Military Calisthenics are a little secret the US Armed Forces have been hiding for a couple of years now. They’ve been using Calisthenics to train their men and women to be fighters with great results. The reason is simple: Calisthenics does what the military seeks in a soldier when it comes to physical fitness and mental fortitude. Whether you’re prepping for bootcamp or you just like the aesthetics of that military physique, calisthenics can help you achieve your goals. All branches of the military require daily calisthenic exercises from their recruits and for good reason: it builds speed, stamina and strength. Exactly the kind of things military leaders seek from their warriors. With the following Military Calisthenics exercises you too can reach that ideal.
Why the Military chose Calisthenics
Calisthenics as we know it, isn’t very old but the military jumped on it because of its effectiveness. Military calisthenics emphasizes building strength but moreover repetition. You need to be able to lift your gear and weapon easily but also, many times repeatedly to be an effective fighter. Army bootcamp is 13 weeks so this home Military calisthenics program will take that amount of time as well. We advise that you don’t do this program and the bootcamp back-to-back. Get one or two weeks of rest in between to allow your body to heal properly.
The thing is, this type of bodily exercise to prepare yourself for war is nothing new. Military Calisthenics in its most fundamental for isn’t new either. Ancient Greek warriors like the famous hoplites trained very similarly to what we would call Military Calisthenics today. So similar in fact, we’d be challenged to name any differences (right down to the diet!). Roman legionaries also had their own version of Military Calisthenics and were among the first to adopt the principle of “you train like you fight; you fight like you trained”. That meant ditching the weights and picking up a shield and wearing armor all day long.
When modern reenactors tried fighting in a medieval “melee”, that is to say two groups wearing full head-to-toe steel armor and going at it, they found no one could keep up fighting for more than 15 minutes. It was that exhausting. Not only did these reenactments change our historical perception about how battles were fought — Hollywood got it wrong again — it also made modern military thinkers realize one core thing. A soldier’s physical fitness on the battlefield is determined by how often he can repeat a stressful task and in a short amount of time before he or she can’t anymore. Of all fitness branches, Calisthenics fits this description perfectly.
Military Calisthenics thus has a long history of being at the core of victorious professional armies and being adopted by that era’s dominant cultural power; be it Sparta, Athens, Rome, France or America. Whether they were fighting face to face in massed formations or running and shooting, the individual warrior had one thing in common: Military Calisthenics.
The Military Calisthenics Workout
Just like Army Basic Training, our Military Calisthenics Workout is a 13-week routine. If you’re doing this workout in preparation of bootcamp, we advise you to start 15 or 16 weeks in advance. That way, you have a 2-week resting period between completing our Military Calisthenics workout and starting doing Calisthenics again in the actual military. Our workout plan is optimized to build both strength and stamina at the same time. It is not geared towards building muscle bulk, rather to provide you with strong lean muscle mass which can take a burden time and time again.
The Military Calisthenics Workout routine is divided into four phases, each phase being 4 weeks long with a final “Hell Week” phase being 1 week long. Each week within a phase is about the same difficulty level as the other weeks, with a mild progression. Each consecutive phase is harder than the previous phase. This combines both a gradual with an incremental difficulty scale, the best way to see results fast.
Week 1 to 4 Military Calisthenics
Warm-up week, this week is where the wheat is separated from the chaff. Do you really allow yourself to lose?
| Military Calisthenics Week 1 | Exercises |
| Repeat each set 3 times. Take 2 minutes rest between sets. | |
| Day 1 | Jumping rope 30 sec. Pull-ups 8-12 reps Crunches 15-20 reps Squats 20 squats Push-ups 10-15 reps Plank 30 sec. Inverted rows small grip 10-15 reps Sprint 20 sec. |
| Day 2 | Run 3mi within 35 minutes |
| Day 3 | Jumping jacks 60 sec. Walking lunges 10 reps (each side) Pike push-up 10-12 reps Dips 15 reps Chin-ups 8-10 reps Side crunches 10 (each side) Side planking 30 sec. (each side) Shadow boxing 30 sec. |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Run 3mi within 35 minutes |
| Day 6 | Jumping rope 45 sec. Box jumps 10 reps Plank 45 sec. Pull-ups 8-12 reps Daimond Push-ups 10-12 reps Squats 20 reps Knee raises 15 reps Dips 15 reps |
| Day 7 | Rest |
| Military Calisthenics Week 2 | Exercises |
| HITT: Every exercise is executed for 1 minute followed by a 20-second rest. After completing a round take 3 minutes rest. Repeat rounds 3 times. | |
| Day 1 | Sprinting Skater lunges Inverted Rows Push-up Wide Grip Crunches Jumping jacks Squats |
| Day 2 | Run 4mi within 35 minutes |
| Day 3 | Pull-ups Plank Push-ups Walking lunges Knee raises Jumping rope Daimond push-ups Inverted rows |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Run 4mi within 35 minutes |
| Day 6 | Squats Shadow boxing Side crunches (switch for both sides) Monkey bar Pike push-up Dips Chin-ups Plank Jumping jacks Sprinting Box jumps |
| Day 7 | Rest |
| Military Calisthenics Week 3 | Exercises |
| Same as week 1 but slightly harder. | |
| Day 1 | Jumping jacks 50 reps Pull-ups 10-15 reps Crunches 20-25 reps Squats 25 squats Push-ups 15-20 reps Plank 60 sec. Inverted rows small grip 15-17 reps Box jumps 12 reps |
| Day 2 | Sprint 30 sec. Jumping rope 60 sec 1 minute rest Repeat 10 times |
| Day 3 | Jumping jacks 50 reps Walking lunges 12 reps (each side) Pike push-up 12-15 reps Dips 18-20 reps Chin-ups 8-10 reps Side crunches 12 (each side) Side planking 30 sec. (each side) Shadow boxing 50 sec. |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Run 4mi within 35 minutes |
| Day 6 | Burpees 5 reps Squats 20 reps Pull-ups 8-12 reps Plank 45 sec. Frog jumps 10 reps Daimond Push-ups 15-17 reps Knee raises 18 repsDips 18-20 reps |
| Day 7 | Rest |
| Military Calisthenics Week 4 | Exercises |
| Same as week 2 but slightly harder. | |
| Day 1 | Sprinting Wall assisted handstand Skater lunges Inverted rows Push-up wide grip Crunches Jumping jacks Squats |
| Day 2 | Sprint 40 sec. Jumping rope 80 sec. 1 minute rest Repeat 10 times |
| Day 3 | Pull-ups Plank Push-ups Walking lunges Knee raises Jumping rope Daimond push-ups Inverted rows |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Run 4mi within 35 minutes |
| Day 6 | Monkey bar Squats Side crunches Burpees Pike push-ups Plank Dips Chin-ups Box jumps Jumping jacks |
| Day 7 | Rest |
Week 5 to 8 Military Calisthenics
After the first four weeks, you’ll start noticing a change in your body, mentality and physiology. You no longer crave sugar, instead meat and fibrous vegetables become irresistible and you’ll find an almost insatiable hunger for them. This is a good sign; it shows that your body is growing stronger. The Military Calisthenics is having its effect. Eat more and eat health and don’t worry, your body will be putting it all to good use. If you think you might not make it, fight harder!
| Military Calisthenics Week 5 | Exercises |
| Pyramid week: start with 2 reps of each exercise, after completing all exercises, start over with 4 reps for each exercise. Repeat the list, adding 2 reps with every revolution until failure. At failure, take a 20-minute rest and repeat from the start once more. | |
| Day 1 | Push-ups diamond grip Inverted pull-ups wide grip Squats Leg raises Pull-ups small grip Crunches Push-up hold plank (in sec.) Walking lunges (reps per side) Pike push-up |
| Day 2 | Run 2mi with a weighted vest (max 5 kg) within 25 minutes Jump rope 200 reps in total Side planking 1 minute per side |
| Day 3 | Push-ups wide grip Inverted pull-ups small grip Walking lunges Knee raises Pull-ups wide grip Side Crunches Dips Side lunges Pike push-up |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Run 2mi with a weighted vest (max 5 kg) within 20 minutes Jump rope 200 reps in total Side planking 1 minute per side |
| Day 6 | Push-ups Pull-ups Squats Leg raises Chin-ups Side lunges Dips Pike push-up |
| Day 7 | Rest |
| Military Calisthenics Week 6 | Exercises |
| Speed: do 6 reps of each exercise, take a 5 second rest and go to the next exercise on the list. Repeat this cycle 5 times. In between cycles, take a 1-minute rest. | |
| Day 1 | Push-ups diamond grip Inverted pull-ups wide grip Squats Leg raises Pull-ups small grip Crunches Push-up hold plank (in sec.) Walking lunges (reps per side) Pike push-up |
| Day 2 | Run 2mi with a weighted vest (max 5 kg) within 25 minutes Jump rope 200 reps in total Side planking 1 minute per side |
| Day 3 | Push-ups wide grip Inverted pull-ups small grip Walking lunges Knee raises Pull-ups wide grip Side Crunches Dips Side lunges Pike push-up |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Run 2mi with a weighted vest (max 5 kg) within 20 minutes Jump rope 200 reps in total Side planking 1 minute per side |
| Day 6 | Push-ups Pull-ups Squats Leg raises Chin-ups Side lunges Dips Pike push-up |
| Day 7 | Rest |
| Military Calisthenics Week 7 | Exercises |
| HITT: Every exercise is executed for 1 minute followed by a 15-second rest. After completing a round take 3 minutes rest. Repeat rounds 4 times. | |
| Day 1 | Push-ups Squats Pull-ups Crunches Side plank (each side) Frog jumps Jumping rope Shadow boxing |
| Day 2 | Run 3mi with a weighted vest (max 5 kg) within 35 minutes |
| Day 3 | Walking lunges Dips Box jumps Inverted rows Jumping jacks Skater lunge Pike push-up Sprint Shadow boxing |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Run 3mi with a weighted vest (max 5 kg) within 35 minutes |
| Day 6 | Sprinting Plank Jumping lunges Side plank each side Push-up hold Knee raises Monkey bar 1-leg high jump Wall assisted Handstand Shadow boxing |
| Day 7 | Rest |
| Military Calisthenics Week 8 | Exercises |
| Speed: take only a 5 second rest and go to the next exercise on the list. Repeat this cycle 5 times. In between cycles, take a 1-minute rest. | |
| Day 1 | Jumping jacks 100 reps 1-leg squat max reps per side Pike push-ups 18-20 reps Leg raises 5-10 reps Inverted pull-ups max reps Plank 60-80 sec. Push-ups wide grip max reps Walking lunges 17 per side Sprinting 35 sec. Side crunches 18-22 per side |
| Day 2 | Intermittent running with a 5kg weighted vest: 1 minute sprint, 90 sec. Walk repeat 12 times |
| Day 3 | Squats 50 reps Pull-ups max reps 1-leg high jump 15 reps per side Crunches 18-22 per side Dips max reps Wall Assisted Handstand max hold Burpees 10-12 reps Jumping rope 60 sec. Skater lunge 10 reps per side Box jumps 15 reps |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Intermittent running with a 5kg weighted vest: 1 minute sprint, 90 sec. Walk repeat 12 times |
| Day 6 | Jumping jacks 100 reps Box jumps 12-15 reps Side crunches 22-25 reps Chin-up max reps Pike push-ups max reps Leg raises 8-10 reps 1-leg squat max reps per side Burpees 10-12 reps Plank 60-80 sec. Walking lunges 18 per side Push-up small grip max reps |
| Day 7 | Rest |
Week 9 to 12 Military Calisthenics
In Ancient Rome, you first had to serve in the army before you could run for elections. Seeing as their training was about the same as our Military Calisthenics, what does that say about their politicians? Or rather, what does it say about ours? Are you ready to take your responsibility and serve your country? If you give up now, you’re not failing your country, you’re failing yourself.
| Military Calisthenics Week 9 | Exercises |
| HITT: Every exercise is executed for 70 seconds followed by a 15-second rest. After completing a round take 3 minutes rest. Repeat rounds 4 times. | |
| Day 1 | Frog jumps 1-leg squat Archer pull-ups Chin-ups Shadow boxing Rope jumping Archer push-ups Leg raises Side knee raises |
| Day 2 | Intermittent running with a 5kg weighted vest: 1 minute sprint, 1 minute walk. Repeat 10 times. |
| Day 3 | Train with a weighted vest max 2-5 kg Monkey bar Side pank (both sides) Pull-up wide grip Side lunges Push-up small grip Squats Pike-push up Sprinting |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Intermittent running with a 5kg weighted vest: 1 minute sprint, 1 minute walk. Repeat 10 times. |
| Day 6 | Box jumps Jumping jacks Burpees Plank Leg raises Archer pull-ups Archer push-ups 1-leg squat Side crunches Dips |
| Day 7 | Rest |
| Military Calisthenics Week 10 | Exercises |
| Pyramid week: start with 2 reps of each exercise, after completing all exercises, start over with 4 reps for each exercise. Repeat the list, adding 2 reps with every revolution until failure. At failure, take a 20-minute rest and repeat from the start once more. | |
| Day 1 | Push-ups Inverted pull-ups Squats Leg raises Pull-ups small grip Side crunches (per side) Dips Walking lunges (reps per side) Pike push-up |
| Day 2 | Run 6mi as fast as you can Jumping rope 200 reps Planking 3x 90 sec. |
| Day 3 | Push-ups wide grip Inverted pull-ups small grip Walking lunges Knee raises Pull-ups wide grip Crunches Dips Side lunges Pike push-up |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Run 6mi as fast as you can Jumping rope 200 reps Planking 3x 90 sec. |
| Day 6 | Pull-up Clapping push-up 1-leg squat Leg raises Chin-ups Push-up small grip Side lunges Crunches Pike push-up |
| Day 7 | Rest |
| Military Calisthenics Week 11 | Exercises |
| Speed: take only a 5 second rest and go to the next exercise on the list. Repeat this cycle 5 times. In between cycles, take a 1-minute rest. | |
| Day 1 | Walking lunges with weighted vest 5 reps per side Burpees 10 reps Archer pull-up 3-5 reps Leg raises max reps Archer push-ups 3-5 reps 1-leg squat 8-10 reps per side Shadow boxing 60 sec. Box jumps max reps |
| Day 2 | Run 4mi with a weighted vest (max 5 kg) within 45 minutes |
| Day 3 | Train with a weighted vest max 5 kg Inverted row 20 reps Jumping jacks 75 reps Squats 20-30 reps Push-up 10-15 reps 1-leg high jump max reps per side Pull-up 8-12 reps Dip 10-15 reps Pike push-up max reps |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Run 4mi with a weighted vest (max 5 kg) within 45 minutes |
| Day 6 | Archer pull-ups 3-8 reps per side Archer push-ups 3-8 reps per side 1-leg squat 10 reps per side 1-leg high jump 15 per side Windshield wipers (side raises when not possible) max reps per side Crunches max reps Burpees 10-15 reps Monkey bar 5 reps Advanced pike push-up 5-10 reps Jumping rope 100 reps |
| Day 7 | Rest |
| Military Calisthenics Week 12 | Exercises |
| HITT: Every exercise is executed for 90 seconds followed by a 20-second rest. After completing a round take 5 minutes rest. Repeat rounds 3 times. | |
| Day 1 | Train with a weighted vest 5-10 kg Box jumps Jumping jacks Archer pull-ups Jumping rope Burpees Dips Walking lunges Leg raises Frog jumps |
| Day 2 | Run 6mi with a weighted vest (max 5 kg) within 60 minutes |
| Day 3 | Train with a weighted vest 5-10 kg Inverted row 20 reps Jumping jacks 75 reps Squats 20-30 reps Push-up 10-15 reps 1-leg high jump max reps per side Pull-up 8-12 reps Dip 10-15 reps Pike push-up max reps |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Run 6mi with a weighted vest (max 5 kg) within 55 minutes |
| Day 6 | Jumping lunges Archer push-ups Side planking (per side) Archer pull-ups Box jumps Leg raises Frog jumps Burpees Jumping rope Sprint |
| Day 7 | Rest |
Hell Week
You’ve made it, this is the final stretch. This week will require everything from you, mentally and physically. But rise to the moment and you can prevail!
| Hell Week | Exercises |
| Hell Week is Hell. | |
| Day 1 | Pyramid day: start with 2 reps of each exercise, after completing all exercises, start over with 4 reps for each exercise. Repeat the list, adding 2 reps with every revolution until failure. At failure, take a 5-minute rest and repeat from the start once more. Train with a weighted vest 2-5 kg Push-ups Pull-ups Dips Leg raises 1-leg squat 1-leg high jump Windshield wipers/side leg raises Chin-ups Box jumps |
| Day 2 | HITT: Every exercise is executed for 60 seconds followed by a 10-second rest. After completing a round take 2 minutes rest. Repeat rounds 3 times. Jumping jacks Jumping rope Shadow boxing Sprint Afternoon,Run 6mi with a weighted vest of 5kg |
| Day 3 | HITT: Every exercise is executed for 60 seconds followed by a 10-second rest. After completing a round take 2 minutes rest. Repeat rounds 3 times. Crunches Side Crunches Leg raises Burpees Planking V-raises Side planking Superman L-sit |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Intermittent running: run 3mi as fast as you can. Walk 3mi. Repeat cycle once more. Intermittent rope jumps: jump rope 100 reps, sprint for 30 seconds. Repeat cycle 10 times. |
| Day 6 | Speed HITT: Every exercise is executed for 60 seconds followed by a 1-minute rest. After completing a round take 2 minutes rest. Repeat rounds 5 times. Train with a weighted vest 5 kg 1-arm pull-up/archer pull-up max reps Leg raises max reps 1-arm push-up/archer push-ups max reps 1-leg squat max reps Box jumps max reps Chin-ups max reps Dips max reps Jumping lunges max reps Handstand push-ups max reps Windshield wipers max reps 1-leg high jump max reps |
| Day 7 | Rest & rejoice. You made it. |
You Are a Warrior(?)
Congratulations if you made it through our Military Calisthenics workout. It was a true test of mental and physical fortitude but like with all delayed gratification, the rewards are well worth the effort. Your body will be better able to cope with the stress of whatever the army throws at you and you will heal faster. You’ll reach that desired level quicker and not suffer the same pain as your past self would have.
Will you make it through boot camp easily now? No, not easily but much easier for sure. Instructors are trained professionals in Military Calisthenics themselves and they will know soon enough what your limits are. They’ll see your warrior physique and notice how much easier you have it than the rest. It is their job to push you to your limit, whatever that limit may be. If you can do five sets, they’ll demand you do seven. It will seem unfair and you need to learn to not give a damn about that unfairness right away. Only a can-do attitude which doesn’t care about fair and unfair treatment will survive.
One tip: Don’t brag or make it all seem too easy. We’re not saying you should try to fool your instructors, but there’s no reason to attract their attention either. Shower time is naked and public anyway. So, you can’t hide it. Just don’t flaunt it either.
Useful Equipment for Military Calisthenics
In the military, you won’t have the luxury of ergonomically fitted Calisthenics equipment. Whichever way we prepare you, there will be some difference between training by yourself and having a Sergeant yelling in your face, telling you get your face in the mud and do push-ups. Parody aside, using a Weighted Vest will mimic the extra gear you’ll be carrying as a soldier. In particular during combat situations, the Weighted Vest will be very reminiscent in fit, size and weight of your body armor.
Frequently Asked Questions about Military Calisthenics
Here are a few questions we see about Military Calisthenics and why the Military uses Calisthenics.
The military uses Calisthenics as its integral physical exercise routine to train all their personnel. It doesn’t matter what branch of the military you apply for or whether you’re becoming a private, an NCO or an officer; everyone has to do basic training. This basic training makes heavy use of Military Calisthenics.
Military Calisthenics is the most effective and efficient in sculpting men and women in the warriors. Of all fitness branches, Calisthenics is best geared towards a military use because of its combination of strength, stamina and repeated exercises. Military Calisthenics has been in use to train soldiers since ancient times in some form or other.
The Navy SEALs make heavy use of Military Calisthenics and adaptations of Calisthenics for both their core training and upkeep training. If you’re going to be a Navy SEAL, expect to do a lot of Military Calisthenics along with swimming and diving.
I like the workout plan but you could have written it better. Most of the words are clumped together, there is a lack of apostrophes, and some letters and numbers are missing, which makes it hard to know what to do and how much of it to do. If you could fix all of this it would be very helpful.
All in all, great stuff!
Hi Sasha!
Thanks for the feedback and your criticism. You are 100% true…
The tables in this article isn’t that readable… excuse me. I’ll fix it as soon as possible and will give an update in this comment section when I did.
In the meantime you could download the program in PDF format via this link: https://calisthenicsworldwide.com/product/calisthenics-worldwide-military-calisthenics-workout/.
I’m sure that will help you ?!
Healthy Regards,
JD
I made a useful edit on the blogpost. It’s way more readable! Thanks again for mentioning!
Just wanted to thank you for this great article.
I sticked to this regime, completed it and have to say it really works. The way my stamina and power improved, wow I am so glad I found your writing.
Thank you !
Hi Matt!
Thanks for the positive feedback! If you want to have this workout program in a PDF file, just go to the following link: https://calisthenicsworldwide.com/product/calisthenics-worldwide-military-calisthenics-workout/.
Good luck!
Cheers,
JD