Calisthenics offers several advantages that make it a popular training method, especially for people who want to train without equipment or a gym. In the context of the Freeletics app, these benefits are particularly relevant. Let’s look at both the benefits of calisthenics and the review of the Freeletics app in this context.

Advantages of calisthenics

  1. No equipment required: Calisthenics exercises mainly use your own body weight, which means they can be done almost anywhere – at home, in the park or on the go. This makes them particularly flexible and accessible.
  2. Improve functional strength: Calisthenics exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, squats and dips promote functional strength as they target several muscle groups and joints simultaneously. This helps to improve mobility and coordination in everyday life.
  3. Increasing body control and flexibility: As many calisthenics exercises require complex movements, this form of training promotes body control and flexibility. The training often involves isometric holding positions and controlled movements that improve core stability and flexibility.
  4. Low risk of injury: As calisthenics is based on natural movement patterns and does not use heavy weights, the risk of injury tends to be lower compared to other types of training such as strength training with weights.
  5. Versatility and progression: Calisthenics offers many variation options to increase or decrease the level of difficulty. For example, advanced users can integrate exercises such as one-armed push-ups, one-legged squats or the muscle-up, while beginners can start with basic exercises.
  6. Improved cardiovascular fitness and fat burning: Many calisthenics workouts are high-intensity and include intervals that rapidly increase heart rate and improve cardiovascular fitness and stimulate fat burning.

Although calisthenics offers many benefits, there are also some disadvantages and challenges that should be considered. Here are some of the most common disadvantages of calisthenics:

Disadvantages of calisthenics

  1. Limited hypertrophy and maximum strength development:
    • While calisthenics is great for building functional strength and muscle definition, it can be more difficult to develop significant muscle mass (hypertrophy) and maximum strength, as is the case with traditional weightlifting. Exercises such as bench presses, squats or deadlifts with heavy weights are often more effective in greatly hypertrophying muscles and increasing maximum strength.
  2. Difficulty of progression:
    • While calisthenics exercises can often be adapted to your fitness level, progression can be challenging for advanced users. Once you have mastered a particular exercise, progressing to more complex movements (e.g. one-arm push-ups, handstand push-ups or planche) often requires a lot of time and patience. The learning curve can be steep and it takes a lot of practice to master the technique.
  3. Lack of isolation exercises:
    • Calisthenics is mainly based on multi-joint exercises that target several muscle groups simultaneously. It can be difficult to isolate specific muscles (e.g. biceps, triceps or calves). For people who want to target specific muscle groups, machines or weights may be more effective.
  4. Demands on technique and body control:
    • Many advanced calisthenics exercises (e.g. muscle-ups, front levers, human flag) require excellent technique, coordination and body control. Incorrect execution can not only reduce the effectiveness of the exercise, but also increase the risk of injury. For beginners, this can be a deterrent and lead to frustration.
  5. Limited lower body exercises:
    • While calisthenics programs offer many effective exercises for the upper body, there are fewer variations for the lower body that offer similar intensity. Without the use of additional weights, it is difficult to train the legs intensely and significantly. This could be a disadvantage for people who want to focus on leg training.
  6. Risk of injury during advanced exercises:
    • Although calisthenics generally offers a lower risk of injury, the risk of injury can increase significantly with advanced exercises that require high body tension and balance, such as handstand push-ups or planche. Improper technique, fatigue or inadequate warm-up exercises can lead to injuries such as strains, tendonitis or joint problems.
  7. Requires creativity for advanced variations:
    • Once the basic exercise repertoire (e.g. push-ups, pull-ups, dips) has been mastered, you need to get creative to find more challenging variations and maintain the training stimulus. This requires a deep understanding of exercise execution and possibly support from experts or trainers.
  8. Lack of structure and program planning:
    • Without a structured approach and a well-planned program, it can be difficult to make significant progress in calisthenics. Beginners may feel overwhelmed and may need external guidance or coaching to create an effective and safe training program.

Evaluation of the Freeletics app in connection with calisthenics

Freeletics is one of the best-known fitness apps that focuses on calisthenics and HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training). The app offers customized workouts that are tailored to the user’s fitness level and goals. Here are some aspects to evaluate the Freeletics app:

  1. Personalized training programs: Freeletics creates customized training plans based on the user’s current fitness level and goals. This is particularly helpful for beginners who need guidance on progression in calisthenics.
  2. Wide range of exercises: The app offers a variety of exercises and workouts that are mainly based on your own body weight. This ensures a high level of variety and keeps you motivated.
  3. Motivation and community: Freeletics has a large community and integrates social features that motivate users to share their progress and take on challenges. This can be particularly motivating to keep going.
  4. Flexibility and accessibility: The workouts in the app do not require any equipment, which makes them very accessible. They are ideal for people who want to exercise at home, outdoors or while traveling.
  5. Cost: The app offers some basic features for free, but full access to personalized training plans and nutrition programs requires a paid subscription. This could be a drawback for some, depending on your budget.
  6. Feedback and adjustments: The app offers the option to provide feedback after each workout, allowing training plans to be constantly adjusted and optimized. This is particularly valuable for progressive training.

Conclusion

Calisthenics is an effective, flexible and inexpensive training method that offers many benefits, especially for general physical fitness and functional strength. The Freeletics app uses these principles effectively by providing customized, varied and motivating workouts that can be performed without equipment. For people who want to practice calisthenics or add bodyweight exercises to their workout routine, the Freeletics app is a recommended option.

Annotation:
Image from Pixabay/ Text created with the help of ChatGPT.
This article does not constitute advice!
Unpaid advertising for Freeletics, because I am simply convinced.
I do not receive any compensation. But if you want to try it out yourself, I can arrange 6 months of free trial training for you.