Calisthenics or Yoga which one suits you
Are you the one who wants to improve your physical endurance and increase your muscle strength? Calisthenics would be the right choice for you. However, if you're going to work on both the aspects- physical and mental, Yoga might be the answer.
But how do you know that what you need? It is not just about Calisthenics vs. Yoga, instead, it is more about what each has to offer. These pointers will help you to understand the difference between calisthenics and Yoga and what to choose:
Understand your body's needs
While performing Calisthenics, you use your body weight which increases your strength and endurance power and makes your body more flexible! It shapes you as a fit human. People have been doing calisthenics, and they say it builds muscle, which is why calisthenic exercises are part of strength training exercises.
Trunk twists, push-ups, chin-ups, sit-ups, planks, lunges, and jumping jacks, are calisthenics exercises. If your goal is to uplift your muscle endurance, calisthenic would be a perfect workout for you.
If we move the discussion towards Yoga, which is 5000 years old, it focuses on a mindful approach and increases your body's flexibility and strength. Not only this, but it also improves your posture, and the Yoga poses reduce the level of anxiety and stress, freeing you from the negative emotions as well. People who do Yoga regularly feel physically and mentally fit.
Practicing Yoga is considered a mindful practice because it boosts your mental health too and impacting your health holistically transforms and heals you from the inside. Yoga is all about your body, mind, and spirit. gives me the motivation to stay active and is always excited to work out with me.
Convenience
You can do Calisthenics anytime in a day, whatever time suits you. So, whenever you think that you are free to do the exercise, you can do it anytime, whenever you feel like it. However, the best time to do Yoga is early morning. Otherwise, you can do it in the evening as well. The morning Yoga provides you relaxation. It also gives you an ample amount of time to connect with yourself.
Calisthenics is relatively easier to follow because it involves exercises in which you can control the way you want to and get muscle strength. The activities like sit-ups, planks are beginner-friendly too because it is the natural form of exercise. You do not require too many equipment. People have been practicing it for ages when the term 'calisthenics' was not even coined. Remember how our ancestors used to do knuckle-walking on grasslands or crawling and hanging on the trees in the jungle. Calisthenics is an evolved form of those body movements.
Six-pack abs
If we compare calisthenics with other forms of exercise, Calisthenics can give you six-pack abs very fast. Even when you hit the gym regularly, you have leg days, chest days, ab days, and so on. But Calisthenics integrates everything into a single function. It engages your core muscles, including lower back, glutes, hips, obliques, and all the deeper muscles of your body.
And you get the chiselled abs after a few days of exercise. Instead of providing you only six-packs abs, Yoga strengthens you from inside out. Forward Bend pose, Boat pose, Bridge Pose, Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation), Superman pose are the best Yoga Asanas to build abs and tone different areas of the core. Even after doing these strenuous poses, you do not feel tired, rather you feel lively and calm. This is the great thing about Yoga.
The impact of age
Calisthenics is not for older adults. Specifically, someone who has never been actively involved in calisthenics exercises cannot start with it in elderly age because people start losing their muscle mass. When it starts happening, it is the stage of sarcopenia. They experience loss in skeletal muscle mass, and due to this, they feel fatigued. That is why it isn't easy to do Calisthenics at this age.
It is never late to do Yoga at any age. Yoga is for everyone. After a certain age, the bone density lowers, heart rate slows down, vision reduces. These are just a few issues. However, there are Yoga Asanas that help you to counteract the negative effects of the aging process. It builds muscular strength, bone density, and flexibility. For people who have osteoarthritis, Yoga helps them by strengthening the muscles around the joints. Yoga poses are physically demanding. Yoga beginners usually struggle with flexibility.
You might be physically strong, but Yoga poses demand your body to be flexible enough. While doing Yoga, you wake up each cell of your body. And this happens over some time! It will help if you spend a lot of time doing Yoga to reach the transformational level.
Combine Yoga and Calisthenics
Calisthenics is strength. Yoga is balanced. How about combining Yoga and Calisthenics and getting the best of both worlds? Does it not seem doable to you? Well, it can do wonders for your body. And it can be an excellent choice for your fitness routine. It can be done in two ways. One, you can dedicate separate time for Yoga and Calisthenics. Two, you can come up with a hybrid plan. While choosing any of the options, you need to know that both have different mechanisms.
Of course, it will add adventure to your exercise routine. Simultaneously, you might be allured and frustrated because it requires patience. To get the benefits of Calisthenics and Yoga, you need to understand your body needs and requirements. People combine the Warrior pose and lunges, and it increases strength. Doing sit-ups in a Boat Pose (Navasana) is a great approach to increase endurance and flexibility.
Best of both worlds
Rather than choosing one out of Yoga and Calisthenics, why not develop a hybrid plan workout or dedicate separate time for both. Before figuring out that what you should choose, you can try both. And it will help you to evaluate what do you need. Yoga or Calisthenics, or both? It will undoubtedly allow you to break the limiting beliefs which you hold about exercise. Who knows, you come up with something life-changing? Calisthenics is not for older adults. Specifically, someone who has never been actively involved in calisthenics exercises cannot start with it in elderly age because people start losing their muscle mass. When it starts happening, it is the stage of sarcopenia. They experience loss in skeletal muscle mass, and due to this, they feel fatigued. That is why it isn't easy to do Calisthenics at this age.
Summary
It is never late to do Yoga at any age. Yoga is for everyone. After a certain age, the bone density lowers, heart rate slows down, vision reduces. These are just a few issues. However, there are Yoga Asanas that help you to counteract the negative effects of the aging process. It builds muscular strength, bone density, and flexibility. For people who have osteoarthritis, Yoga helps them by strengthening the muscles around the joints. Yoga poses are physically demanding. Yoga beginners usually struggle with flexibility.
You might be physically strong, but Yoga poses demand your body to be flexible enough. While doing Yoga, you wake up each cell of your body. And this happens over some time! It will