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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... | ||||
 | 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... | ||||
 | 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... | ||||
 | 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 ... | ||||
 | 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 ... | ||||
 | 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... | ||||
 | 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... | ||||
 | 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... | ||||
Forum Discussions
| 22 years old, need help with body fat... | Hi I'm 22 years old and I exercise regularly however I only do exercises such as cardio (i play soccer just about every other day and i do a couple ab exercises throughout the week, i think its the 8minute ab workout on youtube to be exact, i do that... |
| please help | I need a nutrional plan that will help me gain weight and fit ness routine that will help me strengthen my upper body and tone my abdominal and lower back muscles. Im 5ft 2in and weigh 108lbs. My goal is to gain about 12lbs. and stay toned. I recentl... |
| 6 Exercise Machines You Could Do Without | THE SMITH MACHINE The myth: This machine—which looks like a squat rack with a built-in bar that runs on guides—gives you all the benefits of squats, but none of the risk that comes from holding a heavy barbell across your back. That’s because t... |
| Chest fat! | hey, im 16 5'11 bout 120lbs and i have slight but noticeable pectorial fat (man-boobs ^_^) anything i can do to get rid of them? preferably i'm thinking of some sort of upper body cardio exercise, but i dno.... |
| fatigue day after exercising | Hello to all. I am 63 and have been exercising frequently for many years. My weight is 68,5 kg and ht is 5.6. However, I slacked off exercising the last two years and I am trying to get back into a regular routine. I have been swimming almost eve... |
| Problem building arm mass(Biceps, Triceps) | Hey, I have been weightlifting since i was a freshman so almost two years ago and overall my physique has changed from being skinny to moderately muscular in about 2 years. But ive hit a snag. My upper body is great; such as my pecs, back, traps, and... |
| Problems with my thighs and butt [male] | Hi. I've always been kinda big for my age and stature. Last year, though, I decided to change my eating habits, and work out a bit more. I used to be 140 lbs, but now I'm 120. I used to do about 200 sit ups a night, as well as Dance Dance Revoluti... |
| The Perfect Pushup and Powertubes? | So basically I used to weight lift a lot from when I was 15-18 y/o and then stopped. Well I'm 22 and looking to get back in shape. I'm not over weight just skinny and ideally want to be ripped, tight, and strong again, but not necessarily huge or any... |