One of the biggest misconceptions with calisthenics is that it doesn't provide enough resistance for ample muscle breakdown; and therefore, muscle gain. Intuitively, this makes sense since the only form of resistance is your body weight and, for the most part, your body weight doesn't change. The BIG misconception with this theory is:
THE AMOUNT OF RESISTANCE DOESN'T DICTATE THE AMOUNT OF MUSCLE GROWTH
To truly understand this misconception I must first explain a little about the different types of muscle fibers and the motor units that stimulate them.
Muscle Fiber & Muscle Contraction Overview As depicted by the different colors in the picture to the right, there are 3 types of muscle fibers: 1: Slow twitch: small; produce low amounts of force but don't fatigue over time 2: Fast twitch: big; produce high amounts of force but fatigue quickly |
Furthermore, these fibers are recruited to contract based on The Size Principle, which states that
The Answer: Maximal Effort Regardless of whether your doing calisthenics, weight lifting, yoga, or any other type of exercise, if you want to get the most out of it you have to complete it with maximum effort. Dr. Ralph N. Carpinelli confirms this statement through his writing in the Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness, volume 6, number 2, 2008. He shows that the factor controlling muscle fiber recruitment is effort, which starts in the brain. By pushing your body to its limits, |
The moral of this blog isn't that weight lifting is wrong, or even that calisthenics is right.The moral is that regardless of what type of exercise you are doing, effort dictates all, so push yourself beyond what you think you are capable, always tell yourself you can do one more, and never stop growing.
*For a short and easy summary of Carpinelli's writing check out this link: http://www.cbass.com/Carpinelli.htm