Multisport: Use it and lose it

How to use your own body weight to help you lose weight and gain fitness

By Rob Stanley, CTS Expert Coach

For the past few decades, we have seen a large growth in health centers and gyms packed full of the latest and greatest in machines, equipment, and cardiovascular equipment. In the effort to reach optimal health and performance, health-conscious adults and athletes of all backgrounds are using new equipment and spending hours lifting weights. Their efforts are being made in order to reach a higher level of athletic feats or to better perform daily tasks. However, what if daily time restraints were to prevent you from going to the gym on a particular day? Or what if you were in need of a new challenge to conquer?

One answer is calisthenics, otherwise known as body weight exercises. The term calisthenics comes from the Greek origin of "Kalos Sthenos" meaning "Beautiful Strength." Calisthenics induces a physical adaptation and response, which can be one of the most effective means for improving sport-specific performance or overall health. The specific response can be as minor as lifting yourself out of a chair, or even as performance-oriented as maintaining your form in a 40k time trial simply because your body is strong enough to support itself and maintain your position.

You may already be incorporating some calisthenics into your normal strength training routine. Adding some variety and enough exercise to supplement your current regime, can allow you to gain a new level of fitness or break through a plateau in your training progression.

A typical calisthenics routine may be done in a number of different ways, but traditional calisthenics routines will move from one exercise to the next with minimal rest. You may also get creative and concentrate on specific body parts or even do a total body workout with recovery between exercises. Some body weight exercises are difficult enough to induce a strength response simply by attempting the exercise (such as a pull up). Although all of the exercises are lifting, pushing, or moving your own body mass, there are ways to modify the positions to make them easier or harder. Do your best, listen to your body and you will keep progressing. Where applicable, modify exercises in order to "build" up to correct form, such as pushups from the knees, and chin ups before pull-ups. Some of the exercises will complement aerobic efforts in the movement itself.

Key points to consider when performing calisthenics:
* Although basic in nature, the intensity of calisthenics is very high.
* If unsure of the proper form, or if you have back problems and/or previous injuries to the body, seek a qualified fitness professional to demonstrate
* Make sure the surface is proper and adequate for calisthenics. Grass or turf is ideal, and even hard-packed dirt will work.

Steps and Options for a typical Calisthenics Routine:

1) Warm Up: This can be a simple movement such as walking with excessive arm swings, easy running or cycling for 5-10 minutes, jumping rope, or rowing. The purpose is to create more circulation in the joints and muscles, increase the body temperature, and prepare the muscles for the work they are going to perform.

2) Calisthenics routine: For a traditional routine, perform in the following order, with no rest between exercises.
* Jumping jacks- Standing, arms at sides and feet together. Force arms and legs out, and back in.
* Power squats- Do the traditional body weight squat. The feet should be shoulder width apart, and hands on waist or arms across chest. Bend at the knees and squat keeping the back straight, knees behind toes and inline with the entire foot.
* Sit-ups- Do the traditional sit-up. The legs should be bent, feet on the ground, and the torso curling up to the knees. Feet may be restricted, arms crossing the chest or hands behind the head.
* 8-count pushups- This is a mix between a power squat and a push up. Start with feet at a shoulder width apart. Squat down and place your hands to the outside of your feet. Thrust both feet back to a push up position. Perform one push up. Bring feet back to squat position, and then bring body to upright stance. Repetitions are counted from the original start position.
* Bicycle- The start position is with the body in a traditional crunch position. As you lift your torso up, twist your upper body toward one leg, and extend the leg forward on the same side twisting. For example, if the left side moves toward the right leg, the left leg will extend completely forward.
* Pushups- bend at the elbows and lower body to the ground
Regular- Hands shoulder width apart
Diamond- Hands close together with the first finger and thumbs touching.
Wide-arm- Hands as far out as possible or double the shoulder width.
* Flutter kicks- Lay on back with hands under body. With legs fully extended, lift legs approximately six inches off ground. Begin "fluttering" legs as if kicking during freestyle swimming. Do not let feet touch the ground, and keep the legs extended.
* Mountain Climber- Start from a push up position. Bend one leg so that it is under the waist, and the opposite is fully extended. Begin rhythmically and aggressively extending the bent leg behind the body, and the straight leg to the bent position under the body.
* Pull Ups- Extend from bar completely. Do not swing or create momentum to initiate pull. Palms are away from the body, lifting the chest to bar and chin above the bar.
* Tricep dips- Situate the hands behind the body on a stair, bench, or chair and place the feet on ground. Lower the upper body while bending at the elbow and shoulders until the upper arm is nearly parallel with the ground.
* Chin ups- Similar to pull-ups, but with the palms facing toward the body.

3) Cool down/stretching: Perform another 5-10 minutes of low-intensity walking or easy running, with a total body stretch.

Calisthenics as a part of the total body routine is often forgotten in lieu of the latest and greatest in weight machines and gym equipment. However, if you cycle a complete calisthenics workout into your normal strength training routine, or even exclusively perform calisthenics, it will allow you to use your body like an effective machine, rather than relying on a machine to make your body more effective. If you lift weights, you will build strength, but you will be training your body to be specifically stronger for the movements you make with those weights. If you move your body weight, you will be much stronger specifically to your body mass. Now drop and

© 2004, Carmichael Training Systems, Inc.