What is calisthenics? Well, it’s just a fancy word that means bodyweight-based training. Any exercise that you do using only your bodyweight can be considered calisthenics. This would include push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, and any other exercises that you would typically do without any gym equipment.

The obvious benefit of calisthenics is that you can do it anytime, and anywhere. You don’t need access to a gym, or any equipment. In fact, you can even do it outside and enjoy the benefits of fresh air, sunlight, and nature to help improve the quality of your workout. However, because calisthenics is so accessible, people often assume that they can’t get good results from these basic movements, and that they need to have access to fancy equipment in order to get the body of their dreams. However, they couldn’t be more wrong!

One need only glance at popular street workout groups such as Bar Brothers and Barstarzz to see how great you can become by focusing mostly or even exclusively on bodyweight-based training.

Aside from the massive convenience factor, calisthenics exercises also happen to be mostly closed-chain movements. Closed-chain exercises are those where the point from which you are exerting force is stationary (i.e. the hand or foot is stationary on the floor). For example, in the push-up, you are exerting force from your hands to the floor, and because your hands are stationary, this is a closed-chain movement. Another classic example of a closed-chain movement is the squat; you are exerting force from your feet, and they remain stationary throughout the movement. The advantage of closed-chain movements is that they work multiple joints and multiple muscle groups at once, allowing you to stimulate increased muscular growth over time. Closed-chain movements are also safer due to reduced shear forces which stress the joints and are more likely to produce injury.

So next time you happen to be in a tough spot where training at a commercial gym or with conventional equipment is not an option, give bodyweight training a try. This could mean simply increasing your maximum number of push-ups, pull-ups, or crunches. You could also focus on getting better at challenging unilateral exercises such as one-armed push-ups, one-armed chin-ups, or pistol squats. Alternatively, you could try learning some cool skills such as muscle-ups, front-levers, or human flags. As you can see, the possibilities with bodyweight-based training are really endless. Using just your body, you can really make the workout as challenging as you want it to be. At the end of the day, with just a pull-up bar (or even a tree branch) at your disposal, you can sculpt an incredible physique. Even without a pull-up bar and just the floor, there are so many movements you can do to challenge yourself and consistently improve both your fitness and body composition.