Can You Train Calisthenics Everyday
Top-tier athletes don’t worry about not participating in enough training; they actually have concerns about overtraining. In the world of calisthenics, is this a real threat to gains? Let’s discuss…
Whether it’s safe or not to train calisthenics daily depends on the intensity of each session. Training calisthenics daily is fine if you do a modest amount of bodyweight exercises. However, practicing complex, high-body-demanding moves requires sufficient rest time to prevent injury.
So, what’s a modest amount?
Everyone has different strength levels, but in general, anything less than 20 push-ups, 5 pull-ups, 20 sit-ups, and a minute plank a day should be okay. On the other hand, it’s best for techniques such as human flags, one-arm handstands or Superman push-ups to involve rest periods.
Does Calisthenics Need Rest Days
We always recommend rest days, no matter your sport or training method. It fastens muscle recovery and prevents injury, all in all, making you a better athlete.
Calisthenics, like all training methods, needs rest days. Due to the high levels of tension put on your muscles and joints, at least 24 hours of relaxation is required before training the same muscle group. This gives enough time to adapt and overcome the stress it was put under.
While it can be seen as frustrating, you progress exponentially faster with rest days than without.
Important
Remember, a rest day isn’t one where you sit in bed all day; it’s one where you stay active but give particular muscle groups a moment of relaxation. As an example, say you exhausted your triceps on Monday; you can still train your legs and core on Tuesday!
A good rule of thumb is:
Don’t exercise the same muscle groups on consecutive days; instead, rotate between the upper body, lower body, and core, and ensure you have at least two days a week of full-body rest.
In saying this,
Isolating these areas is challenging because calisthenics uses compound movements, so it’s sometimes unavoidable to train your upper body and not your core. But, as long as there’s a 24-hour rest period, your muscles recover well.
Can You Overtrain Calisthenics
Understandably, many people get confused as to weather or not it’s possible to overtrain calisthenics. So, to clear it up, here’s the truth.
Calisthenics can be overtrained if you combine everyday training with very high intensity. You’ll notice as you feel joint pains, muscle fatigue, and demotivation. Once you’re overtrained, any more calisthenics exercise has no physical benefits; in fact, it actually does more harm than good.
To put it in perspective, doing thousands of push-ups, planches, and front levers every day without rest will overtrain your body. It’s far more effective doing either one of these:
- Have a high-intensity calisthenics workout 3 or 4 times a week and fill your rest days with light movements or cardio.
- Alternatively, lighten the intensity to basic bodyweight exercises (squats, crunches, and box jumps) so you can train calisthenics every day.
Always remember a degree of overtraining is necessary for your muscles to adapt and overcome. This is how they grow and become stronger (hypertrophy). So, if you feel a little tired or short on strength, don’t worry, this is totally normal! You aren’t overtrained; your muscles are growing…
There are two main takeaways:
- You must listen to your body. Are you overtraining or making an excuse? Should you be training, or does your body need rest?
- Learn how to adapt your workout. If you increase the Frequency, Intensity, Volume, or Effort, you must decrease another variable, or you risk overtraining.
Will Training Calisthenics Everyday Get Better Results
Training calisthenics daily doesn’t necessarily mean maximizing gains and results. It isn’t as linear, as the more you train, the better your results. This is because you strip away the time your body has to repair and recover, so your muscles can’t adapt and progress.
To what extent is this true?
Well, working out twice a week is better than just once; however, training seven days a week can be more damaging than exercising six times a week. You must find the perfect balance between giving your body sufficient rest and training hard to optimize calisthenics results.
Here’s a basic guide to how many times a week you should train calisthenics to get better results:
| Fitness/Skill Level | Average Number of Days You Should Train A Week |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 2-3 days of high intense calisthenics training, but ensure you fill your rest days with other training methods. |
| Intermediate | 4-5 days of high intense calisthenics and doing very light movements (e.g. a walk) on your rest days. |
| Expert | 5-6 days of medium-high intense calisthenics training and one or two complete rest days. It’s important to lower the intensity during some of your workout sessions to prevent overtraining. |
Yes, even experts have rest days. It isn’t because they’re lazy; they just understand that rest is equally as crucial for gains as training. Want proof? Here’s Chris Heria’s (all-time calisthenics legend) workout plan.
TIP:
The number of days a week you should train a week to optimize results isn’t fixed. Just because you found 3 days to work well a couple of months ago doesn’t mean it will stay this way forever. It constantly changes, but as long as you listen to your body, it’s easy to establish.
Can You Train Calisthenics Twice A Day
The number of times a day you can train calisthenics depends entirely on the intensity and duration of each workout. Having two sessions a day is fine as long as your body and current fitness level are capable of it.
There are numerous ways to benefit from training calisthenics twice a day, for example:
- Splitting the volume of a workout session into two parts.
- Working completely separate muscle groups in each session.
- Have two intense sessions, but have a rest the following day.
Are there any downsides to this? As long as you pay attention to what your body tells you, no, not really.
Conclusion
So, to summarize:
- Your body tells you it’s overtrained through mental and physical exhaustion. You must listen and act.
- You can train calisthenics as frequently as you want, as long as you balance each workout and it’s within your body’s fitness limits.
- Everyone will tell you something different. There is lots of “bro-science” claiming this and that. The best way to find out is by experimenting with training calisthenics for a different number of days and working out what is best for you.
- Ensure you sleep well, stay hydrated, and have a nutritional diet regardless of the number of days you train. Otherwise, you won’t see body improvements.
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