Can Calisthenics Burn Fat?

This is a common beginner calisthenics question!

First the short answer is: YES, ABSOLUTELY.

Here is how to get started and make your own beginner calisthenics workout!

Second, the long answer:
Beyond burning fat and building muscle, calisthenics will speed up your overall metabolism, allowing to burn fat 24/7.

It is also about muscle quality and composition. And you get prime muscle quality with calisthenics.

Calisthenics isn't just about packing on muscle and burning fat; it's about cultivating muscle quality and a toned physique reminiscent of athletes in gymnastics and martial arts.

And achieving this goes beyond just the exercises – it's about how much and how well you eat.

In the end, your muscle mass attributes and qualities are shaped by your nutrition and the type of training you undertake, guided by your unique fitness goals, be it strength, power, function, endurance, skills, or speed.

Third, the longer answer:

The path to shaping your body...

Muscle Growth with Push-Ups

Today, let's dive into one of the most underrated exercises.

Many mistakenly see push-ups as beginner's exercises, since anyone can do a push up.

Or sort of!

But I'm here to challenge that!

Push-ups are not just for beginners; they are, in fact, one of the most frequently butchered exercises out there (with pull ups).

It's time to rethink your approach and discover the muscle-building magic hidden within this seemingly simple movement.

Here the 3 most important types of push ups!

Mindset Shift:
First things first – let's reshape our mindset around push-ups.

Instead of fixating on rep counts, shift your focus to extracting the most from each repetition. Think of it as a full body workout, where your body tenses from head to toe.

Push-ups, when executed with precision, are far from easy. They are an amazing tool for enhancing overall fitness and sculpting the upper body. It's not only about how many you can do; it's about how much you can get from each...

How Pull Ups Increase!

These methods are great if you can already 12-15 solid pull ups.

Schedule 3 pull up sessions per week for 8-12 weeks.

Here is what each day-session looks like:

Day 1 - Pull Up Emom

• Emom stand for "every minute on the minute". 
• The rule is simple: you do as many reps as you can every minute, including rest.
• You set a timer 5-10 minutes (sets).
• Every minute is a set.

Day 2 - Weighted pull ups

A great way to train weighted pull ups is drop sets.

This is where you lower the weight set after set.

The trick is to start at you max weight-max reps and increase the amount of reps, for each set (every time you lower the weight).

Here is an example of what I do (6’1 - 177 lbs):

• 115 lbs x 1 
• 90 x 3 x 2 
• 85 x 3
• 70 x 3
• 60 x 5
• 55 x 5
• 45 x 6
• 35 x 6
• 25 x 10
• 10 x 10
• 0 x 13
• Bodyweight Australian rows x 23

If you don’t have that many weight options, then simply triple the amount of sets you do for each weight.

Test your max first and...

12 Weeks To Double Your Pull Ups

Earlier I covered how to get started with pull ups.

Today I want to share a tested plan to boost your max pull-ups. 

Whether you're a beginner or a pull-up enthusiast, this three-day-per-week pull up program is designed to take you to the next level. 

Let's dive in and double that max of yours!

this plan works great for anyone currently able to do 4-12 pull ups. 

It still works if you are above that but I’ll write another article to cover this in depth.

You would use that pull up program every other day.

Day 1 - Max reps Sets

This is the day where we run our max sets.

This time we go for 5 sets of your maximum repetitions. 

This mean you have to keep good form through all the reps and not kip for it to count!

Note that you can use a light band during set 4 and 5 if your strength starts to be low. You can also stop after set 3 or 4 if you can’t get any repetition.

The goal is progress to 5 sets overtime.

Rest 3-5...

Calisthenics when overweight?

I have sometimes heard: “I think I need to lose weight before I can start calisthenics”.

This is because people think they need to be able to do pull ups and hard push ups right away.

And this isn’t the case at all!

In fact, it’s the opposite!

Starting and doing calisthenics will make you lose weight.

You will also then become stronger and able to achieve the harder moves that you once thought was impossible!

Watch my client Antal’s transformation, from calisthenics beginner to achieving the muscle up in 2 years!

If you are a beginner and/or need to lose weight here are some useful substitutions for the movements you can’t do yet:

Push ups: 

• Start in a plank, do the negative repetition all the way to do get your chest to the floor, then use your knees to come back up. 
• If you can’t do that yet, start with standing push ups against a wall or elevated push ups with hands on a bench or chairs.

Pull ups:...

Can Calisthenics Build Muscle?

Have you ever wondered if calisthenics, with its bodyweight-focused approach, can truly help you build muscle?

Let's break it down and explore why calisthenics is the muscle-building secret you've been searching for, with insights from a seasoned calisthenics coach.

Understanding Calisthenics:

Calisthenics, a workout method emphasizing bodyweight exercises, introduces a unique dimension to muscle building.

This dynamic training, consisting of push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and dips, relies on your body weight as resistance, setting the stage for a comprehensive strength-building experience.

•  Bodyweight Resistance and Functional Strength:

The power of calisthenics lies in utilizing your body as resistance. This holistic approach engages every muscle group, fostering not just hypertrophy but also functional strength – the kind that makes daily activities a breeze.

•  Progressive Overload for Growth:

Calisthenics offers a progressive...

20 Calisthenics Exercises To Get Better At Front Lever!

If you want to build the strongest abs and back you've ever had, the front lever is for you!

It requires a lot of work and practice to build up to the full front lever hold itself.

So here are 20 calisthenics exercises that will help you start and/or improve your front lever:

•  Tuck front lever
•  Advanced tuck/lay front lever 
•  Banded front lever (band under the hips and band under your feet. Decrease  the size of the band to increase difficulty over time).
•  Full Negative front levers (top -> down)
•  Full Front lever raises (down -> up)
•  Straddle Negative front levers (top -> down)
•  Straddle Front lever raises (down -> up)
•  Full to straddle high holds
•  Full to straddle low holds
•  Dragon Flags
•  Deadhangs
•  Toes to bar
•  Hollow body holds
•  Pull ups
•  High pull ups
•  L-sit
•  Reverse L-sit
•  Reverse L-sit rows
• ...

Motivation is the most overrated thing in fitness.

Fake fitness gurus try to push that notion to fitness beginners, when it comes to training.

The problem is: IT DOES NOT WORK.

Motivation is short term. It’s a quick fix for dopamine release to feel good and positive about something for a short period to time.

If you are trying to lose fat for example, you might get motivated because you have a date, a wedding or a beach holiday coming up. But again, these reasons will fade away very quick. And you likely won’t have lasting results.

So instead of looking for perpetual motivation, I recommend you start looking for INSPIRATION instead.

These two words may seem similar but they are very different.

I see inspiration as the long fix for anything. Inspiration is LONG TERM. 

When we are kids, we are inspired by people! Kids want to be astronauts, musicians , or firefighters! These are long term goals that inspire them.

So next time you don’t feel motivated, look for...

My Favorite Calisthenics Move

I remember seeing "Hannibal For King" around 2008, on YouTube.

He went from doing a dip to levitating, between two benches.

That was a Front Lever.

The man was floating.

It was beast mode and smooth at the same time.

I had never seen anything like that.

And it became my all time favorite calisthenics move.

For several reasons.

Yes there are other very cool moves in calisthenics.

But this one is unique.

Because it is:

• The simplest of all "hard" moves
• Deceivingly easy looking
• Extremely hard to hold
• Very minimalistic
• Joints and shoulders friendly
• Gives you bulletproof abs
• Carries on to other movements
• A mindset challenge

Here are a few tips when you train your front lever:

• Always start practicing the hardest version that you can hold.
• Then add easier variations to your sets to extend your time under tension.
• If you are advanced you can use the variation I use in the video.
• If you are starting your front lever journey, use the simple tuck hold to...

Foot Mobility!

It's easy to ignore them.

Yet they are one, if not, the most important part of your body when it comes to basic human skills.

I am talking about your feet.

You'll notice that very few people actually spend time warming up this specific area of the body.

Here are additional movements to use a good calisthenics warm up!

Let's not forget about rotations. This is also something that everyone needs to be doing well in order to function. 

So in short, the feet and rotations are an essential part of general movement.

Taking care of them is at the top of the list when it comes to calisthenics training, as well as long term, holistic health.

So don't forget to do use these movements next time you warm up!

Get all my calisthenics workout programs and online calisthenics personal coaching here!

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Calisthenics Training FAQ’s

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What is Calisthenics Training?
Calisthenics, rooted in the ancient Greek...