The year is 2022, COVID-19 saga continues to linger and global physical activity levels in people of all life stages continue to suffer. It has been demonstrated that adults in general spend 51-68% of their waking time engaging in sedentary behaviours, described as activities done while sitting or reclining, such as computer work (1). Furthermore, worldwide data has suggested that time spent in sedentary behaviours has further increased by 20% since the pandemic due to lockdowns, restrictions and other social factors (2). The fact of the matter, more people are spending more time, moving less.
The prolonged sedentary behaviours and lack of movement have plenty of negative implications to one’s physical and mental health. Overwhelming evidence has demonstrated that regular exercise has been a primary preventive form of treatment against cardiovascular disease, metabolic conditions, depression and anxiety, osteoporosis, bone fractures/falls, cancers and sarcopenia (3). Now with rising cases once again, and the holiday season approaching inevitably filling up schedules, it becomes a bigger challenge to get over to the gym to get an exercise bout in, or so you think…
Fortunately, have no fear, calisthenics are here!
A recent 2022 study took 17 adults who sit for more than six hours per day were assigned to a four-week calisthenic intervention, which consisted of performing a daily calisthenic regimen which included squats, shoulder circles, calf raises, knee to opposite elbows and lunges. The participants were asked to do a set of the exercises every hour to break up their seated time, which would take less than five minutes to complete. After the 4 weeks it was found that quadricep force increased by 40%, as well as dynamic stability during single leg balance reach test, suggesting that breaking up sedentary time with calisthenics was an effective way to increase muscle strength and improve balance (4).
This leads to the question, what are calisthenics?
A recent 2022 study took 17 adults who sit for more than six hours per day were assigned to a four-week calisthenic intervention, which consisted of performing a daily calisthenic regimen which included squats, shoulder circles, calf raises, knee to opposite elbows and lunges. The participants were asked to do a set of the exercises every hour to break up their seated time, which would take less than five minutes to complete. After the 4 weeks it was found that quadricep force increased by 40%, as well as dynamic stability during single leg balance reach test, suggesting that breaking up sedentary time with calisthenics was an effective way to increase muscle strength and improve balance (4).
This leads to the question, what are calisthenics?
Calisthenics is a type of strength training that consists of using your own body weight as the form of resistance. Despite the lack of equipment, calisthenics is a phenomenal method to build strength, mobility and physical robustness. This was illustrated in a study published in 2017 where the researchers had participants perform a calisthenic training regimen to evaluate its impact on posture, strength and body composition in a group of untrained individuals. After an 8-week training protocol, the calisthenic group improved postured, pushing strength by 16.4% and pulling strength by 39.2%, as well lost 3% body fat relative to the group who continued about their daily life (5). Essentially the group got stronger, healthier and leaner!
If you are not sold on calisthenics just yet here are a number of other perks for why calisthenics can be what will get you through this next phase of COVID and the holidays, and… the remainder of your life.
BENEFITS OF CALISTHENICS
As described above we know calisthenics can be a method to build strength, better your posture, balance and optimize your body composition. It doesn’t stop there, here’s a few extra reasons to get started with calisthenics.
Minimal Equipment
Calisthenic training requires little to no equipment in order to begin. Due to the nature of it relying on your bodyweight, you do not need barbells, functional trainers, cable machines, dumbbells, kettlebells or other large forms of expensive equipment. However, there are a few essential pieces of equipment that are affordable and will last you years. Here are my top 5 pieces of staple equipment
- Pull Up Bar – door frame or wall mounted
- Super Bands
- Wooden Gymnastic Rings
- Parallel Bars
- Skipping Rope
No Cost
One of the largest hindering factors from anyone engaging in an exercise regimen is money. Say goodbye to monthly gym memberships, annual contracts or expensive exercise classes. Aside from the small investment in lifelong equipment, calisthenics is FREE.
Accessibility
Anytime, anywhere. Now have the ability to workout whenever, where ever. Time efficiency is key when it comes to working out. Now you no longer need to travel to the gym and wait for pieces of equipment. It can be done from the comfort of your own home. Additionally, plenty of outdoor park spaces in Toronto continue to be implemented in green spaces. These are usually equipped with monkey bars, high and low bars, parallel bars, benches and steps. Below is a list of free public calisthenic spaces in Toronto – this not an exhaustive list.
- Cedervale Park
- Kennedy-Margon Calisthenic Park
- Sir Casimir Gzowski Calisthenic Park
- S.A.D.R.A Calisthenic Park
- Lawrence Park Calisthenics
- Earlscourt Calisthenics Station
Outdoor Training
Most gyms do not have an outdoor component to the them. With calisthenics you can get in touch with nature at one of the fascinating parks listed above, get some vitamin D and listen to the birds chirp! Although this is more geared towards the warmer months, if you are going to go out in the winter breeze, make sure you bundle up!
Compound Movements
Calisthenics prioritizes compound movements which are multi joint movements, using plenty of muscle groups in synchrony with each other. Isolation exercises such as a seated bicep curl are almost non-existent in the calisthenic world. It focusses on getting the body to move in a functional unit, as opposed to individual segments. As an example, pullups alone activate the latissimus dorsi (back muscle), biceps, trapezius (back), deltoid (shoulder), erector spinae (Along center of the back) and rectus abdominus (abs). This is the reason for developing a well-proportioned strong physique, as plenty muscle groups are recruited during calisthenic training.
Skills
One of the drawing features for myself was the eye capturing skills that people can perform. Contrary to progressively loading weight at the gym in the most common exercises. Building a strong foundation in calisthenic exercises can eventually lead to bodyweight skills such as handstands, muscle ups, human flags, levers, planching, the list goes on. With calisthenics you are not only developing a strong and robust body, but you’re setting the pre requisites to do physical skills that may seem impossible! Here’s a video of an 81 year old man performing some of these skills!
BEGINNER CALISTHENIC WORKOUT TO FOLLOW
Below is an introductory workout to follow along to assuming you do not have a pull up bar, rings, bands, parallel bars.
WARM UP (Follow the warm up in this video)
Perform the following exercises as supersets. Example, after you finish exercise A1 go directly into exercise A2, then rest for 1-2min. You can either complete a set of each letter, or finish the complete 3-4 sets prior to moving on to the next exercise.
If an exercise is too challenging you can replace it with the progression or regression
3-4 SETS – 8-15 REPS per Exercise / Planks hold 30-60 Sec
If too easy do as many reps as possible on an exercise or hold an exercise as long as possible
A1) SQUAT
PROG: Single Leg Box Squat per leg
REG: Sit to Stand
A2) BRIDGE
PROG: Single leg bridge
B1) INCLINE PUSH UP
PROG: Regular Pushup
REG: Wall pushup
B2) TABLE ROW or BROOM STICK ROW
PROG: Legs Straight Table Row
REG: Towel Row
C1) DEADBUG
PROG: Hollow Hold
REG: Dead bug Foot Taps
C2) LEFT SIDE PLANK
PROG: Long Lever
C3) RIGHT SIDE PLANK
PROG: Long Lever
If you have any questions, are interested in starting a calisthenics program or recently noticed an injury during your own calisthenics program, book in to see our physiotherapist calisthenics specialist Landyn Quigley at bloorparkphysio.janeapp.com or call at 647-368-4400
References
- Dunstan, D.W.; Howard, B.; Healy, G.N.; Owen, N. Too much sitting—A health hazard. Diabetes Res. Clin. Pract. 2012, 97, 368–376.
- Castañeda-Babarro, A.; Arbillaga-Etxarri, A.; Gutiérrez-Santamaría, B.; Coca, A. Physical activity change during COVID-19 confinement. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 6878.
- Booth, F.W.; Roberts, C.K.; Laye, M.J. Lack of exercise is a major cause of chronic diseases. Comp. Physiol. 2012, 2, 1132–1211.
- Mear, Emily, Valerie Frances Gladwell, and Jamie Pethick. “The effect of breaking up sedentary time with calisthenics on neuromuscular function: a preliminary study.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19.21 (2022): 14597.
- Thomas, Ewan, et al. “The effects of a calisthenics training intervention on posture, strength and body composition.” Isokinetics and exercise science 25.3 (2017): 215-222.
