Choose your level, target muscles and equipment to discover exercises.
The Pelican is an extremely advanced straight-arm strength movement performed on gymnastics rings. Starting from a horizontal Back Lever, the athlete presses the entire body upward through an exceptionally demanding shoulder transition until reaching a Full Planche, maintaining straight elbows and full-body tension throughout.
The pike push up is one of the best bodyweight exercises for building overhead pushing strength. Unlike a regular push up, your hips stay high and your upper body moves towards the floor at a much steeper angle, making your shoulders do more of the work. It is also an important exercise to master if your goal is to eventually perform handstand push ups.
The Press To Handstand is an advanced calisthenics movement where the athlete lifts the body from the floor into a vertical Handstand using straight-arm shoulder strength, core compression, and balance. Unlike a kick-up, the entire transition is performed slowly and without momentum.
The pull-up is one of the foundations of calisthenics. Building up a solid number of reps is important before moving on to more advanced pulling exercises. Pull-ups will help you build a strong base, developing your back, core, and overall pulling strength. With the right training and consistent practice, anyone can achieve their first pull-up, regardless of age.
Push ups are another iconic bodyweight exercise and a key movement in calisthenics, although they are widely used across many different sports and training styles. With many variations to choose from, push ups are an excellent way to develop strong pushing strength in your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Building up a solid number of clean push ups will give you a strong foundation and prepare your body for more advanced calisthenics exercises and skills in the future.
The Reverse Lunge is a beginner unilateral bodyweight leg exercise performed by stepping backwards, lowering the body through controlled knee and hip flexion, and returning to the starting position. It strengthens the quadriceps and glutes while developing balance, coordination, and single-leg stability.
Place your hands on the floor behind your hips with your arms straight, lift your entire body horizontally, and keep your legs extended while engaging your core, triceps, and rear shoulders. Start with reverse plank holds, L-sits, and assisted reverse planche variations to develop shoulder extension strength, scapular retraction, and body control. Gradually increase your hip elevation, extend your legs, and reduce assistance while maintaining straight arms and proper body alignment as you progress toward the full reverse planche.s
The Reverse Plank is a static bodyweight exercise performed with the hands and heels supporting the body while the chest faces upwards. The athlete maintains a straight line from the shoulders to the ankles by engaging the glutes, posterior chain, and shoulder stabilizers. It develops hip extension endurance, core stability, and upper-body support strength.
The Ring Dip is an intermediate bodyweight pushing exercise performed on suspended gymnastics rings. Unlike parallel bar Dips, the independently moving rings require additional shoulder stabilization, core tension, and upper-body control. It develops triceps, chest, and shoulder strength while preparing athletes for more advanced gymnastics ring skills.
The Rings Muscle Up is an advanced compound skill that takes you from a hang below the rings to a stable support position above them. The strict version combines a false-grip pull, a controlled transition over the rings, and a deep ring dip without relying on a large kip for momentum.
The Russian Twist is a bodyweight core exercise performed in a seated position with the torso leaning slightly backwards. The athlete rotates the upper body from side to side while maintaining abdominal tension and pelvic stability. It develops rotational core strength, muscular endurance, and trunk control.
The Scapular Pull Up is a beginner bodyweight pulling exercise that develops scapular control and shoulder stability while hanging from a pull-up bar. By moving the shoulder blades without bending the elbows, the athlete learns to engage the muscles responsible for controlling the shoulder girdle during hanging and pulling movements.
The Shoulder Flag is an intermediate static calisthenics skill performed on a vertical pole. By securing the pole between both hands and the upper shoulder, the athlete suspends the body horizontally above the ground. It develops lateral core strength, grip endurance, shoulder stability, and full-body control.
The Side Plank is an isometric core exercise where you support your body on one forearm and the side of your feet while maintaining a straight lateral position. It primarily challenges the obliques and surrounding trunk muscles to prevent your hips from dropping towards the floor.
The Single Leg Glute Bridge is a unilateral hip-extension exercise where one foot remains on the floor while the opposite leg stays elevated. It strengthens the glutes while adding a greater stability challenge than the regular Glute Bridge because the pelvis must remain controlled on a single supporting leg.
The Sissy Squat is a quad-focused bodyweight exercise where you bend deeply at the knees while allowing them to travel forward, lifting your heels and leaning your body backwards. Unlike a regular squat, the hips remain relatively extended so the quadriceps handle most of the movement.
Skin the Cat is a controlled rotational exercise where you move from a hanging position through an inverted tuck and into a German Hang before reversing the movement. It combines pulling strength, core compression, grip control, and loaded shoulder extension through a large range of motion.
The Slow Muscle Up is a strict bar Muscle Up performed under continuous control instead of using an explosive pull or kip to pass the transition. It requires exceptional pulling strength, transition strength, and control as you move gradually from below the bar to a support position above it.
The sphinx push up is a bodyweight exercise that puts much more emphasis on your triceps than a regular push up. Instead of lowering your chest directly towards the floor, you bend your elbows until your forearms reach the ground and then use your triceps to extend your arms again. It is a simple but challenging exercise that requires no equipment and is a great option for building stronger triceps for other pushing movements.