Calisthenics is bodyweight training and the equipment we need is therefore minimal. However, some calisthenics equipment is hard to do without, whereas others are more optional.
Below, we will look at the calisthenics equipment we can’t do without and the things we might need. Also, I will give you my experience with some of the equipment.
But before we jump into all the calisthenics equipment and apparels we can spend our hard-earned money on, let’s just take a moment to list all the free things that bodyweight training offers.
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No gym membership – you save 50-150$ a month
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No commuting to the gym – you save ???$ a month
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No fancy fitness machines – you save ???$
Mandatory calisthenics equipment:
Let’s first talk about what we can’t do without.
Apparel:
Unless you are a nudist and live in a nice hot place, you need to have some apparel 🙂
Shoes:
Basically any sports shoe will do, but you might consider two pairs. One for running and for strength training.
I will not touch so much upon the shoes for running. Some prefer them with a soft heel, while others prefer those that have a flat sole with good ground contact. I will let that be up to you.
When it comes to the strength sessions you might want to consider more flat shoes like:
Reason for this is that when doing exercises like squat and pistols you want to have a good contact with the ground for stabilization.
Other things to consider is the durability. Exercises like handstand against wall, handstand pushups against wall and burpees might be hard on your shoes. Therefore, they need to be able to take some hits. Also, as calisthenics often are done outside they need to be able to resist different kinds of weather.
Of course bare feet can be an option if the condition allows it.
T-shirts, hoodies, shorts, joggers:
Not much to say here – it depends on what works for you.
Here are some companies that specialize on apparel for calisthenics.
http://calaesthetics.co
http://www.frankmedrano.com/apparel/
Gloves & Grips:
Working out on bars can be rough for your hands. Same goes for training outside on hard surface. Therefore, you might want to consider gloves or grips.
For the gloves, it’s rather easy to google “calisthenics gloves” and you will get some results.
Some of the issues I have had with gloves and that you might experience yourself is sweat and bad grip-feeling.
If you work out in a higher pace or indoors, your fingers might get sweaty and wearing a pair of gloves will become sticky experience.
For the grip feeling, I often have an issue with gloves as they make my grip weaker and that combined with sweat, messes things really up.
I still have a pair of CrossFit gloves from Rouge that I still use now and then, but only for shorter workouts.
On the other hand, if you work out outside and in a colder climate, like here in Sweden, it’s almost mandatory with gloves especially in the wintertime.
Grips are still my preferred way to protect my hands when working out on bars and I have nailed it down to two types that I use.
“Jaw” and “The Natural Grip”
In general, why I like grips is that you avoid the issues with sweating. Furthermore, the grips that I mention here are very thin, which gives a better grip feeling.
Additional with these grips are that you can add chalk to them as well.
The downside with such thin grips is then that they don’t last forever. A pair of Jaw will have a lifetime of around 6-12 months, which is still quite good.
Let’s now leave the apparel and move to other types of mandatory equipment.
Pull-up bar
Even if you have not nailed the pull-ups yet, you will soon need a pull-up bar where you can train the progression towards pull-ups, toes to bar, levelers and muscle-ups.
We will look at three types.
Door pull-up bars might be the less expensive and the most flexible solution. In one version you simply hook it to the door frame and then remove it when you are done, whereas another requires a bit of mounting.
Pros: Cheap, flexible, requires little mounting
Cons: Not the most stable solution; limited height, so the legs have to be bent; can’t do muscle-ups on them.
Wall & Roof mounted pull-up bars will require a dedicated space and a solid mounting. If you are lucky to have your own garage or garden gym, this might be a good solution.
Pros: Stable – if height in the room allows it you can do bar muscle-ups on them.
Cons: Normally more expensive than the door pull-up bar – Will require a solid mounting.
Power Towers are built for both pull-ups, dips and normally leg raises. It’s a standalone equipment, so there is no need for wall nor roof mounting.
Pros: You both have a pull-up bar and dip station. Flexible as they don’t require any mounting on the wall or roof.
Cons: Normally expensive, 100$ and upward – limited height, so you’ll need to bend your legs when doing pull-ups and dips. Assembling takes more time than the other solutions. They are rather big and not easy to store.
When selecting a pull-up bar also consider the following.
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How thick is the bar – will it work for your hands.
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How is the surface – smooth or rough.
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Can you variate your grip.
Dip stations:
Power Towers with a dip station. We have already covered this above.
Classic Dip Station
Pros: Normally a very stable solution but it of course comes in different qualities.
Cons: They are rather big. You can dip on them and not much more.
High parallel bars are normally used for L-sit, handstand, planche etc., but they can easily be used for dips as well.
Pros: Can be used for different exercises. Normally lighter and easier to store than a classic dip station.
Cons: Often not as solid as a real dip station
What you may additionally want to consider when choosing the right dip station are:
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How thick is the bar – will it work for your hands.
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How is the surface – smooth or rough.
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Can you variate your grip.
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How high is it – do you need to bend legs
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Can it be used for horizontal pull-ups – if you don’t have pull-ups yet you might want to do horizontal pull-ups for progression.
