I know I already started a thread on calisthenics, but it won't let me edit it, and I wanted to go a little more into descriptions of how to do various calisthenics, along with proper form.
I'll begin with talking about the traditional pull-up, which can be seen here: [ame=""]
Pull-ups work both your back and biceps, with an emphasis on back. They help build the latissimus dorsi muscle, which is the muscle the runs down from underneath the arm-pit to just below the rib-cage. Pull-up variations include close-grip pull-ups, in which your hands are about shoulder-width apart, and wide-grip pull-ups, in which your hands are roughly 5 inches further out. A third variation that works forearms very well is very close-grip, in which your hands are within an inch of each other.
With all pull-up exercises, try to keep your elbows in, and don't swing your legs or body. Also, a common mistake is to grip the bar with your thumb wrapped around opposite of the rest of your fingers. The proper grip, which will allow you to do more pull-ups, is with your thumb on the same side of the bar as the rest of your fingers.
Next, are chin-ups, which are very similar to pull-ups, however, they work more of your bicep. Due to lack of good videos, I will explain these the best I can. To do a chin-up, place your arms at about shoulder-width distance, and grip the bar with an underhand grip, palms facing towards you. Next, imagine you are doing a bicep curl, and without swinging any part of your body, curl yourself up until your chest touches the bar. Slowly lower yourself back down, and repeat. The only chin-up variation I like is with a hammer-grip. Most, but not all, bars have hand-holds coming out towards the user, where you can hold them with your palms facing each other. Follow the same technique as the chin-up.
The last item I will cover is pushups. Pushups can be seen here:
The trick with pushups is to not go too fast, but to move fairly slowly, and focus on good form. Pushup variations include both regular pushups, and wide pushups, in which your hands should be a few inches past shoulder-width.
To work triceps with pushups, there are two methods you can use. The first involves making a triangle with your hands, index fingers and thumbs touching, and centering your chest over this. The second variation involves placing your hands just inside shoulder-width, and keeping your elbows pressed against your sides while doing the pushup.
To get the most of all of these exercises, you should lower yourself down slowly, regardless of what you are doing.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.
Nick
I'll begin with talking about the traditional pull-up, which can be seen here: [ame=""]
With all pull-up exercises, try to keep your elbows in, and don't swing your legs or body. Also, a common mistake is to grip the bar with your thumb wrapped around opposite of the rest of your fingers. The proper grip, which will allow you to do more pull-ups, is with your thumb on the same side of the bar as the rest of your fingers.
Next, are chin-ups, which are very similar to pull-ups, however, they work more of your bicep. Due to lack of good videos, I will explain these the best I can. To do a chin-up, place your arms at about shoulder-width distance, and grip the bar with an underhand grip, palms facing towards you. Next, imagine you are doing a bicep curl, and without swinging any part of your body, curl yourself up until your chest touches the bar. Slowly lower yourself back down, and repeat. The only chin-up variation I like is with a hammer-grip. Most, but not all, bars have hand-holds coming out towards the user, where you can hold them with your palms facing each other. Follow the same technique as the chin-up.
The last item I will cover is pushups. Pushups can be seen here:
The trick with pushups is to not go too fast, but to move fairly slowly, and focus on good form. Pushup variations include both regular pushups, and wide pushups, in which your hands should be a few inches past shoulder-width.
To work triceps with pushups, there are two methods you can use. The first involves making a triangle with your hands, index fingers and thumbs touching, and centering your chest over this. The second variation involves placing your hands just inside shoulder-width, and keeping your elbows pressed against your sides while doing the pushup.
To get the most of all of these exercises, you should lower yourself down slowly, regardless of what you are doing.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.
Nick
