Calisthenics Splits: How to Train Smarter and Faster

Are you looking for a way to organize your calisthenics workouts for maximum results? Do you want to find out which calisthenics split is best suited for your goals and fitness level?

If so, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about calisthenics splits. You’ll discover what they are, why they matter, and how to pick the right one for you.

And as a bonus, I’ll give you a sample workout routine for each of the 5 types of calisthenics splits.

But before we dive in, let me introduce myself.

I’ve been doing calisthenics for over 2 years and I’ve experimented with different calisthenics splits and exercises. I know what works and what doesn’t.

So, if you’re ready to take your calisthenics training to the next level, keep reading and learn how to create a personalized calisthenics split that fits your needs and preferences.

Trust me, you won’t regret it.

What is a Calisthenics Split and Why You Need One

A calisthenics split is a way of organizing your calisthenics workouts by dividing them into different muscle groups or movement patterns.

For example, you can have an upper/lower split, where you train your upper body on one day and your lower body on another day.

A calisthenics split differs from a full-body workout, where you train all your muscles in one session.

Why do you need a calisthenics split?

Because it can help you:

Improve your recovery: By training different muscle groups on different days, you give more time for your muscles to rest and repair between workouts. This can prevent overtraining and improve your performance.
Increase your frequency: By splitting your workouts, you can train each muscle group more often without compromising your recovery. For example, if you do a full-body workout three times a week, you only train each muscle group three times a week. But if you do an upper/lower split, you can train each muscle group four times a week, which can lead to faster results.
Better focus: By focusing on one or two muscle groups per workout, you can concentrate more on the quality of your exercises and the intensity of your sets. You can also avoid fatigue and boredom from doing too many exercises in one session.
Develop a balanced physique: By training all your major muscle groups evenly and efficiently, you can avoid muscular imbalances and achieve symmetrical proportions.

5 Types of Calisthenics Splits and How to Choose the Best One for You

There are many ways to split your calisthenics workouts, but here are the 5 most common and effective types of calisthenics splits:

1. Upper/Lower Split

A simple and balanced split that divides the body into upper and lower parts and trains them on separate days.

This is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to structure your calisthenics workouts, as it allows you to train all your major muscle groups evenly and effectively.

It is also easy to recover from, as you give each body part at least 48 hours of rest before training it again.

This split is suitable for beginners and intermediates who want to build a solid foundation of strength and muscle with calisthenics.

Pros: simple, balanced, easy to recover, suitable for beginners and intermediates.

Cons: limited volume and frequency per muscle group, less optimal for advanced skills.

Structure and frequency: 4 days per week (2 upper, 2 lower), alternating between upper and lower days with a rest day in between. For example:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Upper	Lower	Rest	Upper	Lower	Rest	Rest

Exercise selection and progression: choose 3-5 exercises per day that target all the major muscle groups of the upper or lower body.

For the upper body, you should include at least:

Vertical pull (e.g. pull-ups)
Vertical push (e.g. dips)
Horizontal pull (e.g. rows)
Horizontal push (e.g. push-ups).

For the lower body, you should include at least:

Knee-dominant (e.g. squats)
Hip-dominant (e.g. bridges)
Anterior core (e.g. leg raises)
Posterior core (e.g. planks).

Exercises Examples:

Upper day: pull-ups + dips + rows + push-ups + handstand holds.
Lower day: squats + lunges + bridges + leg raises + calf raises.

2. Push/Pull Split

A popular and effective split that divides the body into push and pull movements and trains them on separate days.

This is one of the best ways to structure your calisthenics workouts for hypertrophy and strength, as it allows you to train each muscle group with high volume and frequency without interfering with each other.

It is also optimal for developing a balanced physique with symmetrical proportions and avoiding muscular imbalances. This split is suitable for intermediates and advanced who want to take their calisthenics training to the next level.

Pros: high volume and frequency per muscle group, optimal for hypertrophy and strength, suitable for intermediates and advanced.

Cons: complex, demanding, hard to recover, less optimal for skill development.

Structure and frequency: 4-6 days per week (2-3 push, 2-3 pull), alternating between push and pull days with a rest day after each pair of sessions.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Push	Pull	Rest	Push	Pull	Rest	Rest

Exercise selection and progression: choose 4-6 exercises per day that target all the pushing or pulling muscles of the upper and lower body.

For the push day, you should include at least:

Vertical push (e.g. handstand push-ups)
Horizontal push (e.g. push-ups)
Knee-dominant (e.g. squats)
Anterior core (e.g. leg raises).

For the pull day, you should include at least:

Vertical pull (e.g. pull-ups)
Horizontal pull (e.g. rows)
Hip-dominant (e.g. bridges)
Posterior core (e.g. planks).

Exercises Examples:

Push day: handstand push-ups + push-ups + squats + leg raises.
Pull day: pull-ups + rows + bridges + planks.

3. Straight Arm/Bent Arm Split

A split that divides the body into straight arm and bent arm movements and trains them on separate days.

This is one of the most advanced and challenging ways to structure your calisthenics workouts, as it requires a high level of straight arm strength and skill development.

It is also optimal for mastering advanced calisthenics skills like planche, front lever, back lever, etc. that involve straight arm holds and transitions. This split is suitable for advanced and elite who want to push their calisthenics potential to the limit.

Pros: optimal for skill development and straight arm strength, suitable for advanced and elite.

Cons: very complex, demanding, hard to recover, less optimal for hypertrophy and bent arm strength.

Structure and frequency: 4 days per week (2 straight arm, 2 bent arm), alternating between straight arm and bent arm days with a rest day in between.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Straight Arm	Bent Arm	Rest	Straight Arm	Bent Arm	Rest	Rest

Exercise selection and progression: choose 3-5 exercises per day that target all the straight arm or bent arm muscles of the upper body.

For the straight arm day, you should include:

planche exercise (e.g. planche leans)
front lever exercise (e.g. front lever holds)
back lever exercise (e.g. back lever holds)
L-sit exercise (e.g. L-sit holds).

For the bent arm day, you should include:

vertical pull (e.g. pull-ups)
vertical push (e.g. dips)
horizontal pull (e.g. rows)
horizontal push (e.g. push-ups).

Pro Tips

Include some lower body exercises at the end of each session to maintain your leg strength and balance. For example, you can do some squats, lunges, bridges, or leg curls.

Exercises Examples:

Straight arm day: planche leans + front lever holds + back lever holds + L-sit holds + squats.
Bent arm day: pull-ups + dips + rows + push-ups + lunges.

4. Skill/Strength Split

A split that divides the body into skill and strength movements and trains them on separate days.

This is one of the most balanced and versatile ways to structure your calisthenics workouts, as it allows you to work on both your skill development and your strength gain in a complementary way.

It is also ideal for learning and practicing different calisthenics skills that require balance, coordination, or mobility. This split is suitable for all levels who want to have a well-rounded approach to calisthenics.

Pros: balanced approach to skill development and strength gain, suitable for all levels.

Cons: limited volume and frequency per skill or strength movement, less optimal for hypertrophy or advanced skills.

Structure and frequency: 4 days per week (2 skill, 2 strength), alternating between skill and strength days with a rest day in between.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Skill	Strength	Rest	Skill	Strength	Rest	Rest

Exercise selection and progression: choose 2-3 skills per day that target different aspects of balance, coordination, or mobility.

For example, you can work on handstands, pistol squats, crow pose, bridges, etc. Practice them with focus and quality until you master them or reach a plateau. Choose 3-5 strength exercises per day that target all the major muscle groups of the upper and lower body.

For example, you can do pull-ups, dips, rows, push-ups, squats etc.

Exercises examples:

Skill day: handstand practice + pistol squat practice + crow pose practice + leg raises.
Strength day: pull-ups + dips + rows + push-ups + squats.

5. Hybrid Split

A split that combines elements of different splits and allows for more customization and flexibility.

This is the most adaptable and creative way to structure your calisthenics workouts, as it lets you tailor your training to your individual goals, preferences, and availability.

It is also ideal for breaking plateaus, avoiding boredom, and having fun with calisthenics. This split is suitable for all levels who want to experiment and find their own optimal way of training.

Pros: adaptable to individual goals, preferences, and availability, suitable for all levels.

Cons: requires more planning and experimentation, less optimal for specific goals or outcomes.

Structure and frequency: varies depending on the individual, but generally follows a 3-5 days per week schedule with a rest day after every 1-2 sessions.

Example 1: 3 days per week (1 upper/lower, 1 push/pull, 1 skill/strength).

Upper/Lower day: pull-ups + dips + rows + push-ups + squats + lunges.
Push/Pull day: handstand push-ups + pull-ups + push-ups + front lever raises + squats + leg curls.
Skill/Strength day: handstand practice + pistol squat practice + crow pose practice + leg raises.

Example 2: 4 days per week (2 upper/lower, 2 skill/strength).

Upper/Lower day 1: pull-ups + dips + rows + push-ups + squats + lunges.
Skill/Strength day 1: handstand practice + pistol squat practice + crow pose practice + leg raises.
Upper/Lower day 2: muscle-ups + handstand push-ups + archer pull-ups + archer push-ups + jump squats + jumping lunges. Skill/Strength day 2: planche hold + front lever hold + back lever hold + L-sit hold.

Example 3: 5 days per week (2 push/pull, 2 straight arm/bent arm, 1 skill/strength).

Push/Pull day 1: handstand push-ups + pull-ups + push-ups + front lever raises + squats + leg curls.
Straight Arm/Bent Arm day 1: planche leans + front lever holds + back lever holds + L-sit holds + squats.
Skill/Strength day: handstand practice + pistol squat practice + crow pose practice + leg raises.
Push/Pull day 2: dips + rows + diamond push-ups + archer pull-ups+ lunges+ bridges. Straight
Arm/Bent Arm day 2: planche push-ups+ front lever raises+ back lever raises+ L-sit lifts+ jump squats.

Exercise selection and progression: varies depending on the individual, but generally includes a mix of skill, strength, hypertrophy, and endurance exercises that target different muscle groups and movement patterns.

How to Design Your Own Calisthenics Split Workout

If you want to create a personalized calisthenics split workout that suits your goals, fitness level, and preferences, you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Define your goal and fitness level

The first step is to define your goal and fitness level. What are you trying to achieve with calisthenics? Do you want to improve your strength and power? Do you want to increase your muscle mass and definition? Do you want to master advanced skills like handstand push-ups, planche, front lever, etc.?

Your goal will determine the type of exercises, sets, reps, rest periods, and progression methods that you need to use in your workouts.

How long have you been doing calisthenics? How proficient are you in the basic movements like push-ups, pull-ups, dips, squats, etc.? How comfortable are you with more challenging variations like diamond push-ups, archer pull-ups, ring dips, pistol squats, etc.?

Your fitness level will determine the level of difficulty and complexity that you can handle in your workouts.

Step 2: Choose a split type and frequency

As we discussed in the previous section, there are 5 types of calisthenics splits. Each split has its pros and cons, and you should choose the one that matches your goal and fitness level.

For example, if you are a beginner who wants to build a solid foundation of strength and muscle with calisthenics, you might choose an upper/lower split. If you are an intermediate who wants to increase your performance and challenge yourself with harder exercises, you might choose a push/pull split.

If you are an advanced or elite who wants to master the most difficult skills, you might choose a straight arm/bent arm split.

Next is frequency.

You should also decide how many days a week you want to train and how long each session will be. This will depend on your schedule, availability, and recovery.

Generally speaking, the more complex and demanding your split is, the more rest days you need between sessions. For example, if you choose a push/pull split, you might train 4-6 days per week with a rest day after each pair of sessions.

If you choose a straight arm/bent arm split, you might train 4 days per week with a rest day in between.

Step 3: Select the exercises and variations for each muscle group

The third step is to select the exercises and variations for each muscle group. Depending on your split type and frequency, you should choose 3-6 exercises per session that target all the major muscle groups of the upper and lower body.

You should also include some skill or isometric exercises if your goal is to develop advanced skills.

You should choose exercises that match your goal and fitness level. For example, if your goal is to improve your strength and power, choose exercises that are challenging for low reps (3-8) and high intensity (80-90% of your max).

If your goal is to increase your muscle mass and definition, you should choose exercises that are moderate for moderate reps (8-15) and moderate intensity (60-80% of your max).

If your goal is to master advanced skills, you should choose exercises that involve straight arm holds and transitions for long hold times (10-30 seconds) and high intensity (90-100% of your max).

You should also choose variations that match your fitness level. For example, if you are a beginner who can’t do a pull-up yet, you can start with assisted pull-ups or negative pull-ups.

If you are an intermediate who can do 10 pull-ups easily, you can progress to weighted pull-ups or archer pull-ups. If you are an advanced or elite who can do 20 pull-ups effortlessly, you can progress to muscle-ups or one-arm pull-ups.

Step 4: Determine the sets, reps, rest, and tempo for each exercise

The fourth step is to determine the sets, reps, rest, and tempo for each exercise. These variables will affect the intensity, volume, and duration of your workouts. You should adjust them according to your goal and fitness level.

For example:

If your goal is to improve your strength and power, you should do 3-5 sets of 3-8 reps with 2-3 minutes of rest between sets and a fast tempo (1 second up, 1 second down). If your goal is to increase your muscle mass and definition, you should do 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps with 1-2 minutes of rest between sets and a moderate tempo (2 seconds up, 2 seconds down).

If your goal is to master advanced skills, you should do 3-4 sets of 10-30 seconds of hold time with 2-3 minutes of rest between sets and a slow tempo (hold the position as long as possible).

Step 5: Track your progress and adjust your workout as needed

The final step is to track your progress and adjust your workout as needed. You should keep a log of your workouts and record the exercises, sets, reps, rest periods, tempo, and difficulty that you do in each session.

You should also measure your performance and results by using indicators such as body weight, body fat percentage, muscle mass, strength, endurance, skill level, etc. You should review your progress regularly and see if you are moving closer to your goal or not.

If you are, you should keep doing what you are doing and try to improve further. If you are not, you should analyze what is holding you back and make some changes.

For example, you might need to increase the difficulty or intensity of your exercises, change the exercises or variations that you use, add or reduce the volume or frequency of your workouts, or take more or less rest days.

Conclusion

Calisthenics splits are a great way to plan your workouts and reach your fitness goals. You can choose a split that fits your level, schedule, and preferences.

In this article, you learned what a calisthenics split is, why you need one, and how to use one. You also learned the 5 types of calisthenics splits and how to make your own.

I hope this article was useful and informative.

Now, it’s time to apply what you learned and start your calisthenics split journey.

Have fun, be consistent, and enjoy the results. Thanks for reading and happy training!

FAQs

How often should I change my calisthenics split?

You should change your calisthenics split every 6-8 weeks to avoid plateaus and boredom. This will also help you to challenge your body and mind in new ways and improve your results.

How can I make my calisthenics split more fun and effective?

You can make your calisthenics split more fun and effective by varying your exercises, sets, reps, tempo, rest periods, etc. every few weeks or months. You can also set goals and rewards for yourself and find a training partner or a community that can motivate you and keep you accountable.

Can I do other forms of training or activities with my calisthenics split?

Yes, you can do other forms of training or activities with your calisthenics split as long as you balance them well and allow enough time for recovery and adaptation. For example, you can do some cardio or HIIT to improve your endurance and cardiovascular health. You can do some yoga or meditation to improve your flexibility and mental clarity.

How do I measure my progress and results with my calisthenics split?

You can measure your progress and results with your calisthenics split by using indicators such as body weight, body fat percentage, muscle mass, strength, endurance, skill level, etc. You can also take photos or videos of yourself before and after following a calisthenics split and compare them visually. You can also log your workouts and record the exercises, sets, reps, rest periods, tempo, and difficulty that you do in each session.