CALISTHENICS EQUIPMENT AND BODYWEIGHT TRAINING BASICS
Calisthenics is the practice of using your body weight with the intended purpose of developing strength, health, and coordination. The practice of calisthenics (or street workout) was developed centuries before the machines and dumbbells and was the primary source of conditioning by the ancient Greeks. In fact the word, 'Calisthenics' is a derivative of the Greek words kalos, for which translates to “beauty,” and sthenos, as “strength".
The great thing about these primal workouts is that it can be done just about anywhere and requires little to no calisthenics equipment to train. You'll find a list of suggested gear at the bottom of this article.
Another advantage is its adaptability to a broad range of body types and fitness goals. Whether you are an aerialist looking to cross-train or someone who is simply looking to make some life changes and improve your fitness level, calisthenics training is adaptable to both. You can train in the comfort of your own home, in a gym, or at a park while your kids are playing alongside you.
There are modification options so that anybody, regardless of your current strength level can do it. Doesn’t matter what your strength or skill level is, it is never too early or too late to start. You can choose a workout routine that best suits your needs and lifestyle; this can be one day a week, two days a week or more. If you are serious about taking your fitness and strength to the next level you should be training or conditioning a minimum of two days a week, ideally three days a week. Sometimes it might only be a 30-minute training session because you are trying to squeeze it in between work, school, kids, and life. You might not have the time to drive to the gym but you can squeeze in 20 or 30-minutes of strength training at home or at the park while your kids are playing. If you don’t have any workout equipment at home, don’t worry; there are plenty of exercises that you can do without it.
Challenge yourself to make it a six-week training program. Pick your workout plan, either one, two, or three days a week and you are going to commit to. That means that as soon as you choose how many days you are going to commit to I want you to put them on your calendar as if you are scheduling meetings with yourself over the next six weeks.
If you need some workout instruction, particularly around the use of calisthenics resistance training bands, we have a few helpful resources for you.
1) Check out Elizabeth Blanchard (@elizabeth_bfit) calisthenics bodyweight training ebook right here. Elizabeth is a beast of a woman and is one of the most well-rounded athletes in the game.
2) 12 Minute Athlete / RubberBanditz Bodyweight Strength and Power training program
3) Quick and dirty affordable workout guides by some of the calisthenics legends including @muscle_up_jarvis @tatted_strength and The School of Calisthenics
To do a calisthenics workout at home or at the gym, the bodyweight exercise equipment you’ll need:
• Pull-up bar
• Parallel bars or parallettes
• Chalk or gloves as a grip aid (optional)
• RubberBanditz bands (obviously ; )
• Gymnastics rings (optional)
That's it! You can find just about any piece of calisthenics equipment in our shop. If you find you need anything else to thrust yourself forward along your calisthenics journey (including pep talks or high fives), feel free to DM us on Instagram @rubberbanditz.
