HOME CALISTHENICS EXERCISES: A PRACTICAL GUIDE BY MUSCLE GROUP

In recent years, I’ve seen many pages talking about how you should perform a home calisthenics workout, but they just focus on listing 30 movements without context.

To differentiate myself a bit, in this guide, I’m only going to give you some key exercises, tested with my own clients, that are truly useful to add to your workouts. You probably know many of them—I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel—but I’m sure there is at least one you aren’t doing yet or, at the very least, you aren’t giving it the importance it deserves. Let’s do this!

Home calisthenics back exercises
The horizontal pull pattern is always the most overlooked

We all know that pull-ups are a cornerstone of training. Working with Australian pull-ups is also very common. But… what about the horizontal pattern? In calisthenics, we often forget to work on horizontal traction, which is why you should include bar rows (or L-rows). You can easily perform them on parallettes, and you can get small portable ones for your home on Amazon or at sports stores like Decathlon.

Now you’re probably thinking: “Until I get this equipment, I can’t do anything?” That’s why I’m bringing you an alternative you can do simply with resistance bands (sorry if you don’t have any; they are a bare minimum requirement). Start from a seated position with a straight back and legs extended. Place the band (using the resistance that fits your level) around the soles of your feet, and the movement should focus on pulling toward your waist so that your hands end up close to your hips. Don’t flare your elbows out too much.

Home calisthenics shoulder exercises
Handstands, handstands, and more handstands

In this case, I’m certain: there’s no better shoulder workout than the exercises in the handstand progression. Plus, you’re prepping for a spectacular move if you’re interested in learning it. It starts with decline push-ups to build strength, followed by a solid phase of pike push-ups, eventually leading to assisted handstand push-ups as you level up.

Pro tip: don’t rush into assisted or free-standing handstand push-ups. Master the pike push-ups first—start on the floor, then move to elevated feet, and keep going higher to gain more verticality. A quick hack, if you can manage it, is to pick up some push-up handles or small parallettes. The neutral grip (less surface area) and those extra inches of height increase the difficulty and smooth out the progression jump, building serious shoulder strength.

Round it out with resistance band flys and T-rows, and you’re set! Every part of the shoulder is covered.

Home calisthenics chest exercises

Classic exercises, modern results

I’m sticking to the classics here. Push-ups and diamond push-ups are the star exercises for training your chest at home. If you have parallette bars, you can also perform dips, which take things to the next level. This way, you achieve a complete workout for your pectorals, anterior deltoids, and triceps using only bodyweight exercises, ensuring real transfer to other movements while improving both strength and muscle volume.

Of course, there are dozens of push-up variations, so don’t limit yourself to just these two examples. I’ve listed the most common and effective ones, but feel free to get creative with your workout: try decline/incline, wide/narrow grip, explosive push-ups, or even clap push-ups.

Home calisthenics leg exercises

Slide the towel, fire up the hamstrings.

In line with the rest of this guide, I wanted to introduce a slightly different exercise for the lower body. Hamstrings tend to be a neglected muscle group when training at home. Most people just stick to squat and calf variations and call it a day. For a complete home workout, you must include the towel hamstring curl—it’s especially ideal if you have a sliding surface like most apartment floors.

I often find that the basic version, with both legs on the towel, becomes too easy for my clients rather quickly. That’s why I’m showing you the advanced version directly: the single-leg (unilateral) variation.

Home calisthenics abs exercises

Plank today, six-pack tomorrow.

I’m not going to lie: my favorite ab exercise is the ab wheel, along with its progressions. It’s an incredibly comprehensive movement that you can quickly adapt to your level and, over time, master—or at least get close, which is no small feat.

That said, I’m aware that many people don’t own an ab wheel, and although it’s very affordable and I highly recommend it, today I’m bringing you a common yet effective exercise with zero excuses: the plank. Anyone can do a plank; you don’t need any equipment, and you can steadily increase the intensity by adding more seconds, placing some weight on your back, or slightly extending your arms forward…

Do you have any questions about these home calisthenics exercises? Drop them in the comments below, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. I hope you found this guide helpful. See you in the next one!