Calisthenics Exercises for Every Muscle Group + Post-Workout Recovery

April 30, 2021

When it comes to workout effectiveness, calisthenics rank high on the list. Each movement helps to improve strength, conditioning, mobility, balance, and coordination. Not to mention, each exercise targets more muscles to give a better result and burn more calories. Plus, many calisthenics exercises can be done using just your bodyweight, so it’s easy to complete a workout pretty much anywhere.

Whether you’re new to calisthenics training or are looking for some new exercises to change up your routine, we have you covered.

Calisthenics Exercises

Get started with adding calisthenics to your workout program with the exercise guide below.

Glutes

Exercise 1: Squat Pulse

Start with your feet at shoulder width
Go down into a squat
At the bottom of the squat position, pulse 3 times then come back up
Reps: 8-15

Beginner: Complete the exercise as described above

Intermediate: Complete the exercises with 5 pulses instead of 3

Advanced: Complete the movement with a jump after pulsing

Exercise 2: Walking Lunge

Start standing with hands on hips.
Place one leg forward then lower hips until both knees are about 90 degrees.
Bring back leg forward so you are in a standing position.
Repeat this movement on the other side as a walking movement.
Reps: 8-15
Optional Equipment: Hold dumbbells

Beginner: Complete the exercise as described above

Intermediate: Complete the exercise with a pulse in the lunge then come back up

Advanced: Complete the exercise as a jumping lunge

Exercise 3: Fire Hydrants

Start on your hands and knees
While keeping your legs in the 90 degree position bring one bent leg out to your side
Reps: 8-20
Optional Equipment: Place a loop resistance band around your thighs just above your knees for extra resistance.

Beginner: Complete the exercise as described above

Intermediate: Complete the exercise with three pulses when your leg is up in the air

Advanced: Complete the intermediate exercise, but hold at the top for 5 seconds after your pulses.

Exercise 4: Rainbow Kicks

In the same starting position as the fire hydrants, straighten out one leg and bring it over to the opposite side and back.
Reps: 8-20

Beginner: Complete the exercise as described above

Intermediate: Complete the exercise with a kick up at the top of the movement

Advanced: Complete the exercise with three kicks up at the top

Exercise 5: Clam Shells

Lie on your side, with legs stacked and knees bent at a 45-degree angle.
Rest your head on your lower arm, and use your top arm to steady your frame.
Keeping your feet touching, raise your upper knee as high as you can without shifting your hips or pelvis. Don’t move your lower leg off the floor.
Pause, and then return your upper leg to the starting position on the ground.
Reps: 8-20

Beginner: Complete the exercise as described above

Intermediate: Complete the exercise with 3 pulses in the movement then come back down to the start

Advanced: You can add more pulses to the exercise or use a loop resistance band around your thighs just above your knees.

Upper Body

Exercise 1: Push ups

Start in a plank position, but in a wide arm stance. Your elbows should be out to the side in line with your shoulders.
Bring your chest down to the ground, then bring back up to the starting position.
Reps: 8-15

Beginner: Perform the push up on your knees

Intermediate: Perform the exercise as described above

Advanced: Perform a push up, then move your hands and legs over and complete a push up.

Exercise 2: Reachers

Start lying on your stomach
Place your arms out in front of you to make a ‘Y’ shape
Bring your arms and chest up, hold for a second or two then come back down
Reps: 8-15
Optional Equipment: hold dumbbells

Beginner: Complete the exercise as described

Intermediate: Complete the exercise with a longer hold time

Advanced: Bring your legs up as well

Exercise 3: Bicep Dips

Start on your hands and knees, but have your stomach facing the ceiling
Twist your hands so your fingers are pointing towards your feet
Bend your elbows to lower yourself down then bring yourself back up
Reps: 8-15

Beginner: Start with your bum on the ground rather than being on your feet

Intermediate: Complete the exercise as described above

Advanced: When you lower yourself down lift up one leg

Exercise 4: Supermans

Start by lying flat on your stomach
When ready, raise your chest up while keeping the rest of your body on the ground.
Hold for 3 seconds then bring your chest back down and repeat.
Reps: 8-15

Beginner: Complete the exercise as is

Intermediate: Raise your legs with your chest

Advanced: Hold for 5-10 seconds

Exercise 5: One arm plank reach

Start in a plank position
Reach out one arm in front of you and bring it back
Repeat with the opposite arm
Reps: 8-20

Beginner: Complete the exercise as is above

Intermediate: Hold your arm out in front of you for 3 seconds

Advanced: Bring your arm out in front of you, then to the side, then back to your starting position

Glutes

Exercise 1: Walking Lunge

Start standing with hands on hips.
Place one leg forward then lower hips until both knees are about 90 degrees.
Bring back leg forward so you are in a standing position.
Repeat this movement on the other side as a walking movement.
Reps: 8-15

Beginner: Complete the exercise as described above

Intermediate: Complete the exercise with a pulse in the lunge then come back up

Advanced: Complete the exercise as a jumping lunge

Exercise 2: Clam Shells

Lie on your side, with legs stacked and knees bent at a 45-degree angle.
Rest your head on your lower arm, and use your top arm to steady your frame.
Keeping your feet touching, raise your upper knee as high as you can without shifting your hips or pelvis. Don’t move your lower leg off the floor.
Pause, and then return your upper leg to the starting position on the ground.
Reps: 8-20

Beginner: Complete the exercise as described above

Intermediate: Complete the exercise with 3 pulses in the movement then come back down to the start

Advanced: You can add more pulses to the exercise

Exercise 3: Single leg hip thrusts

The same as a hip thrust, use one leg instead of two
Reps: 8-15

Beginner: Complete a regular hip thrust using both feet

Intermediate: Complete the exercise as is above

Advanced: Complete the intermediate exercise but once you are done your reps hold at the top for 10 seconds.

Exercise 4: Glute kickback pulse

Standing up straight and using a chair for balance (if desired) kick one leg out behind you
Pulse this leg behind you 5-10 times to keep glutes engaged
Come back to starting position and repeat
Reps: 10-15

Beginner: Complete the exercise without the kickback

Intermediate: Complete the exercise as is above

Advanced: Complete the exercise with extra pulses

Exercise 5: leg raise with hip thrust

Start by lying on your back and bringing your legs up as if to do a leg raise
When your legs are at the top of the movement thrust your hips up to raise your bum off the floor and your legs higher
Bring hips and legs down and repeat
Reps: 8-15

Beginner: Complete leg raises with bent legs

Intermediate: Complete leg raises with straight legs

Advanced: Complete the exercise as described above

Core

Exercise 1: Scissor Kicks

Start lying on your back
Bring your legs slightly off the floor
Bring one leg up slightly higher than the other and repeat with the other leg
Reps: 20-45 seconds

Beginner: Complete the exercise as described

Intermediate: Complete the exercise, but at the end hold your legs still above the ground for 10 seconds

Advanced: Same as intermediate, but do a longer hold for 20-30 seconds

Exercise 2: Leg Raises

Start lying on your back
Bring both your legs up until they are over your hips
Lower your legs back down but do not touch the floor
Bring legs back up and repeat.
Reps: 8-20
Optional Equipment: Place a light dumbbell in between your feet

Beginner: Complete the exercise as described

Intermediate: Bring your legs down slower. Take 5 seconds to bring them down.

Advanced: Complete your leg raise and when your legs are in the air perform a crunch then bring your legs back down.

Exercise 3: Russian Twists

Sit with bent knees and your feet pressing firmly into the floor
Sit back slightly, keeping your spine straight.
Twist to the left, punching your right arm over to the left side and then do the opposite side
Reps: 8-20
Optional Equipment: Hold a dumbbell

Beginner: Complete a russian twist with feet on the ground

Intermediate: Complete a russian twist with legs slightly off the ground

Advanced: Complete the exercise as described above

Exercise 4: Plank

Start in a plank position either on your hands or elbows.
Hold for as long as you can!
Reps: 20-60 seconds

Beginner: Complete the exercise as described

Intermediate: Perform the exercise, but touch one foot out to the side then back in. Repeat on the other side and continue until your time is up.

Advanced: Same as intermediate, but jump out both your feet to the side at the same time. Continue until your time is up

Exercise 5: Legs Raised Crunch

Start lying on your back with your knees bent above your hips.
Have your hands behind your ears
Bring your chest towards your legs and then lay back down, while keeping legs elevated
Reps: 8-20

Beginner: Perform the exercise with legs on the floor

Intermediate: Complete the exercise as described above

Advanced: Rather than bent legs, have legs straight up

Full body

Exercise 1: Burpees

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides.
Bend your knees, and lower your body into a squat.
Place your hands on the floor directly in front of your feet.
Jump your feet back to softly land on the balls of your feet in a plank position. Your body should form a straight line from your head to heels.
Jump your feet back so that they land just outside of your hands.
Reach your arms over head and jump up into the air.
Land and immediately lower back into a squat
Reps: 8-15

Beginner: Complete the exercise without the jump

Intermediate: Complete the exercise as described above

Advanced: For your jump do a tuck jump, bringing your knees up to your chest

Exercise 2: Squat to Punch

Start with your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart
Lower down into a squat
When you come up use your right arm to punch to the left side and the same with the other side.
Reps: 8-15

Beginner: Complete the exercise as described above

Intermediate: Complete three punches rather than one

Advanced: Kick out with a punch

Exercise 3: Plank Jacks

Start in a plank position
Jump both your feet out to the side and bring them back in
Reps: 20-40 seconds

Beginner: Go into a plank and step out your feet rather than jump

Intermediate: Complete the exercise as described above

Advanced: After two plank jacks jump your feet up towards your hands, repeat

Exercise 4: Scissor jumps

Start off in a lunge position with one foot forward and one knee bent behind you,
Quickly extend through both of your legs, jumping up as high as possible even swinging your arms to gain more height.
While in the air, switch the positioning of your legs so that your front foot is back and your back foot is upfront.
While you are jumping have your arms extended out in front of you.
One arm should come up towards your head while the other is moving towards your legs. Making a scissor motion.
Reps: 20-45 seconds

Beginner: Complete the exercise with just a slight knee bend

Intermediate: Complete the exercise as described above

Advanced: Move your arms with your legs

Exercise 5: Speed skater

With your knees bent and your back leaning forward, leap on alternating feet from side to side.
Swing your back foot behind the standing leg, but try not to let your toes touch the floor.
Reps: 20-45 seconds

Beginner: Leap side to side one foot at a time

Intermediate: Complete the exercise as described above

Advanced: Once you jump to one side stay low and hold for 3 seconds

Lower body

Exercise 1: Wall sit

Stand against a wall with your feet about one step away from the wall.
Squat down into a squat position with your back still against the wall.
It should look like you are sitting in a chair. Your back is straight with your knees at 90 degrees
Reps: 8-15
Optional Equipment: Hold a dumbbell

Beginner: Complete just one wall sit

Intermediate: Complete the exercise as shown above

Advanced: Complete the exercise with some weight in your hands.

Exercise 2: Squat knee-up

Lower yourself down into a squat
On your way up from the squat bring your knee up and out to the side
Repeat on other side
Reps: 8-15

Beginner: Complete just a bodyweight squat

Intermediate: Complete the exercise as described above

Advanced: Crunch to the side towards your knee when you bring it up

Exercise 3: Lateral lunge to single leg hop

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Take a big step to the right side with your right foot, and immediately bend your right knee, and go down into a lateral lunge, keeping your left leg perfectly straight.
Push off your right foot and as you bring your right foot back to the starting position, push off your left foot and hop up, without placing your right foot on the floor.
Repeat on other side
Reps: 8-15

Beginner: Complete a lateral lunge without the hop

Intermediate: Complete the exercise as written above

Advanced: Add an additional hop

Exercise 4: Touchdown squat to calf raise

Squat down and have your hand touch the opposite foot
As you come back to a standing position go up onto your toes to raise your heels off the ground
Reps: 10-20

Beginner: Perform the first part of the exercise without the toe raise

Intermediate: Complete the exercise as written above

Advanced: Rather than just touching your toes touch, go down into a plank position and continue

Exercise 5: Leg extension

Sit in a chair and place a dumbbell between your feet
Bring your legs up so they are in line with your hips then bring your legs back down
Reps: 8-15

Beginner: Perform the exercise without weights

Intermediate: Complete the exercise as it is above

Advanced: Hold your legs up at the top for 3 seconds then come down

Post-Workout Recovery

Dedicating time towards post-workout recovery is a must for everyone who works out regularly. The recovery phase is where your body rebuilds and grows stronger. If you get back to working out before you’re fully recovered, you won’t get as much benefit from the previous workout and it leaves your body is in a more susceptible state for overuse injuries. Plus, working out is more fun when your body feels good.

Professional athletes to fitness enthusiasts use Marc Pro to speed their muscle recovery and prevent overuse injuries. Marc Pro is proven to deliver active recovery that’s both highly effective and easy.