calisthenics diet

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Calisthenics diet – what is that? And does it even make sense to talk about calisthenics diet?

As you know, calisthenics are workouts where we only use our body, or bodyweight training if you want. So what’s the idea with a bodyweight training diet?
To get an understanding of calisthenics diet, it’s better to look at the principles and activities of calisthenics training. Here are some of them:
  • One-pan summer eggsCalisthenics have a simple approach towards training, as we utilize as little equipment as possible. So simplicity is a keyword.
  • Calisthenics don’t require a gym and are often done outside. So there is a kind of connection with the environment you live in.
  • The above give calisthenics a natural freedom. No gym, no machines etc. Freedom is another keyword.
  • Calisthenics utilize bodyweight, which means that a heavy body would mean a more challenging workout. That might sound good. However, having a thick layer of fat wouldn’t help you in the more advanced exercises. Actually, it would be a big disadvantage. Therefore, a lower body fat percentage is important. We only want useful weight like muscles.
  • As with any other kind of workout form, we need to get enough proteins to build muscles, plus essential minerals and vitamins for the body to work optimally. So normal nutrition rules are also applicable for a calisthenics diet.
So where does this bring us?

 

Let’s summarize:

Simplicity – part of the environment/natural – freedom – low body fat percentage – general nutrition rules.

Simplicity:

One of the biggest problems with most diets is that they are so difficult to maintain in real life that we often quit after some months.smoked-salmon-egg-stuffed-avoc Counting calories or only eating the same kind of food over and over again isn’t a good long-term solution.
Solution: You need some simple habits, not rules.

Natural:

Food used to be natural and not something done in a factory or with chemicals. Today, processed food is a big part of our daily nutrition. Often, we refine food and lose some important minerals, fibers and vitamins, leaving the food with a lot of fast energy and nothing else.
Solution: Eat natural and stay away from processed food as much as possible.

Freedom:

I will point towards the first bullet. It’s again something about not having strict rules but good habits. Don’t be that person who can’t go to a restaurant without being a pain…
Solution: You need some simple habits, not rules.

Low body fat percentage:

Pull-up progression30 years ago, we were told that we’ve got fat and are sick of fat. Today, we know that this is not 100% true.
Insulin is the hormone that controls fat storage. Carbohydrates like sugar, white bread and white pasta are very good at raising the blood sugar, which then again asks for more insulin.
So before controlling the total amount of calories, we should start with focusing on the simple carbohydrates.
Solution: Minimizing or avoiding the intake of simple carbohydrates.

General nutrition rules:

We need enough protein to build muscles and we need enough water, minerals, fibers and vitamins to make the body run smoothly.
Solution: If we eat natural this will be covered automatically. Depending on how hard you train, you might need to adjust the intake of protein and water.
So that’s it but I won’t leave you here. Below are some easy to follow good habits as well as a downloadable pdf.
A calisthenics diet shouldn’t be strict rules but smart choices.

Try to stop eating – you really dont need it:

  • Refined sugar (Soft drinks, candy, cakes, processed food etc.)softdrinks-readytodrink
    • We don’t need it even though our brain loves it. Sugar has nothing else to offer than energy and when the body is breaking it down it needs to steal nutrients from the body to process it.
    • It will release high levels of insulin, which will quickly pull out the energy and store a lot as fat. This means you will very soon feel hungry again, as the energy has been taken out and stored.
  • Processed food
    • In short, this is “artificial food” or the stuff that can last for a long time and takes no time to prepare.
    • The issue is that it’s produced with profit and not health in mind. It is often added sugar and very low quality oils. Also, it contains very little vitamins and minerals. Again, it’s just about taste (sugar) and energy (simple carbs/low quality oils)
    • Most diet products with low calories have the same problem. The low calories come from the simple carbs.

Limit:

  • Refined food/“white food”whole-vs-refined-grains
    • White bread, pasta, rice
    • As seen above, these products are artificial products and all the good stuff like vitamins, minerals and fibers have been removed.
    • Try to replace them with whole grain products, but remember it’s still carbohydrates. Therefore, you still need to control your intake.
  • Alcoholic drinks
    • Red wine and beer is better than drinks, but you should limit your intake both due to general problems with alcohol but also due to the simple carbohydrates.
  • Sweetener (Diet coke, Pepsi Maxi, etc.)
    • There are no calories and no carbohydrates, so what is the problem?
    • First of all, we know very little about the impact on our health from these products. Secondly, we think we fool our body but we don’t. When the body finds out that the intake has no calories at all, it will just panic and ask for more.

Control

  • Starch (Potato, whole grain products)
    • We want to limit the intake of “white food” and replace it with whole grain products, but we still need to control them, as they have a lot of “fast” carbohydrates that increases our blood sugar.
  • Fruits
    • You should eat fruits, especially berries, pears, and apples, but avoid juices as the fibers, vitamins and minerals are not the same as in real fruit.
    • Control your intake to 1-3 pieces a day, as natural sugar has the same impact on your blood sugar as refined sugar.
Protein foodTo make it simpler, here are two lists: one for what we should have in our kitchen and one for food we should remove from our kitchen.

Should have:

Real butter – cottage cheese – egg – bacon – meat – fish – fresh cheese – yogurt – cabbage – vegetables (froze is ok) – advocate – olives – olive oil – nuts – coffee – tea
Some: fruits – whole grain products – beans

Should remove:

Candy – chips – soft drinks – juice – margarine – trans fats – all kind of sugar – “white food” flour, pasta, rice, white bread – light products – processed food – ice cream – cookies – cakes – cereals
  • Below, you have an infographic to clarify how a good calisthenics diet looks like. To summarize, make sure to eat natural food and stay away from refined and processed food. This is the best way to tell your body to stop storing fat and instead use it as energy. Also make sure to have a look at my “Lifetime diet

calisthenics diet

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