Calisthenics for women: where to start?

Business trips, ever-shifting work hours and generallyhectic lives: keeping up a training regime can be tricky to stick to, let alonestarting a new one. But the benefits of calisthenics are hard to ignore - usingyour own weight and resistance to build strength, tone muscle and createbalance in the body. Despite the myths, it’s also brilliant for women.

Another reason there’s an appetite for calisthenics is dueto its no-gym nature. While top-quality equipment can truly elevate yourexercise (our freestyle training playground has everything from gymnastic ringsto Swedish ladders... and even a bespoke octagon functional frame), it’s stillcompletely possible to develop your functional fitness without being at thegym.

All you need is your own bodyweight to complete thesemovements and you can conquer calisthenics in your lunch hour, from the sofaand even on the beach. From pulling and pushing to squatting and sprinting,these compound moves are natural, but we’ve lost our ability to perform overtime.

Getting back to ‘basics’ in a playful, purposeful manner isthe simplest way for beginners to kick start their journey into calisthenics.Regular training will see the female body shaped, sculpted and strengthened.You’ll build functional power, support weight loss This calisthenics routine isthe perfect starting point:

Calisthenics for women workout

1. Bodyweightsquats: One set of 10 squats

The squat works far more than your thighs - you’ll shape-upyour hamstrings, glutes, core and boost your fitness endurance. If you’re notable to do a full bodyweight squat completely, start with a bench squat -stopping when your butt hits the bench. Once you advanced, try practicing deepsquats for optimum lower body strength and upper body mobility.

2. Plank push-ups: One set of 10 push-ups

Assume a push-up position and give us 10. Once you’ve donethat, hold a plank for 20 seconds. This is a brilliant move for woman who wantto sculpt their arms (particularly troublesome triceps), but also works thechest, shoulders and core. If you’re struggling, start with a wall push-up,moving on to a knee push-up until you’re strong enough to do a proper push-up.

3. Burpees: Two sets of four full burpees

No one likes a burpee, standard. But it’s genuinely one ofthe best calisthenics moves women can do. It blitzes the full body, from thechest and arms to your back and legs. It doesn’t matter where you are or howmuch time you have, you can perform a quick couple of sets anywhere, inminutes.

4. Jumping jacks: One minute

That’s right, star jumps. Much more fun than a burpee, fullof nostalgic playfulness and excellent for relieving stress, boosting your moodand activating muscles. Since it’s a cardio calisthenic exercise, you’ll burnoverall fat, tighten your abs and workout your calves. Perfect for a sculptedfemale body.

5. Mountain climbers: Perform for 30 seconds, rest for 10and repeat for three rounds

Women wanting a killer physique, particularly a tonedstomach, can step away from the crunches. Mountain climbers will fire up yourentire body and work almost every muscle in the body. They can be performedanywhere without any special equipment and work wonders on belly fat andoverall strength.

Next step: Pull-ups

Once you’ve conquered the calisthenic basics, you can moveonto harder bodyweight moves. Perhaps one of the more advanced for women is thepull-up, or chin-up. It requires you to lift your entire bodyweight and mightlook daunting at first - but with regular training and preparation, you cantotally perform them as well as any man.

You can buy a cheap doorframe pull-up bar to practice on, orhead to an EVO club close to you to use our specialist equipment. Our personal trainers will show you the moves you can do in the lead up to that firstpull-up. Believe us, you can do it.