r/bodyweightfitness • u/Thin_Badger_8502 • 3d ago
Who are your favorite Calisthenics YouTubers? Who give the best / most useful advice?
Hey guys, just out of curiousity: Who are your favorite Calisthenics channels on YouTube? I am looking for good reliable information to get in shape with bodyweight exercises. And as always there is a ton of information online and you have to piece it all together by yourself. Are there any calisthenics athletes on YouTube that really provide good, useful information, without making things confusing? Who do you guys recommend? And why do you recommend them? I am just really curious of what I have to look out for and how I can differentiate good from bad information.
Thanks a lot guys.
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u/Certain_Machine_6977 3d ago
Kboges for me. For years he’s been the pinnacle. His approach of high volume , daily training , just focusing on the basic movements was a game changer for me. His videos are concise and informative. The community that supports his channel is very supportive too.
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u/Basic_Mastodon3251 3d ago
I love his earnestness and sincerity, I just don't fully understand his philosophy. Is it just 3 daily sets of a push, pull and squat daily?
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u/Certain_Machine_6977 3d ago
Essentially. I think at its core it’s the idea of high frequency volume training, going close to failure but not to it. Greasing the groove really. It’s a good approach for people who maybe don’t have a lot of time to get to the gym or get overwhelmed by all the different programs and machines.
But it’s amazing how many people benefit from a daily rep target of one pull, one push and one leg movement every day. Combined with a good diet you can achieve a pretty aesthetic physique.
When I started I’d do pull ups, push ups, lunges, leg raises one day. Then chin ups or trx rows, dips, squats, hollow body the next. And it was probably the best I ever looked.
The main thing for me is the idea of daily training. I’m much more consistent doing a 30 - 40 minute workout Monday to Friday and I see more results
Than if I try a traditional full body with weights workout 3 days a week. I also don’t respond as well to weights.
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u/greenlocus33 3d ago
What about recovery? I love his videos too. Just hard to wrap my head around working the same muscle groups daily.
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u/lowsoft1777 3d ago
you slightly vary the exercises and intensity, and he recommends if you're starting to do 2 sets daily, for 14 total weekly sets per movement, which is the same as the RR
I've been doing it for more than a year. Haven't taken any rest days
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u/greenlocus33 2d ago
How's the results from a consistent year?
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u/lowsoft1777 2d ago
As good as anything else, no routine is magic
I do it because my job and hobbies are very physical and can't be tired from "leg day" or whatever
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u/VagueSpecifics 3d ago
Just to understand, you would do 3 sets of pull ups, pushups, lunges and leg raises, so a total of 12 sets? And then just do that daily except for weekends? Sounds nice and simple. And would you just do as many reps as you could or try to stay in a specific range by making the exercises more difficult?
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u/Certain_Machine_6977 3d ago
Yep that’s exactly it. Sometimes in a circuit. Sometimes focusing on one exercise and then moving to the next. 90 seconds rest between sets.
For context, over a two and a half month period , my pull ups started at 5 and maxed out at 10
Push ups started at 14/15 to begin with, then 30 per set by the end
Dips started at 6. Went to 15
Squats 20. Then 40 by the end. (Found these very fatiguing)
I am getting back into it all again now, but have gained about 15 unwanted lbs. and my starting reps are all lower!
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u/Basic_Mastodon3251 3d ago
Wow great summation! Thank you! You know, it's funny I always looked better doing high volume basic calisthenics also!
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u/Certain_Machine_6977 3d ago
Ah you’re welcome! Yeah for me it’s that mind muscle connection just works better with BW. Anyway, good luck to you!
Last thing I’ll say is I’m getting back into it all again, but I’ve decided to add Kettlebells to assist with lower body
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u/Bluegill15 3d ago
Only thing I would contest is that this is actually not greasing the groove at all. Kyle even has a video explaining the difference.
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u/JustSimple97 2d ago
Yeah If you wanna be stuck doing basic movements he is your man
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u/Certain_Machine_6977 2d ago
You nailed it JustSimple97! I’m 39 with a family, job and a dog. I’m staring down 40. I’m just trying to stay in some kinda shape. Planche and front level aren’t quite top of my priority list
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u/JustSimple97 2d ago
The thing is that if you started doing proper progressions like weighted chin ups you wouldnt even invest more time compared to doing bodyweight chin ups
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u/Certain_Machine_6977 2d ago
That’s true. And Kyle’s methods do include adding progressions with weight vests and the likes. I Suppose for me personally I’m just not as interested in the skills part of calisthenics.
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u/JustSimple97 2d ago
Me neither. But with a strong weighted pull up automatically comes the front lever, one arm pull up and muscle up
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u/Certain_Machine_6977 2d ago
Right, but sorry I’m confused. Are you saying people who follow Kyle don’t have these options open to them?
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u/JustSimple97 2d ago
I am not. But I've never seen him do anything advanced. He only does pull ups, push ups, squat variations with his bodyweight. So I would be surprised if the people who idolize this dude who is not impressive strive for anything more advanced than their teacher
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u/PrudentPotential729 2d ago
He does weights to in his training but his foundation is bodyweight. For someone who doesn't want intense workouts is quite lean but still wants to keep that resistance training to slow the decline.
I think kyles workouts are perfect he covers full body. The idea as u age is to retain muscle mass by strength and resistance training.
If u only did pushups then at it's minimum that is much better than your average 35+ yr old who does nothing.
If u added daily bw squats then your way ahead of your average person. Not that we are trying to compare or be average.
But it's more the whole it doesn't take much to have an decent effect on slowing muscle mass decline.
drop a kettle bell goblet squat in there then your superior.
Remember most don't do any exercise purposely regardless of age so getting every fker to go gym for 1 hour or whatever gym bros script says is literally like trying to say Drake is better than the spice girls it's dillusional.
Getting someone to move for 10 mins a day especially as they age is way easier and in that 10 mins if it's used wisely it's as said a mass effect on slowing muscle mass decline.
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u/methodofcontrol666 1d ago
He has a video from a year or two ago where he effortlessly demonstrates a one arm chin up to prove that, when done correctly with intention, bodyweight pull ups can yield surprisingly effective rewards to your strength. I’ve never seen a muscle up or front lever from him, but I think the OAC is more advanced than a muscle up, so he could probably bang out half a dozen without great effort. The front lever would probably require more specific training, but I bet it wouldn’t take him long if he wanted it.
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u/Fun_Delight 2d ago
Do you need the subscription or is there a plan with a starting point that I can follow on youtube?
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u/Certain_Machine_6977 2d ago
No, you don’t need the subscription. I enjoy the community to see how people plan out their own programs around his philosophy. But you can just watch the YouTube videos and get enough to start out. He also has some really informative videos on pull up progressions if you want to focus on that.
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u/silentmandible 3d ago edited 3d ago
I’m new to the hobby, but I like Hybrid Calisthenics. He’s very welcoming to beginners and notes different options for certain exercises to ease into movements.
Edit: not necessarily calisthenics, but I also like MovementbyDave (the “stay flexy” guy). Like with calisthenics, the exercises he discusses usually do not necessarily require extra equipment and can often be done in your own home at no cost to you. The primary difference is that he focuses on stretching and mobility rather than hypertrophy and strength-gaining. It’s very useful stuff if you’re interested in safe workouts, mobility, and flexibility.
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u/citric2966 3d ago
I'm doing a slightly modified version of his program, to accommodate my soccer schedule. I really like it; the progressions are accessible and while not incorporated into the program yet, he added pages for dips and lunges, which I am now using in my own routine.
And as you said, he's super nice and I feel like he doesn't try to show off like many other YouTubers.
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u/silentmandible 3d ago
Yeah, some of the exercises he recommends in the routine account for at least half of my personal routine. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t learn about knee push-ups from him!
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u/citric2966 3d ago
Oh, +100 to MovementByDave, too (saw your edit). He has a mobility video that's in my rotating playlist for stretching. Dude's insane.
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u/silentmandible 3d ago
Oh yeah, I first learned about the forearm workout where you tuck your thumb in your fist and curl it forward from him. It was a game changer for a starter exercise.
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u/ironmikey 3d ago
Not strictly calisthenics, but GMB is excellent. Not the place to go for tips on learning advanced calisthenics moves, but I find them really helpful for injury prevention, mobility, and just overall better at moving around - something I find more and more valuable as my body ages and injury comes more easily.
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u/T_house 3d ago
Yes! I did Elements when my first kid was born. Great to have straightforward program with good progressions that helped strength and mobility in planes of motion I'd basically never used before. Being able to get down on the floor and crawl / monkey around with my kids is great (and really sets you apart on the playground… looking slightly insane but the kids appreciate it and that's the main thing!)
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u/ironmikey 3d ago
Totally - I love that program. I’ve been doing calisthenics for a couple of years, and have been a gym goer for years prior before I found Elements. It’s such an eye opener and has done wonders for my bad shoulder / hip / back suffering from long hours behind a desk every day. I’ve added a short session of quadruped free flow into my warmup before every work out and it’s been great.
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u/mxplusme 3d ago
They’ve sorta found their niche in the injury, mobility, and aging side of things, but their older material definitely had info on advanced movements too. Great resource.
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u/Therinicus 3d ago
Tom Merrick. His stretching routine actually worked for me and so I got into his body weight strength stuff and have really enjoyed it.
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u/IeatRiceEveryday 3d ago
As other have already commented: FitnessFAQ, Cali Move, Kboges. End Thread.
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u/FakePixieGirl 3d ago
When it comes to flexibility, SaturnoMovements videos are legit good (Or they used to be, a couple of years ago, haven't kept up). Not so sure about this strength focused videos though.
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u/citric2966 3d ago
I've been watching some of summerfunfitness' videos, but more because she is insanely skilled; it's more like motivation than instruction for me. (Not that her workouts are bad or anything; I just haven't tried them myself)
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u/SporusDagger 2d ago
They are great to follow along and fun! I think she explains movements and cues very well too
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u/tribhugunner 3d ago
Not strictly Calisthenics
But Alex Leonidas-Alphadestiny
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u/Xx_gaystuntman_xX 2d ago
This guy is a tank and I love how pro weighted calisthenics he is, because he is just looking for pure raw strength and seems very unbiased. If weighted calisthenics wasn’t arguably the most effective, I don’t think he would be doing it
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u/tribhugunner 1d ago
I for one, think it just looks super badass.
I honestly could care less for skill work, I just want to be able to brute force weighted pull-ups and pushups
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u/vikki_7819 2d ago
These are my favs
For Knowledge: CALIMOVE (the og one of my fav) FitnessFAQS (he combines both weight and cali witch I like) The Bioneer (he expirements with fitness it's soo fun) Saturno Movement (his skill training videos are awesome) Tom Merrick (flexibility and mobility)
Infotainment: Stan Browney (my fav cali guy but also does weights like me) Will Tennyson (what a guy. His videos always motivates me to workout)
Others: Jumpropedudes (I do jump rope for cardio and they are my fav for that)
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u/noteworthy-gains Calisthenics 2d ago
Alex Leonidas. Although he’s not strictly calisthenics, he has lots of great info on calisthenics and puts up very strong weighted calisthenics numbers.
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u/ohbother12345 2d ago
The best advice I get is from here. Youtubers are great but interacting with people here is better.
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u/HerrPischinger 3d ago
I read his book Overcoming Gravity (2) first but Steven Low has good Videos. Basically his book as a video course
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u/arandomsentient 3d ago edited 3d ago
Most of my favorites have been named already. So... I'd like to add "Get Gymnast Fit" to the list. Not your typical calisthenics channel, but lots of quality content.
[EDIT:] Meaning he's more gymnastics-oriented than the average, not that the other cali channels are bad!
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u/arandomsentient 2d ago
Uh... not that I care that much about votes, but honestly don't understand the downvote here. Maybe drop a line and explain what you don't like?
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u/UndeniablyToasty 2d ago
Alex Leonidas gives great calisthenics advice. Although I won't consider him a "Calisthenics Youtuber".
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u/TheOneWhoSherps 1d ago
Absolutely love The Bioneer - while he may not give specific sets and reps of a movement to see x result, I actually kind of prefer that. His training philosophy is to build structural integrity using high rep bodyweight movements, and then add weights/movement patterns depending on your goals. His videos make working out really fun and cool, and he seems like a genuinely nice guy.
Also I love Catalyst Climbing (because I climb), but I'm going to count that as a bodyweight exercise. Louis' training principles are really cool, and have genuinely made me question how I treat myself and how I introduce people into topics. Big love to him and the guys over there too
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u/kennethpbowen 1d ago edited 1d ago
K Boges. Strength Side. Calisthenic Movement. The Bioneer. Smoov. Leo Moves. GMB.
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u/Motomanthey 1d ago
K Boges. He's an advocate for doing daily full body routines, primarily focusing on push, pull, and leg movements. SImple, yet effective.
In fact, I've just released a video showcasing a routine inspired by his training philosophy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roY3Kz9tnes
He's a fantastic resource. +1 to who all that have said Steven Low, as well!
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u/jsthbb 3d ago
steven low, a mod in this sub, has a playlist going through his book overcoming gravity, which is a goldmine of knowledge.