Calisthenics workout plan: the complete 4-week programme

How the programme is built

Calisthenics is not about grinding out as many push-ups as possible. It is about moving from one variation to a harder one — from knee push-ups to full ones, from full push-ups to dips, from assisted pull-ups to strict. This programme is built on that principle.

You train four days a week in an upper/lower split with three rest days. Each session takes 40-55 minutes including the warm-up. If you only have three days, run day 1, 2 and 3 and skip day 4 — the week just gets slightly longer.

• 01Day 1 — Pull and core (back, biceps, abs)
• 02Day 2 — Push and shoulders (chest, triceps, delts)
• 03Day 3 — Legs and hips (quads, hamstrings, glutes)
• 04Day 4 — Skill work and full body
• 05Day 5-7 — Rest, walking or light mobility

Week by week: sets, reps and progression

You run the same exercises for all four weeks. That is deliberate: progress in calisthenics comes from repeating the same movements often enough for your nervous system to learn them, not from swapping programmes every week.

Day 1 — Pull and core

Can't do a single pull-up yet? Use negatives: jump to the top and lower yourself as slowly as you can, 5 sets of 3. Most people get their first strict pull-up within 6-10 weeks that way.

• 01Dead hang — 3 × max time (target: 30 seconds)
• 02Pull-up or assisted pull-up — 3 × 5-8
• 03Australian row (horizontal pull under a low bar) — 3 × 8-12
• 04Hollow hold — 3 × 20-30 seconds
• 05Hanging knee raise — 3 × 8-12

Day 2 — Push and shoulders

• 01Pike push-up (precursor to the handstand push-up) — 3 × 5-8
• 02Push-up, on knees or against a table if needed — 3 × 8-12
• 03Dips on rings, bars or between two chairs — 3 × 5-10
• 04Diamond push-up — 3 × 6-10
• 05Plank — 3 × 30-45 seconds

Day 3 — Legs and hips

Legs get skipped in calisthenics all the time, and it is a mistake. Strong legs and hips are what keep you injury-free, and they underpin most skills — a pistol squat needs both strength and mobility.

• 01Bodyweight squat — 3 × 15-20
• 02Bulgarian split squat — 3 × 8-12 per leg
• 03Glute bridge, single-leg if possible — 3 × 10-15
• 04Nordic curl negative or hamstring slider — 3 × 5-8
• 05Calf raise on a step — 3 × 15-20

Day 4 — Skill work

Skills are trained fresh, not tired. Put them first in the session, keep sets short and stop well before exhaustion — this is technique work, not conditioning.

• 01Wall handstand — 5 × 20-30 seconds
• 02Tuck front lever — 5 × 8-12 seconds
• 03Skin the cat — 3 × 3 slow reps
• 04L-sit on parallettes or the floor — 5 × 10-15 seconds
• 05Finish with a 10-minute easy full-body circuit

When do you make the programme harder?

The rule is simple: when you can hit the top of the rep range in every set with clean form, move to the next variation and start again at the bottom of the range. That is the entire engine of calisthenics.

An example push progression: wall push-up → incline push-up on a table → knee push-up → full push-up → diamond push-up → archer push-up → one-arm push-up negative.

What about nutrition?

You cannot train your way out of a protein deficit. Aim for 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight per day and let calories follow your goal: a small surplus to build muscle, a small deficit to lose fat. With bodyweight training, staying lean pays double — every kilo has to be pulled over the bar.

How to run the programme in the app

Calisthenics.dk rebuilds the plan around your level, counts your reps through the camera and corrects your form as you go — the form analysis runs 100% on your own phone, so no video ever leaves the device. You can follow this programme on paper, but paper won't tell you your pull-up stopped five centimetres short.