Calisthenics: A Guide to Effective Home Workouts

Explore calisthenics as a versatile workout option. Build strength and endurance from home with no equipment needed.

Introduction

Musculoskeletal diseases might arise for many people due to stressful schedules and habits. It may impact people of any age, ranging from muscular imbalances to low back discomfort; therapy is required when people have overlapping risk profiles. People who suffer from musculoskeletal diseases often begin seeking treatment in an attempt to alleviate their physical suffering. Depending on how severe it is, many would have surgery to lessen the overlapping risk profiles. However, some people may use non-surgical methods to alleviate musculoskeletal discomfort. Musculoskeletal diseases are one of the main causes of disability, and non-surgical therapies may be safe, affordable, and successful in relieving the body’s perceived pain. Chiropractic adjustments and spinal alignment may help alleviate musculoskeletal problems without surgery by stretching the afflicted muscles. However, to assist patients in healing over the long term, chiropractors will create a personalized treatment plan that includes active movement exercises to help rebuild muscle strength and resume mobility. This is where calisthenics comes in.

What is Calisthenics?

Also known as bodyweight training, calisthenics utilizes the person’s body to build muscle strength and increase flexibility while enhancing neuromuscular control. When people start incorporating regular physical activity into their routine, they will notice their health and quality of life improved, their fitness levels will increase, and the risk of several chronic diseases associated with the musculoskeletal body will be reduced. (Bellissimo et al., 2022) The best way to think about calisthenics is to think like push-ups, planks, squats, and dynamics stretches when working out. Additionally, calisthenics can be scalable and adaptable to any person’s fitness level without heavy gym equipment or HIIT workouts. For individuals dealing with musculoskeletal conditions like low back pain or associated pain symptoms, calisthenics is a safer and more effective option. Calisthenics can even help with cognitive decline associated with musculoskeletal disorders by reducing comorbidities correlated with the muscles and cognitive function. (Osuka et al., 2020)

How It Supports Musculoskeletal Health?

Musculoskeletal pain is a multi-factorial condition that involves environmental factors that cause long-term pain and disability. (Caneiro et al., 2021) Everyday motions can cause strain and fatigue to the various muscle groups and, over time, can affect the joints in the extremities. For individuals dealing with musculoskeletal disorders, calisthenics can offer numerous benefits to reduce pain-like symptoms associated with the musculoskeletal system:

• Improved Core Stability: Calisthenics can help strengthen the core muscles, providing the necessary stability to reduce low back pain. (Zemkova & Zapletalova, 2022)
• Enhanced Mobility: Calisthenics can utilize gentle functional movements within the upper and lower extremities to help preserve the joint’s range of motion.
• Injury Prevention: Individuals incorporating calisthenics for muscle pain will notice that their postural muscles are getting stronger, thus improving body biomechanics and reducing compensatory movements.
• Neuromuscular Re-education: Calisthenic exercises help retrain muscles to fire appropriately, which is excellent for individuals with a sedentary lifestyle. Individuals with a sedentary lifestyle who start doing calisthenic exercises will notice a positive effect on energy expenditure, endothelial function, and muscle improvement. (Mear et al., 2022)

Can Core Exercises Help With Back Pain?-Video

Calisthenics Integrated With Chiropractic Care

When it comes to incorporating non-surgical treatment with calisthenics, chiropractic care can help many individuals deal with overlapping pain symptoms associated with musculoskeletal disorders. Chiropractic care incorporates mechanical and manual spinal manipulation to help realign the spine and remobilize the body while reducing muscle pain. (Coulter et al., 2018) When chiropractors address the structural misalignment of the person’s spine through adjustments, they can pinpoint the causes and start to assess the individual by coming up with a personalized treatment plan that includes calisthenics as part of their active rehabilitation to reengage their musculoskeletal system to maintain the improvements. In chiropractic and functional medicine settings, calisthenics is often prescribed as part of active rehabilitation. After addressing structural misalignments through manual adjustments, patients are encouraged to reengage their musculoskeletal system to maintain improvements.

Here’s how calisthenics fits in:

• Post-Adjustment Stabilization: Exercises help “lock in” structural corrections by reinforcing proper posture and movement.
• Corrective Exercise Protocols: Practitioners may prescribe targeted calisthenics to improve muscular imbalances contributing to pain.
• Home Programs: These exercises are ideal for patients to perform safely at home with little to no equipment.

Calisthenic Exercises For Low Back Pain

For individuals dealing with acute or chronic low back pain, these beginner-friendly calisthenics exercises can help relieve muscle tension in the lower back while promoting postural stability. It is always important to consult a doctor before starting a new exercise routine.

Glute Bridge

Glute bridges can help decompress the lumbar spine while strengthening the glutes and hamstrings.

How to do it:

• Laying down on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• By engaging the core muscles, lift the hips towards the ceiling.
• Hold the position for 5 seconds, then lower slowly.
• Repeat 10–15 times for three sets.

Bird-Dog

Bird-Dog can be an excellent exercise to help individuals improve their spinal stability by engaging their core and multifidus muscles to reduce back pain.

How to do it:

• Be on a mat on your hands and knees to have a neutral spine alignment.
• Simultaneously extend the right arm and left leg while keeping your spine neutral.
• Hold the position for 5-10 seconds, then slowly switch sides.
• Perform 10 reps per side for three sets.

Wall Sit

Wall sit exercises are excellent for individuals with low back pain. They help strengthen the surrounding muscles in the lumbar spine and activate the quadriceps to support neutral pelvic alignment.

How to do it:

• Stand up straight with your back against a wall and slide to a seated position with the thighs parallel to the floor
• Engage the core muscles and hold between 10-30 seconds. Tip: Gradually increase the time for an effective workout.
• Repeat 3–5 times for three sets.

Pelvic Tilt

For individuals dealing with tension and low back pain in their lumbar spine, pelvic tilts can help provide relief while improving core muscle control.

How to do it:

• Lay on your back with bent knees on a mat.
• Gently lower your lower back into the mat while engaging the core muscles.
• Hold the position for 10 seconds before relaxing.
• Repeat the motion for 10–15 times for three sets.

Conclusion

Combined with chiropractic therapy, calisthenics is a fantastic therapeutic technique that is more than simply a bodyweight exercise. The use of calisthenics may help people take charge of their health and well-being by reviving the musculoskeletal system and easing muscular soreness. The body’s primary function is movement, therefore calisthenic exercises may hasten healing, prevent more injuries, and enhance general functional ability. People will see that their movement improves and that they reach their fitness objectives when they begin integrating calisthenics into their everyday practice.

Injury Medical & Functional Medicine Clinic

We associate with certified medical providers who understand the importance of assessing individuals with musculoskeletal disorders affecting their daily routines. When asking important questions to our associated medical providers, we advise patients to incorporate exercises like calisthenics to help reengage the musculoskeletal system while reducing muscle pain within the lumbar region. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., uses this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.

References

Bellissimo, G. F., Ducharme, J., Mang, Z., Millender, D., Smith, J., Stork, M. J., Little, J. P., Deyhle, M. R., Gibson, A. L., de Castro Magalhaes, F., & Amorim, F. (2022). The Acute Physiological and Perceptual Responses Between Bodyweight and Treadmill Running High-Intensity Interval Exercises. Front Physiol, 13, 824154. doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.824154

Caneiro, J. P., Bunzli, S., & O’Sullivan, P. (2021). Beliefs about the body and pain: the critical role in musculoskeletal pain management. Braz J Phys Ther, 25(1), 17-29. doi.org/10.1016/j.bjpt.2020.06.003

Coulter, I. D., Crawford, C., Hurwitz, E. L., Vernon, H., Khorsan, R., Suttorp Booth, M., & Herman, P. M. (2018). Manipulation and mobilization for treating chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Spine J, 18(5), 866-879. doi.org/10.1016/j.spinee.2018.01.013

Mear, E., Gladwell, V. F., & Pethick, J. (2022). The Effect of Breaking Up Sedentary Time with Calisthenics on Neuromuscular Function: A Preliminary Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 19(21). doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114597

Osuka, Y., Kojima, N., Sasai, H., Ohara, Y., Watanabe, Y., Hirano, H., & Kim, H. (2020). Exercise Types and the Risk of Developing Cognitive Decline in Older Women: A Prospective Study. J Alzheimers Dis, 77(4), 1733-1742. doi.org/10.3233/JAD-200867

Zemkova, E., & Zapletalova, L. (2022). The Role of Neuromuscular Control of Postural and Core Stability in Functional Movement and Athlete Performance. Front Physiol, 13, 796097. doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.796097

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