Calisthenics, explained by a physiotherapist

The bodyweight exercises worth doing by muscle group, how to perform each one, plus ready-to-use beginner and intermediate workouts you can do at home.

A physio's beginner calisthenics plan: the five movements to learn first, exact sets and reps, how to scale every exercise, and the mistakes to avoid.

Calisthenics vs gym for muscle, strength, fat loss, cost and joints, with the evidence, pros and cons of each, and how to choose or combine them.

What calisthenics actually is, what it does for strength, joints and control, and how to start safely — from a physio who treats calisthenics athletes.

How calisthenics helps Hyrox performance, which stations it carries over to, whether you can train for Hyrox with bodyweight only, and a sample training week.

Every calisthenics exercise worth training, listed by level from push-ups to planche, with what each one builds, its prerequisites and how to progress it.

A complete calisthenics full body routine — three sessions a week, every muscle group, exact sets and progressions — written by a physiotherapist.

How to build a calisthenics workout that actually progresses: warm-up, skill work, strength pairs and finishers, with three ready-made session templates.

A completely free 8-week calisthenics program from a physiotherapist — every session, set and progression written out, no equipment needed until week 3.

How to train calisthenics at home: a no-equipment workout, a bar workout, the kit worth buying in order, and small-flat fixes for space, noise and low ceilings.

How to combine calisthenics with running and weights without interference: weekly plans for three different goals, session order rules and recovery guidance.

Twelve push up variations in true difficulty order, how to perform each one, which muscles they target, and how to programme them, from a physiotherapist.

When bodyweight stops being enough: how to start weighted calisthenics — dips, pull-ups and squats with added load — programmed safely by a physiotherapist.

The full back lever progression from German hang to full lever, with the hold time that unlocks each stage, a sample training week, and realistic timelines.

A full dip progression: how to get your first dip, the stages to ring and weighted dips, the depth rule that protects shoulders, and how to programme them.

The front lever progression stage by stage — tuck to full — with hold standards, the accessory work that unsticks plateaus, and a physio's shoulder safeguards.

The full handstand progression stage by stage, with hold standards, kick-up and bailing technique, a weekly practice plan, and fixes for the banana back.

The L-sit progression from support hold to full L-sit, with hold standards, floor versus parallettes, the hamstring work that unsticks plateaus and a weekly plan.

A muscle up tutorial with the strength standards, false grip, transition drills and a training week, plus the mistakes a physio sees in rushed muscle ups.

The pistol squat progression stage by stage, with technique cues, the ankle mobility test that unsticks it, fixes for falling backwards and a weekly plan.

The planche progression from lean to straddle with hold standards, technique cues, accessory work, a weekly plan and the elbow safeguards a physio insists on.

The complete calisthenics equipment list from a physio: what's essential, what waits, and what to skip entirely — with a buying order that fits any budget.

Is Gravity Fitness kit any good? An unsponsored physio's guide to the UK brand's parallettes, racks, dip bars and rings, which to buy first, and what to check.

Gymnastic rings explained by a physio: why instability builds shoulders, how to hang and set them, and the first five ring exercises to learn in order.

What parallettes are used for, twelve exercises they unlock, which height to buy, a full parallettes workout, and the wrist case for them from a physiotherapist.

Doorway, wall-mounted or free-standing pull up bar? A physio's buying guide, safe fitting checks, and the first exercises to do once it's up.

What a weighted vest actually does, how heavy yours should be, what the bone-density evidence really shows, and how to introduce one safely, from a physio.

What Bar Brothers is, what you get in The System 12-week programme, whether it works, who it suits, and the free alternatives, reviewed by a physio.

What a calisthenics gym actually offers — coaching, crash mats, community — who benefits most, and how to judge a good one, from a physiotherapist.

Every way to find calisthenics near you in the UK — park maps, gym searches, community groups and classes — plus how to choose between them, from a physio.

How to find a calisthenics park near you, what the equipment is for, and a full park workout — plus the etiquette and safety notes a physio would add.

Why calisthenics loads the ankle differently to gym training, how to land jumps and dismounts safely, first-48-hour care, and a return-to-training progression.

A physio's warm-up structure and load-management principles for calisthenics, tying together the site's shoulder, elbow, wrist and ankle injury guides.

Medial versus lateral elbow pain in calisthenics explained by a physio: causes, how to tell them apart, evidence-based treatment, and a return-to-training plan.

Why rings and muscle-ups irritate the shoulder differently to bar work, how to tell an overload from a red flag, and a physio's return-to-rings plan.

A staged return-to-training framework for calisthenics after ACL injury or knee surgery, from upper-body-only work through to pistol squats and jumping.

Why handstand and planche training loads the wrist so heavily, how to spot the difference between overload and something needing assessment, and how to treat it.