Many of us feel the need to be active after long hours of work. If you are working in an office or anywhere for long hours, working out is the best way to relieve stress. It is the best way to relax and stretch those stiff muscles for mobility, especially if you are sitting for long hours or more. But the question remains: which is better? Calisthenics Workout or Weights? In this article, HTC News will explore the benefits of both calisthenics and weights, providing all the information you need to choose an exercise that best fits your style and lifestyle. Are you ready? Let’s go.
What is Calisthenics?
There are only a few people who are familiar with the word calisthenics. Some are already doing calisthenic workouts without knowing that they are already doing it. So, what is calisthenics? It means working out by using your own body weight instead of weight equipment such as gym plates.
Only a few people or athletes use this method because it is much harder to do compared to weights. However, using this method can show results faster than working out with weights.
Calisthenics Explained – Are Bodyweight Exercises Good For Building Muscle?
Different types of Calisthenic Exercise
Here are two examples of some of the most common calisthenic exercises:
Push-up: This is one of the favorite exercises of athletes. A push-up is done by establishing your body face-down on the floor, palms and shoulders straight, while moving your body up and down repetitively.
Sit-up: While push-ups are done face-down, sit-ups are performed lying on the floor. You need to tuck your hands behind your head while moving your upper body up. After moving your upper body up, you need to move your lower body to the starting position and repeat the process.
All About Weights
Weight workouts are the counterpart of calisthenics. While calisthenics can be done at home or almost everywhere, working out with weights requires specified equipment that is commonly found in gyms. You can buy your own equipment so you can do weight exercises at home, but they are usually costly depending on their brand and durability.
Common Gym Equipment
Treadmill: A gym equipment that can imitate exercises such as jogging, running, and sprinting. It is mostly used for cardio and endurance.
Rowing Machine: Gym equipment that is used to create a simulating movement as if you are rowing on a watercraft. This movement mainly targets muscles such as calves, quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, abs, pecs, deltoids, biceps, triceps, upper back, and lats.
Dumbbells: The most common gym equipment. There are two types of dumbbells: fixed weight and adjustable weight. Fixed dumbbells are those that have a specific fixed weight that cannot be changed, while adjustable dumbbells, on the other hand, can be adjusted according to your weight preference.
Barbell: Barbells are the same as dumbbells, only bigger. They can also be fixed or adjustable and can be used in different weight exercises.
Which is Better? Calisthenics or Weights
While there are a lot of debates about which is better, calisthenics have a huge advantage over weight exercises. Calisthenics involves more muscles that can give a better result in terms of strength, speed, and endurance. That is why certain sports, such as basketball, soccer, etc., use a ratio of 70% calisthenics and 30% weights.
However, when your target is body building, weight training is more efficient than calisthenics. The main reason for this is because of body weight limitations. A bodybuilder needs more length and may require working out with added weights to attain a target physique.
(more HTC News Sports articles)
Conclusion
Each of us has a different goal when it comes to exercise. One may use cardio to counter long hours of sitting down in the office. Athletes may use Calisthenics Workout to increase their accuracy. And bodybuilders might use weight training to increase and mold their physique.
While it is true that calisthenics is an art more durable than weight training, it is a matter of preference as to what goal a person is trying to achieve. Either way, these two workouts can improve physical and mental abilities when done right.
read more: Understanding the Benefits of Calisthenics Workout
