# What should I do if I want to start doing Calisthenics?



## A Hot Potato (May 25, 2018)

I'm already 6 feet and 150 pounds, and I eat healthy, so this is not about weight loss.

I want to get in shape, but am too busy and too much of a poor faggot for gyms or purchasing equipment.

What should I be looking to do, if I'm just able to workout in my bedroom with no additional equipment.


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## Crisseh (May 25, 2018)

Research. Lots of channels out there that make guides on how to workout without weights.

Hell, even with a set of dumbbells you can get great results.

The most important thing is to start. Even if its just push ups.


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## A Hot Potato (May 25, 2018)

Crisseh said:


> Research. Lots of channels out there that make guides on how to workout out without weights.
> 
> Hell, even with a set of dumbbells you can get great results.
> 
> The most important thing is to start. Even if its just push ups.


Well, I did start already today.

I did push ups, sit ups, squats, lunges, crunchs, and calf lifts or something (I forgot what this one is called)

Is this good shit to start out with?


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## Memeneeto (May 25, 2018)

I got taught the 3 F's by a trainer

Fluids- stay hydrated, grab a huge bottle of water and drink liberally during your workout.

Form- excersising with bad form is like riding a bike with no wheels, you aren't gonna get anywhere and you'll probably hurt yourself. Don't rush and make sure your form is correct.

Fire- the burn you start to feel is normal, it means your muscles are working overtime, if the pain becomes sharp, stop and take a breather, make sure your form was correct.


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## IV 445 (May 25, 2018)

Good that you want to get better.

Have you tried swimming laps in public pools? It's Memorial Day so most have opened up now, if they haven't already in this crazy heat. I think that's a good idea to also get some tan B)


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## Crisseh (May 25, 2018)

A Hot Pizza said:


> I did push ups, sit ups, squats, lunges, crunchs, and calf lifts or something (I forgot what this one is called)



Yeah that's definitely a good start. I would suggest burpees as well as cardio.

The biggest step is just starting with anything. You'll find if its something you want to do, you'll be wanting to learn more.

The biggest two suggestions I can give is: Anyone can lift weights, the diet is where muscles are made. It separates seeing results, vs seeing nothing. Second I would say consistency. Keeping a vision in your head of what you want to see yourself as.


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## oldTireWater (May 25, 2018)

I'm a big believer in the HIIT approach (high intensity interval training). There are so many variations of exercises/workouts out there that it's not worth linking to any one. 

I like to break exercises down into categories, and pair exercises from the different groups:
- Going from prone to squatting/standing/jumping: Burpees (regular, one-legged, weighted, "gorilla", etc), plank-to-squats, surfer pushups (a pushup from full prone then jumping to an offset squat)...
- Symmetric squatting/jumping: squats, squat jumps, box jumps, star jacks, frog jumps... 
- Asymmetric stuff: one-legged squats, reverse/forward lunges, jumping lunges, high kicks, skaters, mountain climbers, high knees...
- Moving exercises: sprints, karaokes, skipping... 
- Strength stuff: push ups, pull ups, dips...
- Core: all kinds of shit.

I also like to have a theme for for a given workout. I'll pick a few exercises, and then either go at them for time or by count. 
An example:
- 30 seconds of pushups -> 30 seconds of plank-to-squats -> 30 seconds of jump squats -> 30 seconds of rest -> repeat the series a couple times then do a bunch of burpees.

Heavy lifting is good too. I'm a fan of kettlebells, but they're expensive, and honestly there's nothing special about them. But there's a point where more weight is just an unnecessary risk. You've got to think long term.

I'd say 30 minutes a day should be a minimum goal once you're "in shape", but I like to have at least 2 days a week where I get in 2+ hours of hard exercise over the course of the day.

Form is important, fortunately pain is the best teacher. Flexibility is very important for avoiding injury and aging "gracefully". Yoga bores me, but Pilates is good. Injuries WILL happen, but you've got to work around them.

I don't agree with the idea of pursuing a physical goal or some ideal body image. I think that one should look at exercising as the end itself, not the means. Fuck gains, fuck diets, fuck resting muscle groups. Destroy yourself every day and learn to love it for what it is. 

Crossfit is gay.

Everything is something, Nothing is ever enough.


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## BoingBoingBoi (May 26, 2018)

A Hot Pizza said:


> Well, I did start already today.
> 
> I did push ups, sit ups, squats, lunges, crunchs, and calf lifts or something (I forgot what this one is called)
> 
> Is this good shit to start out with?



it's fine. see how sore you are tmr. if not at all, then you probably need to do much more. if a lot, then yeah keep that up a few times per week for a few weeks.

just remember anything is better than nothing. just be active and consistent. i'd also recommend trying to do stuff outdoors rather than in your bedroom. you'll enjoy it more, feel better about it, and be more likely to keep up. heck you might even end up with a new hobby. just explore your local area for parks and other public outdoor areas---run, swim, hike, paddle, home exercise (as you did) and the like. you should see results eventually, or at the very least feel better. 

also eat well.


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## A Hot Potato (May 26, 2018)

Are jumping jacks any good to include in my routine?


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## oldTireWater (May 26, 2018)

If they get your heart rate up to the point where you're out of breath, then they're good. Eventually you'll find (if you don't already) that basic jumping jacks are just too easy though, they're a recovery exercise. There are modifications that you can mix in like squat-jacks and star-jacks that will make them more difficult.


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## TiggerNits (May 30, 2018)

Meth.

Shit will slim you down like no other and you'll get some amazing cardio running from the cops, people's dogs when you're robbing their house and then from your meth dealer when you steal some of that sweet sweet Indiana Inhalable


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## A Hot Potato (May 30, 2018)

TiggerNits said:


> Meth.
> 
> Shit will slim you down like no other and you'll get some amazing cardio running from the cops, people's dogs when you're robbing their house and then from your meth dealer when you steal some of that sweet sweet Indiana Inhalable


Where could I go about acquiring this, "Meth"?


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## TiggerNits (May 30, 2018)

A Hot Pizza said:


> Where could I go about acquiring this, "Meth"?



Find a white person who looks like they haven't slept in 2 days and have a household income under 20k a year and offer them $20 for oral sex, then say you'll throw in an extra fiver if they give you a hook up


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## A Hot Potato (May 30, 2018)

TiggerNits said:


> Find a white person who looks like they haven't slept in 2 days and have a household income under 20k a year and offer them $20 for oral sex, then say you'll throw in an extra fiver if they give you a hook up


I'll see about adding this into my routine...


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## A Hot Potato (Jun 7, 2018)

So yesterday, I was able to acquire two ten pound weights, and I worked them into my routine.

Anything I should know about weights and calisthenics?


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## PantsFreeZone (Jun 7, 2018)

Do you want to get cut or muscular?

If you want to get cut, download a copy of Shawn T's T25 (You could do Insanity, but that shit will eventually wear down and injure you) and do the 25 minute workouts. You'll develop cardio and after about 6 weeks look like an MMA fighter.

If you want to get muscular, do a single cycle of anabolic steroids. And try not to get addicted.


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## A Hot Potato (Jun 14, 2018)

How long should I aim to hold a plank for?

I can already do over 70 seconds.


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## oldTireWater (Jun 15, 2018)

A Hot Pizza said:


> How long should I aim to hold a plank for?
> 
> I can already do over 70 seconds.



Until you absolutely can't stand it anymore. Static exercises like that are a mental game, you can always hang on a few seconds longer. A plank is good for core and shoulder strength, but the returns are diminishing. If you want a goal then 2-3 minutes is probably good. One can stay in the "front leaning rest" for fucking ever when someone is yelling at you.

You might look into variations at this point:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynUw0YsrmSg


Spoiler



You don't have to be a hot chick, or listen to some tool do these.


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## Ed Witten BAB (Jun 25, 2018)

If you want to start with Calisthenics, I would recommend that you start with the first programme on this page:

http://www.startbodyweight.com/p/some-sample-custom-programs.html

and then move onto this programme:

http://www.startbodyweight.com/p/start-bodyweight-basic-routine.html

On the same website you will find instructions on how to do the basic bodyweight exercises, as well as their progressions and guidelines on how to advance to some impressive bodyweight exercises (muscle ups, dragon flags, human flag etc)

As for cardio, do it on the rest days that the programmes suggest. And make it something fun, play soccer or tennis or skip rope etc. I find that you get more cardio done if you are doing something fun.

As for the weights use them to do bicep curls and they will be useful as counterweights when learning to do pistol squats.


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## A Hot Potato (Aug 8, 2018)

To bump this again, I recently added minor weight training to my routine.

Anything I should know or do?


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## oldTireWater (Aug 8, 2018)

Lift in quick, jerking motions using your back.

There are too many approaches to this to even begin to cover, and everyone will disagree with everyone else. Pick an "established" website, program, or youtube channel and give it a shot. Keep what you like from it, then try another one. Don't become invested in any one philosophy, and don't stop doing cardio/plyo stuff.


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## Meat Poultry Veg (Aug 13, 2018)

A Hot Tranny said:


> To bump this again, I recently added minor weight training to my routine.
> 
> Anything I should know or do?



I was going to say "do StrongLifts" but you mentioned not having a gym membership, so that's a non-starter. (But if you ever do invest in a gym membership, do check out the StrongLifts website and read, and re-read how to do the five basic lifts).

If you have at least $20, you can get a lot of mileage out making your own "weights" by buying pea gravel at Home Depot/a hardware store, duct tape and contractor bags (those are trash bags that are extra thick and puncture resistant). A bag of pea gravel is 40-50 lbs. but costs only four dollars. Put half the gravel in a contractor bag, cover it in duct tape, then put that bundle in another bag and duct tape it again. Repeat for the other half of the gravel.

The reason you want pea gravel is because the other types have sharp edges and will eventually wear out your bags.

As for exercise ideas, you can put these weighted bundles in a backpack and do pushups, put them in a large bag and do bear hug squats, throw them, slam them on the ground... the options are endless. Moving heavy objects for many repetitions will work you out good.


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## A Hot Potato (Sep 21, 2018)

So I've recently acquired myself a workout bench.

Anything I should know from here?


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## oldTireWater (Sep 21, 2018)

Eh, I don't do bench stuff. I don't like isolation exercises (not interested in beach muscles).


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