The word "callisthenics" originated from the Greek terms kalos and sthenos, which respectively mean "beauty" and "strength".
Today, callisthenics remains a popular form of exercise that exhibits unique elements of beauty and strength: one can wonder how a professional makes a front lever appear both mighty and effortless at the same time!
Looking for some resources to start your callisthenics exercise?
First, let's answer this fundamental question.
Can everyone learn callisthenics?
Contrary to how advanced callisthenics appears on TV, it is suitable for all levels of learners!
A callisthenics exercise uses body weight as resistance to facilitate movements that target all the muscles of the body. The purpose of these movements is to build strength, endurance, coordination and flexibility, so you can actually find a callisthenics exercise that offers movements that range from simple to complex.
Hence, a callisthenics benefit that should be addressed is that everyone can participate in this exercise, no matter their age, gender or fitness level!
If this is the case, how long will it take you to become proficient in this sport?
There are those who routinely perform a callisthenics workout solely to keep fit, while there are enthusiasts who join callisthenic platforms to participate in competitions and events. Obviously, if the latter is your goal, then you may have to spend more hours in a week to perfect certain moves that you want to display to your audience.
In general however, callisthenics for beginners can take anywhere from several months to a few years to become able to carry out advanced movements like the planche push-up and the human flag.
What you can do to improve your callisthenics workout is to prepare yourself for any callisthenics exercise and equip yourself with the necessary equipment as you progress towards more challenging movements. It may also be worth exploring the available resources for callisthenics, such as online tutorials and callisthenics workout classes near you.
We recommend that you check out the following resources to help you understand what is callisthenics all about. But if you want to become good enough to do a handstand on the callisthenics bars, it's worth reading up on a guide to callisthenic exercises.
Where to buy callisthenics equipment online
After knowing what is callisthenics, you could be looking to increase your arsenal of fitness equipment to improve your callisthenics workout. Your equipment may include:
- Parallettes: portable, designed to mimic parallel bars and provide a low-height platform to practise moves like the planche and handstand
- Gymnastic rings: can be used for various exercises, wood or plastic options are available
- Pull-up bar: relatively easy to install, allows for training at home
- Chalk: comes in powder and liquid forms to offer better grip
- Resistance bands: different thicknesses to assist exercises
Here are the top places to buy callisthenics equipment in Malaysia in 2023.
Decathlon Malaysia
This sports shop offers various callisthenics equipment such as lockable pull-up bars, parallettes, plyometrics boxes and bands. We recommend checking out their website if you're looking to buy affordable equipment and would prefer to have them shipped to you. You can also collect your purchases from their store if there is one available near you.
Fitness Concept
We're quite impressed with the resistance bands, cable sets and bars offered by this sports shop (physical and online). In addition, you can opt to pay for your callisthenics bars here in instalments, so you don't have to worry about paying a huge lump sum if you want to invest in quality equipment.
Other online sports shops that specialise in callisthenics and street workout equipment, such as Gornation, are definitely worth a visit if you don't mind spending a little more on equipment that will last you for years. You shouldn't skimp on a callisthenics benefit like this.
Refer to these basic callisthenic exercises to understand how you can get started on your new equipment.
Callisthenics workout classes near me
For those learning callisthenics for beginners, it would also help to join callisthenics workout classes at gyms or parks near you. You can get a basic grasp of what is callisthenics while getting feedback from your instructor about ways to improve certain movements or how you can build strength through new variations.
Check out these popular places to learn callisthenics near you:
O-zone Fitness Malaysia
Based in Petaling Jaya, this gym provides an exciting obstacle circuit for those looking to build strength and endurance through callisthenics. There are also private and group callisthenics classes for different age groups, and you can try out their callisthenics bars and other equipment if you are looking to train outside of your home.
Location: No. 2, Jalan 51A/225, Seksyen 51A, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Operating hours: Mondays to Fridays (11.00 a.m. - 1o.oo p.m.), Saturdays and Sundays (8.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.)
PassionFit
This gym is worth visiting if you are interested to join group classes or learn callisthenics under a personal trainer. There is a variety of callisthenics workout equipment you can experiment with and you should take advantage of the workout packages that are currently being offered.
Location: Lot 2-10, 360, Jalan Tun Razak, Taman U-Thant, 55000 Kuala Lumpur
Operating hours: Mondays to Fridays (6.30 a.m. - 8.30 p.m.), and Saturdays (8.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m.)
A potential downside to the callisthenics benefit of taking workout classes is that there aren't always callisthenics classes near you. Be sure to check how far your gym is from your location before signing up for any packages, and call beforehand to ensure you don't have to pay any additional fees on the spot.
If you find your callisthenics for beginners classes similar to yoga movements, keep yourself informed on the different benefits you can gain from yoga versus callisthenics.
Where to find callisthenics exercise online
Another fantastic callisthenics resource that you should make use of is the availability of hundreds of online callisthenics for beginners' tutorials! Instead of reading up on articles that explain how to perform a callisthenics exercise, we recommend following along with video tutorials so that you can check for proper form and movement while exercising.
Here are some of the best callisthenics YouTubers to learn from:
Hybrid Callisthenics
This channel has been consistently growing in popularity not only for the positivity and encouragement expressed by the content creator but also due to the wealth of helpful fitness routines for those who are just starting out in callisthenics. Visit this channel to build an excellent basis for pushing and pulling exercises, core strengthening exercises and techniques to work up to stands and holds.
Callisthenics Family
The exercises promoted on this channel cater to learners of all experience levels, so you can quickly progress from beginner to intermediate moves by following the instructors here. With over a decade of teaching callisthenics for beginners, follow along to master the basic exercises and check out their playlists such as Home Workout Routines and Strength Training Routine Series to build an efficient callisthenics workout routine at home.
What is callisthenics without the numerous mental and physical benefits of the sport?
What is the best way to learn callisthenics?
The best way to learn a callisthenics exercise is by building a routine that is tailored to you.
What do we mean by that? Well, say that you want to be able to perform a pull-up successfully. If you have been keeping fit by doing weights at the gym while still doing your regular jogs at the local park, you may be able to achieve a full pull-up within a few months than if you have just started exercising after a long break. Take your current fitness level into account when planning your callisthenics workout!
We also recommend taking callisthenics sessions with a trained professional. A trained professional can help you understand what is callisthenics from the beginner level and help you progress towards the advanced level. You should visit Superprof to conveniently find personal training for callisthenics near you.
With Superprof, you can find personal training for callisthenics from wherever you are in Malaysia. Be that in Johor Bahru or Kota Kinabalu, the Superprof Tutors webpage can help direct you to personal trainers in your area who specialise in callisthenics and offer the choice of either one-to-one or group sessions. This means that you can bring your friends along and enjoy a cheaper session rate than if you were to sign up for an individual session.
You can also have your callisthenics workout online with your Superprof personal trainer. Feel free to explore the extensive Superprof catalogue of personal trainers who have been recommended and reviewed by previous students. Then, sign up on Superprof to get in touch with your preferred personal trainer and let them know about your fitness goals, preferences and what you want to learn in your sessions together.
Schedule your first personal training session with Superprof today to enjoy a free trial!
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