If you’re looking for a sport that keeps you fit, builds impressive muscle, and lets you be creative with your workout, calisthenics might be the answer. Unlike many sports that focus on a single goal, calisthenics offers a huge variety of training styles that allow for a lot of flexibility. This form of bodyweight training has become super popular, partly because of its versatility—whether you’re into strength, endurance, or aesthetics, there’s a training style within calisthenics for you.
Let’s dive into the six primary calisthenics training styles, explore what they involve, and how you can start incorporating them into your routine.
The list below was formed by Alex Lorenz. Alex Lorenz is the co-founder of Calisthenic Movement and has trained Calisthenics since 2012, uploading videos regularly for those people interested in getting in shape using only their body weight.
Table of Contents
1. Aesthetics Calisthenics
Overview
Aesthetics calisthenics focuses on building a muscular, lean, and athletic physique using bodyweight exercises. Think of it as bodyweight bodybuilding. The goal is to build muscle and improve overall muscle definition without looking bulky.
Key Points
- Focus on compound movements like push-ups and pull-ups to build foundational muscle.
- Includes isolation exercises (like tricep dips) to target specific muscle groups.
- Weighted basics (adding weight to exercises) are often used to make movements more challenging.
How to Train
- Progressive Overload: Increase reps, sets, or intensity to gradually challenge muscles.
- Split Training: Try a Push-Pull-Legs routine or an Upper-Lower split.
- Recovery: Train hard but give muscles enough rest to recover and grow.
For those focused on aesthetics, a solid program with consistency is crucial. You can find guided programs to help you maintain a structured approach, especially when adding weighted exercises.
10 Best Calisthenics Exercises that Build the MOST Muscle
2. Skills Training in Calisthenics
Overview
Skill-based calisthenics revolves around learning challenging movements and progressing to harder exercises. It’s a lot like gymnastics, with elements focused on both strength and balance.
Key Points
- Includes static holds like handstands or planches, as well as dynamic movements.
- Builds coordination, strength, and balance through controlled, strength-based exercises.
- Unlike gymnastics, this type of calisthenics training can be done on any apparatus or surface, giving you more freedom.
How to Train
- Frequent Practice: Perform skill-based moves regularly but avoid training to failure.
- Focused Approach: Work on a few moves at a time to master them before moving on.
- Mobility Work: Incorporate mobility exercises to improve range of motion, making skill progression smoother.
Skill-based training means practicing with patience since perfecting new moves takes time and consistency. Avoid taking on too many skills at once to keep progress steady.
3. Freestyle Calisthenics
Overview
Freestyle calisthenics combines different moves into a flow, often set to music. Imagine it as a mix of gymnastics, breakdancing, and traditional calisthenics. Freestyle calisthenics has a high injury risk, as many moves require powerful momentum and complex techniques.
Key Points
- Momentum-focused, high-risk movements.
- Often combines flips, spins, and complex moves like muscle-ups.
- Develops rhythm, timing, and creativity in movement.
How to Train
- Repetition: Practice individual moves repeatedly to build muscle memory.
- Recovery: Allow joints and muscles time to recover to reduce injury risk.
- Combo Practice: Start combining moves once you’re comfortable with the individual elements.
Freestyle calisthenics is fun but challenging and not for the faint-hearted. Adding freestyle moves into your routine gradually will allow you to build confidence in each move.
4. Mobility Training
Overview
Mobility training is all about improving flexibility, range of motion, and joint health. It includes aspects of yoga and gymnastics but also focuses on functional mobility that supports everyday life and other sports.
Key Points
- Involves full-body mobilization to achieve optimal joint flexibility.
- Suitable to pair with other workout routines since it’s low-intensity.
- Boosts muscle recovery and helps reduce the risk of injuries.
How to Train
- Consistency: Perform short sessions frequently rather than long, infrequent ones.
- Full-Body Focus: Target all major joints for a well-rounded mobility routine.
- Pair with Strength: Add mobility work on rest days or before other types of calisthenics.
Mobility training complements other styles by improving movement quality. Frequent, short sessions are more effective than occasional, lengthy stretches.
5. Sets and Reps (Endurance Calisthenics)
Overview
This style focuses on high repetitions and is great for building muscular endurance. It’s the calisthenics version of marathon training—expect a lot of reps and the kind of burn that lasts for days.
Key Points
- Often includes high-rep sets and low rest times.
- Works well with circuit training or supersets to target multiple muscle groups.
- Can involve complex routines, including multiple moves like push-ups, dips, and squats in one long set.
How to Train
- Circuit Training: Perform multiple exercises back-to-back with minimal rest.
- Focus on Failure: Push each set until muscle failure to build endurance.
- Frequent Practice: Unlike skills training, you can train endurance moves often, even daily.
Sets and reps training is tough, but it builds mental resilience and muscle stamina. It’s perfect for anyone looking to build a rock-solid endurance base.
6. Street Lifting
Overview
Street lifting is a unique calisthenics style focusing on weighted moves like muscle-ups, pull-ups, and dips. It’s essentially the calisthenics version of powerlifting, and though it includes weights, it still falls under the calisthenics umbrella.
Key Points
- Includes two main styles: max reps with a set weight or one-rep max (1RM).
- Emphasises core moves like muscle-ups, squats, and dips but with added weight.
- Focuses on developing strength without sacrificing bodyweight mobility.
How to Train
- Main Lift Focus: Split training days into light and heavy days.
- Accessory Movements: Incorporate exercises that support the main lifts.
- Gradual Weight Increase: Progressively add weight over time to avoid injury.
Street lifting is ideal for those who want to focus on brute strength and muscle development in bodyweight movements. Although it’s not pure bodyweight training, it’s a solid option for calisthenics fans wanting a new challenge.
Choosing Your Calisthenics Style: Tips for Getting Started
Calisthenics allows for a ton of creativity and flexibility, so you don’t have to stick to one style forever. In fact, mixing styles can lead to better overall fitness results:
- Cross-Training: Mobility exercises help you achieve better form in skill-based calisthenics, while endurance training supports strength training by building mental resilience.
- Progression: Start with basics (like aesthetics) and work up to more complex styles (like skills or freestyle).
- Goal Setting: Define what you want to achieve. Whether it’s strength, endurance, or balance, knowing your goal will guide your style choice.
Wrapping Up: Why Calisthenics is Ideal for Versatile Fitness
Calisthenics is about variety and creativity, which makes it accessible to anyone. Plus, each style can support the others: for example, mobility improves skill training, while street lifting helps develop strength that benefits aesthetics.
Whatever your fitness goal, calisthenics offers a training style that suits your needs. So, mix, match, and try different approaches as you progress. Above all, keep it consistent and remember—anyone can get started and make incredible progress with calisthenics.
