Rather than complicate things with a gluttony of  useless exercises I decided to stick with the basics. Rather than re-invent the wheel, I scoured the web for what I believe are some of the very best examples of the exercises visually performed almost flawlessly.

1. Push ups
2. Pull up
3. Dips
4. Abdominal
   
5. Squats
6. Lunges
7. Sprints

1) Push Ups

Corey Hall has a great YouTube channel. The guy really knows his stuff. This video covers everything from how to do a standard push up and the right technique to a fantastic chest routine. You can also check his website out at http://www.coreyhallfitness.com/

Level: Beginner-Intermediate (Time: 7:10 min)

Level: Advanced (Time: 10:00 min)

2) Pull Ups

Strength Project is another great YouTube channel that has a ton of great videos. they also have a website you can check them out at http://www.strengthproject.com/

Level: Beginner (Time: 3:07 min)

Level: Beginner/Advanced (Time: 2:31 min)

3) Dips

For this particular exercise I have chosen two different videos from Baristi Workout (Beginner) and the other from Calisthenics & Weight Training (Advanced)

Level: Beginner (Time: 1:59 min)

Level: Advanced (Time: 2:12 min)

4) Abdominal

Who better to learn from the Frank Medrano, he is one of foremost calisthenic experts.

Here is a great routine.

30 Seconds Plank Right Arm Off Ground
15 Reps Right Leg Knee Tucks
30 Seconds Plank Left Arm Off Ground
15 Reps Left Leg Knee Tucks
30 Seconds Plank Hold Right Side
30 Seconds Plank Hold Left Side
30 Seconds Plank Hold
15 Reps Crunches Knees Raised
15 Reps Side Crunch Right Side
15 Reps Side Crunch Left Side
15 Reps Leg Lifts

(Time: 2:22 min)

Here is another routine:

30 Second Mountain Climbers
15 Double Crunches
30 Second Mountain Climbers
15 Double tap Twist Crunch One Side
30 Second Mountain Climbers
15 Double tap Twist Crunch Opposite Side
30 Second Mountain Climbers
15 Seated Knee Tucks
30 Second Mountain Climbers
100 Flutter Kicks
30 Second Mountain Climbers
30 Second Crunch Hold

(Time: 2:40 min)

Here’s a second abdominal routine, I like to mix up the routines and movements, doing a total of 12-15 sets (12-15 exercises) this routine only has 9 exercises, but you could add 3 more if you like:

30 Crunches
20 Bicycle Crunches
20 Sky Touches
30 Second Rest
20 Crunches
10 Single Leg Toe Touches (Each leg)
10 Single Leg Crunch (Each leg)
30 Second Rest
30 Crunches
15 Oblique Toe Touches (Each side)
30 Second Leg Flutters

(Time: 5:17 min)

Intermediate Abdominal Routine

10 Sky Touchers
10 Single Knee Crunches (Left Side)
10 Single Leg Toe Touches (Left Side)
10 Single Knee Crunches (Right Side)
10 Single Leg Toe Touches (Right Side)
10 Crunches
10 Rainbows
10 Knee to Elbow Crunch (Left Side)
10 Knee to Elbow Crunch (Right Side)
10 Side Toe Touches (Left Side)
10 Side Crunches (Left Side)
10 Side Toe Touches (Right Side)
10 Side Crunches (Right Side)
20 second hold Plank

(Time: 4:21 min)

5) Squats

Al Kavadlo is a leading Calisthenics and Bodyweight exercise experts. This is probably one of the best videos on this subject being the most advanced calisthenic squats. He covers beginner to more advanced moves. Here is his YouTube channel

Level: Beginner –  Advanced (Time: 1:38 min)

For those of you Beginners out there, here is a really well done video on Leg Squats from  calisthenicsVs.age

Level: Beginner (Time: 4:04 min)

6) Lunges

Calisthenics & Weight Training has a great video that I personally gleaned some jewels from and incorporated into my own leg workout.

Level: Beginner to Advanced (Time: 3:58 min)

7) Sprints

This is an excellent video on sprinting and Charlie Francis, an Olympic training coach, that passed away in 2010.

(Time: 4:44 min)

For more videos on applying the techniques by Charlie Francis, here is Bert Hill NFL Coach applying the Charlie Francis system to the Detroit Lions

(Time: 11:26 min)

So there you have it the 7 Top Calisthenic Exercises. It’s been my personal goal to master all 7 before I go on to more advanced or extreme calisthenics. Now granted, each and every one of us is at a different skill level. If you find that you have indeed mastered all 7 of these calisthenic exercises, then by all means ignore this post.

But as I have learned in my short time on this planet, I still have a lot to learn. And especially with calisthenics there is always some sort of change or tweak you can do to just slightly alter the exercise to make it more difficult.

Here is the literal definition of the root word and its origin.

 Definition:

1. Push ups
2. Pull up
3. Dips
4. Crunches
5. Squats
6. Lunges
7. Sprints: He uses High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.); he runs fast for 15 seconds and rests for 30 seconds then repeats the cycle  for 12-15 minutes. This helps to lean the body and improve recovery.Pre Workout
   1 Apple: 30 minutes before workout

Post Workout

• Sun Warrior: Warrior Protein – 1 Scoop
• Maca Magic:: Maca Root Powder – 1 Scoop
• 2-3 Bananas

1. FREE: No gym memberships, no long lines, no crowds, no expensive exercise equipment. Only the use of your own body weight.
2. It’s FUN: What is life if you can’t have a little fun. There are different movements and you feel like a kid in a playground. What could be better than that?
3. Potential: All of us have an unlimited amount of human potential, it is our choice whether we choose to live the life of our dreams. With Calisthenics you have a sense of positive well-being in knowing that you are creating and sculpting the body you want on your own. Of course a better body also translates to better health which is a great consequence of reaching your potential.
4. Self Confidence: Believing in one self, more so confiding or talk to & trust in one self is probably one of the greatest values a person can have, and Calisthenics affords one this possibility. When you workout and train you begin to feel good about yourself which directly and affects your
5. Self Esteem: How you value yourself and what you have done and are doing is invaluable. With body weight training AKA Calisthenics, you begin to value yourself in a way that was not possible before because you are doing something positive for yourself which begins to show inwardly and outwardly in everything you do.
6. Connection: Calisthenics gives you the wonderful opportunity to connect with others and the world as you train. You can choose to train indoors or outdoors, alone and or you can choose to workout with others in a group. I love working out in nature at the local park. Contact with nature and others that might be also their training gives me a sense of connection.
7. Self Discipline: Working out and training day in and day out, begins to create a sense of determined focus and spills over into other aspects of your life. As you train you and stick with it, you begin to notice that same drive and intensity to train regularly helps you to focus on other areas of your life.
8. Natural movements/More muscles are engaged: The movements such as push ups, pull ups, and dips are more fluid in motion and as such engage many muscle groups at the same time thus growth is proportional.
9. Easy to learn: The exercises are relatively easy to do and can be varied to adapt to each person’s strengths and weaknesses.
10. Flexible & On the go: The exercises can be done when and wherever you want.
11. Breaking down stereotypes: Calisthenics is a one size fits all and is one of the few exercise that just about anyone can do, it does not matter your age, race, height, weight, sex, income level, religion. The exercises are can be adapted for any lifestyle.

1. Time:  Of course I need to stay as objective as possible, and this one is a bit of a stretch but it goes without saying that working out requires time that could otherwise be used for something else. (However I see no better use of time than to spend with one self and being active.) Also time to be patient and stick with the exercises day in and day out could also be construed as a negative.
2. Humility: Like anything in life, as a beginner you need  to start from ground zero and for many that sense of being comfortable being uncomfortable is just too unbearable. That is probably the main reason many quit before they even get started. You have to start where you are and not where others are.
3. Learning Curve: Practice makes perfect and learning the different moves can be somewhat intimidating at first. Just stick with it.
4. Improper form: Like all exercise and pretty much anything in life. If you don’t do the exercises properly it can lead to injury.
5. Repetition: The movements can seem repetitive in nature after a while and some like to incorporate other forms of exercise like yoga, martial arts, weight lifting, core training.
6. Isolation of muscle groups: As they say there are advantages and disadvantages to just about everything, and the advantage of being able to work many muscle groups at the same time could pose a challenge for those wanting to isolate just one muscle group.

In conclusion, Calisthenics, is a form of exercise that can benefit just about anyone. It really all begins with just that first decision to just do it.

Before Calisthenics, I use to go to the gym, and often there were days when quite frankly I just did not feel like working out, but I remember hearing a saying, that 50% of working out is just showing up at the gym. I can say from personal experience that although a bit trite it is true.

I will slightly alter this phrase for the purposes of this post, and state, that 50% of Calisthenics is just doing it, You can start with something as small as push ups or alternatives like doing pushes assisted on your knees if you can’t do them. There are a ton of ways to modify the movements for your level.

So give it a try, and prove me wrong.