Calisthenics: 5 Quick Wins And 3 Long Term Benefits

Calisthenics is a series of high-intensity exercises that are designed to build strength and muscle mass. They’re low-impact exercise that targets lots of different muscle groups. And they don’t require equipment (just some space). In this post, I’ll outline the 5 most important quick wins and long term benefits of adding calisthenics to your workout.

5 Quick Wins & 3 Long Term Benefits From Calisthenics

Quick Win #1: Increase your metabolism

Metabolism is the rate at which your body uses energy. And in theory, increasing your metabolism should make it easier to lose weight. That’s because a higher metabolism burns more calories even when you’re resting. In fact, one study found that people with a higher metabolic rate ate 77% fewer calories than those with a lower metabolic rate. And the best way to increase your metabolism? Exercise. In fact, just 30 minutes of high intensity exercise can boost your metabolism for the rest of the day.

Quick Win #2: Build muscle mass

When you increase the number of muscles that you use during a workout, you’ll increase your chances of building new muscle. And the best way to do that? Target multiple muscle groups during each set. For example, let’s say you have two exercises that target your chest. Instead of doing one set to failure for each exercise, do a total of three sets for both exercises. Then, move on to your next muscle group. In this case, your triceps. Finally, finish up with your chest. This time, do 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

The more muscle groups you work with, the better your results will be. After all, you’re not only training your current muscles. You’re also targeting muscles that are weak. And when those weak muscles start to get stronger, it shows in your weight loss (or lack thereof).

Quick Win #3: Boost your immune system

One of the main goals of any fitness regimen is to keep you healthy. And when it comes to keeping you healthy, your immune system plays a key role. As it turns out, strength training can actually help your immune system! In fact, a recent study published in Frontiers in Physiology found that people who regularly lift weights have higher levels of natural killer cells than those who don’t lift often. And these special white blood cells play an important role in fighting off infections and cancer cells.

Quick Win #4: Improve your cardiovascular system

Do you have good cardiovascular health? If not, then chances are you’re not getting as much aerobic benefit from your workouts as you could be. The solution? Add some calisthenics into your routine. Specifically, choose exercises from the “jump” or “tower” categories in the Strength Expert database. Jump exercises work the lower body; tower exercises target the upper body.

Quick Win #5: Muscle toning, flexibility, and coordination

Calisthenics is an excellent way to build and maintain lean muscle mass. That’s because calisthenics target many of the same muscles as weight training. But instead of lifting heavy weights, you’re using your own body weight as resistance. For example, let’s say you want to build up your chest. You could do 50 chest presses. Or you could perform a single dumbbell chest fly. Both approaches work. But I’ve found that calisthenics is more effective at building chest muscle. The reason?

In addition to chest exercises, calisthenics also works your triceps, shoulders, biceps, back, core, and even your glutes and hamstrings.

Long Term Benefit #1: Improved appearance

By improving all muscle and lean body mass, calisthenics can help you lose weight and look younger. A recent study published in the journal Age showed that older adults who increased their physical activity by just 30 minutes per week shaved 4.6 years off of their apparent age. Another study published in the Journal of Sports Science found that resistance training reduced the amount of time it took the skin to re-pigment by 50%. Bottom line? Adding more calisthenics to your workout can improve your muscle mass, which can make you appear younger.

Long Term Benefit #2: More energy

By more energy, I mean feeling more energetic after your workouts. And when it comes to getting more energy from your workouts, there’s no better option than calisthenics. A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that jumping significantly increased heart rate and energy expenditure during a workout. Jumping also led to a significantly higher perceived exertion compared to a non-jumping workout. In short, jumping burns calories and makes you feel like you’re working hard.

Long Term Benefit #3: Increased lifespan

Yes, that’s right. Calisthenics even increases lifespan! That’s according to a 2019 study published in The Journals of Gerontology. In fact, the researchers found that men who regularly do calisthenics have an 8% decreased risk of mortality compared to those who don’t do calisthenics. For women, the corresponding benefit was 6%. Not only does calisthenics help you live longer, but it can also help you age gracefully.

Conclusion

There you have it, the Calisthenics: 5 Quick Wins And 3 Long Term Benefits. Now I’d like to hear from you: What do you think of this new exercise? Or maybe you have a question about something. Either way, please go ahead and leave a comment below right now. I’ll be around today to personally reply to comments and answer questions. So if you have a question or thought, leave a comment below. I’ll get back to you. Thanks for reading!

Further Reading:

• Calisthenics Workout: 4 Simple Exercises for Beginners
• Calisthenics vs Weights: Benefits, Strength Building