Calisthenics, or bodyweight exercises, are an excellent way to begin your fitness journey. They can be performed anywhere, require no equipment, and can be easily adapted to your fitness level. However, as you progress and get stronger, you might find these exercises becoming too easy.
This article will explore several advanced training modalities to keep challenging your body and pushing your limits, as shown by Hampton Liu.
Hampton Liu is a renowned fitness enthusiast, coach, entrepreneur and has a YouTube channel titled Hybrid Calisthenics with more than 4 million subscribers in which he shares his thoughts and tips to get people more active and fit in the long-term.
Many fitness enthusiasts start with bodyweight exercises due to their convenience and adaptability. As you become more proficient, you might wonder what to do when push-ups and pull-ups no longer present a challenge. This is a common milestone, indicating your progress and readiness for more advanced training methods.
And according to Liu, there are three main paths a person can choose after deciding that bodyweight exercises have become too easy, or simply that they want to move away from calisthenics:
- Advanced calisthenics
- Weightlifting
- Weighted calisthenics
Each of these modalities offers unique benefits and can help you continue to build strength, flexibility, and endurance. This guide will walk you through the best strategies to take your bodyweight training to the next level.
Table of Contents
What To Do If Bodyweight Exercises Become Too Easy For You?
Advanced Calisthenics and Gymnastics Skills
The first thing you might want to know is that Calisthenics, or bodyweight exercises, are never going to be too easy for anyone. And that is true. There are feats of calisthenics that are, at the moment, only possible on theory, and some that only a handful of people can manage.
“While it’s not necessarily uncommon for people to master push-ups and pull-ups, there are many progressions way beyond that, and you can continue making progress for a long time.”
So one of the alternatives of “too easy calithenics” is actually more calisthenics: advanced form of calisthenics.
When you think of advanced calisthenics, you might envision incredible feats of strength and balance like the planche or the iron cross. These static skills require immense control and strength, targeting specific muscle groups intensely.
- Planche: A planche is an advanced bodyweight skill that involves holding your body parallel to the ground, supported only by your hands. It requires significant shoulder, core, and wrist strength.
- Iron Cross: This skill involves holding your body in a horizontal position while gripping gymnastic rings. It demands extraordinary shoulder and upper body strength.
- Human Flag: Holding your body parallel to a vertical pole, supported only by your hands, is another impressive feat. This move targets the shoulders, core, and grip strength.
These skills are not only visually impressive but also incredibly effective for building functional strength. Training for these moves will involve progressive exercises and specific conditioning to develop the necessary strength and balance.
Plyometric Movements
Plyometric exercises are dynamic and explosive, focusing on increasing your power and speed. They are a great way to continue challenging your body when traditional exercises become too easy.
- Jump Squats: Adding a jump to your squats increases the intensity and targets your fast-twitch muscle fibers.
- Clap Push-ups: This explosive push-up variation involves pushing off the ground with enough force to clap your hands before landing.
- Tuck Jumps: These involve jumping as high as possible and tucking your knees towards your chest.
These exercises increase the difficulty of your routine and improve your athleticism, agility, and cardiovascular fitness.
Read Also: 10 Best Calisthenics Exercises Everyone Should Do
Dynamic Movements
Incorporating dynamic movements such as handstand push-ups, one-arm push-ups, and advanced squats can add a new level of difficulty to your workouts.
- Handstand Push-ups: Performing push-ups while in a handstand position targets the shoulders and core intensely.
- One-arm Push-ups: This variation demands greater strength and balance, significantly increasing the difficulty compared to regular push-ups.
- Pistol Squats: Single-leg squats that require immense balance, strength, and flexibility.
Weightlifting
Source: Cottonbro Studio on PexelsAs you advance in your fitness journey, incorporating weightlifting into your routine can offer a host of benefits, from increased muscle mass to enhanced strength and endurance.
“Weightlifting is the default modality probably for most people in the world, and it’s easy to see why: whether you use dumbbells or barbells, there’s pretty much just infinite weight, no matter how strong you get.”
Weightlifting provides a structured way to progressively overload your muscles, which is essential for continuous improvement. Here’s how you can seamlessly integrate weightlifting into your workout regimen:
Benefits of Weightlifting
Weightlifting offers precise control over resistance, allowing you to target specific muscle groups and track your progress effectively. Some key benefits include:
- Progressive Overload: By gradually increasing the weight you lift, you can continuously challenge your muscles, leading to greater strength and hypertrophy.
- Enhanced Muscle Definition: Weightlifting helps in building muscle mass and defining muscle groups, contributing to a well-rounded physique.
- Improved Bone Density: Resistance training strengthens bones, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and improving overall skeletal health.
- Injury Prevention: Strengthening muscles around joints can help prevent injuries, making your body more resilient during dynamic movements.
Key Weightlifting Exercises
- Deadlifts: This compound exercise targets the posterior chain, including the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. It’s excellent for building overall strength.
- Squats: Squats are fundamental for developing lower body strength and stability. They engage the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.
- Bench Presses: A staple for upper body strength, the bench press targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
- Overhead Presses: This exercise focuses on the shoulders and triceps, promoting upper body strength and stability.
- Bent-over Rows: These target the back muscles, including the lats, traps, and rhomboids, enhancing upper body strength and posture.
Source: Your House FitnessTips for Integrating Weightlifting
- Start with the Basics: Begin with fundamental exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. Mastering these will build a solid foundation.
- Use Proper Form: Always prioritize correct form to avoid injuries. Consider working with a coach or trainer when starting.
- Gradual Progression: Increase the weight gradually to allow your muscles and joints to adapt, preventing overuse injuries.
- Balanced Routine: Ensure your routine covers all major muscle groups to promote balanced development and avoid muscular imbalances.
Integrating weightlifting into your fitness routine can significantly elevate your strength and conditioning, providing a solid foundation for more advanced training.
Related: 10 Best Calisthenics Exercises that Build the MOST Muscle
Weighted Calisthenics
Weighted calisthenics offer an excellent way to elevate traditional bodyweight exercises by adding extra resistance. This method intensifies your workouts, promoting greater strength and muscle hypertrophy. Here’s how to effectively incorporate weighted calisthenics into your routine:
Benefits of Weighted Calisthenics
- Increased Resistance: Adding weight to bodyweight exercises increases the resistance your muscles must overcome, leading to greater strength gains.
- Enhanced Muscle Activation: The additional load stimulates more muscle fibres, promoting muscle growth and improved definition.
- Functional Strength: Weighted calisthenics enhance your ability to control and move your body under increased resistance, boosting functional strength.
- Versatility: These exercises can be performed with minimal equipment, making them adaptable to various environments, including home workouts.
Key Weighted Calisthenics Exercises
Source: Ivan Samkov on Pexels- Weighted Pull-ups: Adding a weight belt or vest while performing pull-ups targets the back and biceps more intensely.
- Weighted Dips: Performing dips with added weight engages the triceps, chest, and shoulders to a greater extent.
- Weighted Push-ups: Placing a weight plate on your back during push-ups increases resistance, targeting the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
- Weighted Squats: Holding a dumbbell or kettlebell while squatting intensifies the workout, focusing on the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.
- Weighted Lunges: Adding dumbbells or a barbell to lunges enhances the challenge, promoting leg strength and stability.
Tips for Incorporating Weighted Calisthenics
- Start Light: Begin with a manageable weight to ensure you can maintain proper form and technique.
- Progress Gradually: Incrementally increase the weight as you become stronger, allowing your body to adapt to the added resistance.
- Focus on Form: Maintain correct form to avoid injuries and maximize the effectiveness of each exercise.
- Balanced Routine: Integrate weighted calisthenics into a balanced workout regimen that includes both bodyweight and weighted exercises.
Weighted calisthenics bridge the gap between traditional bodyweight exercises and weightlifting, providing a versatile and effective way to continue progressing in your fitness journey. By incorporating these advanced techniques, you’ll challenge your muscles in new ways, ensuring continuous growth and improvement.
If you’ve mastered basic bodyweight exercises and are looking for new challenges, advanced calisthenics, gymnastics skills, plyometric movements, and weightlifting are excellent avenues to explore. Each modality offers unique benefits and can help you continue to improve your strength, flexibility, and overall fitness.
By progressively incorporating these advanced techniques into your routine, you’ll keep pushing your limits and avoid hitting a plateau. Remember to listen to your body, train safely, and enjoy the journey of continuous improvement.
Bodyweight Isometrics Anyone Can Do to Improve Their Fitness Level
Why might bodyweight exercises become too easy?
As you progress and gain strength, the resistance provided by your body weight might no longer be sufficient to challenge your muscles, making the exercises feel too easy.
Which ways can I expand to if bodyweight exercises have become too easy?
There are three ways you can choose from:
advanced calisthenics – more advanced bodyweight exercises that will test you in multiple ways
weightlifting – the most traditional way people take to build strength
weighted calisthenics – you can continue doing calisthenics and simply add weight to your body to make it more challenging
What are advanced calisthenics
Advanced calisthenics involve more complex and challenging bodyweight exercises, such as the planche, human flag, and iron cross. These exercises require significant strength, balance, and control.
How can static skills enhance my workout routine?
Static skills, such as the planche and iron cross, build incredible strength and stability by holding your body in demanding positions. Training for these skills can increase muscle endurance and control.
How does integrating weightlifting help in progressing from bodyweight exercises?
Weightlifting allows for precise resistance control and progressive overload, which is essential for continued muscle growth and strength. It complements bodyweight exercises by targeting specific muscle groups and improving overall strength.
What are the benefits of weightlifting?
Weightlifting promotes muscle hypertrophy, enhances muscle definition, improves bone density, and helps prevent injuries by strengthening muscles around joints.
What are weighted calisthenics?
Weighted calisthenics involve adding extra resistance to traditional bodyweight exercises using weight belts, vests, or holding weights. This increases the difficulty and effectiveness of the exercises.
What should I focus on to avoid injuries when integrating weightlifting or weighted calisthenics?
Prioritize proper form and technique, progress gradually, and ensure a balanced routine that targets all major muscle groups to avoid muscular imbalances and overuse injuries.
Can I combine advanced calisthenics, weightlifting, and weighted calisthenics in my routine?
Yes, combining these modalities can provide a comprehensive workout regimen that challenges your muscles in various ways, promoting continuous growth and improvement.
This content is originated from https://www.boxrox.com your Online Magazine for Competitive Fitness.