Bodyweight exercises and weight loss - is it effective or not?

Calisthenics, or bodyweight training, is an affordable, flexible and easily accessible type of resistance training. This article focuses on the health benefits and the potential of calisthenics as an effective method for weight loss.

Bodyweight training can be done both at home and outdoors, either without any equipment at all or using simple tools such as a pull-up bar, rings or parallel bars. If you are thinking about starting to train at home, after reading our articles “Bodyweight strength training at home” and “The best exercises to do at home” you will have enough information to put together your own training plan that works for you.

Research has shown that long-term, regular and intensive bodyweight training brings considerable health benefits. Calisthenics practitioners often show an athletic physique with a well-developed upper body, a lower body fat percentage and a lower risk of developing chronic diseases compared with the general population.¹

Is bodyweight training effective for weight loss?

Weight loss through calisthenics is a commonly observed phenomenon, especially in beginners, and particularly when combined with a suitable diet. Studies have shown that overweight individuals who combined simple exercises (20 minutes a day) with a balanced diet recorded an average drop of 4.1 BMI points over 12 weeks, which is significantly more than in the diet-only control group.²

Besides weight loss, the combination of calisthenics and good eating habits may bring improvements in diabetes, a reduction in total cholesterol and a subjective sense of better mood and mental state. On top of that, there is an increase in physical fitness, muscle strength and coordination.^{2, 3, 4}

References:

1. Sanchez-Martinez, Javier et al. “Morphological characteristics of Street Workout practitioners.” Nutricion hospitalaria vol. 34,1 122-127. 1 Feb. 2017, doi:10.20960/nh.987
2. Wu G, Qu H. The Effect of Calisthenics on Hypoglycemic of Diabetic Patients. Biomed Res Int. 2022 Jun 7;2022:7737626. doi: 10.1155/2022/7737626. PMID: 35711522; PMCID: PMC9197618.
3. Mear E, Gladwell VF, Pethick J. The Effect of Breaking Up Sedentary Time with Calisthenics on Neuromuscular Function: A Preliminary Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Nov 7;19(21):14597. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192114597. PMID: 36361476; PMCID: PMC9653850.
4. Ozer Kaya D, Duzgun I, Baltaci G, Karacan S, Colakoglu F. Effects of calisthenics and Pilates exercises on coordination and proprioception in adult women: a randomized controlled trial. J Sport Rehabil. 2012 Aug;21(3):235-43. doi: 10.1123/jsr.21.3.235. Epub 2011 Nov 16. PMID: 22104298.