Calisthenics for Beginners: 9 Exercises + Tips from a Trainer
By Marnie Kunz, NASM-certified trainer, USATF- RRCA-certified run coach
Calisthenics for beginners are bodyweight exercises that require little to no equipment. From modified push-ups to bodyweight squats, these calisthenics exercises can help you ease into a strength training workout program. Following a calisthenics strength training program offers many benefits, helping to boost your strength and athletic performance and improve your quality of life. And with no equipment requirements, you can do calisthenics anywhere without investing in expensive equipment. Whether you want to become a better runner, improve your fitness level, or reduce your risk of injuries, these calisthenics exercises for beginners can help.
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Best Calisthenics for Beginners
Bodyweight training is an excellent way to do strength training, and most bodyweight exercises are beginner-friendly. Although some exercises require a few pieces of equipment, such as resistance bands, pull-up bars, or a dip bar, the exercises on our beginner-friendly list require no calisthenics equipment.
With these calisthenics for beginners, you can get a full-body workout using your own body weight. These exercises target your major muscle groups and are categorized by the main areas they target — upper body, lower body, and core. Some of these movements — such as squats, push-ups, and planks — are compound exercises that strengthen multiple muscles.
Related Post: 10 Best Compound Exercises with Dumbbells
Do 10 reps and 2 to 3 sets for each of these exercises. This means doing the exercise 10 times, taking a short break (up to 30 seconds), and then doing another set of 10.
Lower Body Exercises
1. Squats
Squats are one of the best lower-body strengthening exercises to improve your leg and glute strength. Squats are a versatile exercise that you can do with your body weight. As you progress, you can optionally add dumbbells by holding them next to your body for a more intense workout.
How To Do It:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your chest up and head and neck in a neutral position.
Lower your body, bending at the knees and sitting back as if in an imaginary chair. Keep your core and glutes engaged, and rest your weight in your heels and glutes.
Push back up to the starting position, maintaining good posture with your chest up and looking forward. Repeat.
2. Lunges
Lunges are another lower body compound exercise that strengthens your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. There are many variations of lunges, but mastering the basic bodyweight lunge is a great starting point.
How To Do It:
Begin from a standing position with your feet hip-width apart.
Step forward with your right leg, bending both of your knees. Step far enough forward so your front (right) knee is above your ankle (not past it) and your left leg is bent. Your right thigh should be parallel to the ground.
Keep your core muscles tight and engage your glutes as you push off from your front leg and rise back up to the standing position.
Repeat on the other leg.
Related Post: How to Do Lunges for Beginners
3. Glute Bridges
Glute bridges, true to their name, strengthen your glute muscles. The glutes are the largest muscle in your body, and strengthening them can help you achieve better balance and movement. This great no-impact exercise does not put pressure on the knees.
How To Do It:
Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent and feet planted on the floor.
Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips off the ground until your body makes a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
Lower your body back to the mat, returning to the starting position. Repeat.
Related Post: 3 Best Glute Exercises to Get Results
4. Lateral Lunges
Lateral lunges are one of the best ways to improve your balance and reduce your risk of falls. Since most of us do not do a lot of sideways movements in daily life, side lunges are an excellent tool to strengthen muscles used for lateral (side-to-side) motions. These calisthenics for beginners target your quads, glutes, hips, and hamstrings.
How To Do It:
Begin by standing with your feet hip-width apart. Keep your core engaged and head and chest up with your hips facing forward.
Step out to your right side, bending slightly at your right knee. Squeeze your glutes, and you’ll feel the muscle in your right glute.
Push back off your right leg and return to the starting position.
Repeat to do 10 reps on each side for a set.
The American Council on Exercise offers more detailed instructions on side lunges if you need more pointers.
Core Exercises
5. Planks
Planks are a classic core exercise with many different variations. For beginners, the forearm plank is an excellent place to start.
How To Do It:
Begin from a high plank position, as if you are in the “up” pose of a push-up, with your body in a straight line and your feet and hands planted on the floor, your elbows and arms straight, and hands planted below your shoulders.
Lower to your forearms, resting your weight on your forearms and your toes.
Keep your core muscles tight to maintain your body in a straight line from your heels to your head. Do not let your hips sag down or rise up above the rest of your body.
Hold the forearm plank position for 10 to 20 seconds. Rest and repeat. You can gradually add more time until you can do planks for up to one-minute segments.
Modified Planks:
If regular forearm planks are too challenging to start, you can do modified planks. For these, use the same form as the forearm planks except bend your knees. Bending your knees allows you to rest your weight from your lower body in your knees, which touch the floor. Keep your core engaged for this exercise and work on your form. Once you can maintain good form and do modified planks for at least 20 seconds, it’s time to progress to regular forearm planks.
Related Post: How to Do Planks and Plank Benefits
6. Dead Bug Exercise
The dead bug exercise strengthens your deep ab muscles and is easier on the back than many core exercises.
How To Do It:
Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent and arms straight out in front of you.
Engage your core muscles.
Slowly lower your right arm and left leg toward the ground, extending at the knee and elbow. Lower them as far as you can while keeping your core tight and avoiding touching the ground with your foot and hand.
Return your arm and leg back to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
7. Side Planks
Side planks strengthen your oblique muscles, which run along the side of your abs. These are more challenging than regular planks, so I recommend doing these for a shorter duration. With practice, you will get the hang of them and be able to add more time to your side planks.
How To Do It:
Begin by lying on your side on a mat. Stack your feet so your hips are facing forward and your ankles and knees are touching and your chest faces forward.
Raise your hips off the ground, balancing on your forearm and your stacked feet. Maintain a straight line from your head to your toes with your body facing forward.
Hold for 15 to 20 seconds.
Allow your hips to return to the ground and turn over to do a side plank on the other side.
Modified Side Planks: If you need to, you can modify the side planks by bending your knees and resting your lower body weight in your knees and lower legs instead of balancing on your feet.
Upper Body Exercises
8. Push-ups
Push-ups are a compound exercise that strengthens your shoulders, chest muscles, triceps, biceps, and core muscles. These are a staple body weight exercise that packs a big punch. There are many variations of push-ups, allowing you to make them easier or more challenging depending on your fitness level and goals.
How To Do It:
Begin with your feet planted on the floor and your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the ground. Engage your core muscles so your body is in a straight line from your heels to your head.
Slowly lower yourself toward the floor, bending at the elbows. Go as far down as you can while maintaining good form, with your body in a straight line.
Push back up to straighten your arms and return to the starting position. Repeat.
Modified Push-Ups: If you need to modify your push-ups, you can do them from a standing position using the wall instead of the floor for resistance. Another option is to do modified push-ups on the ground by bending your knees and resting your weight in your hands and knees.
Incline Push-Ups: For an advanced push-up, you can use an elevated surface to place your feet (such as a bench or step). You can do incline push-ups for a more challenging workout once you master regular push-ups.
9. Seated Dips
Seated dips strengthen your triceps muscles, which run along the back of your upper arms. This calisthenic exercise also works your chest and shoulder muscles.
How To Do It:
1. Sit on the edge of a chair or bench with your feet resting on the floor.
2. Place your hands, palms facing down on the edge of the chair or bench, beside your glutes. Your fingers will grip the edge of the bench or chair.
3. Scoot forward off the chair while keeping your hands planted on the edge. Your glutes will be over the floor in the air.
4. Slowly lower your body, bending at the elbows until your arms are bent at about a 90-degree angle.
5. Push back up to the starting position with your arms fully extended. Repeat.
Related Post: 10 Best Tricep Exercises from a Trainer
Advanced Variation: If you have access to a dip bar, you can progress to doing dips from an upright position on parallel bars. These offer a more challenging upper body workout.
Optional Advanced Exercises
If you have access to bars, you can do pull-ups or chin-ups for advanced upper-body strength training. If you’re a beginner, arm hangs can help you build up your strength for pull-ups. Or, you can do assisted pull-ups with a machine at the gym that allows you to add weight to adjust the difficulty level.
Sample Calisthenics Workout for Beginners
Here is a sample workout with calisthenics for beginners. You can add this workout to your routine at least twice a week for optimal results.
Workout 1
Warm up: Jog or walk for 10 minutes. (You can also walk in place if you are doing the workout at home/indoors).
Circuit 1: Push-ups, squats, lateral lunges, seated dips, planks, dead bug exercise. Do 10 reps for each exercise and allow yourself up to 30 seconds of rest between exercises. After you complete the circuit, take 1 minute of rest. Then, repeat the circuit to do 10 more of each exercise.
Cool down: Jog or walk for 10 minutes.
Workout 2
Warm up: Jog or walk for 10 minutes. (You can also walk in place if you are doing the workout at home/indoors).
Circuit 2: Glute bridges, lunges, lateral lunges, push-ups, seated dips, planks, and side planks. Do 10 reps for each exercise and allow yourself up to 30 seconds of rest between exercises. After you complete the circuit, take 1 minute of rest. Then, repeat the circuit to do 10 more of each exercise.
Cool down: Jog or walk for 10 minutes.
Tips for Getting Started with Calisthenics
Here are some of my top tips and tricks that I use to help people I train:
Schedule two calisthenics workouts per week on your calendar so you will prioritize and stick to your workouts. At least two strength sessions per week will help you get stronger and enjoy the full fitness benefits of bodyweight exercises.
Focus on your form for the calisthenics exercises. Once you master your form and can complete three sets of 10 for each exercise, you can add more intensity to your workout by using free weights (such as dumbbells) or adding resistance bands or bars to your training. If you’re a calisthenics beginner, you don’t need any equipment to get started.
Do regular cardio to enjoy the most fitness benefits from your workouts. Do regular cardio activities like walking, running, hiking, biking, or swimming. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends doing at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity for good health.
Make your workouts social for more accountability and support. Join a fitness class or work out with a friend or family member to help each other stay on track. You’ll have more fun and can celebrate your successes with others.
FAQs
How to start calisthenics as a beginner?
You can get started with calisthenics training at home or at the gym. You do not need any equipment to get started. I’ve outlined basic exercise descriptions and tips but you can consult a personal trainer if you need more one-on-one support for your workouts. If you need a personalized workout plan designed by a certified fitness trainer, head to the Runstreet Training Center.
How long should a beginner do calisthenics?
The length of your workouts will depend on how long you rest between exercises and how many exercises you do. In general, think more in terms of doing enough exercises to work your major muscle groups - including your arms, core, legs, and glutes. Most beginner calisthenics workouts will take about 20 to 30 minutes.
Is 20 minutes of calisthenics enough?
Yes, 20 minutes of calisthenics can still offer you a good strength workout that improves your fitness and health. Some people only have time for micro workouts (that can be as short as a few minutes), and these workouts can add up to provide plenty of health benefits.
Can you get fit with just calisthenics?
Yes, you can improve your fitness with calisthenics training. If you’re trying to lose weight or step up your fitness level quickly, I recommend also doing cardio workouts (such as running or walking) to complement your calisthenics program.
Need a custom training program to transform your fitness and your life? Check out our Virtual Personal Training. For more workout plans and sample free training programs, visit the Runstreet Training Center.
Follow and tag @Runstreet on Instagram to share your workouts and get cheered on. Happy sweating to you!
Related Post: Running for Weight Loss Guide, 10 Best Leg Exercises with Dumbbells
Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified personal trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach based in Brooklyn, NY. Marnie likes helping people get and stay active to enjoy a better quality of life. When she’s not doing fitness things, Marnie enjoys exploring with her dog, a mischievous rescue Akita.
