Calisthenics – What Is It and Where Did It Originate?

Calisthenics is an interesting one, in many ways it’s as old as time and on the other hand, it’s a new trending term that’s taking the exercise world by storm. Which, I’m sure makes the original partakers put their hands up in the air and say, we have been doing this since before it was ‘cool’!

Interestingly, the word ‘calisthenic’ originates from two Greek words; Kalos, meaning ‘beauty’ and Sthenos, meaning ‘strength’.

What is ‘Calisthenics’?

Calisthenics is a form of body weighted strength training exercise; you may recognize the muscular frames all over Instagram doing the ‘human flag’ or the ‘handstands and muscle-ups’. Bodyweight-based training is one of the most natural ways to build your own strength when just starting out, learn your limits, and build upon them and have fun with your flexibility, mobility, and overall strength.

It is a lot of patience and determination, but with the application of both can see these bodyweight gymnastic style moves be both fun and rewarding in your overall physical health. One of the biggest focus points as mentioned in much of the community that has since built the popularity of calisthenics is that it's more about what your body can do, rather than focusing solely on doing so for just the aesthetics viewpoint. Although that can come too!

Setting Achievable Goals

Because this type of exercise method doesn’t necessarily require a gym setup, although that can be beneficial, it can be done in the comfort of your own spaces and wherever you have a safe open-spaced area.

This makes it easier to practice remotely, whenever, and set achievable goals to attain. Which is both great for mental and physical health to be working towards something rewarding. Breathing and posture also improve over time with more practice.

Who can do Calisthenics?

This is not something deemed fit only for elite athletes, you can start anytime you like! There is a large community space now for this form of training and exercise, all very willing to help get you started. A quick google search can help you find a local club to help get you started on your journey, so if you are looking to branch out a bit more from the 4 corners of your gym and the weights section, we do recommend checking out this option.

It's like jungle gym playtime for adults and as adults, we should always allocate ourselves playtime that grows our mind, moves our body, and gets us creative and intrigued to always be learning and growing. There are currently over 9 million hashtags on Instagram for 'calisthenics', so if that gives you some idea of its popularity and provides you with some inspiration resources, we are all for it!