Calisthenics Vs Weights
Looking to build that perfect body all women are craving for? Or perhaps you’re aiming at being the next Flex Wheeler? Nothing beats a good workout routine as an effective way to boost your muscle strength and build mass. But who wins the battle of Calisthenics Vs Weights?
Both are forms of strength training. They help you develop stronger muscles, boost stamina and strengthen your joints and bones. So what’s with the fuss?
Get to the core of this endless debate and find which type of training is better.
Calisthenics
Calisthenics is a fitness specialty that focuses on using your body weight to build strength and flexibility. Does it sound complicated? It isn’t. Perhaps you’ve even practiced calisthenics without knowing it, since the activity involves performing lifting, lunging, pulling and pushing movements with no or little equipment.
This comes with a huge advantage. You’ll be able to work out at home, at the office, or even while drinking at the pub.
Common exercises involve crunches, push-ups, sit-ups,and lunges – and these can be done literally anywhere. Pull out the grade school lad in you by jumping over the puddles on your way to the 7-Eleven down the street or exercise like an old chap by getting that beer out of the fridge by yourself.
So, does calisthenics sound familiar now?
Good. Then know that some health gurus and fitness maniacs suggest that many popular gym activities praised for their effectiveness, such as the CrossFit, are constituted of mostly good old calisthenics.
Weights
Trainers define weight lifting as a conditional training that involves lifting weights to build strength and endurance. Now, that sounds blunt! But would you imagine Arnie showcasing his shiny muscles on a gym mat in his backyard while doing planks? Of course you wouldn’t.
Weight lifting is a cult, a manly thing you have to do to gain the love and admiration of all attractive ladies out there.
Enthusiast trainers even claim that weight lifting is the only way to get a well-sculpted physique that could have inspired DaVinci’s Vitruvian Man. So, why are calisthenics fans ready to rip off the soul of whoever claims weight lifting is better? Let’s compare these two activities.
Calisthenics Vs Weights
Training Flexibility
Getting started with calisthenics is dead easy. Just start to do sit-ups in front of your desk, then pass to some crunches when you get home. Train, wherever you want whenever you want – hitting the gym is unnecessary unless you want to achieve specific results.
Starting with weight training is also easy. Invest in a good set of dumbbells and draw out a nice weight training routine.
But don’t expect to achieve outstanding results from the comfort of your home. Building body mass through weight training requires specialized knowledge of exercise series and routines. You’ll have to know when it’s the time to train which muscle or it might take a while until your perfectly sculpted body starts to show off.
So, if you’re aiming for training flexibility and don’t want to spend your Friday’s night out cash on gym subscriptions, calisthenics is the way to go.
Endurance
Calisthenics also wins in terms of endurance. This workout is far more extensive than the traditional weight lifting. Calistenichs is not about exercising to exhaustion; it’s about exercising to build core and strength.
Take the example of a simple plank exercise. Holding your position without moving is much more challenging than lifting weights, and this increases your physical endurance. Repeat the exercise for two minutes,and you’ve got a more effective workout in terms of endurance than you would have by lifting weights.
Functional Strength
Strength has always been associated with packs of musclesachieved through weight lifting. But surprisingly, calisthenics have something to say in terms ofstrength too.
Traditional weight lifting works wonders in strengthening certain groups of muscles. Calisthenics works wonders in strengthening your body as a whole by helping you develop physical coordination and movement control. (Make sure you wear a weightlifting belt and weightlifting shoes in order not to injure yourself while lifting those weights)
By involving your whole body into the movement, calisthenics engages the motor reflexes of the brain, which ultimately boost functional strength. Weight lifting, on the other hand, is a controlled movement that has a lower impact on your motor reflexes.
However, weights can seamlessly boost your force, a field where calisthenics doesn’t shine.
So, who wins this round of calisthenics vs weights? Depending on your objective, either calisthenics or the weights. We’ll call it a draw.
Weight Loss
Men rarely admit hitting the gym to lose weight. In truth, many of us only go to the gym to stay in shape. If that’s your purpose, ditch those dumbbells and sign up for that Pilates class as calisthenics is praised for drastically cutting fats.
Throw some cardio training, like treadmill running, in your schedule,and you’ve got the secret solution to fast and harmonious weight loss.
Is Pilates just too girly for the macho in you? The popular high-intensity interval training employs both calisthenics and cardio training, it looks manly and will help you get in shape in a breeze.
No doubt, in terms of weight loss, calisthenics wins.
Building Body Mass
Weight lifting fans praise their favorite workout as the only effective way to build body mass. Sorry to disappoint you, folks. While weights do build body mass, calisthenics does it better.
The difference is in the method. Weight lifting is a very literal training. You’ll have to pick up that dumbbell and lift it. Period. There is no other way to practice this discipline. Calisthenics is not only more flexible,butit comes with a clear advantage – it replaces the dumbbell with your own body weight.
Pull-ups and push-ups require you to use force to lift yourself up. Thus they help build body mass. And there are many other exercises to include in your routine if you want to train different groups of muscles.
But don’t get this wrong. Weight lifting has produced so many celebrities because it builds body mass too. And it delivers more accurate results if you want to train isolated muscle groups and not your body as a whole.
Nominating the winner of this round is no easy thing. Each activity comes with its pros and cons,and they both build body mass. It’s a draw again.
And The Winner Is…
Calisthenics. Winning three out of five rounds and with two draws, calisthenics is the way to go. Unless you’re aiming to build packs of shiny muscles, in which case weight lifting could be a wiser choice.
From an objective standpoint though, calisthenics comes with more advantages. Ittrains your body as a whole, improves your motor skills, strength, and endurance. Calisthenics is uncomplicated and easy to practice even while you’re making eyes with the girl across the bar. And you’ll even have the cash to buy her a drink by skipping the gym feeandtraining at home.
Weight lifting, on the other hand, can’t be replaced if you’re aiming for performance. Weights let you train specific groups of muscles and completely ignore the others, which will get you that body builder look.
Ultimately, there are many similarities between the disciplines. Both calisthenics and weights increase your metabolic rate, improve your cardiovascular system and help you burn fat faster. They both help strengthen your ligaments even if they employ different means.
And just like any other physical activity, both calisthenics and weights act as stress relievers, improving your mental health.
Which to choose? That’s up to you. If you’re the gym enthusiast, give weight lifting a try – you’ll always be able to get back to calisthenics in case you don’t like it. If you’re more of a couch potato type, start with calisthenics and work your way up to the weights. In the end, what counts is achieving your objectives no matter the means.
