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When it comes to building muscle with calisthenics, you’ll usually find that every man and his dog has an opinion.
There’s the hardcore gym bro’s who’ll claim the only way to build size is to continuously pound the iron…
…And then there’s the dedicated community of calisthenics warriors that tend to disagree.
So who’s right?
Well, it depends…
I mean, with certain exercises (the squat, for instance). It’s pretty much impossible to mimic the effects of a heavy barbell squat using nothing more than your bodyweight.
So if you’re expecting to build the kind of quads that a seasoned bodybuilder would envy, then I’m sorry to say that you’re out of luck.
Having said that, this doesn’t mean you can’t build massive amounts of muscle using only calisthenics. It’s just that you’ve got to get a little creating and take a slightly different approach to see real results.
I mean, just take a look at some of the calisthenics athletes from Bar Brothers and similar programs. And you’ll see how possible it is to build a physique that’s both ripped and muscular.
So in today’s blog post, I’m going to take you through everything you need to know about building muscle with calisthenics.
And I guarantee that if you listen, learn, and apply all of the basic fundamentals I’m about to reveal. You’ll be able to carve out the body you want sooner rather than later.
WATCH VIDEO: How To QUICKLY Master The Planche, Muscle-Up, Human Flag, And Other Advanced Calisthenic Moves That Defy The Law Of Gravity
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Table of Contents
The Basics Of Building Muscle With Calisthenics
Now, Being a huge advocate of calisthenics. I can tell you firsthand that It’s relatively straightforward to build muscle as long as you follow a few basic rules.
And there’s nothing different about these rules compared to any type of traditional weight training routine.
The only exception is you’re now utilizing another training tool (your own bodyweight) to get the job done.
Applying Progressive Overload To Your Workout
If you don’t know what progressive overload is. It’s basically the increase of stress on any given muscle. And it’s this stress that then signals your body to adapt and grow.
And it doesn’t matter how this overload is accomplished. The results will almost always be the same, regardless of what style of training you’re using.
The problem, however, is that when it comes to calisthenics. It can be quite hard to progressively overload the muscles because you don’t have the advantage of adding weight to the bar like you would in the weight room.
Take the pushup and bench press, for instance…
Now, if I were to ask you which one you thought would be more effective at building muscle, I’d be willing to bet my right eye that you’d say the bench press.
And you’d be right because unless your bench press sucks, the amount of weight you could press would probably surpass what you can accomplish with a standard pushup.
So to start building muscle with calisthenics, there are two specific ways you can overcome this…
Firstly, you could use weighted calisthenics to increase the load on your body. This way, you could continue performing basic bodyweight movement and continue to build size and strength.
And second, you could use leverage, and learn how to distribute your body weight so that you’re ultimately placing more stress on specific muscle groups.
For instance…
- One-arm pushups
- Archer pullups
- Pistol squats
These are all advanced calisthenics skills that anybody can work toward to help progressively overload their muscles by leveraging the body.
It takes a while to build up to this level, but one you do, the results you’ll see in both your size and strength will be nothing short of killer.
Using Compound Exercises To Build More Muscle
Next up, you’ve got compound exercises.
If you don’t know what a compound exercise is, it’s essentially any type of exercise that utilizes multiple muscle groups.
For instance…
- Pullups (Back and biceps)
- Parallel Bar Dips (Chest and triceps)
You get where I’m going with this, right?
Now, the reason compound exercises are so effective (especially in calisthenics). Is that they allow the muscles to work together by helping you move more weight than basic isolation exercises.
And the fact that you’re working multiple muscles at once also recruits more muscle fibers from supporting muscles.
Basically, it’s the ultimate weapon for turning your body into a muscle-building machine.
So which compound exercises should you use?
Well, I’m a minimalistic guy. So I’m always looking to get the most bang for my buck with any type of workout.
And the way I do this is by applying something called the 6 main movement patterns.
This includes…
- Vertical Pull (Pullups/Chinups)
- Vertical Push (Parallel Bar Dips)
- Horizontal Pull (Inverted Rows)
- Horizontal Push (Pushups)
- Squats
- Hinge Movement (Hip Thrust/Bodyweight Deadlift)
Now, each movement pattern I’ve highlighted above (except for the hinge movement), can quickly be modified to make them as or as difficult as you need.
So it doesn’t matter where your current strength level is at, there’s always some form of progression be it…
- Weighted Calisthenics
- Progressive Calisthenics
Or even a combination of both.
The only exception to the rule is that it can sometimes be difficult to progressively overload the hinge movement.
Don’t get me wrong. Both hip thrust and bodyweight deadlift are awesome exercises for improving your hip flexor strength and flexibility.
But once you reach a certain level of strength, it can be hard to move forward unless you start using other measures.
So even though it’s not technically calisthenics, I like to incorporate heavy deadlifting into my routine to bring my muscle building efforts up a gear or two.
WATCH VIDEO: How To QUICKLY Master The Planche, Muscle-Up, Human Flag, And Other Advanced Calisthenic Moves That Defy The Law Of Gravity
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Utilizing Effective Rep Ranges & Volume For Muscle Growth
If you ask most people what the best rep range is for muscle growth. You’ll usually get a vague answer saying that 6-12 reps are best for muscle growth (hypertrophy).
Now, generally speaking, there’s nothing wrong with using this approach because you can build a lot of muscle working within this rep range.
But from personal experience (and a lot of research and testing), I’ve found that anything over 25 total reps is sufficient enough to pack on slabs of lean muscle.
And the thing is, it doesn’t matter how you reach this total number of reps.
You could use…
- 4 Sets Of 6 Reps
- 5 Sets Of 5 Reps
- 8 Sets Of 3 Reps
It’s entirely up to you.
As long as you’re placing enough stress on your targeted muscles and getting at least 24-25 in off each exercise, your body will respond positively…
Speaking from experience, I’ve found that applying full-body weighted calisthenics using the 4×6 approach awesome for adding muscle.
So much so that I recently experimented with a 6×6 workout to really test my metal.
To be honest, the results were nothing short of amazing. But having said that, it was also pretty taxing on my CNS (central nervous system) after around 5-6 weeks.
So if you adopt the type of volume used in 6×6 training, just make sure you’re giving yourself enough rest (2 days minimum) between workouts to allow your body to fully recover.
Building Muscle With Calisthenics Requires A Calorie Surplus
The last and most important rule for building muscle with calisthenics (or any form of training for that matter) is getting enough calories into your body.
Basically, you need to be eating more calories (around 300-500 calories) than your body burns to build muscle effectively.
And the easiest way you can work this out is to calculate your calorie needs using a BMR calculator.
If you don’t know what BMR stands for, it means Basal Metabolic Rate. And it’s a simple calculation that tells you how many calories your body burns at rest based on your…
- Age
- Height
- Weight
- And Gender
I know it might be confusing to get your head around, so let me give you an example to show you what I mean.
So using myself as the guinea pig, at the time of writing this post, my stats are as follows…
- Age: 33
- Height: 5ft 11″
- Weight: 180 Pounds
- Gender: Male (last time I checked)
So using this information, all I want to do now is input my details into a simple BMR calculator…
…Click Calculate.
And you should end up with something that looks like this.
Once you have this figure, you need to multiply it by something called your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), which as an estimate of how many calories your body burns during regular daily activities and exercises.
So going back to my own example. I generally like to exercise around 4-5 times a week for an hour or more, depending on my schedule.
So based on this fact, I’d probably pinpoint my TDEE to be anywhere around 2700-2800 calories…
Now, this obviously isn’t set in stone. There can be a lot of variables depending on how physical your job is or how active you are in general during the day.
But it gives you a pretty good indication of what you’re burning most days.
Now, this isn’t an excuse to gorge on pizza and beer 24/7 to meet your calorie surplus. But if you tailor your diet in such a way so that you’re eating more quality calories than you burn.
Then I predict nothing but good things for you moving forward.
Taking Your Muscle Building Efforts To The Next Level
Before I wrap this post up, I just want to touch on something important.
And it has everything to do with what you’ve just read.
See, having the knowledge to build muscle sometimes isn’t enough. You also need hard work, consistency, an effective plan of action to build the muscle you want.
Now, for most people, this generally isn’t an issue. And after reading this, I’m sure that you’re more than ready to get off the couch and start busting your ass.
But if you need that little extra nudge in the right direction. Or you just need that proverbial kick up the ass to get you motivated and ready to start thrashing your workout.
Then here’s something that might just brighten your day.
It’s called Bar Brothers The System
Basically, It’s a 12-week calisthenics transformation program that takes you deep into the trenches of how to quickly and permanently build huge slabs of lean muscle using nothing more than calisthenics.
You’ll learn all about basic progressions…
…Weighted Calisthenics
…And even advanced, in-depth tutorials on how to master some of the more advanced calisthenics skills like the muscle-up, front lever, and other awesome skills that defy the law of gravity.
I won’t lie, it’s a pretty intense program. So if you’re not willing to strap on your big boy pants and bring your A-Game, then I’d probably give it a miss.
But if you’re the type of guy or gal with the will to succeed, then it might be the best purchase you make all year.
Hit the video below to see for yourself…
WATCH VIDEO: How To QUICKLY Master The Planche, Muscle-Up, Human Flag, And Other Advanced Calisthenic Moves That Defy The Law Of Gravity
(Video Will Open In A New Window)
Anyway…
Hopefully, I’ve covered everything you need to know when it comes to building muscle with calisthenics.
But if you have any questions or want to add your own unique perspective on the whole thing, feel free to drop a comment below…