The word Calisthenics is an amalgamation of the Greek words kálos and sthénos, which translates to beauty and strength.
- Beauty– To emphasize the aesthetic pleasure that causes the perfection of the human body.
- Strength– Great mental strength, courage, strength, and determination.
Catherine Beecher, writer of Physiology and Calisthenics for Schools and Families (1857) was an early advocate of calisthenics. Initially, calisthenics was intended solely for women, but quickly it became an activity for both the sexes. Although Calisthenics is not the trendiest terms in the fitness world when compared to weight-lifting or gymnastics, you cannot ignore the health benefits of calisthenics.
Taking every aspect into consideration, the number of participants in Calisthenics in the United States is increasing year by year, thereby gaining more popularity.
Calisthenics boosts brain power
The advocates of gym claim that calisthenics lacks a progression element as palpable in weight training or machine resistance such as plate-loaded or cable devices. Such a statement about calisthenics is false and frivolous. The unknown truth is that there are infinite progressions for every calisthenic exercise which make sure that power and strength increase progressively.
Apart from increasing power and strength of the body, Calisthenics play a pivotal role in stimulating the brain power too. So what does Calisthenics have to do with brain power?
Your brain and nervous system work at the back end when you force you, different groups of muscles, to work together at the same time to overcome a challenge. When you keep on practicing the same pattern, over the time you become efficient enough to execute the similar challenges. Eventually, your system becomes smarter. The connection between your body and brain gets activated when you move your body through space, as opposed to moving an implement.
For example, one arm handstand works on two basic principles, Strength and Balance. Both of them combine together, bringing body and brain to work in tandem in a single task. Following are the few examples of the calisthenic type exercises which make sure that your body and brain work simultaneously:
- Pistol Squat;
- Inverted Bodyweight Row;
- Jumping;
- Pull-ups.
Calisthenics stand on a pillar of ‘Anytime, Anywhere’
In today’s busy and digital world, finding out time to go to the gym or finding a park for exercise is no longer an easy task. Not everyone can afford to stick to a regular workout routine because of this fast-paced life.
But isn’t it a good idea if your gym travels with you everywhere you go? There is a portable gym named ‘Calisthenics’ which you can carry anywhere you wish to and get rid of the blame-game, thereby following a ‘no-excuse’ approach.
The benefits of Calisthenics are as mentioned below:
- You hardly require any extra equipment.
- Just need a minimum of space to perform your exercise.
- Based on the philosophy of ‘Train right here, right now.’
A 21 year UK girl named Gurpreet Kaur, with the fulcrum of Calisthenics workouts reached to such a level that her Instagram name (‘Fitness Kaur’) really suits her personality. Her pictures on Instagram fit perfectly in aforementioned 3 benefits of the calisthenics.
With Calisthenics, you will be left with no excuses if you skip a day while training with it. So, be fit and healthy with no mere usage of equipment, anywhere under the blue sky.
(Image Source: https://www.instagram.com/fitnesskaur/ )
Why should ‘Youth’ have all the fun, even elders can have a good physique
Does aging past 50 years mean you can’t have a sexy waistline and strong arms? Why jitter when you are progressing towards an age when you can’t step into the gym to remain fit? Age is just a number and getting older does not mean that you will have to be fat and weak at the same time. On the other hand, the good news is that you can stay fit and healthy at any age with calisthenics.
Just imagine, is it possible for the elderly people suffering from overweight or any other sort of illness to perform hard weight reducing training programs using different sorts of equipment? If he does so, he will definitely end up worsening his condition. However, with Calisthenics approach, there are many exercises which lie under the ambit of elderly people and are highly effective.
A research published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine, reveals that calisthenics exercises “have the ability to combat weakness and frailty and their debilitating consequences. Done regularly (e.g., 2 to 3 days per week), these exercises build muscle strength and muscle mass and preserve bone density, independence, and vitality with age”.
Calisthenics veteran, a 71- Year old Mike Joplin, shares tips and wisdom from his 50 years of Calisthenics exercises. Age is just a number for Mike. His most impressive transformation was achieved at an age of 40.
As per him, “Bodyweight exercise provides you enough of resistance to attain a great physique but also gives you a safer and more natural barrier to avoid injury in comparison with weightlifting.”
(Image Source: https://www.homemademuscle.com/a-lifetime-of-calisthenics-tips-wisdom-from-71-year-old-mike/ )
‘Fitness’ is a simple term which should not be complicated with the gym. When searched in the dictionary, the definition of fitness comes out to be “The state or condition of being physically sound and healthy, especially as the result of exercise and proper nutrition.” As can be concluded from the definition that fitness in no way is only related to the gym. All you need is determination and discipline to train hard and consistently.
Calisthenics is one of the best strength building routines available, consisting of a variety of gross motor movements like running, standing, grasping, pushing, etc, often performed liltingly and with minimal equipment, paving way for maximum benefits.
