In my opinion, there is no better choice than bodyweight calisthenics for an effective at home workout. You don’t need any expensive equipment, you need only a limited amount of space and you can fit in a quick but highly effective workout around your busy schedule. 

But keep in mind… learning a bunch of bodyweight exercises is no substitute for a complete workout program.  After all, if you don’t know how to put the bodyweight calisthenics exercises together into a comprehensive workout program that systematically progresses you to your goals… you are exercising without a purpose.

Basically, if you don’t have a PROGRESSIVE PLAN for consistent improvement… you are NOT going to improve fitness, burn fat or build the strong, athletic body you desire.

With that being said, I’ve found some bodyweight calisthenics videos done by Adam Davila that I want to share with you.  These are some of my favorite bodyweight calisthenics exercises that I use in my progressive bodyweight workout programs. I think getting a video demonstration is helpful.

Click the links below to go to the bodyweight exercise video and see these exercises in action…

8 Count Body Builders – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Alternating Lunges – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Bodyweight Lunges – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Dive Bombers -Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Jumping Jacks – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Mountain Climbers – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
One Leg Squats – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Ones & Twos – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Push Ups – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Squat Thrusts – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video

Give some of these bodyweight calisthenics exercises a try, and I’m sure you’ll find them surprisingly challenging.

When you are ready to organize you bodyweight exercises into a progressive program specifically designed to improve fitness, burn fat and build an attractive, athletic body, here are some recommendations:

Option 1:
Workout Without Weights is my flagship bodyweight workout program. If you like building you own workout programs (following a proven, progressive method), this is for you. 

There are SIX progressive workout programs here that give you the freedom to choose the bodyweight exercises you use from a list of 190 bodyweight exercises.

Just pick the exercises you want to work on, fill in the printable, reusable Workout Journal Sheets… and you’re ready for a great bodyweight only workout you can do at home!

Don’t underestimate the power to achieve your fitness, fat loss and physique building goals using only bodyweight exercises… especially when you follow a PLAN of progression that keeps you improving.

Option 2:

The Ultimate Gymless Workout is for those who want a PROGRESSIVE SERIES or bodyweight workouts where the bodyweight exercises are chosen for them. There are really TWO complete workout programs here… the Optimum Fitness & Physique program and the Above & Beyond program.

First, alternate through the Fitness, Fat Loss and Strength & Size workouts to build the strong, lean, athletic body you’ve always wanted.  Then put your newly developed body to the test with the Above & Beyond workouts.  And did I mention, these workout use only bodyweight calisthenics exercises and can be done in the comfort of your own home?

Remember… progression is the key for any workout to improve fitness, burn fat and build an athletic body.  After all, if you are not progressing then nothing is going to change.  And that means you workouts are nothing more than a waste of time.  So, make sure to put your bodyweight workouts together in a way that keeps you progressing toward the ultimate goal of a strong, lean, athletically muscular body!

With all the bodyweight workout information available on the web, some people think they don’t need a well thought out workout program.  They think they can just put some bodyweight exercises together and that is all there is to it.  And when they fail to get the fitness, fat loss and physique building results they wanted, they start to think that bodyweight workouts don’t work all that well.

But the truth is…

Bodyweight Workouts Are Some Of The Most Effective Workouts You Can Do!

That is, of course, if you know how to plan your bodyweight workouts so you are constantly progressing. You see, making incremental progress is the way to reach your fitness, health and physique goals.  You need to keep making improvements by making sure your workouts keep challenging your body and forcing it to make the changes you desire. Here is a little presentation I did about how Workout Without Weights keeps you on the path of constant improvement using only bodyweight exercises…

If you are currently doing bodyweight workouts, ask yourself, “Have I planned my workouts to keep me improving from one workout to the next?” If you are not improving with every workout, or you simple fail to have any plan at all… you will never improve your level of fitness, burn off that ugly fat or one day look in the mirror and see the body you’ve always wanted.

Workout Without Weights Is A PLAN That Gets Results!

It is no secret that exercise is something that should be a part of everyone’s lifestyle.  The reasons or motives to exercise may be different for each person.  Some want to lose weight and burn fat.  Some want to build muscle.  Some want to improve health and performance.  But regardless of the reason for exercising, everyone wants the “best” exercise program.

This is where the problems start.  What is the “best” workout?  And the fact is, there is not one workout program that is right for every person and every goal.  So, instead of trying to find the absolute, ultimate best workout… use the workout that is best for you and your goals.

In my opinion, the use of bodyweight calisthenics and dumbbells is the best way to exercise for just about any goal.  So, regardless of what workout program you decide is right for you, they should include bodyweight and dumbbell exercises.  Here’s why…

Exercise Is About Movement

Unfortunately, when people think about exercise, they think about muscles.  “This exercise works this muscle”.  This way of thinking originated and was made popular by bodybuilders an is now mainstream.  The problem is, the majority of exercisers are not bodybuilders!

The truth is, exercise is about movement.  It is about being able to move your body around in an efficient manner.  It is also about being able to move around other objects, of a variety of weights.  That is why bodyweight calisthenics and dumbbells are great for training the body to move either with or without weighted resistance.

Bodyweight Calisthenics Are Perfect For Training Unweighted Movements

Many people have been trained to think that exercise is weight lifting and cardio.  Use weight lifting to improve strength and build muscle.  Everything else falls in the vague category of “cardio” and improves heart and lung function.  This is the wrong way to think about it.

Just think of all the challenges of work, sport and life that require the ability to move your own body around.  The real world is full of challenges that don’t fit into the weight training/cardio format.  So, use bodyweight calisthenics to train the body to move the way it was meant to move… without added resistance.

Dumbbells Are Perfect For Training Weighted Movements

The other type of challenges you’ll face in sport, work and life requires the movement of a weighted object.  And more often than not, this movement will be done with both limbs in unison, one at a time or in an alternating fashion.  So, train yourself for these real world challenges by using dumbbells as your weighted resistance.

The furthest away from real world training you can get is using gym machines.  Being strapped into these machines train muscles, not movements and make only small improvements to real world abilities.  You do want to perform great outside the gym don’t you?

As you can see, the combination of bodyweight calisthenics and dumbbells is perfect for training the body to move both in weighted and unweighted situations.  Not only will this improve performance for real world challenges, but it builds great looking bodies as well.  To better prepare you for the challenges of bodyweight and dumbbell workouts, your body will shed that ugly fat, build athletic muscle and improve cardiorespiratory endurance.  So, if you’re looking for the “best” workout, look no further than bodyweight calisthenics and dumbbell workouts.