Best to Worst: Calisthenics Exercises Ranked

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Not all bodyweight exercises provide the same benefits. Some work out strength, muscle size and coordination quickly. Others look good on social media but don’t help the long term progress. Some exercises are simply not worth the effort.

That’s why it is important to rank calisthenics moves. You only have so much time and energy, you want to use it on exercises that really make a difference.

In this guide, the best calisthenics exercises ranked from best to worst will help you focus on movements that deliver real strength, muscle, and long-term progress:

1. The number of muscles that the exercise involves
2. How easy it is to increase your strength over time
3. How much it increases real life athletic ability
4. Whether it is useful for a long term training plan

Let’s break it all down.

S & A Tier: The Exercises Worth The Time

It is these moves that give the best payoff. They help build strength, muscle, coordination, and help with other skills.

Dead Hangs — A Tier

Dead hangs have simplicity and a great deal of power. Hanging from a bar strengthens your grip, helps your shoulders and makes your spine relax. Almost anyone can benefit regardless of their age and fitness level.

Research from the National Library of Medicine indicates there is a correlation between grip strength and longer life, so dead hangs are more than just a fitness trick.

Depending on your level, goal:

• 30 seconds if you’re a beginner
• 1 minute for an intermediate goal
• 2 minutes or more as an advanced level

All you need is a pull‑up bar. You can do this at home, at the gym or in a park. Simple, effective and maligned.

Pull-Ups — S Tier

Pull ups are one of the best moves when exercising. If you had to choose only one upper body exercise, then choose pull ups.

They work:

1. Back
2. Biceps
3. Shoulders
4. Core

You raise your entire body weight and therefore pull ups are very good for your strength and muscle growth. They also improve posture and open up the possibility of doing advanced moves such as muscle up and front levers.

Pull‑ups are easy to progress. Make use of chin – ups, wide grips, pauses or weighted versions. Beginners can use resistance bands or machines to get started.

This is a true S‑tier exercise.

Push-Ups — S Tier

Push-ups are another basic move that should never be omitted. At once they work your chest, shoulders, triceps and core. The best bit is that they are so scalable.

Beginners can start with:

1. Knee push‑ups
2. Incline push‑ups

Advanced athletes can use:

1. Diamond push‑ups
2. Archer push‑ups
3. One‑arm push‑ups

The key is good form. Keep your core tight, do not let your hips sag, slow down the reps. Push-ups can be used for building endurance, muscle or power depending on how they are performed.

No gear. No excuses. Easy S‑tier.

Squats — A Tier

Bodyweight squats are the most basic but the foundation of lower body training. They help to strengthen quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves, as well as improve mobility and balance.

Increase difficulty by:

• Slowing the tempo
• Adding pauses at the bottom
• Progressing to jumping squats or Bulgarian split squats

Even with weights, bodyweight squats should still have a place in your routine for joint health and functional strength.

Dips — S Tier

Dips are a top push move with the body weight. They target the chest, triceps and front shoulders hard.

Progress with:

1. Add weight
2. Pause at the bottom
3. Move on to straight bar or ring dips

Hanging Leg Raises — A Tier

Hanging leg raises belong to the list of the best core exercises out there. They train abs, grip, latissimus dorsi and hip flexors.

Start with bent kneed raises if necessary. Progress to straight leg raises when you become stronger. Move slowly and control the motion, do not swing.

This builds core strength that is transferred to advanced calisthenics.

Bodyweight Rows — A Tier

If pull – ups are too hard now, rows are a perfect alternative. They exercise the same pulling muscles, but allow you to control the difficulty.

Hang under a low bar or rings and pull your chest towards your hands. The horizontal your body is the harder it gets.

Rows are also excellent for high rep accessory work post pull ups for building volume and endurance. They’re essential for pulling strength balance.

B Tier: Support Movements in Calisthenics Exercises Ranked

These moves are great but best used with exercises that are top tier.

L‑Sit — B Tier

The L- sit is an isometric hold that will help develop core strength, strength in the hip flexors, and stability in the shoulders. It also teaches full body tension; important for calisthenics skills.

Start with tuck holds and slowly extend the legs. It won’t make big muscles like pull ups or dips but it’s great for your core control and skill work.

Handstands — B Tier

Handstands are about balance, coordination and control and not about growing muscles. They help to shoulder endurance and posture.

Start with wall handstands. Freestanding handstands provide balance and body awareness.

They won’t replace the heavy push moves but are valuable for overall athleticism.

Pistol Squats — B Tier

Pistol squats create an impressive single leg strength, balance and mobility. They put a lot of work on quads and glutes.

They are difficult and require good technique. Poor form can strain knees. If you’re not ready, then use supports or box pistol squats to work up.

C Tier: Situational Moves in Calisthenics Exercises Ranked

These moves are valuable, but should not be the primary focus.

Planks — C Tier

Planks are excellent if you are learning core engagement. They teach tension of the body and are useful in warm up and cool down.

Once you can hold a plank for more than a minute, there is little of benefit in increasing your time. At that point dynamic core moves become more effective.

Wall Sits — C Tier

Wall sits help to build quad endurance and mental toughness. They’re simple, safe and helpful in the process of recovering from injury.

They don’t build much strength in comparison to squats or lunges. Use them as an accessory not a key exercise.

Superman Holds — C Tier

Supermans strengthen the lower back, glutes and back of the shoulders. They assist the posture and counter long hours of sitting.

They’re not intense but they’re good as a warm up or as an accessory exercise to lighten up.

D Tier: Lowest Value Calisthenics Exercises Ranked

These moves aren’t useless, but they’re not very good, to say the least.

Bench Triceps Dips — D Tier

Bench dips will put the shoulders at risk, especially when going too deep. They also are not as good for triceps development as proper dips or close-grip push-ups are.

There are safer methods of training triceps.

Crunches — D Tier

Crunches are overusing the top part of the abs and not enhancing the entire core.

They can also be hard on the neck if they are done incorrectly. For a more tight core try leg raises, hollow holds and planks.

How to Use This Ranking

To get the most out of your training:

1. Focus most workouts on the S and A tier exercises
2. Use B and C tier moves as supporting or skill building
3. Treat D tier exercises like optional or for specific situations

This way, you can be sure that you are getting the best results for the time you are putting into it.

Final Thoughts

Calisthenics progress has nothing to do with doing every exercise under the sun. It’s about making the right choices and doing them right.