Whether a beginner or advance calisthenics practitioner, sooner or later there will be a point where you will need to increase the intensity of exercises to continue your progression in your journey to mastery. Below are 5 methods that can challenge your current calisthenics practice and help you ascend into the human warrior you're meant to be.
Method 1: Increase The Number of Repetitions
Increasing the number of repetitions is the simplest way to challenge your muscles. Surpassing 15 or more repetitions will help you not only build strength and muscular aesthetics but will mainly improve your muscular endurance.
Method 2: Increase Time Under Tension
If you find your exercises getting easier, increase the time under tension or in other words, slow down your movement. If you're currently following a 1x1 repetition execution for a push up (1 second down and 1 second up) increase it to 3x3 (3 seconds down and 3 seconds up). Increasing the time your muscles are under tension will promote and maximize muscular hypertrophy.
Method 3: Go Unilateral
Most calisthenics practitioners can complete push ups on two hands, pull ups with two arms and squats with both legs however this can get "too easy" for some and if this is the case for you, go unilateral and start training the one arm push up, pull up and pistol squat. Single limb exercises will not only improve overall strength but can help improve proprioception and reduce any muscle imbalances.
Method 4: Practice Advance Exercises
This recommendation is for those who are a bit more advance in calisthenics training and are ready for something new. Almost every exercise can be either regressed or progressed. In this case, the goal is to progress each exercise into more advance movements. Here are some examples of advance calisthenics exercises:
> Clap Push Ups
> Superman Push Up
> Clap Pull Up
> Muscle Ups
> Single Leg Box Jump
Please keep in mind, advance calisthenics exercises are not to be taken lightly and can cause injury if not properly trained. Listen to your body and be honest with yourself as you attempt to advance your exercises.
Method 5: Include Weight Vest
Although calisthenics exercises are performed with bodyweight, a final method to increase the difficulty of some exercises is to start using a weighted vest. A weighted vest will add more variety to your training regimen and more resistance to your exercises. Before including a weight vest to your training, please understand that a weighted vest should not weigh more than 10 percent of your bodyweight and should only be worn during your workout and not all day.
Disclaimer: All information presented and written within this article are intended for informational purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you should choose to follow or participate in any workout, program or practice, you do so voluntarily and do not hold Initial Mile and it's founder responsible for any cause of injury or death. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health-care professional.
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