My Crazy Calisthenics Workout Plan For Staying Strong And Shredded

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When it comes to structuring an effective calisthenics workout plan, I’ve always found that variety is the key to progression.

I won’t lie. I used to be the guy in the gym that did the same basic workout day in day out. Thinking that the more reps I did, the bigger and stronger I’d get.

And while I’ll admit that this type of training did go some way to getting me half-decent a physique. Over the years (and after a lot of experimenting), I slowly found out that there’s more than one way to train your body for optimal results.

Now, most people will tell you that the key to bigger, stronger, and just generally fitter is progressive overload and pushing your body beyond its limits.

This works initially, but if you continue to do the same predictable workout without mixing things up, you’ll often find your progress stalls. Leaving you to seek out your next perfect workout that promises a shiny new six-pack.

If you’ve ever stuck with any type of calisthenics workout plan for some time, you’ll probably know what I mean.

For instance, you might notice how your body seems to respond positively at first. But after a few weeks of consistently hammering out the same routine. The initial results seemed to slowly taper off.

And in some cases, leaving you worse off than when you started.

So what can you do to combat this?

Well, as I said, variety is the key to progression, and there’s always more than one way to skin a cat.

So in today’s blog post, I’m gonna share a few of my go-to calisthenics workouts that will help you build muscle…

…Burn fat

And ultimately keep your body guessing so you can continue to see progress.

Let’s do it…

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Table of Contents

The Ultimate Calisthenics Workout Plan

Now, I don’t personally know you. But since you’re reading this, then I can only assume that you’re looking for a complete calisthenics workout that’s going to get you the best results in the shortest time possible.

This includes building huge slabs of lean muscle, unlimited functional strength, and a chiseled set of abs that look like they were carved out of wood.

So to keep things interesting, I’m going to give three of my best go-to workouts for achieving all of this (plus more) in minimum time.

Trust me, when used correctly, each of the workouts I’m about to reveal will be more than enough to skyrocket your results to that of an advanced calisthenics athlete.

And when combined over a few weeks, months, or even years. The benefits of each will pay off massively as long as you stay consistent and work hard.

Workout 1: Repping It Out

So the first workout I’d recommend doing is a basic, high-intensity workout that involves lots and lots of reps.

Now, some people frown at the idea of performing hundreds and hundreds of reps.

And if you were to execute the same style of training every day of the week, then I’d completely agree.

But since this is only one small piece of the workout puzzle. You’ll find that performing the following workout 1-2 times a week will work miracles for your conditioning, fitness, and overall fat-burning potential.

Better still, you can usually smash the entire workout in around 30-40 minutes.

Anyway, here it is for your viewing pleasure…

Superset:

Pullups/Chinups
Parallel Bar Dips

5-8 Sets Of Max Reps

Tabata Squats:

20 seconds of squats followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds

4 Minutes Total

Tabata Pushups:

20 seconds of pushups followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds

4 Minutes Total

Core Work – 500 reps:

Perform 50 reps each of the following…

Flutter kicks
Bicycle crunches
V-ups
Knee touches
Alternating heel touches
Side crunches (left side)
Side crunches (right side)
Side leg raises (left side)
Side leg raises (right side)
Russian twists

Total Reps: 500

Now, I know this looks like overkill. And to be honest, if you’re new to calisthenics, then you’ll more than likely have to regress some of the exercises until you’ve built the conditioning to power through the routine.

For instance, if you suck at pullups and parallel bar dips, you can switch them out for inverted rows and bench dips.

If you can’t complete all 8 rounds of each Tabata pushups, you can either adjust the work and rest periods…

…Or, remove a few rounds to make the workout shorter.

Personally, I like to alternate between wide and close grip pushups to change up the angle of attack on my working muscles.

Then when I start to fatigue, I’ll simply perform the pushups from my knees to keep the intensity going and the reps high.

Once you’ve built up a base level of muscular endurance, it’s not uncommon to hit 100-150 reps when you approach the workout this way.

And the same can be said for the squats as well.

Now, with the Tabata squats, I like to mix things up by alternating squats with lunges. Or even performing split squats and alternating legs each round.

There’s a lot of directions you can take this workout if you’re willing to think outside the box. But the important thing to remember is that you hit it hard and work each muscle to its full potential.

If you do, then in time, you’ll notice your fitness and level of conditioning shoots through the roof.

Workout 2: The 6×6 Workout

This is a take on popular reps and sets plan that focuses on size and strength.

I picked up the idea when I was looking for an effective rep scheme on T-Nation

Basically, it’s a full-body compound workout where you perform 6 sets of 6 reps with minimal rest between sets.

To make things worse, it utilizes both weighted calisthenics and supersets. So it’s not for the faint-hearted.

In fact, if you’re a calisthenics newbie, then I wouldn’t recommend attempting this workout until you’ve got at least a couple of months training experience under your belt.

It’s not easy, but it’s served me well for a while, so I try to fit into my schedule twice a week.

Here it is…

Superset 1:

Weighted Pullups

Weighted Dips

Superset 2:

Deadlift (Not calisthenics, I know, but it’s a great hinge movement, so I like to keep it in my routine)

Handstand Pushups or Overhead Press

Superset 3:

Weighted Inverted Row

Weighted Pushups

Superset 4:

Split Squats

Ab Wheel Rollouts

Now, the reason this routine works so well is that…

It covers the whole body
It utilizes supersets that work opposing muscle groups. (this means more work can be done in less time)
It’s heavy enough to build strength, but at the same time has enough volume to build a decent amount of size along with it.

But before you attempt this workout, here are a few rules you need to follow to get the most bang for your buck.

Rule 1:

Only take 30-45 seconds rest max between each set.

This is to ensure you keep your heart rate elevate and increase your fat-burning potential.

You’ll be performing supersets for the majority of the workout, so be prepared to feel your heart rate spike after the first few sets.

Rule 2:

Use a load you can successfully perform 10 reps with on your first set.

This is to make sure you can perform all 6 sets without copping out halfway through.

You’ll probably find you can perform the first 2 sets without too much trouble.

But once fatigue sets, in it’ll become damn near to catch your wind between each exercise.

Rule 3:

Complete all reps of all sets (if you fail to hit all 6 reps, take a brief 10-second rest and then finish the set)

If you can’t perform more than 4 reps with good form on any given set. Lower the weight until you’re strong enough.

Rule 4:

You can complete all 6 reps on all sets. Up the weight by 3-10 pounds.

This is just standard progressive overload and needs to be done to continue to see progress.

Just quickly before we move on…

If you’re wondering how to load each exercise so you can transition between each move seamlessly.

This is what I use…

Weighted vest
Dip belt
Weighted backpack (load it up with weight plates or small sandbags)

Now, since my pushing strength is generally better than my pulling strength. I like to wear a dip belt to perform my set of pullups. This is followed by throwing a weighted backpack on before I hammer out a set dips.

I’ve also got an adjustable weighted vest that I wear for the rows. Again, this is followed up by throwing a backpack over the top for my set of pushups.

This is just personally how I like add weight to the workout and is in no way set in stone.

If you’d prefer adding weight to your frame some other way, then that’s totally fine as well.

Workout 3: Core Training

Last up, no calisthenics workout plan would be complete without adding in a little core work.

Now, I’ll admit that I’m kind of lacking in some of the more advanced calisthenics core exercises.

But even so, it’s great to add some to complete the package and really make your abs pop. (not that I’d know)

Here’s what I like to do to smash my core to pieces.

So after I’ve done a quick warm-up. I like to perform a kind of L-sit circuit with a twist.

If you don’t know how to perform an L-sit. Here’s what it looks like… (see image)

It might look simple, but this exercise heavily works your core, chest, triceps, shoulders, lats, and hip flexors.

Basically, it’s a beast of a move that’ll quickly test the limits of your strength.

But to make this workout completely devastating, I’ll perform it on a set of parallel bars and regress the exercise in a kind of dropset style.

Meaning once I get tired, I’ll keep performing easier variations on the bars until I can’t take anymore.

The whole thing looks like this…

Exercise 1: L-sit (hold for as long as possible)

Exercise 2: One leg alternating L-sit (one leg straight and one leg tucked)

Exercise 3: Tucked L-sit (both knees tucked towards your chest)

Exercise 4: Leg raises (remain on the parallel bars and perform leg raises)

Exercise 5: Knee raises (again, stay on the parallel bars and tuck your knees towards your chest)

I’ll perform this little mini-circuit 4-5 times, depending on how I’m feeling on the day.

Then to finish things up, I’ll perform 3 supersets of…

Ab wheel rollouts
Plank (hold until failure)

And that’s basically it for my core workout.

It looks basic, I know, but over time you’ll realize your core workout doesn’t have to be complex for it to be effective.

And just sticking with a few basics will be more than enough to keep your body guessing.

Taking Your Calisthenics Workout Plan To The Next Level

Now, you’ll probably notice that most of the exercises throughout this post don’t really change. I just practice different variations of the basics over and over again and keep things simple.

The only thing I’m really doing is changing the loading of the exercise, so my body doesn’t get used to one particular stimulus.

People would have you believe your workout has to be complicated to see results. But unless you’re specifically training for a physique competition or Mr. Olympia, then the basics are all you really need.

Anyway…

Hopefully, this should be enough to keep your calisthenics workouts interesting and effective.

Just remember that as long as you work hard, stay consistent, and push to get better every time, you will see results.

Having said that, if you’re looking for that little extra motivation to get you moving in the right direction. Then here’s something that will help you smash your workout goals…

It’s called Bar Brothers The System

And it’s a complete 12-week program that will take you from a calisthenics newbie…

…All the way up to the elite levels of a calisthenics warrior.

It covers progressive calisthenics…

…Weighted calisthenics

And also teaches you how to perform inhuman, advanced calisthenics skills like the muscle-up front lever, pistol squat, plus loads of other epic moves that defy the law of gravity.

A word of warning though. It’s quite an intense program, and it’s not for people looking for a quick fix.

So if you’re the type of guy that buys programs but never actually uses them, then don’t get it.

You’ll just be wasting your time and money.

And you’d probably be better off treating yourself to a few beers instead.

But if you’re hell-bent on getting learning new skills, building insane amounts of strength, and ultimately improving your physique and confidence. Then here’s the video link to the program so you can see what it’s all about…