{"id":344733,"date":"2025-12-14T13:27:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T13:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/344733\/"},"modified":"2025-12-14T13:27:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T13:27:07","slug":"one-of-the-toughest-strength-workouts-out-there-is-practically-equipment-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/344733\/","title":{"rendered":"One of the toughest strength workouts out there is practically equipment-free"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Calisthenics includes squats, push-ups and other bodyweight exercises.Daniel Salas\/Supplied<\/p>\n

Sometimes the most challenging and effective workouts are the ones with the fewest bells and whistles. That\u2019s the case with calisthenics, a workout style that uses just your bodyweight and the power of gravity to build muscle, stamina and endurance. <\/p>\n

Calisthenics can be as simple as a squat or as complex as holding your body horizontally in mid-air from a vertical pole (a move known as a \u201chuman flag<\/a>\u201d) and can improve not only your physical fitness, but your courage and confidence as well. <\/p>\n

When planning for retirement, don\u2019t neglect physical fitness<\/a><\/p>\n

And because it\u2019s so easily regressed and progressed based on your unique level of strength and skill, it\u2019s beginner-friendly and safe for people of nearly any age. <\/p>\n

\u201cAge is just a number, and you see it in calisthenics more than any other industry I\u2019ve seen in fitness,\u201d says Janie Stel<\/a>, the current Canadian freestyle champion and co-founder of the Women\u2019s Calisthenics Organization<\/a>, whose mission is to empower women through calisthenics.<\/p>\n

Want to get started? Here\u2019s what you need to know. <\/p>\n

What is calisthenics?Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Calisthenics is good for beginners, but is also a competitive sport around the world.Matt Thistle\/Supplied<\/p>\n

Calisthenics is one of the oldest forms of exercise. Records of people engaging in the practice date back to the Spartan warriors in Greece around 600 BC. In the eras that followed, it became a favoured workout of the army and one of the few acceptable forms of exercise for women in the early 1800s. By the 1950s, fitness guru Jack LaLanne was being broadcast on television screens in homes across the United States demonstrating how calisthenics could help anyone get fit from the comfort of their living room. <\/p>\n

Today, it\u2019s both an accessible form of exercise for someone brand new to fitness and a competitive sport with contests in cities across the globe. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re able-bodied, it\u2019s the kind of exercise regimen you can do almost anywhere: The core movements such as push-ups, pull-ups, dips, squats and hollow-body holds require very little, if any, equipment. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s also known as a \u201cstreet workout\u201d and with good reason. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t even need to open the doors of a gym \u2013 you just go to a park,\u201d says Carlos Salas<\/a>, founder of Calisthenics Canada<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The mental and physical benefits<\/p>\n

If you watch the viral videos on social media of people swinging their bodies over pull-up bars and doing tricks in mid-air, calisthenics can seem intimidating. Valentina Egusquiza, whom I met during a beginner class at Indomitable Spirit Academy in Mississauga<\/a>, told me that even though she had a background in competitive cheerleading, she initially felt \u201ctoo beginner to be in the beginner class.\u201d <\/p>\n

But with the help of the gym\u2019s owner and instructor, she was able to scale back some of the harder movements and over time, she saw her strength and control improve. \u201cI have come to really value and understand the concept behind \u2018trust the process,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In learning new skills, you also gain a sense of mastery, which has benefits in itself including improved confidence, greater problem-solving skills and mental acuity. <\/p>\n

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On the physical side, calisthenics helps improve functional strength since many of the movements mimic how we move through daily life, from squatting down to pick up a package to pushing open a heavy door. Because your joints are moving through their full range of motion, practising calisthenics can help improve your mobility. Every calisthenics exercise requires you to keep your core engaged, helping build control and stability. And though no weights are involved in calisthenics (except during a competitive track called \u201cstreet lifting\u201d), each exercise uses multiple muscle groups, which builds total-body strength. <\/p>\n

How to get started<\/p>\n

Calisthenics also has perhaps the lowest barrier to entry in that you can do it anywhere, mostly equipment-free. And if you do want access to things such as a pull-up bar, there are free outdoor calisthenics parks<\/a> all over Canada.<\/p>\n

For those who want to workout with others, some calisthenics gyms<\/a> and clubs hold meetups (many of which you can find on the Calisthenics Canada website<\/a>) where people of all levels of ability come together to practice. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the early days like 10 years ago it was me and three other people,\u201d says Salas. \u201cNow, we can call for a meetup in two weeks time and we\u2019re confident we\u2019ll get upwards of 80 to 100 people coming out.\u201d<\/p>\n

To start on your own, begin with a scaled-back version of some of the basic moves. If you can\u2019t do a pull-up<\/a>, start with horizontal rows<\/a> and dead-hangs<\/a>. To make a push-up easier, place your hands on a bench or couch<\/a>. As you progress, you can do a pull-up by jumping up to the bar and slowly lowering down, and do your push-ups from a lower elevation or from the floor.<\/p>\n

No gym, no problem. Try this no-weights workout to improve your strength<\/a><\/p>\n

Lunges, planks, burpees and jumping jacks are also beginner-friendly calisthenics exercises you can try at home. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I like about calisthenics is there\u2019s endless progression,\u201d says Catherine Blanchard-Hoang<\/a>, co-founder of Women\u2018s Calisthenics Organization. \u201cBut you can start with no experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ethan Lawson<\/a>, who works with Salas at Calisthenics Canada, echoes Blanchard. \u201cIt\u2019s scalable for your elderly mom. It\u2019s scalable for your 10-year-old child,\u201d he says. \u201cOne of the really beautiful things about calisthenics is the accessibility and regression and progression.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alyssa Ages<\/a> is a journalist and the author of Secrets of Giants: A Journey to Uncover the True Meaning of Strength. She is also a strongman competitor and endurance athlete, as well as a former personal trainer and group fitness instructor.<\/p>\n