[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":310},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f1na45qigks7sq":3,"$f1s4svikpl8kwg":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":43,"category":6,"series":95,"date":10,"title":45,"excerpt":46,"minutes":27,"body":96,"exercises":303},{"part":13,"stage":39},[97,99,101,103,105,110,112,114,116,118,141,143,145,147,149,154,156,158,160,162,164,170,172,174,176,178,180,182,184,189,191,193,201,203,205,207,209,211,226,228,230,250,252,253,255,274,276,278,280,282,287,289,291,293,301],{"p":98},"You know the movement patterns, the technique and how to make exercises harder. The next question is how to fit it all into a week: how many days to train, how many exercises per session, how many sets, and how long to rest between them.",{"p":100},"This is part 6 of Calisthenics 101. It covers the principles behind a training schedule — frequency, full-body versus splits, weekly sets per muscle, rep ranges, rest periods, supersets and exercise order — then gives sample weekly plans for 2, 3 and 4 days, plus how to add cardio. There's no single best schedule for everyone; the aim is to help you understand why a sensible plan is laid out the way it is.",{"h":102},"How many days a week",{"p":104},"For most people training at home, 2–4 sessions a week works well. A common guideline is to train each muscle group about twice a week; your total weekly volume matters more than how many sessions you split it into.",{"ul":106},[107,108,109],"**2 days:** the minimum for steady progress; good for busy weeks.","**3 days:** the default for beginners and intermediates, and the rhythm of the app's program.","**4 days:** once you have trained consistently for a few months and want more volume or more time for skills.",{"p":111},"The best number is the one you can keep up. Three sessions a week for six months beats six a week for two weeks and then quitting. If you're unsure, start with fewer sessions than you think you can manage — adding one is much easier than rebuilding a lost habit. The post on [training discipline](\u002Fblog\u002Fky-luat-tap-luyen) goes deeper on this.",{"p":113},"As a beginner, leave at least one rest day between sessions that train the same muscles. Rest isn't laziness: muscles get stronger while you recover, the topic of [part 7](\u002Fblog\u002Fhoi-phuc-va-chung-lai).",{"h":115},"Full-body or split",{"p":117},"There are two main types of schedule. Full-body: every session trains every movement group. Split: each session trains part of the body, for example upper body \u002F lower body.",{"table":119},{"head":120,"rows":125},[121,122,123,124],"Schedule","Best for","Pros","Watch out for",[126,131,136],[127,128,129,130],"Full-body","2–3 days a week; beginners and intermediates","Each muscle trained 2–3 times a week; missing a session doesn't skip a muscle group","Sessions get long if you want many exercises",[132,133,134,135],"Upper \u002F lower","4 days a week","Shorter, focused sessions; each muscle still trained twice a week","Missing a session throws off the whole week",[137,138,139,140],"Push \u002F pull \u002F legs","5–6 days a week; experienced trainees","Lots of volume per muscle group","Takes a lot of time; at 3 days a week each group is trained only once",{"p":142},"For most people training bodyweight at home, full-body three times a week is the most sensible starting point. It's also the structure of many popular programs, such as the r\u002Fbodyweightfitness Recommended Routine, and of the app's program.",{"h":144},"How many sets a week",{"p":146},"A useful way to think about volume is to count the hard sets each muscle group gets in a week — sets taken close to failure, with about 1–3 reps left in the tank. Warm-up sets and very easy sets don't count.",{"p":148},"There's no exact number for everyone, but there are a few reference points:",{"ul":150},[151,152,153],"Beginners usually progress well on fairly low volume: about 6–10 sets per muscle group per week is enough to start.","More experienced trainees usually need more; many popular guidelines use about 10–20 sets per muscle group per week.","Build up gradually: add one set to an exercise when you recover well but progress has stalled — don't jump from 6 to 20 in one go.",{"p":155},"The app's program raises volume by level. At Level 1 each main chain gets 2 sets per session, which over 3 sessions is 6 sets a week. Levels 2 and 3 use 3 sets per exercise and Level 4 uses 4. At Level 2, for example, the push exercise is in every session, so you do 9 sets of pushing a week.",{"tip":157},"If you're still sore when the next session comes around, or your reps keep dropping over several sessions, your volume may be more than you can recover from. Take a set away before you think about adding one.",{"h":159},"Rep ranges and rest periods",{"h3":161},"Reps",{"p":163},"Muscle can grow across a fairly wide range of reps, as long as sets are taken close to failure. In practice, each range has its strengths:",{"ul":165},[166,167,168,169],"**About 5–8 reps:** leans toward strength; suits hard exercises like the [archer push-up](\u002Fexercises\u002Farcher-push-up) or [pistol squat](\u002Fexercises\u002Fpistol-squat).","**About 8–15 reps:** a balance of strength and muscle growth where form is easy to keep; most exercises in the app live here.","**15–20 and up:** still useful, but sets get long and lean toward endurance. Once an exercise goes past about 20 reps, it's usually time for a harder one ([part 5](\u002Fblog\u002Fnguyen-ly-tang-tien)).","**Holds:** about 15–45 seconds per set. Holding for more than a minute is usually worth less than moving to a harder variation.",{"p":171},"The app uses 8–12 reps at Levels 1–2, 6–12 at Level 3 and 5–10 at Level 4: the harder the exercise, the lower the range. Balance skills such as the handstand are different — practise them in many short attempts while you're fresh, never to exhaustion ([part 9](\u002Fblog\u002Fthang-bang-tren-tay)).",{"h3":173},"Rest",{"p":175},"Enough rest lets your next set be almost as strong as the last. For strength work, 1–3 minutes between sets of the same exercise is the usual range; the harder the exercise, the longer the rest. Endurance and conditioning work can use shorter rests, around 20–45 seconds.",{"p":177},"In the app you rest 15–20 seconds between the two exercises of a pair and 60–75 seconds after each round. That sounds short, but thanks to the superset, each muscle group actually gets about 1.5–2 minutes before its next set.",{"h":179},"Supersets and exercise order",{"p":181},"A superset pairs two exercises done alternately: set 1 of exercise A, a short rest, set 1 of exercise B, rest, then back to A. When the two use different muscles, one group rests while the other works. You save time with almost no loss of quality.",{"p":183},"Good pairs are exercises that don't compete for the same muscles, for example:",{"ul":185},[186,187,188],"Push + legs: [push-up](\u002Fexercises\u002Fpush-up) with [reverse lunge](\u002Fexercises\u002Freverse-lunge).","Back + hinge: [prone Y-T-W](\u002Fexercises\u002Fprone-ytw) with [single-leg glute bridge](\u002Fexercises\u002Fsingle-leg-glute-bridge).","Trunk: [side plank](\u002Fexercises\u002Fside-plank) with [dead bug](\u002Fexercises\u002Fdead-bug).",{"p":190},"Avoid pairing two exercises that hit the same muscles, such as push-ups with [pike push-ups](\u002Fexercises\u002Fpike-push-up): both lean heavily on the shoulders and triceps, so the second one suffers.",{"h3":192},"Order within a session",{"ol":194},[195,196,197,198,199,200],"**Warm-up:** a few minutes to loosen your joints and raise your heart rate.","**Skill work (if any):** balance or new technique, such as handstand practice, while your mind and muscles are fresh.","**Main strength work:** the hardest exercises of the day, usually push, pull and legs.","**Accessory and trunk work:** hinge, back, plank, hollow.","**Short cardio finisher:** a few rounds that get your heart rate up.","**Cool-down:** a few minutes of stretching to relax and bring your heart rate down.",{"p":202},"Sessions in the app follow a similar frame: about 3 minutes of guided warm-up, three supersets (along the lines of push + legs, back + hinge, plank + hollow), a short cardio finisher from Level 2, then a cool-down. After the last set of each exercise you rate it Easy \u002F OK \u002F Hard so the next session adapts.",{"h":204},"Sample plans for 2, 3 and 4 days",{"p":206},"The three plans below use exercises from the [exercise library](\u002Fexercises). For each movement group, pick the variation that fits your level: sets should be challenging within about 8–12 reps. If you are just starting out, use 2 sets per exercise and the easier steps in each chain.",{"h3":208},"2 days a week",{"p":210},"Two full-body sessions 2–3 days apart, 3 sets per exercise. With so few sessions, each one should cover every movement group.",{"table":212},{"head":213,"rows":216},[214,215],"Day","Session",[217,220,223],[218,219],"Monday","A: push-up + [squat](\u002Fexercises\u002Fsquat) · Y-T-W + [glute bridge](\u002Fexercises\u002Fglute-bridge) · [plank](\u002Fexercises\u002Fplank) + dead bug",[221,222],"Thursday","B: reverse lunge + pike push-up · single-leg glute bridge + [reverse snow angel](\u002Fexercises\u002Freverse-snow-angel) · side plank + [tuck hollow hold](\u002Fexercises\u002Fhollow-tuck-hold)",[224,225],"Other days","Walk for 20–30 minutes or move lightly; rest completely when you need to",{"h3":227},"3 days a week",{"p":229},"This is the app's rhythm: three full-body sessions alternating A and B, with rest days in between. Week 1 is A – B – A, week 2 is B – A – B.",{"table":231},{"head":232,"rows":235},[214,233,234],"Week 1","Week 2",[236,239,242,244,245,247],[218,237,238],"Session A","Session B",[240,241,241],"Tuesday","Rest or walk",[243,238,237],"Wednesday",[221,241,241],[246,237,238],"Friday",[248,249,249],"Weekend","Rest, optional easy cardio",{"p":251},"Sessions A and B are as in the 2-day plan, plus 3–4 rounds of cardio at the end — for example 30 seconds of [mountain climbers](\u002Fexercises\u002Fmountain-climber) with 20 seconds of rest. It doesn't have to be Monday, Wednesday and Friday; what matters is a rest day in between.",{"h3":133},{"p":254},"Once you've trained consistently for a few months, you can split into upper and lower body. Each muscle is still trained twice a week, but sessions are shorter and more focused, which leaves room for 3–4 sets per exercise.",{"table":256},{"head":257,"rows":259},[214,215,258],"Content",[260,263,266,268,270,272],[218,261,262],"Upper","[Diamond push-up](\u002Fexercises\u002Fdiamond-push-up) + Y-T-W · pike push-up + reverse snow angel · [plank shoulder tap](\u002Fexercises\u002Fplank-shoulder-tap)",[240,264,265],"Lower + core","[Split squat](\u002Fexercises\u002Fsplit-squat) + single-leg glute bridge · [Cossack squat](\u002Fexercises\u002Fcossack-squat) + [single-leg RDL](\u002Fexercises\u002Fsingle-leg-rdl) · side plank + [hollow rock](\u002Fexercises\u002Fhollow-rock)",[243,173,267],"Walk or stretch lightly",[221,261,269],"As Monday; you can swap variations, e.g. archer push-ups",[246,264,271],"As Tuesday, plus 4 rounds of cardio",[248,173,273],"Light activity as you like",{"p":275},"If you have a pull-up bar, add pull-ups or an easier variation to the upper-body days — see [part 8](\u002Fblog\u002Fpull-up-den-muscle-up). Another way to train 4 days: keep three full-body sessions and add one short session for a skill such as [crow pose](\u002Fexercises\u002Fcrow-pose), or for cardio.",{"tip":277},"Missed a session? Don't cram two into one day. Just do the next session as normal and carry on — a schedule is a tool, not a contract.",{"h":279},"Adding cardio",{"p":281},"Strength training and cardio complement each other. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week (or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity), plus muscle-strengthening on 2 or more days a week. Your calisthenics sessions cover the strength part; the rest can come from walking, cycling, easy running or jumping rope.",{"ul":283},[284,285,286],"**Finishers:** 3–4 short rounds at the end of a session, like the app's cardio finisher from Level 2 ([high knees](\u002Fexercises\u002Fhigh-knees), mountain climbers, [burpees](\u002Fexercises\u002Fburpee)). Short, but enough to get your heart rate well up.","**Easy cardio on rest days:** a brisk 20–40-minute walk. It usually doesn't get in the way of recovery, and many people feel better for it.","**High-intensity cardio** (sprints, intervals): limit it to 1–2 sessions a week and avoid doing it right before a leg session.",{"p":288},"If strength and skills are your main goal, do your calisthenics while you're fresh and put hard cardio after the session or on a different day.",{"warn":290},"If you have a heart condition or high blood pressure, or haven't exercised in a long time, check with your doctor before adding high-intensity cardio.",{"h":292},"Key takeaways",{"ul":294},[295,296,297,298,299,300],"Train 2–4 days a week, each muscle group about twice; pick a number you can sustain.","Full-body three times a week is a sensible starting point for most people training at home.","Count hard sets per muscle group per week; beginners start low and build up gradually.","About 8–15 reps is the main working range; past 20, move to a harder exercise.","Supersets of non-competing exercises keep sessions short while each muscle still gets enough rest.","Add cardio through walking, finishers or a few harder sessions, depending on your goals.",{"p":302},"A schedule only works if your body recovers between sessions. [Part 7](\u002Fblog\u002Fhoi-phuc-va-chung-lai) covers sleep, rest days, deloads and how to break through plateaus. If you'd rather not build your own schedule, [the 4-level program](\u002Fprogram) has all of this laid out for you.",[304,305,306,307,308,309],"push-up","reverse-lunge","prone-ytw","single-leg-glute-bridge","side-plank","mountain-climber",1791259504352]