Calisthenics is superior to gym machines and free weight training

Hi Nycolle. Thanks for aruguing with me. We'll start the rebuttals."Using machines to help exercise targets many different exercise groups. They also emphasis proper care of not only the equipment, but the body as well." Isolating each of your muscle groups is the worst thing you can do by calling it training. Consider the tricep pressdown. When do you use such a movement, standing still and pressing down with just your elbow joint in action but not the shoulder, in your everyday life? Contrast this with traditional push ups or dips. You get your shoulder joint also in action, as it was meant to be moved along with your elbow joint. You can challenge any gym rat presses a lot on the tricep pressdown. I bet you that he won't be able to perform 5 proper one arm push ups with the feet close together. His elbows will snap. Isolating your muscles is unnatural, also it leads to imbalances in your body. All muscles are meant to be worked together. Take the plank for instance. You'd think its just for the core. But when held longer than a min, you'll feel every single muscle contracting to keep you steady. An even better example would be the plank done with one arm. It'll integrate muscles you never knew you had. "They help to alert you to your stopping point. Using gym equipment also provides support to people. Those who join a gym are normally either attempting to get into shape, or trying to keep their bodies in shape." Calisthenics DOES help you to know your limits, thats what is called fatigue. And it spreads throughout your body, not just a certain muscle. You don't need the gym to get in shape. Why waste money No matter how many crunches you do on the machines or even the twisting cable crunches, you won't reduce an inch of your fat unless you redefine your diet properly. Isolating just the abs will NOT help you get your six pack. If you want to lose fat, first refine your diet, second exercise your entire body. Only then your body fat will reduce. "Machines are used for training for certain events and for working out certain muscles groups." If you want to train for certain events and working out certaing muscle groups, you can do the same with calisthenics. Name the muscle group, I can tell you an exercise for it, and it can be made to suit your needs, it can be made as easy as you want or as hard as you want. "Gym machines help to train your body faster and more efficiently." Gym machines train your muscles to work in isolation, and by muscle I mean just muscle. It does not help train the joints, which are the ones holding the muscles together. You're as strong as your weakest link. If your joints are weak, your body will tire out before the muscles do so. You can ask any bodybuilder, pain in the joints is their worst nightmare. Thats because they have been training their muscles more than their joints. When you workout and then rest, muscular tissues rebuild a lot faster than the tissues in the joints. So when you keep adding weight in your machines, your muscles get stronger while your joints have a hard time catching up. Ultimately it leads to injury. This does not happen when practicing calisthenics. You can perform harder variations only if your muscles AND joints are strong. No other go. "Take for example a treadmill. A treadmill is a great way to get into shape. Not only can it help with your weight, it can help with your running skills." Why do you run on the treadmill? To get stronger legs? To get a cardio workout? To get endurance? Or just for fun? You keep running to get nowhere. No it does not help you with your running skills. Unless you are an athlete, you cannot expect the same kind of flat surface, that the treadmill offers, in the outside world which is full of obstacles and irregularities. You want stronger legs, do squats or even better, pistols. You want cardio, do some burpees or high rep squats. Or run up the staircase a couple of times and you'll feel the burn within minutes when compared to hours of running on the treadmill. You want endurance, do high reps of squats. You want fun, go outside and have fun running around the park or around the block, or in the beach. "You can set it for different inclines or declines, you can set it so that you have to run at a certain speed, and you can use it indoors. Many people use treadmills at home even. You can run while studying, reading, or even watching television. You also have the opportunity to use it all year long, instead of when it is warm enough to go outside and run." Why do you HAVE to run at certain speeds by setting the inclines? That's like forcing the body to run at a speed you expect it to, but naturally it may/may not be in a position to do so. You want to run harder, then RUN harder outside, push yourself, time yourself, run up and down a hill, do whatever it takes. When a dog chases you, you run faster than you expect, but never as fast as Flash. Thats how you get stronger and fitter, by pushing your limits. Why waste such valuable space at home and a lot of money for a treadmill? Do squats, or burpees, or even better, JUMP. It helps with strength and cardio. And all you need is a little floor space. You also save money for better investments. Seriously, I can't help but laugh. Why do you want to run when you read or study or watch television? Why do you need to multitask and jeopardize both running and other activites? If you want to run, just run. If you want to watch TV, watch. If you want to read, just read. And for the record, it doesn't have to warm ENOUGH for you to go outside and run. If you don't want to get wet in the rain, wear a raincoat or a jacket and go for a run. If its cold outside, wear a sweater and run. Basically, use your common sense when you want to run outside, considering that you don't get hurt. No one is going to stop you except maybe your parents or your spouse. "Gyms provide people with an opportunity.." Why do you want to compare yourself with others? If you think you are fit, then think again. Advanced gymnasts are a LOT fitter than the average Joe. There's always someone better than you in this world. In gyms, most of the times, it turns out that people compare themselves with fitter people and try to mimic them, and it fails to work for them and then worry why it happened so. Ultimately, these are the people who quit the gyms for which they paid LIFETIME membership. You don't need people to support you when you can support yourself. Thats how kids learn to walk. They help themselves. But we adults are expecting someone to come help us out. Strap up your pants and get fit with calisthenics. Its just you and your body. "Calisthenics are used often as an alternative to a gym, or for people who are exercising for fun, such as physical education classes." Yes calisthenics is fun. But it can't be said it IS an alternative to gym. I'd say, that times have changed, that gyms are being used as an alternative for calisthenics. Look at the army and military boot camps. They don't use gyms. All they use to train is your body and a horizontal bar. And these are the people who are strong and fit. And they used their own bodyweight. There isn't a need for machines or weights. I conclude by saying that, calisthenics is still far better than gym machines. It can help you get raw, brutal strength, muscle, power and endurance. Look at the old time strongmen, like Sandow, Atlas, Grimek. They used just their bodyweight. All you have to do is stick to basics, which are pushups, pullups, dips, bridges, squats, handstand pushups, leg raises, horizontal pullups. Each exercise can be made to suit each person. It can be made as easy as needed or as tough as you could harldy ever imagine. This is the principle of 'progressive calisthisnics'. Take it in small steps and you'll have a body which is functional, strong and fit for your everyday life.