The Ultimate Calisthenics Workout Plan

Are you cooped up at home with no weights? Don’t fret, I’ve got the perfect calisthenics workout plan that’ll get your whole body moving – and you’ll only need your own body.

Aye, you heard me right. All you’ll need are a few common household items. The beauty of bodyweight exercises is that you can start with simple movements and progress to harder variations. You don’t need a long list of exercises, just the right ones, and I’ll show you which ones to include in your calisthenics workout plan.

For most exercises in this plan, you’ll be doing 3 sets each. For the first 2 sets, you’ll use what’s called “RPE” to gauge your reps.

RPE, or Rate of Perceived Exertion, is a way to self-regulate how hard an exercise feels, using an intensity scale. Research has shown RPE to be quite effective in resistance training.

Now, the real RPE scale runs from 6 to 20:

• 6: No effort at all
• 20: Giving it everything you’ve got

But let’s be honest, that scale can be as confusing as a Dublin street map. So, for our purposes, we’re using a 0-10 scale:

• 0: No effort
• 10: Flat out exhausted

For your sets in this workout plan, aim for a 7-8 on the RPE scale. To put it simply, if you can do 10 push-ups max, an RPE of 7-8 means doing about 7 or 8 push-ups. Easy peasy, right?

However, we’ll mix things up for the last set. You’re going to push it to momentary failure. Many bodyweight exercises involve high reps since there’s no additional weight, but studies show you can get similar gains with low-load movements if you push to failure.

What Every Training Program Needs for Maximum Growth

Here’s a nugget of wisdom: a good workout program – whether it’s calisthenics (no gym) or with gym equipment – should cover all major movement patterns. Why, you ask? Because it’s the only way to ensure no muscle is left behind.

There are 7 key movement patterns to work every muscle in your body. We’ll use these to design our calisthenics workout:

• Horizontal & vertical pushing: Targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
• Horizontal pulling & vertical pulling: Works the back and biceps.
• Squats & lunges: Focuses on the lower body, especially the quads.
• Hinges: Engages the lower body, primarily the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.

For each of these movement patterns, we’ll pick 1-2 top exercises to include in our calisthenics plan. But starting with the basics won’t be enough. As you get stronger, you’ll need harder variations to keep building muscle and gaining strength. In the gym, you can just add more weight, but with calisthenics, it’s a bit trickier since you’re only using your body weight.

Not to worry though, I’ll show you how to keep challenging your muscles with 3 levels of increasing difficulty for each exercise in your routine.

Horizontal Pushing

Push-Ups

Studies have shown that muscle activation in push-ups is nearly the same as with the bench press. In fact, with the right progressions, you can increase both muscle size and strength with push-ups just as much as with a bench press at the gym. This makes push-ups an excellent choice for the main horizontal pushing movement in our calisthenics workout plan, primarily focusing on the chest.

Level 1 (Standard Push-Up) Level 1 is the standard push-up. Ensure your hands are positioned just outside your shoulders and your elbows form a 45-degree angle. This positioning maximizes chest activation with each rep.

Level 2 (Hand-to-Hand Push-Ups) Once you’ve got the standard push-up down, you can move to Level 2. This involves lowering yourself onto one hand at a time, increasing the percentage of your body weight on the working side, making the movement more challenging. Push back up with that hand, then switch to the other hand for the next rep.

Level 3 (Single-Arm Extended Push-Up) Level 3 requires you to extend one hand out to the side while lowering your body towards that hand. This further increases the load on your working hand compared to Level 2. Perform all your reps on one side before switching. If this becomes too easy, elevate your extended hand on an object like a book to increase the challenge.

Vertical Pushing

Next, let’s look at vertical pushing movements for your calisthenics workout.

Incline/Vertical Push-Ups

When pushing, the stress shifts from the chest to the shoulders as your arms move closer to your head. Our first exercise in the vertical pushing category focuses on developing the shoulders. Remember, as your feet rise, not only does the weight transfer to your shoulders, but you also lift a higher percentage of your body weight.

Level 1 (Parallel Incline Push-Up) Start with your feet on an object so that your head and feet are level, making you parallel to the floor. Be mindful of your core to avoid your hips sagging more than in regular push-ups.

Level 2 (Feet Higher Than Head) In Level 2, elevate your feet higher than your head, increasing the demand on your shoulders and the percentage of your body weight you lift.

Level 3 (Elevate Higher!) To up the difficulty, find an even higher object for your feet. The higher you go, the more tension on your shoulder muscles, making the exercise harder.

Dips

Dips might not fit perfectly into vertical or horizontal pushing, but they are a superb pushing movement and one of the best bodyweight exercises for any calisthenics workout.

Level 1 (Knees Bent) Start by finding a couch, bench, or two chairs. Place your hands behind you, turn them outwards, and position your legs in front with knees bent. Lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the ground, then press back up.

Level 2 (Legs Straight) To increase difficulty, straighten your legs, placing your heels further from your butt. This increases the percentage of your body weight you lift.

Level 3 (Legs Elevated) In Level 3, elevate your feet on another bench or chair. If you have access to dip bars, you can progress to using those as well.

Horizontal Pulling

Australian Pull-Ups

Australian pull-ups are an underrated exercise that can train the entire back. They are easy to set up using a Smith machine or a barbell in a rack.

Level 1 (Knees Bent) Start with your knees bent at about a 90-degree angle. Many underestimate this level, but it can be quite challenging.

Level 2 (Legs Straight) Extend your legs to increase the percentage of body weight you lift.

Level 3 (Legs Raised) Raise your legs onto an object to further increase the difficulty. Gradually use higher objects until your feet are level with your hands.

How to Perform at Home If you don’t have gym access, use two chairs and a broomstick or a towel to set up at home. Ensure the chairs are stable and on a non-slip surface.

Vertical Pulling

Chin-Ups

Chin-ups are one of the best exercises for vertical pulling.

Level 1 (Negative Chin-Ups) Focus on the eccentric phase (lowering yourself) of the movement. Start at the top and lower yourself slowly with control.

Level 2 (Jumping Chin-Ups with Paused Descent) Jump to grab the bar with bent elbows, then pull yourself to the top. On the way down, pause at 45, 90, and 135 degrees.

Level 3 (Full Chin-Ups) Perform full range of motion, unassisted chin-ups. Progress by adding weight if needed.

Squats

Body Squats

Start with basic body squats, the foundation of all lower-body movements.

Level 2 (Assisted Pistol Squats & Skater Squats) Progress to assisted pistol squats and skater squats.

Level 3 (Unassisted Pistol Squats & Skater Squats) Gradually reduce support until you can perform these unassisted.

Split Squats

Level 1 (Basic Split Squat) Perform split squats, working one side at a time.

Level 2 (Front Foot Elevated Split Squat) Elevate your front leg to increase its range of motion and workload.

Level 3 (Back-Foot Elevated Split Squat/Bulgarian Split Squats) Raise your back leg to increase the difficulty further.

Hip Hinge

Nordic Curls

Though not a true hip hinge, Nordic curls target the hamstrings and glutes effectively.

Level 1 (Assisted Nordic Curls) Anchor your feet under an object and use assistance to control your descent.

Level 2 (Unassisted Nordic Curls Partial ROM) Progress by lowering yourself further before “free-falling.”

Level 3 (Unassisted Nordic Curls Full ROM) Work towards full range of motion and slower descent times.

Hip Thrust

Level 1 (Hip Thrust with Two Legs) Perform normal hip thrusts with both feet on the ground, pausing at the top.

Level 2 (Hip Thrust with Single Leg) Lift one leg and perform the thrust with the other.

Level 3 (Hip Thrust with Single Leg Raised) Raise your foot on an object to increase range of motion and difficulty.

Your Calisthenics Workout Program

Your workout program will alternate between upper and lower body movements, to be performed 3-4 times a week.

Session A:

• Chair Rows
• Squats
• Superman Lat
• Push-Ups
• Nordic Curls

Session B:

• Decline Push-Ups
• Lunges
• Superman Lat
• Dips
• Hip Thrusts

Don’t Forget to Progressively Overload

Ensure you progressively overload by increasing reps, using harder movements, or slowing your tempo for maximum gains.