Much of what constitutes CrossFit, boot camps, and obstacle race training is simply calisthenics, except with better marketing, packaging and rebranding.

When most people think of calisthenics, they think of boring exercises performed by students in their gym classes or old school-type workouts. 

But those same calisthenics prescribed by generations of gym teachers have been rebranded in recent years as body-weight exercises. Much of what constitutes CrossFit, boot camps, and obstacle race training is simply calisthenics, except with better marketing, packaging and rebranding. Calisthenics, simply put, is just body weight training.

The word calisthenics comes from the Greek words kallos (beauty) and sthenos (strength). Indeed, there’s a timeless beauty to training for strength and flexibility via pushing, pulling, lunging, and lifting movements using little to no equipment. When performed in a continuous, rigorous fashion, calisthenics can increase your strength and aerobic capacity.

One of the best things about this style of training is that you can do it anywhere–in a hotel room, at the beach or at the park.

Here are some tried and true calisthenics moves:

Pullups
Pushups
Squat Jumps
Dips
Calf Raises

Jumping Jacks
Burpees
Mountain Climbers
Walking Lunges
Squats

Pushups
Dips
Plank
Leg Raises
Squats

Need some added motivation to get started? Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIVxdIWy7Eo