Skip to content 
Introduction
Hello, calisthenics enthusiasts! Welcome to my blog, where we explore the world of bodyweight training. I’m Andry Strong, and today I’ll guide you through ten essential calisthenics skills for beginners. By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly which skills to start with and how to progress.
Why Start with Basic Exercises?
Before diving into skill training, it’s crucial to build a solid foundation with basic exercises to increase your strength. Neglecting this step will slow your progress significantly. First, focus on training basic exercises to increase your strength, and then move on to learning various skills.
Muscles Worked:
- Primary: Core, shoulders, chest, triceps, back, and legs.
- Secondary: Glutes, hip stabilizers, and various stabilizing muscles.
Benefits:
- Strength Development: Builds foundational strength in key muscle groups.
- Coordination and Balance: Enhances overall body coordination and balance.
- Progression to Advanced Skills: Prepares your body for more advanced calisthenics moves.
Skills Overview
Here are ten essential calisthenics skills every beginner should learn to progress to advanced levels in the future.
Skill 1: Elbow Planche
Description: The elbow planche is a fundamental calisthenics move that helps build core strength and balance.
Technique:
- Hand Position: Turn your hands to a 130-degree angle.
- Elbow Position: Bend your elbows and place them against your torso.
- Execution:
- Lean forward, putting weight on your elbows.
- Lift your legs up and hold the position.
- For an added challenge, perform the move with your legs together and hold.
Progression: If you feel you lack strength, incorporate push-ups into your routine to build the necessary muscle.
Skill 2: Frog Stand
Description:
- Starting Position: Kneel down with your knees near your elbows.
- Execution: Move forward, bend your arms, press, lift your legs, and hold.
Details:
- Hold: Aim to hold the position for stability.
Skill 3: Headstand
Description:
- Starting Position: Form a triangle with your head and hands.
- Execution: Press your hips up, flex your abs, and hold the vertical position.
Details:
- Progression: Practice against a wall for support, then gradually move away.
Skill 4: Handstand
Description:
- Starting Position: Begin against a wall, 20 centimeters away.
- Execution: Kick up to a straight line and hold.
Details:
- Progression: Start chest to wall, then practice without support.
Skill 5: Back Lever
Description:
- Starting Position: Begin with a tucked back lever.
- Execution: Open to a vertical straddle position, then lower slowly to horizontal.
Details:
- Hold: Aim to hold the horizontal position for stability.
Skill 6: Bending Arm Back Lever
Description:
- Starting Position: Begin with elbows bent.
- Execution: Hold the position, then slowly straighten your body.
Details:
- Hold: Aim for stability and strength in the shoulders and chest.
Skill 7: L-Sit
Description:
- Starting Position: Push shoulders down and squeeze the chest.
- Execution: Hold the tuck position, then extend legs to the L-sit.
Details:
- Hold: Aim to hold the position for 15-20 seconds
Skill 8: Tuck Front Lever Hold
Description:
- Starting Position: Tuck your knees to your chest.
- Execution: Hold the tuck front lever position.
Details:
- Progression: Move to advanced tuck, then straddle, and finally, the full front lever.
Skill 9: Tuck Planche
Description:
- Starting Position: Begin with a tuck planche.
- Execution: Hold the position, then progress to advanced tuck and straddle.
Details:
- Strength Requirement: Ensure you can do 40 push-ups with good form before progressing.
Skill 10: Freestyle Push-Ups
Description:
- Variations: Clap push-ups, back clap push-ups, Superman push-ups, and tricep extensions.
- Execution: Perform explosive push-ups with different variations to build strength and agility.
Details:
- Progression: Create new variations to keep challenging yourself.
Conclusion
Consistent practice and a structured training plan are key to mastering these 10 calisthenics skills for beginners. Train regularly, follow these steps, and focus on improving your strength, control, and technique. If you enjoyed this tutorial and found it helpful, give it a thumbs up, leave a comment, and stay tuned for more content. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for updates on my app and more calisthenics tips.
Ready to elevate your calisthenics skills? Watch the full tutorial video: 10 Calisthenics Skills for Beginners You Have to TryIf you read through all of this and found it helpful, but still would like that extra help – an exact path to follow – then for sure my Andry Strong Academy app will be of invaluable use to you. In it, there are 5 full calisthenics programs, of increasing difficulty, with entire workout sessions in each. The programs are designed to last 12 weeks and each day is planned for you. Specific exercises, sets, and reps are already laid out for you. Each exercise within a session has video description as well as form cues, leaving no guesswork. If you are truly committed to learning calisthenics, then getting started on one of these programs is for you.