
Katie Thompson
Build functional strength with these six classic exercises.
Exercise doesn’t have to involve fancy, complicated moves in order to be effective. In fact, sometimes the simplest routines are best, which is exactly what a calisthenics for beginners workout is all about.
Calisthenics is one of those old-school fitness terms that you’re probably vaguely familiar with (hello, middle school gym class!) but perhaps unsure of what it actually means. Put simply, calisthenics is bodyweight training, Susane Pata, a NASM-certified personal trainer in Miami, tells SELF.
Now, contrary to memories of eighth-grade phys ed, calisthenics aren’t just tough, advanced bodyweight exercises like pull-ups, chin-ups, or handstands. A squat “counts” as calisthenics, as does a lunge, glute bridge, and side plank. Basically, any exercise you perform with just the strength of your own bodyweight and no added resistance (think weights, resistance bands, or machines) qualifies as calisthenics. So no, you don’t really need any specific calisthenics equipment to give this form of fitness a try.
Pata is a huge fan of calisthenics and recommends those kinds of workouts for a wide range of fitness levels. But calisthenics workouts can be an especially great choice for beginners in particular, since there are tons of benefits to prioritizing bodyweight training versus loading up the resistance right off the bat. (More on that below!)
Here, we explain how beginners can get started with calisthenics, the awesome benefits of it—and how you can put it all into practice with a six-move beginner calisthenics workout that Pata created just for SELF.
How can beginners start calisthenics?
A well-rounded beginner calisthenics program should center on foundational movement patterns, Pata says. These include squat, lunge, plank, hinge, rotate, push, and pull.
Because these movement patterns are the basis of so much of what we do during strength training—and in life—it’s important to focus on them from the get-go so that you can master proper technique and learn how to safely and effectively move your body in a variety of scenarios. Nailing foundational movement patterns with proper form and in a solid range of motion can help reduce your risk of injury once you progress to more challenging, complex exercises—say, by adding weight to a squat or by doing jump lunges instead of regular lunges. “You have to master [the basics] first in order to effectively and safely move up the progressive timeline,” Pata says.
When getting started, it’s also important to incorporate calisthenics exercises that have you moving in multiple planes of motion and not just forward and backward in the sagittal plane, which is how many of us spend our days and time in the gym. Multiplanar movement can help reduce your risk of injury and allow you to move strong, Pata says. And it has a direct carryover to everyday life, since there will inevitably be instances when you need to quickly cut to the side (like to step out of the way of an oncoming car, which would be motion in the frontal plane) and move diagonally (like to twist to put away dishes, which would qualify as transverse plane motion). Training in all directions just makes for a more functional workout.
In terms of how often to do a basic calisthenics workout, if you’re totally new to it, start with just two days a week, Pata suggests. After several weeks, you can progress up to three times a week (so long as your body is tolerating it well). Just be sure to give yourself enough downtime in between workouts so that your muscle groups have time to recover—say, at least a day in between. That said, pay attention to how you’re feeling and adjust accordingly. For instance, if it’s been two days since your calisthenics workout but you’re still feeling sore, consider going for a walk or doing some gentle stretches instead of trying to power through your planned routine.
Also key: If you’re new to exercise, you may want to chat with your doctor first to make sure this kind of calisthenics workout plan is right for you. Once you’re cleared, it’s super important to warm up properly before diving into this routine. Try this five-minute warm-up designed to prepare you for any workout.
What are the benefits of calisthenics?
For starters, like we mentioned, you can build body awareness with calisthenics when you learn how to do the primary movement patterns properly, Pata says. This can help set you up for exercise success down the line.
In addition, unilateral calisthenics, where just one side of the body is primarily driving the movement—think lunges, single-leg glute bridges, and side planks—can be a great way to identify and ultimately correct imbalances that exist in the body, Pata says. By ID’ing and then working on your imbalances, you can ensure the correct muscles are firing during your exercises, which can reduce the chance of injury.
Another big plus of calisthenics is that they can be a great way to get started with and feel successful doing a workout program, which can increase your confidence and encourage you to stick with an exercise routine, Pata says. Compared to workouts chock-full of heavy resistance moves, calisthenics can feel easier to execute, thus upping your chances of feeling accomplished by the end of your routine.
Another benefit is that you can do a bunch of reps of them at a time since your body isn’t loaded up with resistance. This can help build muscular endurance and core strength, really help you learn the ins and outs of a movement, and also provide cardiorespiratory benefits. The latter is especially true if you program calisthenics in a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) format, where you alternate periods of hard work with recovery.
Finally, because you don’t need any equipment to do calisthenics, they can be a stellar option for slotting in exercise outside of a gym setting.
Is it better to start with calisthenics or weights?
Calisthenics training is a wonderful way to get started with fitness, Pata says. It’s wise to make sure you’re rock solid with the bodyweight version of a calisthenics exercise before increasing the resistance with weights. For instance, you’d want to make sure you have great form in a bodyweight squat before attempting the move with dumbbells in your hands or a barbell on your back; otherwise, you risk injury. “You can’t load dysfunction,” Pata says.
However, if your goal is to really build strength, then you’ll want to eventually incorporate weights into your workout program. (Here are some beginner weight lifting tips to get you started.) Even if you’re not keen on weights, it’s important to consistently up the difficulty of your workouts if you want to continually progress your fitness. There are plenty of ways to amp up the challenge of a workout without adding weights, Pata says, which you can do with calisthenics. These options include decreasing rest time, adding in plyometric elements, increasing speed, and dialing up rep counts.
Now that we’ve gone over everything you need to know about calisthenics, let’s get started with this full-body workout designed to build functional strength and get your body moving!
The Workout
What you need: A box, bench, or step for the elevated push-up. Otherwise, all you need is your bodyweight for this calisthenics beginner workout—no equipment required!
Exercises
Superset 1:
- Squat
- Reverse Lunge to Rotation
Superset 2:
- Glute Bridge
- Modified Forearm Side Plank
Superset 3:
- Skater Hop to Floor Tap
- Hands-Elevated Push-Up
Directions
- Do each exercise in Superset 1 for 30 seconds, resting 30 to 60 seconds after each exercise. Repeat for 2 total rounds. Then, rest 60 seconds before moving onto Superset 2. Repeat for Superset 2 and Superset 3.
- For a more challenging workout, increase the work period: Start with 45 seconds of work, then move up to 60 seconds if you’re still looking for more.
Demoing the moves below are Nikki Pebbles (GIF 1), a special populations personal trainer in New York City; Landyn Pan (GIF 2), an online fitness and nutrition coach who helps LGBTQ+ individuals feel confident and affirmed in their bodies; Gail Barranda Rivas (GIFs 3 and 6), a certified group fitness instructor, functional strength coach, Pilates and yoga instructor, and domestic and international fitness presenter; Alex Orr (GIF 4), a non-diet NASM-certified personal trainer and CNC, and host of The Birdie and the Bees podcast; and Heather Boddy (GIF 5), a group fitness instructor and creator of the Geeknasium workout program.
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Katie Thompson
Squat
- Start standing with your feet just wider than hip-width apart and engage your core.
- Hinge at your hips, sending your butt back and bending both knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Focus on the movement coming from your hips, glutes, and hamstrings—not your knees and quads. Keep your core engaged so your back stays straight.
- Stand by squeezing your glutes and return to your starting position.
- That’s 1 rep. Continue performing reps for 30 seconds.
The squat is a classic lower-body move that especially works your legs and butt. Consider squatting in front of a chair or bench and tapping your butt on the chair at the bottom of every rep, Pata says, as this will give you feedback on how low you’re going.
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Katie Thompson
Reverse Lunge to Rotation
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. This is the starting position.
- Step back (about 2 feet) with your right foot, landing on the ball of your right foot and keeping your heel off the floor. Bend both knees to create 90-degree angles with your legs. Your chest should be upright and your torso should be leaning slightly forward so that your back is flat and not arched or rounded forward. Your right quad should be parallel to the floor, and your butt and core should be engaged.
- Slowly rotate your torso to the right. You should feel a nice stretch in your mid back.
- Twist back to center, and then push through the heel of your left foot to return to the starting position. Now repeat on the other side. This is 1 rep.
- Continue performing reps, alternating sides, for 30 seconds.
Lunges are a very functional exercise since they help build the single-leg strength you need to walk, run, and climb stairs. The reverse lunge is generally more beginner-friendly than a forward lunge, since it requires less stability than a forward lunge, as SELF previously reported. By adding a rotation to the lunge, you are working in the transverse plane of motion, Pata says.
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Katie Thompson
Glute Bridge
- Lie on your back with your hands at your sides, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. This is the starting position.
- Squeeze your glutes and abs and push through your heels to lift your hips a few inches off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold this position for a second, making sure to maintain tension so your knees don’t collapse in.
- Slowly lower your hips to return to the starting position. That’s 1 rep.
- Continue performing reps for 30 seconds.
This is a hip-hinging movement that will fire up your butt muscles. As SELF previously reported, the glute bridge is a low-risk way to learn how to hinge from your hips, a skill that can benefit you in more advanced exercises, like deadlifts.
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Katie Thompson
Modified Forearm Side Plank
- Get into a kneeling forearm side plank by propping up your body on your right forearm, with your elbow stacked underneath your shoulder and your hand in front of your body. Extend your legs, but keep both knees bent and stack your left knee on top of your right.
- Squeeze your abs and glutes to lift your hips off the floor with your left hand resting on your hip.
- Hold for 15 seconds, then switch sides and repeat. If holding it for 15 seconds straight is too challenging, take breaks where you lower yourself down, pause for a few seconds, then push back up into position.
“The side plank is a precursor to training rotation,” Pata says. And though the move itself is not a full rotation, it does fire up muscles—including your core muscles, inner thigh muscles, and the small, stabilizing butt muscles called the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus—that assist with rotation moves later on.
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Katie Thomspon
Skater Hop to Floor Tap
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees slightly, then jump to the right as far as you can, leading with your right foot and swinging your left leg just behind your right.
- Land on your right foot and bend your knee slightly, balancing on that foot for a second. Your right arm should swing behind you as your left arm reaches down to tap the floor.
- Pause for a moment, then jump back to the left, landing on your left foot, knee slightly bent. Your left arm should swing behind you as your right arm reaches down to tap the floor.
- Continue this pattern, moving as quickly as possible, for 30 seconds.
This single-leg exercise gives you a cardio boost and gets you moving in the frontal plane of motion. It also can technically count as a lunge movement, Pata says. Plus, the floor tap motion can qualify as a hip hinge, she adds.
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Katie Thompson
Hands-Elevated Push-Up
Jenny is a Boulder, Colorado-based journalist specializing in fitness, food, and human interest. She entered the news-making business at age 8 when she created a canine-themed publication for local dog owners. Though The Baci News (named after her family’s lab chow mix) didn’t survive sixth grade, her curiosity of people… Read more
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