One thing that most people don’t know is that your physique largely determines how well you will pull off your calisthenics exercises. More specifically, those who are too heavy for calisthenics will generally have a much harder time. Whether you have too much fat, too much muscle, or you are simply too tall, this overabundance in mass can certainly affect your strength in the art of calisthenics.
So, if this even remotely sounds like you fear not, this article has been made for you. This article will present a detailed guide on how to solve this very issue so don’t go anywhere!
Have too much fat and thus being too heavy for calisthenics?
Since calisthenics is made up of mainly bodyweight movements, having any form of additional weight will make your overall experience with this much harder. Do keep in mind, while calisthenics for weight loss is certainly a viable goal, there are better ways. So, let’s take a look at some fat loss strategies!
3 tips to lose fat for calisthenics
- Consume fewer calories. For those of you who don’t know, the term calorie is just a measurement of energy. So, by consuming fewer overall calories, you will force the body to break down the fat stored on your body for energy. Be sure to find out how many calories you roughly need before trying out this method.
- Optimise your protein intake. As we all know, protein is a very anabolic nutrient. It is responsible for the building up of body tissue and/or muscle mass, among many other things. What most people don’t know is that high protein feedings can cause a spike in the metabolic rate. This will increase the overall number of calories burned, therefore enhancing fat loss.
- Opt for HIIT. HIIT or (high-intensity interval training) is very short but also a very high-intensity form of cardio. It is believed to burn a greater number of calories during the session than a standard cardio session. In addition, the high intensity of this cardio variation has been noted to burn up to hundreds of calories even after the session is finished, making it the best form of cardio for fat loss.
Are you too tall and thus being too heavy for calisthenics?
As fat and muscle, height is also another varying factor on your calisthenic performance. Being very tall means that an even greater demand gets placed on your body. While there is no fix for an overly tall frame, you can certainly counter this with some strategies listed below!
3 tips to get stronger for calisthenics
- Use resistance bands. Resistance bands are an extremely efficient tool in the world of calisthenics. They are cheap, easy to use, and can be used on almost any exercise. One thing they are great for is increasing strength. Since they add additional resistance to every single rep, over time, your muscles and nervous system will adapt to the extra stimuli causing you to be stronger.
- Focus on the positive repetition. While most people know that the negative part of the repetition breaks the muscle down and is responsible for the building up of bigger muscles, most people don’t know that the positive part of the rep is where you develop your muscular strength. Be sure to prioritize this part of the rep by implementing explosive and solid movements.
- Go all out on the static holds. It is common knowledge that calisthenics involves a lot of static holds. For those of you who don’t know, static holds involve place yourself into a very specific position and maintaining that position for as long as you can. Not only is doing this very tough but focusing on these key holds will certainly develop more physical strength.
Possess too much muscle and thus being too heavy for calisthenics?
While it may sound controversial, possessing too much muscle when trying to do calisthenic movements can actually dampen your performance. Since muscle weighs more than fat, it wouldn’t take as much overabundance of muscle to do this. Let’s take a look at three potential solutions for this issue.
3 tips to recomposition yourself for calisthenics
- Forget the weights. If calisthenics is something you want to truly thrive in, doing isolated movements with weights isn’t going to help you. Calisthenics requires a strong and lean body with muscle only developed from the calisthenics itself, any additional mass gained from other movements will only hinder your performance.
- Stop/do not take steroids. If taking steroids is something you are currently doing or thinking about starting, think again. Since steroids pack on muscle mass at such a high rate, carrying all this additional muscle mass that is not the result of the calisthenics alone could negatively affect your performance.
- Focus only on calisthenics. Kind of a summary point here but it certainly is important. If improving your calisthenics is all that you care about, it should be only that you prioritize. If you apply this last point, you will certainly reach your goals at a much faster rate.
Summary
Overall, calisthenics is a very challenging form of exercise. It not only requires a very strong core, but it will also require a lot of hard work and practice. Because of this very factor, you should not be ashamed if you struggle when you first attempt this.
That being said, after a read through this article, you will now know how and why having too much fat can drastically affect your performance. This same rule of thumb can be applied to having too much muscle mass and/or being too tall.
While these can certainly be issues, this article and the steps provided in it will certainly help you accomplish your calisthenic goals!
