HOW DO I DEVELOP THE POWER OF A CALISTENIC ?

by Oboiko wycliffe, posted in #HEALTHY LIVING

Aquiring the skills and power to perform some of the calistenic movements can be strikingly difficult especially for people who have never been part of the fitness journey . Calistenic exercises involve an extensive array of systematic rhythmic bodily exercises that focus on strengthening large muscle groups : chest,legs,arms ,back and abs by promoting strength, endurance,coordination ,flexibility and body control(coordination) through regular demands upon the cardiovascular system.It’s undoubtedly that for one to be able to perform a range of exersers that require full attention and coordination, could be somehow challenging .

Calistenic allows an athletes to rely and maximize on their body weight and the ability to control the flow of their body ,unlike body building where we focus on building new bundles of muscle fibres through either body weight or equipments with an additional suppliments ,calistenic focuses on the art of developing body control ,balance, power , flexibility and stamina to accomplish a given exercise .

There is a huge link between the two disciplines ; body building and calistenics ,since they all equip the athlete with the necessary power, body and routine to start with. Like any sport , calistenic requires sacrifice and devotion. Most althletes spend most of their time training and perfecting , this may seem to hard since it requires one to bite into his time , and perhaps you may think it’s impossible ! but it all starts with a proper planning .

Photo by Li Sun on Pexels.com

To start calistenics , it’s key you first understand the level of fitness, if you are a begginer it may take a bit longer for you to master the art as compared to an intermediate or expert ,thus I recomend you start by these simple exercises to help you develop the power and strength of a calistenic athlete . They include :

  • Push ups – 3 sets of 10 reps
  • Planks – 30 sec
  • lunges – 15reps
  • Pull ups -5 sets of 6reps
  • knee tucks
  • Chin ups
  • Sit ups
  • Hanging bar raises

For beginners who are only able to do 5-10 or 10-15 repetitions at a time, these exercise will help build muscle strength.If you are able to do more reps, you can try adjust the complexity of the variations or adjust the intensity of the calisthenic workout to your fitness level. For example, you can add extra weight while you exercise. This could be wearing a weight vest while doing pull ups ,push ups or chin ups . These will help you develop the power to be able to do over bar pull ups , L-sit pull ups , Ring pull ups , Front lever and make you feel lighter when performing other variations with your body weight .

With these variation , you would develop enough power and strength to perform even the most challenging calistenic exercises such as the 90 degree push-up and hold .

Changing your body position can be another way to increase the intensity of the exercise being performed.You can try doing either decline, incline ,negative and even explosive push ups while you do push-ups . This challenges your muscles more,enabling you to tear and form a new bundles of muscle fibres which increases the volume of ATP storage in your muscles .Through the process your body’s muscle mass may increase making you have a leaner appearance. With calisthenics enabling you to be more flexible.

Calistenic courses can as well help you stick to workouts for longer periods of time and maintain a healthy lifestyle. But in order to get the full benefit,you have to ensure you keep the intensity of the workout at the the peak with breaks in between for effectiveness . That keeps your heart rate beaming , making the session more challenging and productive.

Sometimes , you may feel like giving up ,but remeber that there is no journey without challenges ,the challenges are only meant to mould you stronger and efficient , therefore consitency and resilience may play a major role in your journey of achieving the power of a calistenic .

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