[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":304},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f1na45qigks7sq":3,"$fn4yf0391lznz":94},[4,14,21,28,35,42,47,52,58,63,70,75,80,85,89],{"slug":5,"category":6,"series":7,"date":10,"title":11,"excerpt":12,"minutes":13},"calisthenics-la-gi","guide",{"part":8,"stage":9},1,"basic","2026-10-06","What is calisthenics, and why train it?","Where it comes from, the idea of using your body as the weight, and what a few months of steady training actually gets you.",6,{"slug":15,"category":6,"series":16,"date":10,"title":18,"excerpt":19,"minutes":20},"cac-nhom-dong-tac-nen-tang",{"part":17,"stage":9},2,"The fundamental movement patterns","Push, pull, squat, hinge and core: know the patterns so every session is balanced and no muscle group is left out.",7,{"slug":22,"category":6,"series":23,"date":10,"title":25,"excerpt":26,"minutes":27},"buoi-tap-dau-tien",{"part":24,"stage":9},3,"Starting from zero: your first session","Find out where you stand, warm up properly, pick moves that fit and know when to stop: everything for your first week.",9,{"slug":29,"category":6,"series":30,"date":10,"title":32,"excerpt":33,"minutes":34},"ky-thuat-nen-tang",{"part":31,"stage":9},4,"Core technique: hollow body, bracing and shoulder blade control","The small details that decide whether you progress or get hurt: the hollow position, bracing, shoulder blades, range of motion and tempo.",8,{"slug":36,"category":6,"series":37,"date":10,"title":40,"excerpt":41,"minutes":27},"nguyen-ly-tang-tien",{"part":38,"stage":39},5,"intermediate","Progressive overload without adding weight","Leverage, range, slower tempo, single-limb work and double progression: the ways to make bodyweight training harder.",{"slug":43,"category":6,"series":44,"date":10,"title":45,"excerpt":46,"minutes":27},"xay-dung-lich-tap",{"part":13,"stage":39},"Building your schedule: frequency, sets and rest","How many days a week, full-body or split, how many sets are enough, and why supersets keep sessions short without losing quality.",{"slug":48,"category":6,"series":49,"date":10,"title":50,"excerpt":51,"minutes":34},"hoi-phuc-va-chung-lai",{"part":20,"stage":39},"Recovery, deloads and breaking through plateaus","Muscle gets stronger while you rest, not while you train. Sleep, deloads, telling soreness from pain that means stop, and how to get unstuck.",{"slug":53,"category":6,"series":54,"date":10,"title":56,"excerpt":57,"minutes":27},"pull-up-den-muscle-up",{"part":34,"stage":55},"advanced","Mastering the bar: from dead hang to pull-up and muscle-up","The full pulling path: hangs, scapular pulls, negatives, your first pull-up, then the muscle-up, plus how to prepare before you own a bar and how to set one up safely.",{"slug":59,"category":6,"series":60,"date":10,"title":61,"excerpt":62,"minutes":34},"thang-bang-tren-tay",{"part":27,"stage":55},"Balancing on your hands: crow, handstand and L-sit","Prepare your wrists, build shoulder strength and learn to balance: the road from crow pose to a freestanding handstand and L-sit, done safely.",{"slug":64,"category":6,"series":65,"date":10,"title":67,"excerpt":68,"minutes":69},"front-lever-planche",{"part":66,"stage":55},10,"The summit: front lever, planche and long-term planning","Straight-arm strength, slow-adapting tendons, the progressions of the front lever, planche and human flag, and how to plan years of training.",12,{"slug":71,"category":72,"date":10,"title":73,"excerpt":74,"minutes":20},"gym-va-calisthenics","training","Gym vs calisthenics: how they differ and which to choose","An honest comparison of strength, muscle, skill, cost and convenience, and why many people end up doing both.",{"slug":76,"category":77,"date":10,"title":78,"excerpt":79,"minutes":34},"che-do-an-uong","nutrition","Eating for calisthenics","How much protein is enough, eating to lose fat or gain muscle, sample meals, and the few supplements worth paying for.",{"slug":81,"category":82,"date":10,"title":83,"excerpt":84,"minutes":20},"ky-luat-tap-luyen","mindset","Discipline: what really decides your calisthenics results","Motivation comes and goes; habits stay. How to build a routine that does not depend on mood, and how to come back after missed days.",{"slug":86,"category":72,"date":10,"title":87,"excerpt":88,"minutes":13},"kinh-nghiem-quy","15 hard-won lessons from calisthenics","What long-time trainees wish they had known earlier, from filming your form and caring for your wrists to patience with pull-ups.",{"slug":90,"category":91,"date":10,"title":92,"excerpt":93,"minutes":34},"dung-cu-tap-calisthenics","gear","Calisthenics equipment: what you need and what to buy first","Start with the floor and a wall, then a pull-up bar, bands, parallettes and rings: what to buy in which order and how to choose safely.",{"slug":22,"category":6,"series":95,"date":10,"title":25,"excerpt":26,"minutes":27,"body":96,"exercises":297},{"part":24,"stage":9},[97,99,101,103,105,111,113,115,117,119,124,126,128,146,148,150,152,154,156,158,160,166,168,170,172,191,193,202,204,211,213,215,217,219,224,226,228,230,232,234,253,255,257,259,261,263,268,270,272,274,280,282,284,286,288,295],{"p":98},"You've decided to start. The hardest part now usually isn't strength — it's not knowing where to begin: which exercises, how many reps, how tired is tired enough, and what to do when you're sore the next day.",{"p":100},"This post answers each of those in turn. You'll assess yourself in about five minutes, then go through a complete first session of about 20 minutes that needs nothing but a floor and a wall. Along the way: how to pick moves that fit, how hard to push, what to do about soreness, and a plan for your first two weeks.",{"h":102},"Before you start",{"p":104},"You need very little:",{"ul":106},[107,108,109,110],"About 2 × 2 m of floor that isn't slippery. A mat makes kneeling and lying down more comfortable.","A clear, solid wall.","Comfortable clothes; train barefoot on a non-slip floor or in shoes with good grip.","Water, and a phone to use as a timer.",{"p":112},"Ideally, eat something light 1–2 hours beforehand, so you're neither stuffed nor starving. Any time of day works — the best time is the one you can stick to.",{"warn":114},"If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure or diabetes, are pregnant, are injured or have recently had surgery, check with your doctor before you start. While training, stop immediately if you feel chest tightness, dizziness, unusual shortness of breath or sharp pain in a joint.",{"h":116},"Self-assessment: where do you stand?",{"p":118},"Before choosing exercises, find out where you are. The test below has three parts and takes about five minutes. Warm up lightly for 2–3 minutes first (see the warm-up below), and pick a day when you're rested.",{"ol":120},[121,122,123],"**Max push-ups.** Pick the hardest version you can do at least one clean rep of: a [full push-up](\u002Fexercises\u002Fpush-up), a [knee push-up](\u002Fexercises\u002Fknee-push-up) or a [wall push-up](\u002Fexercises\u002Fwall-push-up). Do as many as you can, counting only reps with good form.","**Rest 60 seconds**, then do as many [squats](\u002Fexercises\u002Fsquat) as you can — thighs at least parallel to the floor, heels down.","**Rest 60 seconds**, then hold a [plank](\u002Fexercises\u002Fplank) for as long as you can, body in a straight line from head to heels.",{"p":125},"The most important rule: stop when your form starts to break — hips sagging, knees caving in, hips piking up — not when you collapse. The number you write down counts clean reps only.",{"p":127},"Compare your results with the table. You need to hit **all three** marks for a level to count:",{"table":129},{"head":130,"rows":135},[131,132,133,134],"Level","Full push-ups","Squats","Plank",[136,141],[137,138,139,140],"3 — Intermediate","15 or more","30 or more","60 s or more",[142,143,144,145],"2 — Beginner","5 or more","20 or more","30 s or more",{"p":147},"If you can only do knee or wall push-ups, your full push-up count is zero. If you don't hit all three Level 2 marks, start at Level 1, Foundation — completely normal, and where most beginners start. Level 4 isn't assigned from the test; you get there by working through Level 3.",{"p":149},"These are the same marks the app's [placement test](\u002Fapp\u002Fonboarding) uses. If you'd rather not count yourself, it does the whole thing for you: it counts out loud, times the plank, counts down the 60-second rests, then uses your results to pick your level and a starting exercise for each chain.",{"tip":151},"Write your results down. Redo the same test in a few weeks and you'll have real numbers to compare.",{"h":153},"Your first session, step by step",{"p":155},"Here is a full-body session for Level 1, about 20 minutes in total. If you placed at Level 2 or higher, the structure stays the same — the moves get harder, there are more sets and a short cardio finisher at the end.",{"h3":157},"Warm-up (about 3 minutes)",{"p":159},"The goal is to warm your muscles, gradually raise your heart rate and take your joints through the ranges you're about to use. Keep moving, at an easy pace:",{"ol":161},[162,163,164,165],"[March in place](\u002Fexercises\u002Fmarch-in-place) — 40 seconds, bringing your knees gradually higher.","[Arm circles](\u002Fexercises\u002Farm-circles) — 30 seconds, small circles growing bigger, switching direction halfway.","[Hip circles](\u002Fexercises\u002Fhip-circles) — 30 seconds, switching direction halfway.","[Cat-cow](\u002Fexercises\u002Fcat-cow) — 40 seconds, slowly rounding and arching your back in time with your breath.",{"p":167},"Add 20–30 seconds of wrist circles and gentle rocking on your hands, since push-ups and planks both load your wrists.",{"h3":169},"Main part: three supersets",{"p":171},"A superset is two exercises done back to back before you rest. Do exercise A, rest about 15 seconds, do exercise B, then rest 60 seconds. That's one round; do one more and the superset is done. So each exercise gets **2 sets**.",{"table":173},{"head":174,"rows":178},[175,176,177],"Superset","Exercise A","Exercise B",[179,183,187],[180,181,182],"1","Wall push-up — 8–12 reps","[Wall sit](\u002Fexercises\u002Fwall-sit) — 15–30 s",[184,185,186],"2","[Superman hold](\u002Fexercises\u002Fsuperman-hold) — 15–30 s","[Glute bridge](\u002Fexercises\u002Fglute-bridge) — 8–12 reps",[188,189,190],"3","[Knee plank](\u002Fexercises\u002Fknee-plank) — 15–30 s","[Dead bug](\u002Fexercises\u002Fdead-bug) — 8–12 reps, alternating sides",{"p":192},"Not sure which version to pick? Choosing the right exercise is covered just below. Meanwhile, a few technique points for day one:",{"ul":194},[195,196,197,198,199,200,201],"**Wall push-up:** body straight from head to heels, elbows about 45° from your body, chest coming close to the wall.","**Wall sit:** back flat against the wall, knees over your ankles, thighs parallel to the floor — or a little higher if you're new.","**Superman hold:** lift your arms, chest and legs just a few centimetres off the floor, neck long, eyes down. No need to go high.","**Glute bridge:** drive through your heels until your shoulders, hips and knees line up, and squeeze your glutes for a beat at the top.","**Knee plank:** elbows under your shoulders, body straight from head to knees, abs and glutes tight.","**Dead bug:** keep your lower back on the floor; if it starts to lift, don't lower your arm and leg as far.","**Breathe steadily** in every exercise, especially the holds. Don't hold your breath.",{"h3":203},"Cool-down (2–3 minutes)",{"ol":205},[206,207,208,209,210],"[Child's pose](\u002Fexercises\u002Fchilds-pose) — 30 seconds.","[Standing quad stretch](\u002Fexercises\u002Fquad-stretch) — 20 seconds each side.","[Hamstring stretch](\u002Fexercises\u002Fhamstring-stretch) — 30 seconds.","[Chest opener](\u002Fexercises\u002Fchest-opener) — 25 seconds.","[Cobra stretch](\u002Fexercises\u002Fcobra-stretch) — 20 seconds.",{"p":212},"Stretch gently, to a comfortable pull — no bouncing, no forcing into pain. This part brings your heart rate down and helps you shift out of training mode.",{"p":214},"Finally, write down what you did: the exercises, the reps or seconds for each set, and how it felt overall — easy, OK or hard. That's your data for the next session.",{"h":216},"Choosing the right exercise",{"p":218},"The right exercise is one you can do within the target range — **8–12 reps** or **15–30 seconds** at Level 1 — with good form, where the last set feels fairly hard.",{"ul":220},[221,222,223],"**Can't do 8 clean reps** (or hold for 15 seconds): go back to an easier version.","**More than 12–15 reps and still easy** (or a 30-second hold with no trouble): move to a harder version.","**Somewhere in between**: that's the one. Keep it and build up.",{"p":225},"Each pattern has a clear ladder: wall push-up → knee push-up → full push-up; wall sit → squat; knee plank → plank. You can also fine-tune within an exercise: for a wall push-up, stepping your feet further from the wall makes it harder, and stepping closer makes it easier.",{"p":227},"Don't be shy about easier versions. Choosing an easier move and doing it well isn't weakness — it's the only way to make progress that lasts. How to make things harder week by week is explained in [part 5](\u002Fblog\u002Fnguyen-ly-tang-tien).",{"h":229},"How hard should you push?",{"p":231},"Beginners tend to make one of two mistakes: training too gently out of caution, or going to total exhaustion on day one out of enthusiasm. To find the middle, use **RIR** — reps in reserve: when you finish a set, how many more clean reps could you have done?",{"p":233},"For the first few weeks, end each set with about **2–3 reps** left in the tank. That challenges your muscles while your form stays clean and your body recovers in time for the next session. Once you know the moves well, you can train closer to your limit.",{"table":235},{"head":236,"rows":240},[237,238,239],"How the set felt","Reps in reserve","What to do",[241,245,249],[242,243,244],"Easy","4 or more","Add more next time, or move to a harder version if you're past the range",[246,247,248],"OK","About 2–3","Right on target; add a rep next time",[250,251,252],"Hard","0–1, or form starting to slip","Keep the target or ease off; don't force extra reps",{"p":254},"Signs to end a set right away: form breaking down (hips sagging, knees caving, back rounding), a big drop in speed, or any sharp pain. Muscle burn and fatigue are normal; joint pain isn't.",{"h":256},"Soreness after your first session",{"p":258},"A day or two after your first session, there's a good chance your thighs, glutes or chest will ache, especially on the way down the stairs. That's delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS): it usually shows up about a day later, is worst somewhere in the first 1–3 days, then fades.",{"p":260},"Soreness doesn't tell you whether a session was good or bad. It's strongest when the moves are new and fades as your body gets used to them — after a few weeks, the same session may hardly make you sore at all.",{"p":262},"What helps:",{"ul":264},[265,266,267],"Light movement: walking, easy cycling, repeating the warm-up.","Enough sleep and food, especially protein — see the [nutrition](\u002Fblog\u002Fche-do-an-uong) post.","Training as planned if you're only mildly sore: it often eases once you're warmed up. If it's bad, drop a set or take an extra rest day.",{"warn":269},"Tell soreness apart from injury: sharp pain, pain in a joint, swelling, bruising, pain that gets worse instead of better, or numbness are signs to rest and see a doctor. Severe muscle pain together with dark, tea-coloured urine after training needs medical attention right away. [Part 7](\u002Fblog\u002Fhoi-phuc-va-chung-lai) covers soreness and injury in more detail.",{"h":271},"Your first two weeks",{"p":273},"The simplest plan: **three sessions a week, on alternate days** — say Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On the other days, walk, move lightly or rest. Six sessions over two weeks is enough to learn the moves and start building a habit.",{"ul":275},[276,277,278,279],"**Session 1:** the session above, logging your reps and seconds.","**Session 2:** same exercises, but swap the order within each superset (squat before push-up, and so on) to keep it fresh.","**From session 3:** if you completed every set with good form last time, add 1 rep (or 5 seconds for holds). If not, keep the same target.","**At the top of the range** — 12 reps or 30 seconds on both sets — move to the next exercise in the chain and start again at 8 reps or 15 seconds.",{"p":281},"This is **double progression**: add reps first, then move to a harder exercise. Sometimes you'll need to drop a rep or step back an exercise — that's normal, not failure.",{"p":283},"Don't jump to five or six sessions a week, however keen you are. Muscles, and even more so tendons and joints, need time to adapt — tendons adapt more slowly than muscle. Months of consistency matter far more than two brutal first weeks.",{"tip":285},"Tie your session to a fixed point in your day, like right after you get home and before your shower. If you miss a session, just do the next one as usual — the key is never missing two in a row. The [discipline](\u002Fblog\u002Fky-luat-tap-luyen) post has more ways to make the habit stick.",{"h":287},"Next steps",{"ul":289},[290,291,292,293,294],"Test yourself on three moves: push-ups, squats, plank.","Warm up for 3 minutes → 3 supersets of 2 sets → cool down.","Pick versions you can do for 8–12 clean reps, and stop with 2–3 in reserve.","Soreness in the first days is normal; joint pain and sharp pain are not.","Three sessions a week, adding a little at a time.",{"p":296},"If you'd like someone to set the pace, [open the app](\u002Fapp) and start: the voice counts on the beat so you don't need to watch the screen, rests are counted down for you, and you rate each exercise Easy, OK or Hard — just like the table above — so the next session adapts. In [part 4](\u002Fblog\u002Fky-thuat-nen-tang), we'll dig into technique foundations — hollow body, bracing, shoulder blade control — to make every move you've just learned more solid.",[298,299,300,301,302,303],"wall-push-up","wall-sit","superman-hold","glute-bridge","knee-plank","dead-bug",1791259504199]