Calisthenics For Beginners With Chloe McDonnell
Even if you’re not quite sure what calisthenics is, you’ll have no doubt seen it in action.
Characterised by bodyweight-only exercises, this training style is popular with gymnasts and those who want to increase strength on their own terms and schedule.
Following the basic planes of human movement, such as pulling and pushing motions, calisthenics has been championed by those who love to build muscle without needing to be tied down to a gym or equipment. It can also be easily adapted to suit both beginners and those already familiar with the concept.
Want to learn more? We caught up with coach and AYBL Athlete, Chloe McDonnell on all things calisthenics.
WHAT IS CALISTHENICS?
Before we get into the nitty gritty, let's first establish the basics.
The term calisthenics comes from the Greek words ‘Kalos’ meaning beauty and ‘Stenos’ meaning strength. Often compared to gymnastics, calisthenics is a form of resistance training that primarily uses your own bodyweight to build strength and size. Think press ups, tricep dips, jump squats and planks to the more advanced moves, like pull ups, hanging leg raises and wall handstands.
READ MORE: Everything You Need To Know About Building Muscle Naturally
HEY CHLOE! HOW DID YOU GET INTO CALISTHENICS?
Even though I was a personal trainer, I was in a bit of a training rut and decided to join a new gym to see if that would help regain my motivation. I saw one of the PTs coaching what I now know to be a back lever, but at the time, I just saw this guy hanging horizontally from a high bar and was really intrigued. I ended up speaking with the trainer and found out that he specialised in calisthenics and, although I had never worked with a PT myself, I decided to hire him in hope of learning something new.
The style of training was so different to anything I had ever seen, but it was also very familiar to me after years of gymnastics, and I was hooked immediately. That was just over a year ago. I worked with my coach for four months, he helped me to really understand how to structure my training and then we started training together for fun.
Calisthenics is much more fun when you have someone to train with and the community is so important in the sport.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CALISTHENICS EXERCISE?
Definitely the handstand, I like to think it’s my speciality! There’s so many ways you can build on it, and, as a skill, it’s almost limitless. It’s also my favourite skill to teach!
WHAT IS IT ABOUT CALISTHENICS THAT YOU ENJOY THE MOST?
I love that the goals you set yourself are skill based - it’s so rewarding to work towards them. It sometimes doesn’t feel like working out, it feels more like playing.
It also brings me back to my childhood and it’s so motivating to realise my body is still capable of things that I worked hard for for all those years.
HOW DO YOU STRUCTURE YOUR CALISTHENICS WORKOUTS TO ENSURE YOU’RE MAKING PROGRESS?
I like to follow a routine, which means repeating the same skills/movements over and over, perfecting them before moving onto the next progression. It’s quite similar to a regular weight lifting routine - I include a pull day, push day, leg day (gotta keep that peach, peachy 👀) and then skill specific training sessions.
The key to calisthenics is not to rush through the progressions, to rest enough, to always train the basics - these are different for everyone depending on your ability - to be consistent with mobility and flexibility training and to focus on working on two to three skills at a time.
Calisthenics is very tough on the central nervous system, so the most important factor in progressing is listening to your body and not overdoing it, as this can cause injury.
READ MORE: 5 Ways To Make Progress With Your Workouts
HOW HAS CALISTHENICS AFFECTED YOUR OVERALL FITNESS AND HEALTH?
I have gained so much strength since I started training just over a year ago, and this is down to the fact that I enjoy it so much and haven’t lost interest. I have been very consistent in my training, which is half the battle when it comes to working out.
It has positively impacted my mental health and made me realise that getting older doesn’t mean I have to stop playing around upside down! On the downside, I have also been injured quite a bit from overtraining and not listening to my body, which has ended in me being sore in places that I didn’t even realise you could be sore.
Overall, I have never felt better about my fitness and my body has changed without me really focusing on my aesthetics, which has been a really positive change to my fitness journey.
HOW HAS YOUR TRAINING ROUTINE EVOLVED AS YOU’VE PROGRESSED WITH CALISTHENICS?
My routine started off very simple and I was working on building my basic strength in pull ups, push ups, dips and core strength. At first, it’s not very exciting, but you have to build the foundations before moving onto the skills. This is where it was super helpful to have a coach. He would explain to me why we were doing the simple things and their importance, while also helping me to stay motivated.
I started training four times per week, including one push, one pull, one lower body, and my PT session was always more skills focused. I now train four to five times per week and still include the basics, but do two skill sessions, which aren’t super structured, they’re more like playtime. I also now spend a lot more time working on my mobility and stretching, as I have really learned the importance of looking after my joints.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO’S JUST STARTING OUT?
It can be overwhelming and confusing to start with. My advice is to pick one or two skills to focus on. For example, you could include pull up drills into your current workout routine, such as banded pull ups, Australian pull ups or even just dead hangs to improve your grip strength and get used to being on the bar. By working on these drills three to four times a week, you will soon start to see progress.
You don’t have to completely overhaul your current style of training, in fact, weightlifting alongside calisthenics is highly effective and it’s what I encourage all of my clients to do.
READ MORE: 5 Best Weight Training Exercises For Beginners
WHAT EXERCISES WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR BEGINNERS?
Focus on the basics - these include: push ups, pulls ups, dips and core strength.
Once you have built up some strength, I would start to work on drills and exercises to prep for handstands, L-sits, elbow lever, back lever and muscle ups. Notice how I said drills to work towards and not just head straight into the skills!
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LOOKING TO GIVE CALISTHENICS A GO? TRY THIS WORKOUT PROVIDED BY THE EXPERT HERSELF, CHLOE MAC…
Don’t forget to always warm up properly and stretch at the end of your workouts. Flexibility is key in callisthenics if you plan on progressing.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR THOSE LOOKING TO IMPROVE THEIR SKILLS?
If you’re struggling with a skill, always take it back a regression or two and focus on perfecting those moves. Make sure to video your form and review what you think you could improve on. You can always watch other athletes who inspire you and try to figure out how their form differs from yours.
My final tip is to just stick at it. Skill work can be frustrating - one week you’ll feel like you’ve mastered it, then the next week you may feel like you can’t do it at all. However, if you are consistent you will make progress!
The beauty of callisthenics workouts is their accessibility. All you need is your body and gravity. You can do calisthenics anytime, anywhere, and expect a full-body burn while building functional strength and increasing muscle power. Not to mention one of the biggest benefits of calisthenics is the low risk factor.
So, while a trendy gym and stocked weight room can be nice, it’s not always the answer to building strength.
Want to discover more athlete-led workouts? Try this push workout with Lauren Johnson.