Calisthenics: I help women get strong, flexible and more aware of their bodies

Is calisthenics a good choice for women whose intention is to get strong and perhaps build muscle? I ask Angelina Njuguna.

Ms Njuguna is a calisthenics instructor. She says she is into this world to help fellow women heal and get strong through calisthenics. When she takes on the mat to warm up, just before demonstrating a few basic and advanced calisthenics moves, her mobility and flexibility are a sight.

She attributes these to calisthenics, having ditched weight-lifting just after giving birth to her daughter.

“Absolutely. I know of the misconception but the truth is calisthenics is for everyone, women, men and children too. I help women get strong, flexible, mobile and be more aware of their bodies,” she says.

Since its inception, calisthenics has been dominated by men but the modern concept of exercise was for women to begin with as an alternative to weightlifting.

With men ‘stealing’ this form of exercise and perfecting it, most women have been left wondering if calisthenics is for them. “We shouldn’t be asking if calisthenics is for women, since if you know its origin, then the real questions should be whether calisthenics is for men,” Ms Njuguna says.

When the ancient Greeks first practised calisthenics, both men, women boys and girls practised it as a bodyweight exercise. 

Legendary Greek military leader Xenophon noted of Spartan girls that they trained the way their brothers trained. In the 19th century, calisthenics was made popular again specifically for the physical education of girls and young women at a time when weightlifting was the predominant method of getting into shape.

Since ancient times, calisthenics was for women to attain physical and mental health and of course, beauty as Xenophon once noted.

Calisthenic aka bodyweight training is a fundamental form of strength training. All its movements are natural and your body is meant to do them.

“You might not be able to do them now just yet, but from the physiological point of view, the female body is perfectly adept for calisthenics,” she says.

Before switching to calisthenics four years ago, Ms Njuguna used to lift weights until it was boring.

“That’s why if you ask me, for women calisthenic is a good alternative. It’s a brilliant way to build muscle tone and strength without needing to pick up weight or go to the gym. Not that there’s anything wrong with weights but I think you’d rather do a functional form of bodyweight training,” she says,

But weights aside, Ms Njuguna's obsession with calisthenic is also pegged on the fact that it’s a perfect form of exercise particularly for women on the go.

Wherever you are, whatever the time of the day, no matter your fitness level, it just fits the bill as it barely requires any meaningful equipment.

“For women, calisthenics is more accessible, more versatile and easier to build into your daily itinerary. You can do it anywhere for five minutes or even more,” she says.

But even then, it delivers all the strength and wellness benefits of other forms of resistance training. You’ll build muscle, protect your bones, keep your metabolism higher, help with your posture and boost self-confidence.

“Calisthenics is not all about muscles as is the case with weights. Being a compound exercise, it will aid with building lean muscles which is the desire of every woman. Calisthenics has been found to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. It’s no secret that women lose bone density at an alarming rate as they age and with calisthenics, the bone density is improved," she says.

She adds: "You don’t need a gym. Calisthenics teaches you techniques and new skills which aid in building strength. With weights, you can bypass the foundation but with this, you can’t skip the foundation of your strength whether you like it or not. You have to learn to build that foundation by controlling your body weight.”

For those getting started, calisthenics move and nets begin off very basic.

“After assessing someone, I introduce them to the entry-level basic moves; the bodyweight squats, lunges, press ups, pull-ups, push-ups which can get challenging,” Ms Njuguna notes.

For pregnant women, Ms Njuguna will work first into strengthening their core which becomes weak with the baby, before introducing the basic calisthenics.

“This is because the core is extensively utilised in calisthenics and a weak core will mean problems,” she says.

For a beginner once assessed and a programme curated by Ms Njuguna, it will look something like this:

Bodyweight Squat

10 Reps of 1 Set

This works far more than one's thighs. It will shape up one’s hamstrings, glutes, and core and boost fitness endurance. It will involve doing 10 repetitions (reps) of squats making one set. Over time the reps and sets are increased.

Burpees

4 Reps of 2 Sets

No one likes a burpee standard. But Ms Njuguna says it’s one of the best calisthenics moves women can do. It blitzes the entire body, increasing heart rate, and building muscle strength. For a Beginner, reps of two sets are a good start and as one builds strength and endurance reps go to 1o of three sets.

Push Ups

10 Reps of 1 Set

This begins with a normal push-up up then switches to a plank push-up. After 10 push-ups, one is required to assume a plank position and hold still for 20 seconds. Ms Njuguna says this is a good exercise for women targeting to firm their arms, particularly the troublesome triceps that’s always a fat reservoir.

Should you struggle with a plank push-up, she introduces you to a wall push-up, moving on to a knee push-up until you are strong enough to do a proper push-up.

Star Jumping Jacks

1 Minute

Star jumps are much more fan than burpee, full of nostalgia, much easier, playfulness and excellent for relieving stress and activating your muscles. Since it’s cardio calisthenics, it helps with building endurance, burning overall calories, tightening the core and working out the calves. Perfect combo for a sculpted female body.

Pull Ups

4 Reps of 1 Set

Once you’ve conquered the basics, gradually you can move on to harder bodyweight moves. Pull-ups or chin-ups is perhaps one of the more difficult intermediary Calisthenics movement for women. 

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