands (hands by the hips, fingers often turned out) that heavily loads the anterior delts and serratus and builds toward the planche.

Ring DipA dip on gymnastic rings; the free-hanging, rotating rings demand large shoulder/scapular stabilization on top of the pressing strength of a bar dip.

Ring RowAn inverted row done on gymnastic rings; the free-rotating rings add stabilization demand and let the wrists rotate to a shoulder-friendly path.

Scapular Pull-UpA small shrug-down from a dead hang — depressing and retracting the shoulder blades without bending the elbows — that teaches how to initiate every pull-up.

Side PlankA sideways isometric hold on one forearm and the side of the feet, bracing the obliques and lateral hip to resist the body folding sideways.

Single-Leg Glute BridgeA glute bridge driven by one leg with the other extended, roughly doubling the load on the working glute and adding a pelvic-stability demand.

Split SquatA stationary lunge with a staggered stance — most weight on the front leg, back foot for balance — introducing single-leg loading without the balance demand of a full lunge step.

Step-UpStepping up onto a raised surface one leg at a time; a unilateral knee/hip extension exercise whose difficulty scales with box height.

Straddle Front LeverA front lever held with legs straight and spread wide; the straddle shortens the lever, making it the step just before the full front lever.

Straddle PlancheA planche held with the legs straight and spread wide; the wide straddle shortens the effective lever, making it the last step before the full planche.

Tuck Front LeverThe first front-lever hold — hanging from a bar with straight arms, knees tucked to the chest and the back horizontal and face-up.

Tuck PlancheThe first true planche hold — knees tucked to the chest, hips lifted, both feet off the floor, supported on straight arms with the shoulders leaned forward.

Wall Push-UpThe easiest horizontal press — standing and pushing off a wall — used as the entry point of the push-up progression and for rehab/deconditioned trainees.

Wall SitAn isometric "invisible chair" hold against a wall with thighs parallel to the floor, building quadriceps strength-endurance.

Wall WalkStarting in a plank with feet against a wall, walk the feet up and the hands back toward the wall into a belly-to-wall handstand — a low-fear way to build inverted shoulder strength.

◆ Progression

13 topics

Dip ProgressionBench dips → parallel-bar dips → ring dips — a vertical/downward press ladder that builds the lower chest and triceps, with each step adding load and shoulder-stability demand.

Dragon Flag ProgressionTuck → one-leg → straddle → full dragon flag — gripping a fixed anchor behind the head and holding/lowering the whole rigid body off a bench, an extreme anti-extension feat.

Handstand Push-Up ProgressionPike push-up → elevated pike push-up → wall handstand push-up → freestanding handstand push-up — the bodyweight vertical (overhead) press ladder.

Glute Bridge & Hip Thrust ProgressionGlute bridge → single-leg glute bridge → (elevated) hip thrust — a floor-up ladder for hip extension that targets the glutes and hamstrings with no equipment.

Bodyweight Lunge VariationsReverse, forward, walking, lateral, and curtsy lunges — a family of stepping single-leg movements that vary the joint emphasis and balance demand.

Muscle-Up ProgressionExplosive pull-up → transition over the bar/rings → dip lockout — built from a high pull-up, strong dips, and drilling the transition with negatives and assistance.

Nordic Curl ProgressionA kneeling eccentric hamstring curl — lower the torso forward as slowly as possible while the heels are anchored — scaled by how much you assist with the hands.

One-Arm Pull-Up ProgressionAssisted single-arm work — archer → one-arm negatives → assisted one-arm (towel/band/finger) → full one-arm pull-up — the elite top of the vertical-pull ladder.

Pistol Squat ProgressionBodyweight squat → split squat → Bulgarian split squat → pistol squat — the road to a full single-leg squat, scaling from two-leg to fully unilateral loading.

Plank ProgressionForearm plank → long-lever and limb-lifted planks → planche-lean-style and dynamic planks — an anti-extension core ladder that trains bracing rather than spinal flexion.

Pull-Up ProgressionDead hang → scapular pull → negative → band-assisted → full pull-up → chin-up variations → archer → one-arm — the road to a strict pull-up and beyond.

Push-Up ProgressionA leverage ladder from wall push-ups to the one-arm push-up that lets the horizontal press keep overloading the chest, triceps, and front delts without weights.

Bodyweight Row ProgressionIncline/Australian rows → ring rows → tuck front lever → front lever — the horizontal-pull ladder building the mid-back and lats and leading into the front lever.

◆ Skill

7 topics

Back Lever ProgressionTuck → advanced tuck → straddle → full back lever — a straight-arm hold with the body horizontal and face-down behind the hands, loading the chest, front delts, and biceps in shoulder extension.

Front Lever ProgressionTuck → advanced tuck → straddle → full front lever — a straight-arm hold where the body hangs horizontal and face-up beneath the bar, driven by the lats and a braced core.

Handstand ProgressionWall walk → kick-up to wall → freestanding kick-up → freestanding hold — building the shoulder strength, alignment, and balance to hold an inverted vertical line.

Human Flag ProgressionSupport holds → vertical flag → tuck → straddle → full human flag — gripping a vertical pole with both hands and holding the body sideways, horizontal to the ground.

L-Sit ProgressionFoot-supported L-sit → tuck L-sit → one-leg → full L-sit — supporting the body on the hands with straight legs held out in an "L," a compression and straight-arm-support skill.

Planche ProgressionPlanche lean → tuck planche → straddle planche → full planche — a straight-arm holding skill where the body floats parallel to the ground, leveraged by how far the legs extend behind the hands.

Pistol Squat as a Skill (Balance & Mobility)Beyond leg strength, the pistol is a skill gated by single-leg balance, deep ankle dorsiflexion, and active hip-flexor compression to keep the front leg up.

◆ Principle

6 topics

Equipment-Minimal Bodyweight TrainingA pull-up bar, a sturdy elevated surface, and the floor are enough to train every major pattern; rings and resistance bands greatly expand the options.

Progressive Overload Without WeightsSix levers — leverage, range of motion, tempo, unilateral loading, added reps, and density — let bodyweight training keep getting harder even though the load (your mass) is fixed.

Rep-Based vs Skill-Based TrainingRep-based work chases muscular fatigue with moderate-to-high reps to failure; skill-based work chases motor mastery of a hard position with short, fresh, low-fatigue practice.

RIR and Effort for Bodyweight TrainingBecause you cannot dial in a percentage of 1RM, bodyweight intensity is autoregulated by Reps In Reserve (RIR) — how many more reps you could have done — kept at 1-3 for rep work and much higher for skill work.

Structuring a Bodyweight WorkoutWarm up, do skill practice while fresh, then heaviest-leverage strength work, then rep/hypertrophy and conditioning, finishing with core and cool-down.

What Is CalisthenicsStrength training that uses the body's own weight as resistance, manipulating leverage, range of motion, and tempo instead of external load to drive adaptation.