You can work out your body in many ways, including but not limited to using weights, cardio, calisthenics, plyometrics, and much more! However, consider comparing and contrasting the two when looking into the best workout for you and your body. That way, you can find out which exercise works best for you. So, what is the difference between calisthenics and polymetrics?

The main difference between polymetrics and calisthenics is that polymetrics are more suited to athletes who want to increase their overall performance. In contrast, calisthenics is suited to everyone regardless of their fitness level.

There is much more than meets the eye in the different types of workouts, which is why we are devoting an entire article to the two to ensure you have all the information needed beforehand. It is essential to know when and what you can and cannot do, depending on whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or professional. For more information, we encourage you to read ahead.

What is Calisthenics?

 

Calisthenics is an exercise that utilizes body weight to help build endurance and strength. Some examples of this exercise include squats, push-ups, pull-ups, and lunges. This exercise focuses on endurance and body weight. Many people who exercise with calisthenics do it slowly instead of at a fast pace.

You do not need any special equipment to use calisthenics, but you can often find many perks with outdoor equipment that help if you are unsure what to do or are just starting.

 

Advantages & Disadvantages of Calisthenics

As with everything in life, calisthenics has pros and cons. The good thing about this exercise is that it is highly accessible and effective, but it is imperative to consider your fitness goals to determine which choice is correct.

 

Pros of Calisthenics

 

Given the information above, we will first discuss the pros.

 

1. You Do Not Need Weights

 

If you are not keen on weightlifting but know its benefits, have no fear. Calisthenics does not require any weights or large equipment. This means you do not need to prepare to lift something hefty or worry about keeping said equipment clean.

 

2. Cost-Effective

 

Another benefit of not needing weights is that you do not have to invest in them or a gym membership. You can often visit many local parks and use their free equipment explicitly built for calisthenics.

 

3. Great Accessibility

 

Suppose you have room and time in your office to work out. In that case, if you are using calisthenics, you can easily do it anywhere: at home, at work, on your travels, outside, in the garage, etc. It is very accessible, making it a great alternative to going to the gym or going to a specific class.

 

4. Improves Functional Strength & Flexibility

 

Calisthenics focuses on helping your body maneuver faster, creating body strength and overall function and stability. Calisthenics also helps your body parts learn how to become more functional by the different body parts moving together.

On top of this, over time, your body will learn to become more flexible, leading to healthier muscles and joints. Because of this, your body will have fewer injuries.

 

5. Helps with Fat Loss

 

Due to calisthenic’s highly intensive nature, it can help you lose fat as you can easily integrate it with HIIT exercise and boost your overall metabolic rate.

 

6. Improves Muscle Tone

 

Calisthenics is a perfect way to improve muscle size and tone as you gradually increase repetitions, decrease rest periods, and add variations. Other ways to improve muscle tone are to slow down your movements, use bodyweight variations, and be consistent!

 

Cons of Calisthenics

 

Now that we have reviewed the good parts of calisthenics, we must also examine the bad parts.

 

1. May Not Improve Muscle Mass

 

Improving muscle mass with calisthenics is challenging, as it limits resistance due to body weight. On the other hand, weightlifting allows you to gradually increase the amount of pounds you can lift.

Another thing to consider is that calisthenics makes it hard to isolate a specific muscle group as it focuses on multiples at once. Lastly, to build muscle mass, you need ample time between sessions to allow your muscles to recover, which calisthenics might cause you to struggle with.

 

2. Requires Patience

 

Although losing weight and gaining muscle requires patience, calisthenics requires even more, as you must master proper form and technique. It also takes a lot of time to increase your overall performance. For example, as you progress, you should increase the number of repetitions you use. Lastly, you will need a solid mind-body connection, which takes a while to develop.

 

3. Risk of Injury

 

If you do not use proper formation in calisthenics, it can increase your chances of injuring yourself. Because of this, ensuring you are using the correct formation is imperative. Here is a quick and easy video demonstrating five different calisthenics skills for those just beginning:

 

Distinctive Calisthenic Exercises

 

Calisthenics offers various exercises that you can quickly adapt to your everyday life. Regardless of your goals and fitness level, it meets you where you are.

Here are some examples of specific calisthenic exercises that help challenge your coordination, balance, and strength:

 

1. Push-ups

 

Push-ups are one of the easiest calisthenic workout activities. They benefit upper body strength and help improve overall fitness function. Push-ups also help you lose weight and increase your endurance.

It is essential to use proper formation, like the video shown below:

 

2. Squats

 

Yet another straightforward exercise, squats, are highly beneficial to your body. They increase your lower body’s strength and improve your daily activities. In addition, squats enhance coordination and balance.

 

3. Burpees

 

Burpees are more challenging than push-ups or squats but still very effective exercises. They provide a highly intense workout and improve cardiovascular fitness. Burpees also help improve overall agility and coordination.

What is Plyometrics?

 

On the other hand, plyometrics is an exercise that involves more powerful movements. Some of these activities include throwing, hopping, jumping, etc. For example, you do plyometrics if you do clamp push-ups, box jumps, medicine ball slams, or depth jumps. Athletes often do these exercises to boost their endurance, as they require more depth.

 

Another perk about plyometrics is that it often uses equipment, but it is possible without it. For example, some people exercise with jumping jacks and clap push-ups. Whether you use equipment entirely depends on your fitness level, preferences, and goals.

 

Advantages & Disadvantages of Plyometrics

 

Plyometrics focuses on improving agility, power, and speed. It helps train muscles to contract and relax more effectively. It is mostly used by athletes who play sports with quick movements, such as soccer, basketball, football, and other sports. Given that information, knowing the advantages and disadvantages of this type of exercise is imperative.

 

Pros of Plyometrics

 

It is essential to consider the pros of everything you do, especially so you can decide whether this type of exercise is right for you in this specific season of life!

 

1. Challenging but Fun

 

If you wish to keep things interesting in your workout routine, plyometrics is an excellent option. You can challenge your body and exceed the expectations you have set out for yourself! On top of this, you can have fun with it and get creative (in a safe way) as well.

 

2. Builds Strength and Performance

 

If you want to gain muscular strength, look no further than plyometrics. Many exercises can improve your lower and upper body.

For example, if you wish to strengthen your lower body, consider squats, trucks, and box jumps. If you need upper body strength, consider clap push-ups, medicine ball chest passes, and plyometric dips.

Plyometrics also improves performance by using sports that strengthen your speed, agility, and power, such as playing sports like basketball, soccer, and track and field.

 

3. Boosts Speed and Power

 

Because plyometrics works by continuously contracting and relaxing the muscles, it innately boosts speed and power. Some more information on this includes training your body to produce more force in a short amount of time. For example, exercising with a box jump helps recruit muscle fibers, creating more power due to your body’s assertive jumping.

Plyometrics improves neuromuscular coordination. This means your nervous system can signal your muscles to help them quickly relax and contract. It enables you to move swiftly and efficiently, thus improving coordination.

 

Cons

 

Since we have discussed the many benefits of plyometrics for your body, there are some things to remember while doing this exercise. It is important to note that all physical activity should be taken with precautions before using it. For example, make sure you can do said exercise and slowly work your way to where you want to be instead of going all out initially.

 

1. May Not Be Suitable for Everyone

 

Since plyometrics is mainly used by athletes or those wanting to get ripped, it may not be suited for everyone. For example, if you have made some lifestyle choices that might not be the best and want to get healthier, starting with plyometrics is unwise.

However, suppose you keep up the pace with getting fit, healthy, or losing weight and want to attempt this type of exercise. In that case, it might be more suitable for you to try, but make sure to do so slowly to ensure you are not hurting yourself.

 

2. Requires Proper Form

 

Like calisthenics, plyometrics requires proper form, which is essential to avoid injury. Plyometric workouts like broad jumping, burpees, skater hops, and lateral bounds can strain your body greatly, especially when not utilized properly.

 

3. Higher Risk for Injury

 

Plyometric exercises are a continuum, meaning you start with a light exercise and gradually increase the intensity as time goes on. Because of this, you can risk injury, especially if your body is not suited for said activity.

For example, watching a YouTube exercise video will often start with easy or slow-paced exercises but get more intense as time passes.

For those just starting out, listening to your body first before trying to keep up with the person on the TV is more important. Remember, they cannot see you, so do not feel guilty about not doing what they do! Plus, you have the power to pause the video if needed.

 

Distinctive Plyometric Exercises

 

It is best to apply plyometric exercises roughly 2 to 3 times weekly and ensure the volume is low at 3 to 6 sets of 2 to 5 reps each. Although some might consider doing more exercises throughout the week, sometimes less is more, especially with their benefits!

Now that we have gotten that out, here are a few distinctive plyometric exercises and their benefits.

 

1. Box Jumps

 

Box jumps are extremely popular, especially in gymnastics! They provide many benefits, including helping you lose weight, enhancing lower body strength, and improving agility, coordination, and power!

On the other hand, box jumps may increase injury risk, so use proper technique and start slowly, then gradually work your way up to where your body can handle it the best. Here is a video thoroughly explaining how to do said exercise properly:

 

2. Skater Hops

 

You have probably seen many people doing skater hops over the years, especially since it is a prevalent exercise!

Many excellent health benefits come with doing skater hops, including improving functional fitness, providing weight loss, and increasing your cardiovascular endurance. Other advantages include improving coordination, lower body strength, and agility.

Here is the proper skate hop form and common mistakes you can make:

 

3. Burpees

 

Lastly, we have burpees, which strengthen your chest, arms, abdomen, buttocks, hips, chest, and leg muscles. This exercise is perfect for losing weight and improving your overall functional fitness. Burpees also increase strength and power while also enhancing agility and coordination.

This does not require you to have any equipment, which is perfect for anyone who does not wish to use it. However, burpees require usage by those on a good fitness level as they are challenging for beginners.

What is the Muscle Mass Development?

 

Before going into how much muscle mass is developed with the two types of exercises, it is essential to know precisely what muscle mass development is.

To summarize, it is where you increase the volume and size of muscle tissue. You can achieve this through proper nutrition and resistance training, like bodyweight exercises or weightlifting.

You are essentially tearing and repairing the muscles, which allows them to grow bigger and stronger. Knowing the muscle mass of both exercises is essential if you want to develop good muscle mass.

 

Calisthenic Muscle Mass Development

 

Calisthenics can help you build muscle mass, especially when doing it frequently. However, since calisthenics works on multiple muscle groups simultaneously, it may be challenging to build muscle mass quickly.

On the other hand, if you exercise using the calisthenic method 3 to 5 times a week, it is a good start to training your muscles to where they need to be. Those only using calisthenics to train their muscle groups will need to increase the number of sets and reps they do over time.

 

Plyometrics Muscle Mass Development

 

The opposite is true when using plyometrics to build muscle mass. Because this exercise is more intense, you will gain muscle mass faster than calisthenics. This is due to the fierce workout training you receive when using plyometrics.

What are the Wellness & Mental Health Benefits?

 

Whatever you do, working out will benefit you mentally and physically. However, although some workouts help with overall physical well-being, some people might be stressed because they are unable to do a certain thing, like bench pressing a specific amount of weight or not running as fast as they think they should be.

Although it is good to challenge yourself, it is imperative not to do so at the cost of your mental health. So, what kind of benefits do calisthenics and plyometrics bring? Let’s find out below.

 

Calisthenics Wellness & Mental Health Benefits

 

Because you are using your own body weight to exercise, calisthenics brings a sense of self-awareness that you may not know exists. This makes you feel more confident in yourself, creating a sense of achievement!

On top of this, calisthenics offers serotonin and dopamine, which combats depression and enhances your overall mood. You also release endorphins, creating yet another natural mood lifter.

Lastly, calisthenics provides concentration and focus due to the complex movements required for this type of training. This, in turn, helps you focus on daily activities better.

 

Plyometrics Wellness & Mental Health Benefits

 

Plyometrics provides other great mental and wellness benefits! These include improving your mood, stress reduction, better sleep, and confidence boosters, which will improve your focus! It is a great way to gain a better mood and mental clarity. Lastly, because plyometrics uses a lot of fast movements, your body becomes more assertive, especially when doing the exercises correctly!

 

Conclusion

 

To summarize, there are quite a few differences and similarities between calisthenics and plyometrics, but it is imperative to keep an open mind when choosing which exercise is best for you. Thankfully, anyone can use calisthenics regardless of their fitness level, whereas plyometrics requires more experience. However, anyone who sets their mind to something can achieve it, so start slowly, irrespective of your level! If you have more questions regarding the two exercises, we encourage you to read our other articles for all the needed information.

That said, we hope you have a great time learning the ins and outs of whatever exercise you do! Without further ado, we will see you next time.