Eager for a Change After Long Hours of Sitting? Here are 5 Calisthenics to Kickstart Your Movement
Calisthenics, a form of exercise that involves rhythmic movements performed without the use of apparatus, is gaining popularity for its versatility and practicality. This workout routine, which includes exercises such as squats, pushups, lunges, bridges, and planks, offers numerous benefits for improving strength, flexibility, agility, balance, coordination, and aerobic conditioning.
To perform bridges, lie on your back, push your butt up off the floor by contracting your glutes and hamstrings, hold for three to five seconds, and lower your butt back to the floor. This exercise is beneficial for improving back health and strengthening hip muscles, glutes, and hamstrings.
Squats, another essential calisthenics exercise, target the quadriceps and glutes. To perform squats correctly, stand up straight with feet shoulder-width apart, lower the body while pushing the butt back, pause when thighs are parallel to the floor, and rise back up driving through the heels. Squats can be made more difficult by holding a weight against the chest or performing single-leg squats.
Lunges work the hamstrings, glutes, calves, and quadriceps. To do a lunge, step forward with one foot until the leg is at a 90-degree angle, return to the starting position, and repeat on the other side. Lunges can be made more intense by jumping into each lunge without pausing between repetitions or wearing a weighted vest.
Planks are considered superior to situps and crunches as they are easier on the back and neck and work the entire core. Planks strengthen the core muscles (everything between the chest and glutes). The current women's plank world record is an impressive 4 hours, 30 minutes, and 11 seconds, set by DonnaJean Wilde, a 59-year-old woman from Alberta, Canada in July 2025.
Pushups work muscles in the chest, back, shoulders, arms, and core. Calisthenics can be performed anywhere, including hotel rooms, parks, and grandma's house, without requiring a gym membership.
Calisthenics can help reduce low-back pain, according to Andrew Schupp, owner of Schupp Chiropractic and Sports Injuries. Moreover, calisthenics can be considered as resistance training using one's own body weight, making it possible to continue building muscle in various areas.
In 2020, a 62-year-old former Marine set the men's planking record by holding one for eight hours, 15 minutes, and 15 seconds. Calisthenics are practical as they mimic movements made in real life, making everyday activities like picking up laundry or squatting down to pick up a toddler easier.
In conclusion, calisthenics offers a comprehensive workout that can be adapted to various fitness levels and needs. Whether you're looking to improve your strength, flexibility, or overall health, calisthenics provides a practical and accessible solution.
Engaging in calisthenics not only enhances fitness-and-exercise capabilities, but also contributes significantly to health-and-wellness, as it has been shown to reduce low-back pain and mimic movements from daily life. Regular practice of this versatile workout can even lead to impressive feats of endurance, such as breaking the plank world record, with DonnaJean Wilde achieving a remarkable 4 hours, 30 minutes, and 11 seconds in 2025.
