Complete Calisthenics: The Ultimate Guide to Bodyweight Exercises

I think, along with Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'Body Building Encyclopaedia', this gives you COMPLETE information on practically every exercise you need or indeed want to do! Both books are exhaustive; Arnold's, obviously, with weights, Ashley's for bodyweight exercises.... Which is the purpose of this review.... First off, it's well written and a damn big/thick book! Secondly, there's simply tonnes of pictures showing you, step by step, each and every exercise. So, if you can't grasp what's being stated in the comprehensive text on each exercise, then at least you have the pictures to reference. The book covers everyone, from beginners to experts. So one and all can get something out of this book. Not only exercises, or how to make some of the equipment - which is way beyond cool - but also of dietary needs, macronutrient breakdown and building an exercise programme of your own. Naturally, Ashley has put up some 'templates' on what you can use yourself. But the best thing, for me, are the progressions; just exactly how do you get from a wall assisted handstand to be able to do straddles into handstands anywhere! That too is detailed well.... For me, coming from 4 years of working out with messers Shaun T and Tony Horton, of 'Insanity' and 'P90X' fame respectively, it's all added to the wealth of information that I now have at hand and how to push on to the next level of fitness and difficulty. Buy it! Read it! Use it! I think it'll change your perceptions of what you can do with your bodyweight....

Seriously, this book is very complete, in my opinion anyway. It has more than enough information for basically every single calisthenics move you could think of, yes even the planche and dreaded things like that. While some say it's lacking in the nutrition department, I think the information provided is fine. I didn't buy it for nutritional information... The book is hefty, I thought it'd be smaller, but no, it's a good, A4 sized, over 300 pages thick volume. It has very clear progressions for each exercise. There are a few programs to follow located at the back of the book. Equipment needed: -Sturdy chin-up bar (I have one of those cheap 'Iron Gym' things, and have done for years, it suffices) -Large, stable push-up stands or parallettes (Parallettes can be made cheaply from wood, like seen on the cover or made from pipe, for large push-up stands, if you have Beachbody's old PowerStands, those metal ones? Those are very sturdy and large enough) -Dip bar (Most designs will be good enough but a parallel bar set-up in your garden is preferred, they're relativity cheap to make) -Space to move, about 2 x 2 meters with a wall to lean on should be about OK. (It all depends on your height) -Chalk, powdered, solid, liquid, it all works fine (I have liquid chalk which I also use for rock climbing. If you're looking to gain strength this is a good book for you, it has helped me progress in bodyweight training, like, a lot. I can't see any faults with this book at all. There are progressions for exercises and even programs for beginners to advance at the back of the book. Also, thought I should mention, this book DOESN'T cover usage of gymnastic rings, if you want a book more gymnastics based then try: Overcoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength Try and get a used copy if you can, it is pretty expensive. Thanks for reading.

I really enjoyed Ashley's previous 'The Bible' series, and began to check out some of the videos on YouTube and read his blog (that might come across as a bit creepy, erm). There's a succinct style to his writing, terse and straight to the point, that I enjoy, so had to check out the book. There's a lot of information here on everything an athlete needs to know about body-weight training. From the simplest of exercises to full-blown routines; using the principles described in the book will provide anyone with the means to become truly powerful and challenge the gym-mythos. Even if the reader has some calisthenics experience, I found there are some elements and new perspectives to be taken from the book that can aid in one's training. The book features images that are large and clear, a no-nonsense attitude to training and exceptional food advice. It is large too, great for just throwing down on the floor and using as a reference. The book could have done with some better proof reading and there are a few editing mistakes. I also think that some of the most simplest exercises can be too much for some as body-weight can be an immense shock to the system, so perhaps a foundation level of training was needed? It's something that is rectified later in the book's training plans, even if the initial information can be overwhelming. It's an exceptional book for newcomers and experienced calisthenics practitioners alike.

Es la mejor guía para la práctica de calistenia. Los ejercicios estan perfectamente detallados y de manera que puedes ir progresando en dificultad la práctica hasta el perfeccionamiento del movimiento. Tiene un par de capítulos interesantes sobre nutrición y descripción de los principales grupos musculares que se ejercitan con la calistenia.

Li uns 4 antes de chegar nesse. Faltava informação em todos, mas nesse tem dicas completas do iniciante ao avançado, com dicas detalhadas da execução de cada movimento. É o melhor livro que vc pode ler de calistenia. Infelizmente não há material de qualidade em português.

Habe mir dieses Buch zuerst mit Kindle Unlimited ausgeliehen und als ich es dann durch hatte, war ich so begeistert, dass ich es mir noch gekauft habe. Und das war es echt wert. Für mich jetzt schon das Beste Buch zu Calisthenics. Der Autor schreibt präzise und legt viel wert auf die Individualität des Lesers. Jeder kann die Übungen, die im Buch gezeigt werden, seinem individuellen Leistungsstandard anpassen und jede einzelne Übung ist in Schwierigkeitsgrade gegliedert, sodass man sich immer verbessern kann. Man kommt in dem Programm sogar an Übungen wie -"Muscle-Ups, Levers aber auch Human Flags"- ran, was ich vorher nie für möglich gehalten habe. Fazit: Sehr sehr hilfreiches Buch und bei dem Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis ein Muss!! Edit: Trotz der englischen Sprache, super verständlich :)

One of the best books I've ever purchased. Gave my Cali Game a JumpStart from where I left off years ago. Definitely recommend fror those who buy and execute the workouts and yes warm up before you do . ALWAYS. Injury prevention is key.

I have read some calisthenics books and this one is one of the best. Ashley teaches you many movements and exercises for beginners and advanced people. I liked that he shows pictures for each exercise and gives recommendations about how to do them properly. This book is helping me out with some movements I couldn't do in a correct manner, and his tips are very useful. I recommend this book for every person who is involved with these type of workouts, no matter if you are beginner or advanced there is always new to learn.