How Build Muscle With Calisthenics

Push-ups can be done in the privacy of your home.

Building muscle mass with calisthenic exercises requires some determination. Chin-ups, pull-ups and push-ups are all examples of using your body mass as the weight you are lifting or pushing against. These exercises---along with sit-ups, jumping jacks, squats and others---are simple, straightforward, and require no special equipment or gear. They may be done to an individual's level of strength and experience.

Things You'll Need

• Chin-up bar
• Exercise mat (optional)

Instructions

1. Do a chin-up using a bar that you can reach while standing on the floor. With the palms of your hands facing toward you, grasp the bar and pull yourself up until your chin just passes the bar. You will feel the strain in your biceps.

   Do a pull-up with palms facing forward. You feel more pull on your back muscles and less on your biceps. If you can do only one the first time, settle for that. Take a break and try for two. You will build muscle whether you do chin-ups or pull-ups.

2. Push-ups use your body weight to build muscles in your chest, arms, shoulders and back. Lie face-down on the floor, with the palms of your hands against the floor, under your shoulders. Push up with your arms, keeping your body in a straight line from head to toe. If a push-up seems too difficult at first, start with a modified version. Lie face-down on the floor, spread hands shoulder-length apart, and lift your body with your knees remaining on the floor. The modified version will do for a start, but as you continue to build strength, shift to the full push-up.

3. Try jumping jacks to strengthen your leg muscles. Stand with feet close together and arms at your sides. Jump to a position with feet spread wide and clap your hands together over your head. Jump again and return to the starting position.

4. Strengthen your abdominal muscles with sit-ups. Lie on your back on the floor, knees bent and bottoms of your feet flat on the floor. With your hands clasped behind your head or crossed over your chest, slowly lift your shoulders off the floor by tightening the abdominal muscles. Bring your chest close to your knees and hold for a few seconds. With a slow, smooth motion, return your shoulders to the floor.

5. Build strong leg muscles by doing squats. Spread feet shoulder width apart while extending arms in front and parallel to the floor. Slowly lower yourself to what would be a sitting position if you had a chair behind you. Extend posterior back to maintain balance. Return to standing position. If you find this exercise difficult, try a modified version. Raise and lower yourself into a sturdy chair, with your arms either out in front of you for balance or resting on your thighs. You can also sit in a sturdy chair next to a table. Rest one arm on the table and rise to a standing position while using your arm for assistance and balance. Return to seated position. When comfortable with a modified version, try the regular squat again.

6. Train your upper calf muscles by doing calf raises. Stand on the bottom step of a stairway, with your heels hanging over the edge. Standing on the balls of your feet, raise your heels upward, lifting your body. Using your body as the weight, you will strengthen and train your upper calf muscles.

7. Use these exercises as a beginning. There are many more calisthenic exercises that can be added to your fitness program. Building muscle gets harder as you gain in strength and proficiency. Adding more repetitions---which is one complete movement of an exercise---and more time to your program each day will help you continue to build muscle.

Tips & Warnings

• Check with your personal health care practitioner prior to beginning any exercise program. Make every move slow and deliberate to avoid injury or muscle strain. Stop any exercise that causes pain.

References

• Introduction to Calisthenics
• Seated Chair Squats
• Proper Technique for Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups

Resources

• NIH: Sample Strength Exercises