I'd like to start off by addressing my body type. I am very clearly an ectomorph (skinny person who struggles to gain weight/muscle mass) and after being an incorrect vegetarian (one that doesn't have their nutrition sorted) I spent the whole of my adolescence and early 20s being the small skinny guy, which to be honest still hasn't changed all that much based solely on appearances, but don't let those fool you.
Humble Beginnings
Around my mid 20s I decided something needed to be done and I needed to get bigger. So I ordered a set of vinyl weights (again yes I know, now) and started buying mass gain protein powders and began a dirty bulk to try and gain as much mass as quickly as possible. Through this method I did manage to get up to almost 11 stone (70kg) which is the heaviest I've ever been, but it was mostly unwanted fat and not the lean muscle mass I was aiming for. I think we've all been through this stage at some point before we've done enough research to understand the correct method of gaining muscle mass as apposed to just weight.
(Above is a picture of me about 12 years ago probably around aged 19...and believe me I know...let's move swiftly on.)
I've even done the whole calorie counting and macro tracking a couple of times, and it's probably good to do for a while so you can gain a better understanding of portion sizes, calorific content and your macro balance. But honestly I really nerd out over personal data and I always end up getting lost down the rabbit hole, so for both mine and my wife's mental health I don't involve myself with that anymore (maybe a bit of mental math on workout days - which I can only do because of all the time I spent tracking my nutrition).
You can find stories on my Instagram in the now dormant 'Training Life' folder of pictures of increasingly heavy weights loaded onto a bar and dumbbells. And over time I became more and more educated on protein powders and the proper way to bulk and I began to gain some size and decent strength, which would prove as a great base for my journey into Calisthenics.
A Journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step
It was after about 2 years of somewhat regular weight training that life changed and I no longer had room for my large collection of weights, and so they were put into storage and I was left with nothing but my own bodyweight and an 8kg Kettlebell. This led me to try some Kettlebell training using Pavel Tsatsouline's 'Enter the Kettlebell' workout (which is awesome!) but after a while the 8kg just wasn't doing anything for me and during the whole lockdown situation it seemed toilet paper and soap weren't the only things to be completely out of stock, I couldn't find one anywhere!
So all I could do is continue with my bodyweight routines (which don't get me wrong were great, but were limited due to not being aware of the more advanced progressions other than Pistol Squats). This is when I started to do some more research and stumbled upon Calisthenics and in particular the amazing guys over at School of Calisthenics, and they opened me up to a plethora of options not just with new bodyweight exercises but also the understanding of variables such as: tempo, levers and angles.
It was also through School of Calisthenics and other Calisthenics athletes and coaches on Instagram that I was turned onto what I consider to be the most important training tool in Calisthenics (and if you could only own one piece of kit this would be the winning choice by far in my opinion - I'll explain why later on)...the Gymnastics Rings.
Not only are they versatile with the range of moves you can do but also with the location you can perform them in. You can literally take them anywhere, believe me I've taken them on a hike before (see picture at the bottom of this post), and even altering the height you hang them from can change the difficulty level.
(Above is a picture of the specific rings I use. They cost around £30 from Amazon, although you can find cheaper ones, I opted for the set with the longest webbing - 4m as apposed to the usual 2m - as I wanted to be able to hang it from trees.)
Seeing the benefits
Since starting my journey deeper into Calisthenics and especially my journey into using Gymnastics Rings I have seen the most serious and significant changes in both strength and muscle mass, not to mention core strength without even specifically training it through transference of strength aka 'free gains'. Not only that but it has been the most fun my training has ever been, by a mile!
I thought I enjoyed the monotonous lifting and lowering of heavy weights (don't get me wrong, it is satisfying) but after experiencing true Calisthenics workouts and training on the rings (and especially the outdoor training element) I could never imagine going back to a crowded gym waiting for the gym bros to finally finish sweating all over the bench. And don't even get me started on the benefits of training in a full ROM (Range of Motion) as apposed to the static movements of traditional weight lifting.
To put my progress into perspective (like the above picture does) when I first got my set of rings 2 months ago my pull up personal best was around 3. The last time I checked my personal best was at 10, although I now feel I could probably manage 11-12, need to test this soon. So in just 2 months I was able to almost triple my pulling power! Which is the hardest type of work to do with bodyweight as there aren't many bodyweight exercises that work your pulling muscles without utilising some form of apparatus like a table or towels shut into a door frame - believe me I've tried to find them! Not only this but I also need to test my personal best for pull ups and dips on a solid bar, and then compare those numbers with the same exercises on the rings to gauge just how much more difficult the instability of the rings are than static bars.
So, before this gets too long let's summarise a couple of key points...
Why Calisthenics over traditional weight lifting?
In my opinion the main reasons to choose calisthenics over simply lifting weights (of which there is nothing wrong with and some specific exercises can support and enhance certain calisthenics skills) are:
Calisthenics allows you to train in a greater ROM which in turn produces greater strength in that wider range of motion.
It's a more versatile form of training and the fact that you can perform it literally anywhere means it's much easier to fit into busy lifestyle e.g. not wasting 45-60mins travelling to and from the gym each day.
It teaches you new skills, new types of movement and develops and strengthens neural pathways that lead to better coordination by developing your proprioception (awareness and position of your body in space for example whilst training handstands).
If you haven't mastered your own bodyweight e.g. muscle ups, pistol squats and handstand push ups, do you really have the right to be adding extra weight to your training?
Ego death - Calisthenics allows you to learn to fail and try again. As well as not caring what people think of you playing around and performing movements not commonly seen during stereotypical gym bro workouts.
(Above are pictures of me performing a staple move in Calisthenics, the Pseudo-Planche Push Up whereby you assume a normal push up position then lean forward with your arms and transfer your weight from the tips of your toes to the tops of your toes. This is the lowest regression (but still WAY more difficult than regular pushups) and develops straight arm strength which prepares you on the path to one of the most difficult moves in all of Calisthenics - the Planche.)
Why Gymnastics Rings?
As stated earlier, in my opinion these are the only Calisthenics tool you ever need (although others are important, I mean if you could only have one piece of equipment) and the most well-rounded training tool there is. Although, you do need some basic bodyweight strength to be able to perform even the most basic holds and moves, they are by no means a beginners tool, more of an intermediate stage one. The main reason for this is even the most simple task of maintaining a Front Support Hold requires your bodies stabiliser muscles to work hard to stop yourself shaking and trembling. Something you won't feel performing the same moves on static bars.
They are incredibly fun and allow you to train pretty much anything you can do on the floor, bar, parallettes etc. but make them much more difficult!
They reveal your weaknesses - Unlike regular weightlifting which works on a 180 degree plane the rings work in a 360 degree plane due to the hanging nature and their ability to rotate and therefore will always automatically target your weakest muscles every single time you train on them.
They embody the essence of Calisthenics, they're versatile and can be used practically anywhere you can hang them. So far I've trained on wooden structures, basketball courts and of course (my favourite) trees.
They have a vast number of regressions, progressions, variations and allow for another essence of Calisthenics, creativity and play. There is an endless amount of moves, exercises and ways to play on the rings whilst always getting stronger at the same time. A classic example is 'Skin the Cat' which is pictured below.
They're relatively cheap and easy to set up and will last you a very long time (so long as you take care of them).
Comments