Hands up if you absolutely detest jostling around with the crowd at the gym, waiting for a machine to free up so you can swoop down on it.
Hands up if you absolutely detest jostling around with the crowd at the gym, waiting for a machine to free up so you can swoop down on it.
We feel your pain. Thankfully, we’ve found an alternative to gym classes and cardio machines in calisthenics, an old form of exercise that’s experiencing a resurgence.
In a nutshell, calisthenics refers to body weight exercises – think crunches, push-ups and burpees. While some calisthenic workouts like chin-ups and dips require equipment, most do not, so you won’t even have to leave home to get an effective workout.
That said, you may need a bit of guidance at the beginning. Muhammad Firdaus, an instructor at TripleFit, explains: “People need someone there like a mentor or coach to give that assurance of safety, and also to look out for technical cues and postures.” After all, you want to be doing it right, right?
NOT JUST FOR OLD LADIES
Because there are no weights involved, calisthenics has a reputation for being easy (and thus suitable for the oldies), and also for being less effective than weight-based workouts.
This isn’t true. Compared to using weight machines that isolate your muscles, calisthenic exercises work multiple muscle groups at once, saving you lots of time. They’re also an effective way to build muscle endurance and core strength, as well as improve your coordination.
“Calisthenics actually complements other workouts like weightlifting, which can be great for people looking to get into gym training with no experience (or muscle!),” says Firdaus.
In fact, “you need to work on body weight exercises and create a solid foundation first before moving to weightlifting,” he adds.
GET LEAN
If burning fat is what you’re after, calisthenics should be your best friend. The key to torching those calories is to spike up your heart rate, and performing calisthenic exercises like jumping jacks, squats, burpees, push-ups and sit-ups at a high intensity will do just that. Look up High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Tabata, which follow the basic principles of calisthentics, if you’re serious about losing weight fast.
If you’ve been spending hours at the gym with only negligible results to show for it, give calisthenics a try. The best part? It’s effective no matter your fitness level.
If your goal is to get fit fast, you might want to skip your next gym sesh and switch to calisthenics instead. Trust us, it’s not just for your grandmother.
5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD TRY CALISTHENICS
1. You’ll save money, since you don’t need a gym membership or expensive equipment to get a killer calisthenics workout.
2. You’ll save time, not just because the moves work multiple muscle groups at once, but also because you won’t have to spend time travelling to the gym or changing weights.
3. It’s easier on the joints compared to weight-based workouts, reducing the possibility of injury.
4. It can help you improve your sports performance, especially when you do plyometrics, a type of calisthenics that involves lots of jumping.
5. It’s easy to learn. Unlike many gym exercises that involve technical and precise body movements, most calisthenic exercises are simple to perform.
Images 123RF.com / Additional Reporting Syafii Ghazali.
