Calisthenics Equipment Guide

Adam Morgan 07 May 2023

Do you want to take you calisthenics workouts to the next level?

In this article, I’m going to provide you with my top equipment recommendations for calisthenics.

I personally own multiple sets of every piece listed here so my opinion definitely has value here.

Pullup Bar

In the hypothetical situation where you can literally own only one piece of equipment, this would be it.

A lack of something to pull on is the biggest downside of doing bodyweight only exercises. A simple pullup bar solves this problem.

Combine it with pushups and squats and you can do full body workouts that will get you jacked. Do not underestimate minimalism with your training.

I have three recommendations to offer here:

The Perfect Pullup - The nice thing here is you can do pullups and rows. The downside is you have to drill it into your doorframe. You can watch my reel about this pullup bar here.
Iron Gym - This is the classic home pullup bar everyone has. It’s been around this long for a reason.
Rage Fitness - The one I have set up in my home gym is a wall mounted one from Rage Fitness. It’s a fantastic pullup bar if that’s an option for you.

There are also free standing pullup bars but I don’t own any so I can’t give any recommendations from personal use.

But if I had to buy one today I would go with CAP Barbell or The Big Bar from Baseblocks. I own some of their other products so I trust the brand in general.

Dip Bars

The pullup bar solves vertical pulling. Dip bars allow us to do rows for horizontal pulling and dips for vertical pushing.

I have two recommendations here:

Ultimate Body Press - This is the first set I bought and I still own them today. It’s a good set and they’re affordable but they’re on the shorter end which means you’ll need to tuck your knees when doing dips.
The B-Bars - Baseblocks aren’t cheap but the quality is great. These are height and width adjustable. You can’t go wrong here. Watch my reel about them here.

Kettlebell

Kettlebells are great to have around. Of course you can do kettlebell exercises but they’re great for adding weight to squats, dips, and pullups as well.

I have a few kettlebells at home:

Amazon Basics - This is definitely the cheapest option. Other than the weird rubber on the base of the lighter weights, there’s not much to complain about. It’s a kettlebell lol.
Marcy Hammertone - These are a bit more expensive but they’re great kettlebells. The handles are bigger than Amazon’s but I only own a 15lb kettlebell from Amazon.
Rogue Fitness - These are the most expensive. The build quality is better and they just look nicer. But is it worth the price? You decide.

Gymnastics Rings

Rings are truly the all-in-one piece of fitness equipment.

Pullups, rows, pushups, dips. You can do it all.

The only downside is the barrier to entry. Everything is harder on rings.

The only recommendation I have here is to buy a set with numbers on the straps - it makes it easier to get both rings set to the exact same height. I own this set.

Jump Rope

Most people hate running.

Walking is good but we should do something a little more challenging every now and then.

For that, I like jump rope. I can burn calories, improve my cardio, train my calves, strengthen my feet, train hand-eye coordination, and listen to my favorite music at the same time.

I have tons of options to recommend here but I’ll keep it limited to two.

You can see my full list in this video where I rank my jump ropes (8 total!) from best to worst!

Crossrope (15% OFF!) - I’ve been using their products since 2020 when the COVID lockdown hit. If you’re not familiar with Crossrope they’re weighted jump ropes. You have handles with clips that allow you to swap out ropes depending on how heavy you want to train. Crossrope products are like the Apple of jump rope. They’re expensive but you do get a well built, beautifully designed product.
EliteSRS - If you want a more affordable option, EliteSRS has great ropes. I love their 6mm PVC rope. It’s affordable, high quality, and great for any skill and strength level.

Just to be perfectly clear, I’m a brand ambassador for Crossrope. I’ve previously worked with them on a video for my YouTube channel reviewing their Bluetooth connected AMP Crossrope.