We love calisthenics exercises and developing a calisthenic circuit at home. Building an effective calisthenics exercise routine without equipment can be easy.
Anyone can do calisthenics exercises without equipment. However, the right equipment can enable more advanced calisthenics athletes to take their strength training game to the next level. This blog will discuss some of the best equipment to better structure your home workouts and enhance some classic exercises’ difficulty.
1. Resistance Bands
We’ll kick off our list with the versatile resistance band, a favourite of athletes the world over.
Resistance bands come in all shapes and sizes and can help beginners ease into specific calisthenic exercises at home. Resistance bands also allow you to do many different arm strength exercises without putting a strain on your joints and wrists.
You can use them similarly to the way you use a cable machine at a gym. Some of the calisthenics exercises you can try out with resistance bands include:
front squats
lat pull-downs
push-ups
overhead presses
forward raises
You can also get resistance bands that wrap around your knees to help train your glutes. Certain resistance bands are great for exercises like the banded crab walks, clamshells and glute bridges.
2. Workout Mat
Anyone who does calisthenics or yoga at home should have a workout mat. Once your sweat starts streaming down your arms, the last thing you’re going to want is to slip in the middle of a pushup or mountain climber. They’ll also provide a helpful cushion for your back and knees. The thicker the mat, the better the protection!
3. Pads / Gloves
Calisthenics can be rough on the hands and wrists, so wearing a grip pad or workout gloves is key to any dedicated pull-up or pushup aficionado. You can get both full and fingerless gloves - many prefer fingerless as they can provide more grip. However, fingerless gloves may leave you open to finger calluses.
4. Jump Rope
Make like Rocky and jump your fat away! Jumping rope can burn 200 to 300 calories after only 15 minutes. Just find an area where you have plenty of space and there are no obstacles to trip over. Also, make sure you’re wearing proper footwear, as calisthenics exercises like jump rope can be challenging on your knees without correct foot support.
Beginners should choose a beaded or licorice jump rope as they’re durable but move slower than a speed rope. A speed rope is suitable for advanced skipping. Also, a long jump rope is better suited for beginners to move more gradually.
To see proper jump rope form and some different movements you can try, watch this video by jump rope champion Madeline Praye!
5. Parallettes
Parallettes, the smaller of which are also known as pushup bars, are a set of bars you place on the ground to give you an extra hand up when doing exercises like:
dips
push-ups
L-sits
V-sits.
Parallettes are handy for beginners who want to take a bit of stress off of their wrists for these types of floor exercises. Balance is critical when using parallettes, and it will take some getting used to when you first start using them.
This piece of calisthenics equipment is also light and portable so that you can take them anywhere you want to rock your workout. You can typically find this push-up equipment in different heights with grips in both plastic and wood, but most athletes prefer wood parallettes.
6. Ab Roller
This fun little device is just a wheel with two handles extended from it that you use to do core exercises. It’s a handy yet small workout tool that makes a significant impact on both core strengthening. It can help strengthen the lower back while allowing you to be gentle with your knees.
7. Pull-up / Dip Bar
A pull-up/dip bar is a heavy-duty piece of workout equipment that needs to be attached to your wall or mounted to a door frame. Unless you have a dedicated home gym, a pull-up bar might not be for you.
An essential requirement for a pull-up bar is stability, so whatever method you use, just ensure it is well-fixed to the frame, so you won’t fall and injure yourself.
8. Gymnastic Rings
Want a more advanced workout? An untraditional home equipment piece, gymnastic rings can be great to build upper-body strength at home.
Made of rubber and attached to bands, you can string gymnast rings over a tree branch, rafter, or another horizontal bar. Check out this website for a list of exercises you can do using gymnastics rings.
However, make sure you buy an adjustable, high quality set as the last thing you want is for the straps to break while doing a tricep ring press.
9. Weighted Vest
Need a little extra oomph in your squats or pullups? If you’ve already mastered some of your favourite bodyweight exercises, wear a weighted vest while working out, and let gravity add some additional resistance. A vest can add to the challenge and get you sweating more than just the exercise alone may do.
10. Foam Roller
Now we move on to the muscle relaxing devices. A foam roller is a foam cylinder that you can roll against to massage your muscles. A roller is handy both pre and post-workout. Many varieties are available, including some with spikes that give your muscles the deep tissue treatment it needs after a long exercise session.
11. Massage Ball
Like the foam roller, a simple massage ball is great to roll out stiff muscles in more targeted areas where a deep stretch isn’t enough.
Try them on your glutes, your lower back, and your shoulders! They come in all shapes, sizes and materials, but the smaller and harder the ball, the more concentrated the effect.
Calisthenics Indoors, Outdoors - Anywhere!
Are you looking to do an outdoor gym workout and live in North York in the GTA of Toronto?
We have put together our definitive list of the top parks with outdoor fitness equipment. We’ve even put together a guide on developing a workout routine in these outdoor workout stations.
At HOUSEFIT, We’re proud that our clients continually recommend us to their friends after experiencing the life-changing benefits of our program.
Our team of trainers at our boutique North York operation focuses on training, nutrition and motivating our clients to get closer to their fitness goals every day. All of our staff are experienced trainers who will take your fitness to the next level.
Contact us to book a free 90-minute health and fitness consultation at one of our two convenient locations.