Which training method is best?
Over recent years the rise of calisthenics & movement-based training has gained popularity. This style of training has been around a long time. It’s nothing new; it’s just that we now have more ways of accessing this information throughSocial media.
In the fitness industry people like to push the idea that one method of training is better than all the others and anyone else that isn’t following this way of training is doing it all wrong. They follow their preferred method of training and follow it like a religion, promoting to whoever will listen that it’s the best.
The bodybuilder criticizes the crossfitters, the powerlifter says that calisthenics is useless, the calisthenics group say you don’t need weights and the argument goes on and on.
Regardless of which method of training you prefer, give yourself a pat on the back for getting your ass off the sofa to do some exercise.
So which is the best?
There isn’t a best method.
The best method is going to be the one that is most specific to your goals. Now not every ones goals are clear cut, some just want to ‘get fit’ in this case pick something you enjoy, that’s well structured and stick to it.
If you want to get strong at the barbell lifts, powerlifting is going to be a better choice than following a calisthenics routine.
Want to get better at muscle ups? Performing them once a week while following a bodybuilding split is probably not going to be the best way to go about it.
Does this mean that if you are powerlifter you shouldn’t do any calisthenics at all?
NO of course not, you could take a few things from bodyweight training and include them into your program to help your performance.
If you always perform bodyweight training, it wouldn’t do you any harm getting under the bar and squatting once a week as bodyweight training is hard to put high loads through the lower body.
Also the method of training you choose to use will not only be dependent on the individual’s goal but also their current level of fitness.
It’s basic stuff, but if I have a client who has never trained before, wants to lose fat because he is overweight and possesses the flexibility of a plank of wood.
I’m not going to spend my time trying to teach him front levers, handstand holds, sticking him under a heavy barbell to squat and then smashing him into the ground with conditioning circuits. This will just set him up to fail and give him a bad experience.
His time would be better served doing a combination of mobility exercises ,basic bodyweight moves, dumbbell movements, some aerobic work and being educated on making better food choices!
The best method is always going to depend on the individual and the tools available.
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