Welcome to the start of your fitness transformation! If you’re new to calisthenics, or simply looking to shake up your routine, you’re in the right place. Our 30-day calisthenics workout plan for beginners is designed to introduce you to the fundamentals of bodyweight training, with a focus on five key movement systems.
We’ve structured the workout plan with alternating training and active rest days to ensure your body gets the recovery it needs while you steadily build strength and endurance.
Get ready to explore the power of your own body and see just how far you can push your limits.
Jump to the workout plan.
Alternatively, you can download a PDF version of the workout plan below:
30-Day Calisthenics Workout Plan for Beginners PDF
Table Of Contents
- 30-Day Calisthenics Workout Plan for Beginners In a Nutshell
- Workout Plan Overview
- Workout Plan Structure
- Active Rest Days
- Training Volume Specifications
- How To Warm Up For Calisthenics Workouts
- Upper Body Warm-up
- Lower Body And Core Warm-up
- The 30-Day Calisthenics Workout Plan for Beginners
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
- Day 5
- Day 6
- Day 7
- Day 8
- Day 9
- Day 10
- Will These Calisthenics Workout Plans Help Me Build Muscle?
- Why Should You Do Calisthenics Workouts?
30-Day Calisthenics Workout Plan for Beginners In a Nutshell
| Program style | Calisthenics |
| Program duration | 30 days |
| Workout duration | 40 mins – 1 hour |
| Scheduling | 10 day blocks |
| Goal | Increase strength and power |
| Level | Beginners |
| Equipment needed | Bench, pull up bar, rower, skipping rope, stationary bike |
Workout Plan Overview
Over the course of 30 days, you’ll be introduced to a variety of exercises that target different muscle groups and movement systems. The plan is divided into three 10-day blocks, each one building on the last to gradually increase the intensity and complexity of the workouts.
By the end of this plan, you should notice improvements in your strength, balance, and mobility. You’ll also have a solid foundation of calisthenics skills that you can continue to build upon.
And the best part? This plan doesn’t have to end after 30 days. You can continue to follow the structure, applying the principle of progressive overload to keep challenging your body and advancing your skills.
Whether you’re new to fitness or looking to diversify your routine, this plan offers a comprehensive introduction to the power and versatility of calisthenics, and a sustainable model for long-term fitness growth.
Workout Plan Structure
The program consists of three 10 day blocks for a total of 30 days with a workout on each day lasting 40 mins to an hour.
Although this workout plan is programmed for 30 days, you can easily extendedit for several months – depending on your fitness goals.
The workout days are structured using training splits. Each split will focus on one of five fundamental movement systems each day.
These systems are:
- Upper body push (Triceps, front shoulders, and chest)
- Upper body pull (Biceps, rear shoulders, and upper back)
- Core/abs (Abs, Obliques, lower back, and hips)
- Lower body/legs (Quads, calves, hamstrings, and glutes)
- Plyometrics (Explosive movements)
Each day will focus on one of these systems, allowing you to develop a well-rounded strength and skill set. This helps you focus on one group at a time for optimised progress and recovery. It’s also great in the sense that it allows you to train consistently throughout each 10 day cycle.
The inclusion of plyometrics to your calisthenics is designed to give you a big boost in power and explosiveness. When you’re doing calisthenics, this extra power can really make a difference. They’re also great for building muscle strength and endurance. A lot of plyometric exercises work multiple muscle groups at the same time. So, while you’re getting more powerful, you’re also getting stronger and building your endurance.
The training days will be separated by an active rest day, meaning training and active rest will alternate day by day. You 10 day cycle will look as follows:
| DAY 1 | Workout |
| DAY 2 | Active rest |
| DAY 3 | Workout |
| DAY 4 | Active rest |
| DAY 5 | Workout |
| DAY 6 | Active rest |
| DAY 7 | Workout |
| DAY 8 | Active rest |
| DAY 9 | Workout |
| DAY 10 | Active rest |
Active Rest Days
Each workout day will be alternated by an active rest day which will consist of low-intensity steady-state cardio (LISS) and static stretching for no more than 20 seconds per stretch.
It is important to rest so that your body can recover and rebuild, while at the same time it’s necessary to keep your body stimulated and prepared for progress.
The cardio volume will increase day by day with 5-minute increments each day for progressive conditioning.
The cardio component is essential since calisthenics training places heavy energy demands on the muscles, so having efficient oxygen and nutrient delivery system is essential.
It also helps condition your lungs and diaphragm for optimised breathing.
As for static stretching, it is imperative to maintain and improve flexibility and range of motion. This will allow you to graduate to more complex movements as well as limit the risk of injury.
Training Volume Specifications
The training volume should be progressively increased as you cycle through to the next week of training.
For rep-based exercises, we suggest increments of 2 reps with each progressive week, and for time-based exercises, we suggest a weekly increment of 5 seconds.
For instance, the starting rep range for this beginner program is 6 reps over 4 sets, with each 10 day block, you must increase this by two, meaning the following 10 day block will see a rep range of 8 reps over 4 sets.
Where time is concerned, for instance, with isometric exercises like the plank, weekly increments of an extra 5 second is recommended.
You should complete a set of each exercise in the workout before taking a break and starting the cycle again. The rest period between cycles is 1 minute.
You won’t need any equipment, except for a set of bars for pull exercises and stable platforms for dips as well as some basics for your cardio active rest exercises. This includes access to cycling equipment (bike or stationary bike), a rowing machine, and a jump/skipping rope.
The different calisthenics workouts are meant to challenge each region of your body separately while giving others the chance to rest and recharge for a full-effort workout.
How To Warm Up For Calisthenics Workouts
A good warm-up is your first line of defense against injury as well as a good way to get ready for action.
For calisthenics, a warm-up routine consists of dynamic stretches where your joints and muscles are stimulated through a full range of motion. It’s also a good way to jumpstart your cardiovascular system, which is essential for efficient energy delivery.
Basically put, take all your major joint systems, especially those that will perform on a specific workout day, and move them through their normal range of function at least ten times each.
We’ve split your warm-up into two body segments, upper body and lower body, to make things easier.
Your warm-up should be specific to the body segment you’ll be training, so the upper body warm-up for upper body days and the lower body warm-up for lower body days.
When a warm-up is carried out by your limbs or extremities (arms, legs, hands, and feet), you should perform ten reps on each limb/extremity.
When a warm-up is carried out about a central axis, like your waist, a complete rep counts when you’ve moved once in each direction.
Lastly, the cardio-based warm-up exercises such as the jumping jacks and rapid mountain climbers should be carried out after all the dynamic stretches are complete for a total of ten seconds.
For core training days, we suggest you go with the lower body warm-up.
Remember, there is no rest between warm-up exercises.
Upper Body Warm-up
- Arm circles
- Shoulder shrugs (Front)
- Shoulder shrugs (Back)
- Wrist rotations
- Elbow rotations
- Chest flys
- Jumping jacks (Cardio)
Lower Body And Core Warm-up
- Hip circles
- Waist twists
- Toe touches
- Knee rotations (Left)
- Knee rotations (Right)
- Front kicks
- Mountain climbers (Cardio)
The 30-Day Calisthenics Workout Plan for Beginners
30-Day Calisthenics Workout Plan for Beginners PDF
Day 1
| Split | LOWER BODY / LEGS (Strength endurance, balance) |
| Workout | 4 sets of: 6 x Stationary Lunges 6 x Squats 6 x Assisted Pistol Squats 6 x Hamstring Bridges 6 x Single Leg RDL 1 min rest |
| Systems worked | Hip Flexor group, Hamstring group, Glutes, Calves |
Day 2
| Split | ACTIVE REST (Cardio conditioning, flexibility and recovery) |
| Workout | 20 min Jog (LISS cardio) 1 min rest 2 sets of: |
| Systems worked | Cardiovascular conditioning (Heart and blood vessels), Pulmonary Conditioning (Lungs and breathing) |
Day 3
| Split | CORE STRENGTH / ABS )Strength Endurance, Stability) |
| Workout | 4 sets of: 1 min Plank 6 x Leg Raises 1 min Limb Lift/Bird Dog (Alternating) contralateral 1 min Supine Glute Bridge Hold 30 sec Side Plank (L) Bent Knee 30 sec Side Plank (R) Bent Knee 1 min rest |
| Systems worked | Abs, Oblique Group, Pelvic Floor, Erector Spinae (lower back), Glutes |
Day 4
| Split | ACTIVE REST (Cardio conditioning, flexibility and recovery) |
| Workout | 25 min Row (LISS cardio) 1 min rest 2 sets of: |
| Systems worked | Cardiovascular conditioning (Heart and blood vessels), Pulmonary Conditioning (Lungs and breathing) |
Day 5
| Split | UPPER BODY PUSH (Arms, Chest, Shoulders Strength Endurance, Stability) |
| Workout | 4 sets of: 6 x Military Push-up 6 x Wide Push-up 6 x Diamond Push-up 6 x Pike Push-up 6 x Bench Dips 1 min rest |
| Muscles worked | Arms (triceps), Shoulders (deltoids), Chest (pectoral group) |
Day 6
| Split | ACTIVE REST (Cardio conditioning, flexibility and recovery) |
| Workout | 30 min Skipping (LISS cardio) 1 min rest 2 sets of: |
| Muscles worked | Cardiovascular conditioning (Heart and blood vessels), Pulmonary Conditioning (Lungs and breathing) |
Day 7
| Split | UPPER BODY PULL (Arms, Upper Back, Shoulders Strength Endurance, Stability) |
| Workout | 4 sets of: 6 x Chin-up 6 x Pull-Up 6 x Neutral Grip Pull-up 6 x Australian Pull-up 6 x Tucked Bodyweight Rows 1 min rest |
| Muscles worked | Arms (Biceps), Shoulders (Rear Deltoid), Lats (Latissimus Dorsi), Traps (Trapezius), Rhomboid group |
Day 8
| Split | ACTIVE REST (Cardio conditioning, flexibility and recovery) |
| Workout | 20 min Jog (LISS cardio) 1 min rest 2 sets of: |
| Muscles worked | Cardiovascular conditioning (Heart and blood vessels), Pulmonary Conditioning (Lungs and breathing) |
Day 9
| Split | PLYOMETRICS (For explosiveness) |
| Workout | 4 sets of: 6 x Jump Squats 6 x Plyometric Push-Ups 6 x Box Jumps 6 x Jumping Lunges 6 x Tuck Jumps 1 min rest |
| Muscles worked | Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, Calves), Glutes, Core (Abs, Obliques), Chest (Pectorals), Arms (Triceps), Shoulders (Deltoids) |
Day 10
| Split | ACTIVE REST (Cardio conditioning, flexibility and recovery) |
| Workout | 25 min Bike (LISS cardio) 1 min rest 2 sets of: |
| Muscles worked | Cardiovascular conditioning (Heart and blood vessels), Pulmonary Conditioning (Lungs and breathing) |
Will These Calisthenics Workout Plans Help Me Build Muscle?
Yes of course! But like any other training discipline, it’s always the way in which you apply it that determines the results you get out of it.
Part of the beauty lies in the fact that you are building your body through the exercises you perform.
Calisthenics is a form of resistance training, one which simply substitutes the use of weights and machines for your own body weight.
Resistance training is the training method required to build muscle. Because you’re using your own body weight, you will be able to train your muscles as a system rather than in isolation.
Having said that, these workouts are split into arm, back, chest, core, leg, and shoulder workouts.
However, despite this seeming isolation, bear in mind that these are regions of the body and not individual muscle.
This means you’re training entire muscle and joint systems, giving the benefit of producing a balanced, proportionate physique which accentuates your true, complete muscle profile and not just bits and pieces of it.
These workout plans have been designed to take full advantage of what calisthenics has to offer. With consistent and progressive training and good nutrition, you can build your optimal physique, gain some muscle, and shed some fat at the same time.
Related: Calithenics vs Regular Gym
Why Should You Do Calisthenics Workouts?
Calisthenics is one of the oldest forms of physical training. It might have seen an upsurge in popularity over the last decade, but don’t let the recent trends fool you. This discipline is actually ancient.
The word ‘calisthenics’ originates from a Greek word meaning beautiful strength. This exemplifies the physical fitness, graceful movement, and aesthetic physique developed through the mastery of the discipline.
Doing calisthenics has loads of benefits that include whole body stability and control, and more efficient hypertrophy through its natural compound movements.
Calisthenics is also accessible to most people, male, female, young, and old with an able body. The low impact and equipment-free nature of the discipline means that it is generally a safe option.
So if the question is why should you do calisthenics, the answer is why not?
Download our calisthenics workout plans below:
30-Day Calisthenics Workout Plan for Beginners PDF
