What is Calisthenics
Calisthenics – the foundation of all movement
Gravity Fitness has pioneered top-quality calisthenics training equipment since our founder Rich made his first set of parallettes in 2015. These days we’re your destination for the best calisthenics equipment, training tools, education, resources, and inspiration.
What is calisthenics?
Calisthenics is the art of mastering your own bodyweight, with or without equipment. Many people think of advanced skills like the human flag when they’re talking about calisthenics. And, yes, those cool tricks are part of it. But calisthenics is about controlling your own body through different movements to build strength, stability, and confidence.
Bodyweight movements are part of calisthenics, too. Push ups, squats, lunges, and pull ups all count. In fact, those bodyweight skills are the foundation of everything else. Just like calisthenics is the foundation of every sport, gym workout, and daily movement you’ll ever do.
The long history of calisthenics
Calisthenics can be traced back to the earliest records of physical movement. It was used to train athletes in ancient China, warriors in ancient Sparta, and gymnasts in early Europe. The movements were seen as an important way to foster healthy living in mind and body.
Why every body needs calisthenics
A lot has changed in the world since then, but the human body hasn’t. That’s why we’re so passionate about preserving and promoting calisthenics.
We often like to say calisthenics is for every body and everybody. It’s not a typo. We mean that this form of training is suitable for every physical body, and every individual.
Calisthenics is accessible, easy to start, and exciting to progress. There’s no end to the strength and skills you can gain from practicing calisthenics, either as your only form of training or to support other sports.
How to get started with calisthenics
You’re in the right place. Get started by choosing just a few calisthenics movements that suit your current level of strength and fitness.
You don’t need any equipment to do calisthenics. But in time you might like to play around with a set of parallettes, a pull up rack, or gymnastics rings. There’s plenty to choose from in our online store.
We’ve also created a lot of training guidance to get you started. Take a look at our blog posts or download our app (free 7 day trial, or a free 30 day trial with any equipment purchase).
