The internet might have some great information, but it’s also filled with falsehoods as well. Online buzz is not always filled with good things, and as such, there have been many misconceptions about calisthenics as well.
Myth 1: You need to lose weight if you want to athletic body
When we talk about losing weight with calisthenics, it’s more about losing fat and not muscle. It scales down your body, adding and making your physique more prominent. You can actually achieve a strong body shape.
Myth 2: You can’t increase strength with calisthenics
Your measure of strength does not depend on the weight you gain or lose after a workout. Most people will lead you to believe that it’s just not possible to increase strength when you’re working with only your body weight, but that’s not true.
Muscle and strength increase come down to progressive overload, and until you’re doing enough reps and doing newer and harder exercises as you progress, you’ll see an increase in your overall strength.
Myth 3: You don’t need resting days with calisthenics
Rest days are necessary no matter what exercise you’re doing. The belief that you don’t need any with calisthenics is false and dangerous. Taking a break will let your body heal from the strenuous exercise, and you won’t lose any strength you gained either.
With an appropriate number of rest days in between, you’ll be able to perform better. Once you start doing even harder workouts, more rest days will help your performance further. It also decreases the risk of injury.
Myth 4: You can’t build any muscle mass doing calisthenics
False. Calisthenics isn’t thought of as an exercise good enough to build muscle. Therefore, many people pursue weightlifting to get the muscles they want. Research has proved that muscle gain is because of metabolic stress and mechanical overload.
In calisthenics, most people tend to give up before they reach the point and hence don’t see the results. That’s why many people are under this misconception. You need to continue to exercise and do it with a correct form with multiple reps.
Myth 5: It’s only for beginners
This is a big fat lie and one that many people mistakenly believe. Bodyweight training is mistakenly thought of as only being good for beginners. Although it’s a great exercise for beginners, it’s not just for them but everyone.
Don’t just treat it as a stepping stone for weight lifting. Both of them have their benefits, and even if you’re exercising for years, you can still reap the benefits of calisthenics regardless of what stage you’re at.
Learn More Through High-Performance Coach and Expert
Don’t just believe everything you hear, and do your research. Calisthenics is more than a fitness regime; it’s a way of life. If you’re interested in learning more tips on how to train like a cyborg to sharpen your mental focus and build better physical endurance as an athlete, follow serial entrepreneur and biohacking expert Jean Fallacara.
Moreover, you can also read his book, Neuroscience Calisthenics: Hijack Your Body Clock, to know how to improve your workouts. Reach out to us for more details on neuroscience calisthenics strength training!