Calisthenics
Socrates once said “What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable” (Greek Calisthenics Movement, 2015, para. 7). In a country where obesity is a rising epidemic, there is always a new and upcoming fad to lose weight or get healthy. There are the ever rising gimmicks that are advertised and targeted to those who are interested in improving their health; these trends come and go. People become less enthused by the repetitive monotonous workout routines. There are many alternative ways to work out depending on what a person’s goal might be; one of those being calisthenics. The following will describe what calisthenics is, the varying types of work outs, what equipment are commonly used, and the benefits and disadvantages that come with calisthenics.
According to Merriam-Webster calisthenics is defined as “systematic rhythmic bodily exercises performed usually without apparatus” (Merriam-Webster, 2015). In layman’s terms, it is using the environment as well as a person’s own body weight as resistance to strengthen and build muscle. “The word calisthenics is Greek and comes from the ancient Greek word …show more content…
Some people may be apprehensive about beginning an unfamiliar workout. Some of the fears they may have include the limitation of resistance to only what they themselves weigh. For those looking to build muscle mass, some may figure Calisthenics to be more for strength training. For example, in weight training more weight can be added to cause a person’s muscles to fatigue quicker than with calisthenics where the set weight is a person’s body (Foot, 2012). Another concern is that the weather can be a factor by restricting a person to work inside because or the heat, cold or rain. Accessibility is not limited to just
Socrates once said “What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable” (Greek Calisthenics Movement, 2015, para. 7). In a country where obesity is a rising epidemic, there is always a new and upcoming fad to lose weight or get healthy. There are the ever rising gimmicks that are advertised and targeted to those who are interested in improving their health; these trends come and go. People become less enthused by the repetitive monotonous workout routines. There are many alternative ways to work out depending on what a person’s goal might be; one of those being calisthenics. The following will describe what calisthenics is, the varying types of work outs, what equipment are commonly used, and the benefits and disadvantages that come with calisthenics.
According to Merriam-Webster calisthenics is defined as “systematic rhythmic bodily exercises performed usually without apparatus” (Merriam-Webster, 2015). In layman’s terms, it is using the environment as well as a person’s own body weight as resistance to strengthen and build muscle. “The word calisthenics is Greek and comes from the ancient Greek word …show more content…
Some people may be apprehensive about beginning an unfamiliar workout. Some of the fears they may have include the limitation of resistance to only what they themselves weigh. For those looking to build muscle mass, some may figure Calisthenics to be more for strength training. For example, in weight training more weight can be added to cause a person’s muscles to fatigue quicker than with calisthenics where the set weight is a person’s body (Foot, 2012). Another concern is that the weather can be a factor by restricting a person to work inside because or the heat, cold or rain. Accessibility is not limited to just