Calisthenics for Beginners at Home
Push, pull, squat, hinge, core and scapular control - the foundations calisthenics is built on, across three sessions a week at home.
Routines
Day 1 — Push, Pull & Core Basics
Fundamental patterns and core control for calisthenics foundations.
Day 2 — Legs, Pull & Core Stability
Lower-body patterns with beginner-friendly pulling and core holds.
Day 3 — Total Body & Scapular Control
Full-body session emphasizing balance, pulling, and shoulder stability.
About this plan
Three sessions a week covering push, pull, squat, hinge and core, using nothing but a doorway, a towel and a chair. Three sets of everything.
Day one runs air squats, incline push-ups, doorway rows, bird dogs, dead bugs and glute bridges. Day two moves to sit squats, rear lunges, bodyweight good mornings, standing towel rows, diamond knee push-ups and core work. Day three finishes with lateral step-ups, wide-hand push-ups, one-arm towel rows, table top bridges, plank arm lifts and side leg raises.
Every session has a genuine pull, which is the thing that separates this from most home plans. The doorway row on day one, the standing towel row on day two, the one-arm towel row on day three — three different ways to load the lats and upper back with no equipment. Stand in a doorway, grip the frame, lean back and pull; or loop a towel around a handle and row.
The bodyweight good morning on day two is the hinge, and it is worth learning properly here where there is no load to punish you. Hands behind the head, soft knees, push the hips back and let the torso fold forward with a flat back. That pattern is the foundation of every deadlift you may ever do.
The table top bridge on day three is a reverse plank with the knees bent, and it is the counterweight to all the pushing. Home training skews forward — push-ups, planks, crunches — and something that opens the front of the shoulders and hips belongs in every week.
Progress the push-ups by lowering the incline: counter, then chair, then floor. Progress the rows by walking your feet further forward.
Train this plan in the app
LoadMuscle carries all 3 routines with a demo for every exercise, and logs your sets as you go, so next session you can see what to beat. Free on iPhone and Android.
Want something built around your own schedule and equipment instead? Try the free workout planner.
