What is calisthenics? “Kallos” means beauty in ancient Greek, and “sthenein” means to stretch or pull out. The term calisthenics is derived from these two words. In other words, “beautiful stretching” is an excellent way to describe the term.
Calisthenics contains exercises ranging from simple push-ups, lunges, sit-ups, and squats to extremely complex gymnastics movements. This kind of workout is often fluid, with one move flowing into the next. It maintains a high heart rate during a challenging exercise by circulating blood throughout your body and simultaneously activating many muscle groups.
Whether you are a newbie or experienced athlete, calisthenics equipment might be helpful. You can use such pieces at home, in the gym, and even at the park. Anyway, exercises will help you improve your skills and move to the next fitness level. Read on to know more about the best calisthenics equipment you will definitely benefit from.
Gymnastic Rings
Gymnastics rings, often known as Olympic rings, are possibly the most adaptable piece of calisthenics equipment. Many bodyweight exercises may be performed with them, making the rings an excellent choice for:
- levers;
- l-sit, v-sit;
- pull-ups;
- dips.
Both wood and plastic rings are available. Wooden rings provide a more natural feel and better grip without chalk. But if you leave a wooden gymnastics ring outdoors in the rain or snow, it will rot. It’s safe to leave plastic rings outdoors since they’re waterproof. However, chalk may be necessary because it tends to become slippery. To sum it up, wood is a good choice if you want to use your rings inside. If your rings are exposed to the elements, consider purchasing plastic ones.
Under, on, and in the push-up position are three of the most common ways to use the equipment. Each location provides a unique opportunity to work out.
Pull Up Bar
If you want to build a solid proportional body, you need a pull-up bar. There are no good ways of training pulling movements without hanging and pullups are one of the best exercises to train your back muscles. So this equipment is essential. The exercises’ list includes:
- hanging knee raises;
- pull-ups;
- chin-ups;
- toes above the bar.
You may get a wide variety of pull-up bars that can be installed in your doorframe and are simple to locate. There are several options- to fix the bar on top of the door or place it between its sides. The first variant is more stable and offers you a neutral grip. However, such a pull-up bar can damage the doorframe’s top. The second bar’s type allows adjusting height, but the con is less security.
Stall pull-up bars are the strongest and most adaptable, but they are also the most expensive. A wide variety of calisthenics exercises and mobility routines may be performed with these pull-up bar stations. Any calisthenics training program would be incomplete without using a pull-up bar of some kind.
Parallettes
This equipment will help you to cover a horizontal pulling pattern. It also allows you to perform:
- dips;
- handstands;
- l-sits;
- planches.
In addition, various items of equipment compensate for a loss of movement. Wrist mobility may be a stumbling block in handstands, planches, and other exercises. A pair of little parallettes enables you to perform both motions more simply while working on strengthening your wrist mobility. Parallettes can improve almost every “floor” exercise. For example, instead of practicing floor handstand push-ups with a limited range of motion, you may do deficit handstand push-ups, which increase mobility, strength, and muscular mass.
What does the market offer us? Parallettes can be separate or glued together. Most athletes prefer separate ones. The reason behind it is you can adjust the distance. Plus, they take minimum space in your home gym. When doing floor-based workouts on parallettes, you may maintain your wrists in a neutral posture. This is an excellent option for people with weak wrist mobility and difficulties in doing push-ups or handstands.
Resistance Bands
This piece of calisthenics equipment makes almost every exercise more intense and effective.
Resistance bands will assist you in practicing:
- band squats;
- floor press;
- overhead press;
- band deadlifts.
Of course, it’s not the complete list of possible exercises. There are many other gym exercises that are done with a cable machine that can be substituted with resistance bands like cable pull-through for example.
Resistance bands’ versatility is unmatched, enabling you to do hundreds of different workouts with them. Exercises for the lower body benefit a lot from the added resistance. One more good news is they are light and easy to carry along.
Bands come in varied thicknesses. Thicker ones make workouts more challenging. However, some band-aided movements are simpler because of the additional support. We suggest getting at least two kinds of bands – one low resistance for stretching and easier activities and one more excellent resistance for stretching bigger body areas and supporting in demanding complex moves. For long resistance bands, things like bars, poles, and trees may be used as anchor points. Such equipment works best for rows; the band pulls and pushes.
Ab Roller
Spending most of our waking hours sitting, we often gradually lose our ability to maintain excellent posture. Developing a strong core is one of the greatest methods to avoid a deterioration in overall fitness. Simple exercise instruments like the “ab wheel” or “ab roller” may be used in many ways to achieve this goal.
Whether you’re just starting out or already are an advanced calisthenics practitioner, this is a great tool. The ab roller primarily targets the lower back and activates abdominal muscles. Here are a few exercises you can do with it:
- kneeling ab wheel rollout;
- oblique wheel rollouts;
- kneeling plank reaches;
- crouching ab rollout.
For decades, many people have relied on the ab wheel to build muscle or modify their body shape. According to the research held in 2006, an ab roller was proved to be one of the most effective equipment pieces.
Weighted Vest
Do you feel like your routine exercises have become too easy for you? Do you want to move on to the next level? Using a weighted vest might be helpful! It has the power to make your workout more challenging and satisfying.
A weighted vest is suitable for:
- pull-ups;
- dips;
- push-ups;
- squats.
Some athletes wonder why and how a weighted vest is different from ordinary dumbbells. Dumbbells are a convenient way to transfer weight that isn’t attached to your body. It’s a different story with the weight vest, which literally becomes a part of you during training. Calisthenics may be made more difficult by simply adding weight to the body. You may do the same exercise with more resistance by simply putting a weighted vest on.
Weighted vests are available in a variety of styles. Metal bricks that can be removed from the vest’s weight may be found in the better vests. Other equipment pieces are filled with sand. Sandbags are often preferred since they distribute the weight more evenly.
Suspension Trainer
The TRX is hard not to notice. They are often used. It is common to spot them because of their yellow straps. It’s good to include suspension trainers in your home gym equipment since they allow you to do a wide range of exercises.
We talk about:
- inverted row;
- skater lunge;
- push-ups with your feet in the straps;
- chest fly.
As you can see, a suspension trainer allows for strength and stability exercises to be performed. It also increases the number of abdominal and leg workouts you can do. Portable and able to fit through any doorway or be wrapped around an object outdoors, this piece of exercise equipment is ideal for usage at home or on the go. Whether you’re a novice or an accomplished sportsman, the suspension trainer provides an opportunity to challenge your whole body. Due to their adaptability, suspension trainers are a fantastic investment for your home gym.
Foam Roller
You may use a foam roller to ‘roll out’ or massage your muscles with it. Utilize it before and after exercises to relax muscles and get rid of knots. The back and legs are the most common places to apply the equipment.
The rollers might be long or short, made of plastic or foam, or even have spikes attached to the ends. Skull-busting spikes might be uncomfortable, but they’re ideal for removing muscle knots. Before a workout, foam rolling can help loosen up tight muscles and joints. A foam roller can also:
- improve blood flow;
- reduce muscle soreness;
- help to relax.
Foam rolling has also been proved to have a psychological benefit, with relaxation, and stress reduction reports. As a part of a regular training regimen, experienced athletes always use foam rolls on recuperation days. Foam rolling may be difficult at times, but the immediate benefits include an instant improvement in flexibility and range of motion, as well as improved nutrient-rich blood flow to the recovered muscles, which aids in the healing process and speeds recovery.
Jump Rope
Using a jump rope is a low-cost, high-intensity exercise. It helps to improve your cardiovascular health, strengthen your bones and muscles, and enhance your coordination.
The list of possible exercises includes:
- basic jump;
- boxer step;
- high knees;
- side swing.
The versatility of a jump rope, despite its “childish” image, makes it an excellent tool for a wide variety of activities, from running leaps to high-intensity interval training. It aids in maintaining a sense of balance and provides a greater burst of energy and quickness. Furthermore, jump rope exercises are an excellent warm-up.
One of the best things about jumping rope is that you can use it anywhere, even in your flat. When many individuals are still reluctant to go to the gym, this is a tremendous advantage.
Liquid Chalk
Every calisthenics athlete must have chalk in their toolbox. Bars may be very slippery, and this is made worse by individuals who don’t clean up after themselves. Chalk is the answer to a better grip. There are two types of chalk: Mag and Magnesium Carbonate. For as long as anybody can recall, sportsmen have utilized powder chalk. It’s easy to remove with soap and water.
However, there is a new kid on the block: liquid chalk. It is packaged in airtight containers. Liquid chalk is a better alternative to powdered chalk since it doesn’t spread. When it comes to grip, liquid chalk works great too. Just put a tiny amount in your palms and let it sit for 30 seconds before squeezing it out. It will harden like powdered chalk as it dries.
Conclusion
You can acquire the physique you desire with calisthenics routines, no matter what your fitness objectives are. Calisthenics workouts may often be performed without any special equipment. Purchasing a few items of gear, on the other hand, will enable you to work on your overall strength by engaging in a range of pulling activities, as well as increasing the intensity of many exercises. We hope that our key equipment list will help you get the most out of your calisthenics workout!