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An inexpensive way to maintain your physique
Calisthenics or bodyweight exercises are great for people that don't have equipment at home to workout with. These exercises should not be the focus of your workout plan but more to supplement your weight lifting workout. Bodyweight may be too much weight to use for some which makes it hard for some to complete these exercises. If this is the case, we recommend you purchase exercise bands.
Exercises
| Picture | Name of Calisthenics Exercise | ||||
 | Twisting Crunches Start with lying on your back with your knees at a ninety degree angle and your hands by your side or behind your head for support. Now slowly lift your torso in a diagonal fas... | ||||
 | Crunches Crunches are taught many different ways, but there is a consistant element. Start with lying on your back with your knees at a ninety degree angle and your hands by your side or b... | ||||
 | Weighted Cable Ball Crunch Start by leaning backward on the ball and grabbing a cable. Now with your body firmly planted on the ground for support, raise the weight and complete a crunch (as shown). Breath... | ||||
 | Ball Crunches Lie back on a big ball with your shoulder blades on the ball, with your hips level with the ball slowly roll up contracting your abs (as shown). Slowly return to the starting posi... | ||||
 | Side Bridge Start by lying on a mat with your legs straight out. Turn sideways holding your body up with one bent arm parallel to the floor. Keep your abs tight until 30-60 seconds. A great... | ||||
 | Ball Rollout Start with the ball infront of you and with your hands on the ball. Now lower your body by rolling the ball out keeping your abs tight and as stabilizers so you dont fall. Once y... | ||||
 | Pelvic Thrust Start by lying down on a mat and raising your legs to 90 degrees. Now with your arms at your side raise your pelvis up while trying to keep your legs perfectly vertical. This is ... | ||||
 | Abdominal Barbell Rollouts To begin Abdominal Barbell Rollouts kneel in a pushup position with your hands shoulder width (or wider) on a barbell. With your arms almost locked out on the bar push the bar ahe... | ||||
 | V-Up Start the V-Up by lying flat on a mat and then raise both your legs and arms together while keeping them as straight as possible. Keep your lower back as straight as possible as w... | ||||
 | Jack Knives This exercise can be performed with your knees bent or kept straight. Lie on the ground (beginner) or a bench (advanced) with your lower body not on the bench. Complete a crunch ... | ||||
 | Air Bike Start with your back flat on the ground. Now raise your opposite arm and leg together (as shown). Repeat side to side until a complete set is finished. Spotter Informat... | ||||
 | Butt or Gluteus Maximus Kickbacks This butt kickback can be performed as shown by kneeling down with one leg behind your body slightly raised and bent in a 90 degree position. Now raise the leg as high as you can ... | ||||
 | Medicine Ball Chest Pushups Begin this the medicine ball pushups by lying face down in a pushup position with your butt parallel to the floor. Now try to use one hand to grasp the medicine ball and then the o... | ||||
 | Wall Push Up This exercise is great for people who are not able to do a regular push up. To begin, start standing up and then lean against a wall with your hands out. Now with your hands at s... | ||||
 | Exercise Ball Pushups These exercise ball pushups are much harder than ground pushups because you are doing them on an exercise ball which throws your balance off significantly. To begin, lie face firs... | ||||
 | Double Medicine Ball Pushups This alternate chest pushup exercise can be performed by having two medicine balls in each hand in a pushup position. With your hips flat with your body (see picture) lower your u... | ||||
 | Push Up To complete a pushup start by lying face down on the ground with your hands out to the side (a bit wider than shoulder width). Now with your arms slightly bent, and your knees str... | ||||
 | Knee Push Up (Modified Push Up) Start with your knees on the floor and your feet up (facing the mat). Place your hands parallel with your shoulders and a bit wider than shoulder width apart. Without touching th... | ||||
 | Dips To perform the dip exercise, extend yourself at arms length above the bars, then lower yourself slowly until ninety degrees then back to the top. The more forward you lean, the mo... | ||||
 | Push Ups Between Benches (Push Up) Pushups between benches are performed as shown by placing your body between a bench in a push-up position having hands and feet on opposite benches and then lowering your body as l... | ||||
 | Back Hyper-Extensions Start by lying face down, then raise your arm and head with the opposite leg. If done properly you should feel a stretch in your lower back. Finally, lower your leg, arm, and hea... | ||||
 | Back Extensions Place yourself face down on a hyperextension bench with your feet hooked under the rear pads. Place your hand across your chest and bend at the waist until your upper body is ... | ||||
 | Exercise Ball Leg Lifts This exercise should only be performed by advanced exercisers and should begin by having your hands firmly on the floor with your lower body as shown. Now begin to raise one leg ... | ||||
 | Twisting Leg Raises Hang from a chin-up bar or some gyms have benches specifically made for hanging leg raises. Raise your knees up as high as you can in a diagonal fashion (bringing one knee towa... | ||||
 | Ball Knee Crunches Start with your body cradled over the ball and then roll your body out with your hands. Have your knees (or feet to make it harder) on the ball. Now bring the ball in using your ... | ||||
 | Abdominal Dragon Flags Begin abdominal dragon flags by lying down on a bench as shown with your arms above your head holding onto the bench. Now bring your entire lower body up towards the ceiling until ... | ||||
 | Roman Chair Hang from a chin-up bar or some gyms have benches specifically made for hanging leg raises. Raise your knees up as high as you can, curling your pelvis forward. Hold the posi... | ||||
 | Exercise Ball Lower Back Extensions To perform the calisthenics exercise: exercise ball lower back extensions begin lying on an exercise ball with your arms out in front of you and your feet stable on the floor behin... | ||||
 | Ball Side Crunches or Bends Start by draping yourself over the ball front first. Then slowly staggar your legs front to back as shown while putting your obliques on the ball and trying to put your hands over... | ||||
 | Calisthenics Elbow Instep Lunge The calisthenic elbow instep lunge is performed like an ordinary lunge with the exception of extending your body forward and putting your similar leg and elbow together as shown. ... | ||||
 | Bench Dips Place two benches Parallel to each other. From standing in th middle of them, place your hands on the edge of the back bench and your feet on the front bench. By bending at t... | ||||
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