I've been into the calisthenics routine for a over 6 months now and I can sense a big difference in my strength gains. This post hopes to show the common man how 5 simple but electric body weight exercises can bring a whole new world of strength into your routine as an independent workout or done as a hybrid with your weights training. So here goes..
1) Pull ups / One Arm Chin Ups
We overlook everything that is basic. Simply thinking that the most primal exercise of moving our bodies through space seems too menial. Many have done countless in our service in the army; thinking that we should progress beyond that to include lat pull down machine training to increase our strength. Much to our dismay we may never see gains as much as when you do pull ups. The most primal exercise that replicates our instinctive prowess to climb trees and branches. One arm chin-arms can be an excellent progression of the pull up for those who are seeking a need for an outlet to bust your guns. Its no mean feat to execute even one. But when you do, your confidence jumps by truckloads.
2) Push ups / One arm push ups
Studying gymnasts, I have begun to understand very clearly how the human body is able to leverage its body to maximise the resistance on the body when it comes to doing push ups. Although it may look easy to some, try to do close push ups. Not the type you do one rep after the other but the type execute for for 3 seconds down, 3 seconds up. Just 10 of those will hurt your ego badly. Very badly.
3) Handstand Push Ups (HSPUs)
I have yet to do more than 10 reps at each set but to push your own body weight (upside down!) through space (i weigh 72kg at the point of writing this post) is an exceptional challenge I have to overcome. Its extremely intense but it strengthens your shoulder rotator cuff joints while bulking them up. Forget the dumbbell shoulder presses. HSPUs are the way to go.
4) Squats/ Pistol Squats
Everyone hates to squat. 1 out of 10 gym goers will use the squat rack. But no one can deny the power and strength that squatting brings. It forms an integral exercise to strengthen the posterior chain running from the lower back, glutes, hamstrings and not forgetting your quadriceps. Don't forget the pistol squat; a hardcore version of the squat that make grown men fall to their knees (literally!). No one that I know looks strong with stick thin legs. Go figure!
5) Towel hangs
An exercise that I picked up recently from a book called Convict Conditioning. Never in my life have I been humbled by an exercise that took my grip to limits I have never reached before. The feeling you get in your forearms from just gripping a towel hanging from a pull up bar is pure adrenalin. Sugar rush to the brain. You will never feel anything like it unless you climb ropes for a living (something I doubt anyone does). Give it a shot and feel how the burn feels like.
Those are the 5 exercises that I recommend as part of a strength training routine; a routine tried and tested to surpass the dozens of wanna be workout programs you can find on the internet. If you like this post, do share it and train hard!
