Calisthenics

Everything that is bodyweight can be seen as calisthenics. Most people immediatly think of push-ups, pull-ups, squats, handstands etc. when they think about bodyweight training. Other, lesser known examples of calisthenics workouts are muscle-ups, human flags, L-sits and front/back levers.

Calisthenics training Voorschoten
Example of a human flag, a lesser known example of a bodyweight workout.

The name calisthenics comes from the Greek kalos (beauty) and sthenos (strength). Calisthenics, therefore, is the art of using one’s body weight as resistance in order to develop physique or skill.

What do you need for calisthenics?

You don’t need a lot to practice calisthenics. Voorschoten has a great outdoor park which offers plenty of possibilities for a calisthenics workout. Some examples of these facilities are (pull-up)bars, parallel bars and ab-workout benches. Most gyms have the right equipment to practice calisthenics indoor as well. This is a welcome possibility, given the Dutch climate.

Practically all calisthenics exercises can be practiced in the outdoor park or at most gyms. Following are some of my favourite calisthenics excercises which can be practiced everywhere:

  • Handstand variations: different shapes, push-ups and straight arm presses
  • Flag variations: human flags and dragon flags
  • Lever variations: back and front levers
  • Muscle-ups

Why practice calisthenics?

The most common reason to practice calisthenics is finding out what you are actually capable of. The sensation of being able to pull off a new skill that you have been practicing on for a while is something that never gets old. A welcome advantage that comes along is the nice physique that calisthenics helps you to develop.

Calisthenics is perfectly safe to practice. With the right programming, you could progress safely towards more advanced exercises. Each exercise can be divided into multiple smaller steps, necessary to reach the main goal. This makes calisthenics fun and accessible for each and everyone.

Get more information on calisthenics training

Do you live or work nearby Voorschoten, The Hague, Leiden or Wassenaar and would you like to get started or achieve the next level with calisthenics? Feel free to contact me for further information. For more information about me check out the about page or visit my Instagram for my latest updates.