The Muscle-Building Calisthenics Workout Plan with PDF

Program Overview

Routine 1	Full Body 4-Day Plan for Beginners
Routine 2	6-Day Hybrid Split for Intermediate
Workout Goal	Build muscle, strength, and aesthetics
Target Gender	Male and Female
Recommended Duration	3 Months
Exercise Types	Bodyweight and Resistance Exercises
Equipment Needed	Dip Station, Bands (optional), & Pull-Bar

I’ve designed the two best calisthenics workout plans for building muscle, strength, and aesthetics; one for beginners and the other for intermediate.

Depending on your fitness level, you can download one of the programs and start training to level up your fitness.

But before I share the routines, let’s see why you should do calisthenics and what results you can expect.

Why Should You Do Calisthenics Workout?

Calisthenics exercises are fun, challenging, efficient, and adaptable.

You can do them anywhere, such as at home, in the gym or on the field.

Calisthenics training mostly involves bodyweight exercises that require little to no equipment.

It teaches you how to use your body weight to develop strength, balance, and flexibility and improve your physical appearance and functional fitness.

The Beginner Calisthenics Workout Plan to Build Muscle

This routine involves training four times weekly, 30 to 45 minutes per session, and will help you build strong muscles and improve your overall strength and muscularity.

It is based on circuit training, which involves performing a set of multiple exercises in a row without taking a break.

Since you are a beginner, you can rest for up to 30 seconds after each exercise to prepare for the next movement.

• Training Frequency: 4 days per week
• Daily Workout Duration: 30 to 45 minutes
• The Interval Between Rounds: 2-3 minutes
• Rep-set Approach: Circuit Training

Weekly Split

• Monday: Chest, Shoulder, Triceps, Quadriceps, and Calves
• Tuesday: Back, Biceps, Core, Hamstrings, and Glutes
• Wednesday: Rest
• Thursday: Chest, Shoulder, Triceps, Quadriceps, and Calves
• Friday: Back, Biceps, Core, Hamstrings, and Glutes
• Saturday – Rest
• Sunday – Rest

After completing this program, you’ll be able to perform more difficult calisthenic exercises as well as pull-ups, push-ups, and dips with ease.

Warm-up: It’s best to perform warm-up exercises for 5 minutes before starting bodyweight strength training.

The bracket in this program mentioned targeted muscles.

Monday – Push and Leg Workout

• 6-8 Hindu Pushups (Upper body)
• 20 Bodyweight Squats (Quads)
• 6-8 Triangle Push-ups (Chest and Triceps)
• 6 Front Lunges per leg (Quads)
• 10-15 Bench Dips (Triceps)
• 6-8 Lateral Lunges per leg (Adductors)
• 10-15 Banded Overhead Presses (Shoulders)
• 10-12 Glute Bridges (Glute)
• 45-second Plank (Abs)
• Repeat two to four times.

Tuesday – Pull and Leg Exercises

• 10-12 Inverted Rows (Back)
• 8–10 Squat Jumps (Leg)
• 10-12 Superman Pull (Back)
• 6-8 Single-leg Ham Bridge per side (Glute & Hamstrings)
• 8-10 Floor IYT Raises (Back and Shoulder)
• 6-8 Glute Kickback per side (Lower Posterior Chain)
• 10-12 Bodyweight Biceps Curl (Biceps)
• 10 Resistance Band Deadlift (Lower Body)
• 10-12 Reverse Crunches (Lower Abs)
• Perform 3-4 rounds for time.

You can skip banded deadlifts if you don’t have a resistance band.

Thursday – Push and Leg Workout

• 10-15 Incline Push-ups (Chest and Triceps)
• 6-8 Reverse Lunges on each side (Legs)
• 10-12 Standard Push-Ups (Chest and Triceps)
• 6-8 Step Ups per leg w/ Water Bottle or Heavy Object (Legs)
• 20 Shoulder Taps (10 reps per side)
• 10 Burpees (No Push-up)
• 20-second Side Plank on each side (Oblique)
• 20-second Crossbody Mountain Climber (Abs)
• Repeat three to five times.

Friday – Pull and Leg Workout

• 4-8 Assisted Pullups/Chin-ups (Back and Biceps)
• 10 Resistance Band Squats (Legs)
• 8-10 Resistance Band Row (Back)
• 10-15 second Chair Pose (Legs and Abs)
• 8-10 Scapula Push-up (Upper Back)
• Repeat three to five times, then end your workout with this 10-minute Abs Workout.

Alternate options for band exercises: Bodyweight squats and Superman External Arm Rotation

The Intermediate Calisthenics Workout Routine to Gain Muscle

Details About the Program

• Training Frequency: 6 days weekly
• Duration per Session: 30 to 45 minutes
• Rep-Set Method: Perform exercises in a circuit or individually.
• Rest Between Exercises: 30-45 seconds for circuit training and 1-2 minutes for standard rep set approach.
• Rest Between Rounds: 2-3 minutes (applicable for those who perform exercises in a circuit).

Weekly Schedule

• Monday – Chest, Legs, and Abs
• Tuesday – Shoulder, Back, and Arms
• Wednesday – Chest, Legs, and Abs
• Thursday – Shoulder, Back, and Arms
• Friday – Chest, Legs, and Abs
• Saturday – Shoulder, Back, and Arms
• Sunday – Rest

Instructions

Warm-up: It’s best to perform warm-up exercises for 5 minutes before starting bodyweight strength training.

Examples of 5-minute Warm-up:

Warm-up A	Warm-up B
20-sec Jumping Jacks x 2	6-8 Jump Squat x 2
20-sec High Knees x 2	10 Reverse Lung to Kick
20-sec Mt. Climber x 2	1-minute Inchworm
5 Burpees x 2	1-minute Bear Crawl
30 Shoulder Tap (15/side)	20-sec Mt. Climber x 2

End each session with one of these cool-down stretching workouts:

Workout A	Workout B
Bird Dog Pose (10-sec/side x 2)	World’s Greatest Stretch (5-sec/side x 5)
Downward Dog (30-sec x 2)	Knee to Chest Stretch (5-sec/side x 5)
Upward Dog (30-sec x 2)	Child Pose w/ Reach (10-sec x 3)
Seated Bend Forward (30-sec x 2)	Bridge Pose (10-sec x 3)
Standing Bend Forward (30-sec x 2)	Locust Pose (10-sec x 3)

Monday – Chest, Legs, and Abs

Exercise	Target Muscle	Reps	Sets
Dive Bomber Pushups	Chest	10-12	3
Basic Squats	Legs	15-20	3
Sit-ups	Abs	10-15	3
Standard Pushup	Chest	10-15	3
Curtsy Lunges	Legs	6/leg	3
Reverse Crunches	Abs	15-20	3
Archer Push-ups	Chest	8/side	2
Step-up	Legs	6-8/leg	2
Side Plank Dips	Abs	10/side	2

Tuesday – Shoulder, Back, and Arms

Exercise	Target Muscles	Reps	Sets
Pike Push-Ups	Shoulder	10-12	3
Lying Superman Row	Back	12-15	3
Bodyweight Curl	Biceps	10-12	3
Bench Dips	Triceps	15-20	3
Banded Lateral Raises	Shoulder	12/side	3
Inverted Row	Back	12-15	3
Chin-ups	Biceps	8-12	3
Elbow Extension	Triceps	10-15	3

Wednesday – Chest, Legs, and Abs

Exercise	Target Muscle	Reps	Sets
Incline pushup	Chest	12-15	3
Basic Squats	Legs	15-20	3
V-ups	Abs	8-10	3
Negative Push Up	Chest	8-10	3
Reverse Lunges	Legs	8/leg	3
Leg Raises	Abs	15-20	3
Bar Dips	Chest	10-15	3
Cossack Squats	Legs	6-8/leg	2
Seated Knee Tucks	Abs	12-15	3

Thursday – Shoulder, Back, and Arms

Exercise	Target Muscles	Reps	Sets
Banded Overhead Press	Shoulder	10-12	4
Pull-ups	Back	6-12	4
Sphinx Push-ups	Triceps	10-15	4
Floor IYT Raises	Back, Delts	10-12	4
Close Grip Chin-ups	Biceps	6-12	4
BW Lateral Raises	Shoulder	10/side	3
Triceps Push-up	Triceps	10-12	3

Friday – Chest, Legs, and Abs

Exercise	Target Muscle	Reps	Sets
Hindu Pushups	Chest	10-12	3
Pistol Squat	Legs	5/leg	3
Hanging Leg Raises	Abs	8-10	3
Staggered Push-Up	Chest	6/side	3
Sissy Squats	Legs	8/leg	3
L-Sit	Abs	10-second	3
Bar Dips	Chest	10-15	3
Skater Squats	Legs	6-8/leg	3
Hollow Body Crunch	Abs	10-12	3

Saturday – Shoulder, Back, and Arms

Exercise	Target Muscles	Reps	Sets
One-arm Push-up	Shoulder	5/side	3
Pull-ups	Back	6-12	4
Bench Dips	Triceps	10-15	3
Pronated Inverted Row	Upper Back	10-12	3
Triangle Push-up	Triceps	10-15	3
Lying Superman Row	Back	10-15	3
Neutral Grip Inverted Row	Upper Back	10-12	3
Banded Overhead Extension	Triceps	10-12	3

Here are more calisthenics exercises that you can incorporate into your training plan:

• Calisthenics Push Workout
• Calisthenics Pull Workout
• Calisthenics Leg Workout
• Calisthenics Abs Workout
• All Calisthenics Exercises

Who Can Do This Calisthenics Workout Plan?

You can follow this program if you want to

• Improve your flexibility, muscle coordination, balance, and body composition.
• Build muscle mass and strength with little or no equipment.
• Burn calories and increase fat loss.

You shouldn’t do

• If you have any health issues, such as injuries.
• If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
• If you want to beef up muscle mass like a bodybuilder or gain ultimate strength like a powerlifter.

Can You Build Muscle with Calisthenics Only?

Yes, you can build decent strength and muscle mass with calisthenics training. Calisthenics involves various muscle-building exercises, such as push-ups, pull-ups, dips, squats, lunges, and sit-ups that work from the upper to the lower body and help promote strength and muscle gain.

You should consider the following points if you want to build muscle with calisthenics:

1. Nutrition: You should consume a wholesome diet to get from lean to muscular with calisthenics training. According to the study, one should aim to consume 2.3-3.1 g/kg of lean body mass per day of protein, 15-30% of calories from fat, and the remainder of calories from carbohydrates. Eating three to six meals per day with a meal containing 0.4-0.5 g/kg bodyweight of protein before and after resistance training is recommended.¹ Helms, Eric R et al. “Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition vol. 11 20. 12 May. 2014, doi:10.1186/1550-2783-11-20
2. Progressive Overload: You should aim to increase the number of reps or sets or decrease the rest time between exercises or rounds from time to time. Doing this requires your muscles to work harder than before and it will stimulate your muscle growth.² Plotkin, Daniel et al. “Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations.” PeerJ vol. 10 e14142. 30 Sep. 2022, doi:10.7717/peerj.14142
3. Consistency: You must consistently train to build muscle. Consistent training keeps challenging your muscles and helps grow muscle size over time.

Calisthenics help you shape your physique but don’t expect that it will make you bigger like weight lifters. If you want to enhance your muscular growth while staying flexible, then I recommend combining both calisthenics and resistance exercises to achieve your goal.

Download The Muscle-Building Calisthenics Workout Plan PDF

You can also make changes depending on your goal and fitness level. For example, increase or decrease the number of sets, repetitions, interval time between sets, and the number of exercises.

References

• 1
  Helms, Eric R et al. “Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition vol. 11 20. 12 May. 2014, doi:10.1186/1550-2783-11-20
• 2
  Plotkin, Daniel et al. “Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations.” PeerJ vol. 10 e14142. 30 Sep. 2022, doi:10.7717/peerj.14142