What’s a good calisthenics workout for beginners?

What is a good calisthenics programme for beginners?

Two or three full-body sessions a week. Calisthenics is strength training with your own body weight, and the NHS counts moves like push-ups as strength work.

The NHS asks adults to work every major muscle on at least 2 days a week: legs, hips, back, tummy, chest, shoulders and arms. ACSM, a US body of sports doctors and scientists, advises 2 to 3 days a week for beginners.

So work the whole body each time. Space the sessions out, such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Why 2 to 3 sets? In a review of 14 studies, 2 to 3 sets per exercise were linked with 46% bigger strength gains than 1 set.

New to the plank? Our core exercises guide adds the side plank and bird dog. Pick your days now and put the first one in your diary.

Calisthenics at home: what if I can’t do a push-up?

Start at the wall. That’s the wall push-up, the first rung of a ladder. Al Kavadlo, a calisthenics coach and author, starts novices there.

Each rung does the job of a heavier dumbbell. You don’t add weight. You move to a harder version.

Kavadlo says getting to a full push-up can take a few weeks to a few years. On a full one, keep your hands just wider than your shoulders and your elbows close to your body.

Does 50 sound far off? The NHS gentle home set starts with 3 sets of 5 to 10 wall press-ups.

Find your rung today: the hardest version you can do with good form. For more ways to train your chest, see chest exercises.

How do I get my first pull-up?

Climb a ladder here too. Kavadlo advises practising pull-ups near the start of a workout, two or three times a week, with at least a day of rest between.

Once you can lower for 10 seconds or longer, Kavadlo says a full pull-up will be within reach. You may need days, weeks or even months on each step.

Do rows on the same days. Lie under a bar at about waist height with your feet on the ground. Keep a straight line from heels to head and pull your chest to the bar.

No bar at home? Look for an outdoor gym in a local park. For more pulling moves, see back exercises.

How many reps, and when do I make it harder?

Do each set until you need a short rest. That’s the NHS test for strength work.

Then move up a rung at the coach’s numbers. Squats work the same way, but you build more reps before moving on.

Start each squat from your hips and keep your heels down. Kavadlo finds a beginner can quickly build to 20 in a row.

Our progressive overload guide explains the add-reps-then-make-it-harder idea in more depth. Sore after the first week? See muscle soreness and progress.

Does calisthenics build muscle like weights?

For the chest and arms, one small trial says it can. In 18 young men, push-ups set to match a light bench press built chest and triceps muscle about as well over 8 weeks.

In 23 men who already trained, harder and harder push-ups raised bench press strength in 4 weeks, as the bench press did. Muscle size didn’t change in either group.

Why can light work grow muscle? A review of 21 studies found muscle grew about as much with light loads as heavy ones, when every set went to failure. Heavy loads still built more top-end strength.

These trials were small, short and mostly in young men, and none tested legs. For heavier leg work, see our gym plan for beginners or the two-day home strength routine.

When to speak to a GP first

The NHS asks some people to speak to a GP before they start. Book an appointment if:

• You haven’t exercised for some time.
• You have a medical condition or health concerns.
• You get chest pain that comes and goes, or that goes away quickly but still worries you.
• You’re pregnant and new to this. The NHS says to start any new exercise gently, and not to start a new vigorous activity. In later pregnancy, it says to avoid lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes, so skip rows under a bar. Ask your midwife, and tell any trainer you’re pregnant.

Stop if you feel any pain or become unwell. If symptoms worry you or don’t go away, use 111 online or call 111.

Call 999 if you get sudden chest pain or discomfort that doesn’t go away. The same goes for pain that spreads to your arm, neck, jaw, stomach or back. Or chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headed or short of breath.