Every Calisthenics Exercise You Need To Build an Anime Physique (Starting from ZERO)

Summary

In Kevin Zhang's video, he guides beginners through a series of calisthenics exercises designed to build an anime-like physique, emphasizing starting from scratch with no equipment needed. The exercises, ranging from straight arm planks to advanced pull-ups, are detailed alongside a unique grading system inspired by anime, enhancing motivation and structure. Zhang emphasizes foundational shapes for muscles such as shoulders, core, and back, while promoting gradual progression and consistency. He also introduces the idea of 'The Protagonist Method,' a fast-track program for reaching more advanced levels of body strength and aesthetic.

Highlights

• Start with straight arm planks to build foundational strength. 💪
• Mastering the pike hold helps develop those iconic anime shoulders. 💥
• Never skip leg day—try bodyweight squats and box squats! 🦵
• Incorporate dead hangs for a strong grip and a V-tapered back. 🏋️‍♂️
• Progress to active hangs and scapular shrugs to enhance back muscles. 📈

Key Takeaways

• Get ready to transform into an anime hero! 🌟
• Progressive exercises from zero to hero require no weights! 💪
• Understanding the importance of form and technique in calisthenics. 🏋️‍♂️
• Embrace the journey from beginner to S-rank hero with patience and effort. 🚀
• Incorporating anime grading systems makes your workout more fun and engaging. 🎮

Overview

If you're dreaming of an anime physique and starting from scratch, Kevin Zhang's video is your ultimate home workout guide. His series of calisthenics exercises promises that anime-inspired body shape without any gym equipment, using just the weight of your own body to get there. Kevin's approach combines disciplined practice with a fun anime grading system, making sure beginners stay motivated and challenged at every step.

The journey begins with basic exercises like the straight arm plank and bodyweight squats. As muscles start to develop, more dynamic movements such as dead hangs and active hangs are introduced, which target grip strength and back development crucial for that V-taper silhouette. Kevin ensures to keep the fun factor alive with exercises reminiscent of beloved anime characters, fueling your progression through a structured yet exciting routine.

For those serious about fast-tracking their progress, Kevin suggests exploring 'The Protagonist Method,' his personal program designed to elevate one's calisthenic skills quickly. By sticking with Kevin's regimen, not only do you develop physical resilience, but you also step closer to unlocking those advanced moves—transforming you into the hero of your own story, both physically and mentally.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Calisthenics and Overview The chapter introduces calisthenics as a method for beginners to achieve an anime-like physique without the need for weights. It aims to guide viewers from being weak to strong through a series of exercises graded from easiest to hardest using a familiar anime grading system, specifically inspired by JJK, ranging from E-rank to S-rank. The exercises can all be performed at home, facilitating accessibility and convenience for learners.
• 00:30 - 02:00: Grade 4 Exercises: Plank, Pike Hold, and Bodyweight Squat This chapter introduces simple calisthenic exercises suitable for beginners, focusing on the straight arm plank. It instructs on how to perform the exercise correctly by twisting your arms so the elbows face forward and maintaining a straight body. Beginners should aim to hold the plank for 30 seconds initially and gradually work towards a minute. Benefits include developing beginner push strength and strengthening various muscles like the core, quads, and glutes.
• 02:00 - 04:30: Foundational Back and Pulling Exercises The chapter discusses foundational exercises for strengthening the back and shoulders, emphasizing the development of 3D delts like those of anime characters. It introduces the pike hold as a key exercise for beginners, which involves squeezing the arms overhead and pushing against the floor. This exercise not only builds beginner shoulder strength but also sets the stage for more advanced exercises like the handstand. Mastery is indicated by the ability to hold the pike position for an extended period, reflecting increased shoulder strength.
• 04:30 - 08:00: Grade 3 Exercises: Incline Push-ups, Pike Push-ups, and Rows Getting big arms and shoulders is great, but it's equally important not to skip training your legs, even if it's just day one. Emphasizing that those starting out shouldn't neglect leg workouts, the importance of basic leg training is highlighted, particularly through bodyweight squats. These squats are simple and effective, especially for beginners aiming for overall leg strength. Achieving at least 20 reps is recommended for building basic leg strength.
• 08:00 - 13:00: Exploring Leg, Core, and Advanced Upper Body Strength The chapter discusses different methods for strengthening various parts of the body, particularly for those who may face challenges with traditional exercises due to physical limitations like bad knees or being overweight. It introduces the concept of the box squat as a solution, which reduces the squat's range of motion by sitting on a chair. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of not only having strong arms and legs but also a strong back to achieve a well-defined physique, particularly a vtaper. The chapter ends by hinting at an upcoming essential exercise to build a strong back.
• 13:00 - 18:00: Grade 2 Exercises: Push-up Variations and Pull-up Progressions The chapter begins by emphasizing the importance of mastering calisthenics pulling exercises to achieve the desired V-taper. The focus is on developing a strong grip, which can be done through dead hangs. These are described as essential exercises to learn early on. The chapter provides instructions to start by finding something to hang from, ensuring a strong grip, and initially relaxing into the hang. Beginners may only manage to hold for a few seconds, but with practice and improved grip strength, the goal is to reach around 30 seconds. Achieving this is positioned as a foundational step towards building a strong back.
• 18:00 - 21:30: Grade 1 Exercises: Dips, Balance, and Advanced Push Techniques The chapter focuses on exercises for Grade 1, specifically dips, balance, and advanced push techniques. It starts with a humorous introduction where the instructor jokes about the audience, acknowledging both women and men. The main content emphasizes the importance of strengthening the back and introduces the concept of transitioning from dead hangs to active hangs. The instructor highlights the subtle differences between the two exercises, using video clips as examples to illustrate these points. The chapter encourages viewers to notice the distinction between dead hangs, where one merely rests, and active hangs, which entail a more engaged posture. The emphasis is on mastering these foundational exercises to build strength effectively.
• 21:30 - 25:00: Mastery of the Pull-up and Conclusion The chapter focuses on the importance of developing the muscles used in a pull-up, specifically through mastery of the active hang. It emphasizes the engagement of the back by performing scapular depression, which involves pulling the shoulders away from the ears. The active hang not only strengthens the grip, akin to a dead hang, but also starts to strengthen the back muscles. It is recommended to hold the active hang position for approximately 30 seconds. Additionally, the chapter introduces scapular shrugs as an essential exercise for building a strong back foundation.

Every Calisthenics Exercise You Need To Build an Anime Physique (Starting from ZERO) Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 If you're a beginner and you want to get an anime physique, but you can't even do a single pull-up, then this video is for you because today I'm going to show you every calisthenics exercise you'll need to learn to progress from a weak E-rank Sunjin Woo to a strong S-rank hero by just watching this video. Best of all, every exercise in this video can be done at home with literally zero weights. And because I'm a JJK fan, we're going to use their grading system to order these exercises from easiest to hardest. So, let's go ahead and start with grade four, jumping into the foundational
• 00:30 - 01:00 exercises. So, the first exercise you'll want to learn is the simplest calisthenics exercise that works multiple muscles in your body, the straight arm plank. When you do these, you'll want to contract your arms as much as you can, twisting your arms so your elbows faces forward and keeping your entire body rigid and straight. If you're just starting out, you might be able to hold these for 30 seconds or so, but try to aim for at least a minute. This is not only going to help with the beginner pushing strength, but it's also going to help develop other muscles such as the core, the quads, the glutes, and
• 01:00 - 01:30 as well as your shoulders. And to continue strengthening those magnificent round shoulders to get those cool 3D delts that every anime character has, then you'll need to start doing the next exercise, the pike hold. Actively squeezing your arms overhead and pushing up towards the floor is great for getting that beginner shoulder strength. And having your booty above your hands allows more weight to be shifted on your shoulders, which is going to build the foundation for other exercises like the handstand. You'll know when you're starting to get some strong shoulders when you can hold these for about 20 to
• 01:30 - 02:00 30 seconds. But there's more to life than just big arms and big shoulders, believe it or not, because gents, we cannot, I repeat, we cannot be skipping leg day on day one. You guys are so much better than that. So much better. So, of course, we need to incorporate basic leg training with the body weightight squat. It's simple. It's easy, but it's great for targeting the legs, especially if you're just starting out as a beginner. You should be able to hit at least 20 of these bad boys to unlock basic leg strength, but maybe you're not strong
• 02:00 - 02:30 enough for the bodyweight squat. Maybe you have bad knees or you're slightly overweight, so you can't squat down and you can't li pick yourself back up. Luckily, there's an option for you guys, and that is the box squat, which is simply just lowering the range of motion by sitting on a chair at the bottom of the squat. That way, it's much easier to get up. But we're going to need more than just strong arms and legs. We also wanted a strong back to get that super amazing vtaper. But in order to achieve that, you need to start doing this next exercise. This one is the foundation of
• 02:30 - 03:00 all calisthenics pulling exercises. And without mastering this, you can say goodbye to the Vtaper. And that's going to be dead hangs. Getting strong at pulling means developing a strong grip, which is why these are crucial to learn as early as possible. All you need to do is find something to hang from, get a really nice grip on it, and just relax into the hang. At first, you're going to only hold for maybe a few seconds, but once you start to get really comfortable, and as your grip gets better, you'll be holding yourself up for longer, ideally around 30 seconds, and setting up the best foundations to getting that glorious demon back that
• 03:00 - 03:30 all the ladies swoo over. Hello, ladies. there. There's no it's it's mostly dudes watching. Well, I don't know who I'm winking at. Hello, dudes. But if you actually want to get that demon back, you need to start working your back. So, once you get really good at dead hangs, you'll want to start learning active hangs next. These are like dead hangs, but a little different. And I'll show you what I mean. Look at these two clips. Can you spot the slight difference between these two hangs? It should be glaringly obvious, but on the dead hang, you can see that I'm just resting into the
• 03:30 - 04:00 shoulders versus on the active hang, I'm actively engaging my back by bringing my shoulder blades back and down. This is scapular depression. The trick for this is to imagine pulling your shoulders away from the ears as much as you can. Getting stronger at the active hang is going to continue working your grip, but now you're also starting to strengthen your back muscles. And just like the dead hang, you want to try to hold these for around 30 seconds. But to get an even stronger foundation for the back, you need to start practicing this next exercise, scapular shrugs. Just like the
• 04:00 - 04:30 active hang, you are engaging your scapula, but now you're doing it for reps. Clean reps are crucial here. Don't rush the reps. Don't start bobbing up and down like a crazy person. You want these to be as slow and controlled as possible. That way, you can get the maximum benefit from this exercise. And only when you can do about 8 to 10 reps of these can you truly say you've mastered the grade four exercises. And if you do all of those and get yourself to a comfortable level with these exercises, you're going to be setting yourself up for even more advanced moves
• 04:30 - 05:00 in the future. And if you guys are interested in fast-tracking your way to those advanced exercises to go from zero to hero in just a few weeks, then you should definitely check out my program, The Protagonist Method, link in the description. So, we covered some very fundamental foundations, some of the teeny tiny little bits that everybody wants. What am I doing with my hands? But now is the time to start leveling up and start putting in some real work with the grade three exercises. This is the phase where you start to unlock true body weight strength and getting that gorgeous vtaper and those juicy pecs.
• 05:00 - 05:30 So, after setting up a solid foundation, the next exercise you'll want to learn is incline push-ups. Easier than the regular push-up, but still challenging. And these are great for developing beginner chest strength. But we need to focus on the movement of our scapula if we want to make those chest gains. Focus on bringing your shoulder blades back at the start of the push-up and keeping them back as you go through the movement. Then protracting your scapula when you get to the top. Imagine that you're pushing your shoulders forward into the ground. And as you start to get stronger and can do say 12 or 15 reps,
• 05:30 - 06:00 then you can continue lowering your hands to make these even more harder. And if you're not able to perform six clean reps with this exercise yet, try doing wall push-ups instead, which is going to be easier because you're more upright. But if you're able to handle a good amount of reps for this exercise, you should have no problem with the next exercise, which is going to blow up your shoulders. These are incline pike push-ups, like the elevated push-up, but since your body is bent at the hip, you're going to have your hands overhead, kind of like you're doing the pike hold, but with your hands a little higher. And again, just like the incline
• 06:00 - 06:30 push-up, only now is that you're pushing yourself away from the couch or whatever you're using, pushing overhead, which is going to focus on those delts. If you're just starting out, you'll probably get maybe 6 to eight reps, but when you can hit 8 to 10, that's when you're going to have enough volume to build even more shoulder strength. Next up, we're going to work on that magnificent vtaper that all of your favorite protagonists have. So, we're going to need something to start working on that back inverted rows, a calisthenics pulling classic that's great for beginners to do and effective enough for even advanced athletes to do. This is going to help
• 06:30 - 07:00 you unlock that demon back, but it's also going to work your lats, helping you develop that wide B taper. But, you want to make sure you have the right technique. So, here are the most basic steps. First, engage your scapula like you did with the scapular shrugs. Then, drive your elbows back behind your body, fully squeezing at the top. Then, slowly lower yourself down. and then and only then release your scapulum. It'll take some time to get used to, but with enough time and effort, you'll slowly start to get stronger and develop that V taper. And once you hit 10 to 12 reps, you'll be strong enough to tackle the
• 07:00 - 07:30 next progressions, such as the one- arm variation, which is great to learn right after inverted rows. While rows are good for the lats, they primarily target the upper back. So, if you want to start getting that vtaper, we need to start targeting the lats more. So, the next exercise you're going to want to learn is jack knife pull-ups. This mimics the pull-up, but it's a lot easier cuz your feet are supported. And just like the row, you're going to want to perform this the exact same way, engaging your scapula and then driving your elbows towards your hips. Since these are a little more challenging than inverted rows, I'd say going for six to eight reps is a good goal to have. And once
• 07:30 - 08:00 you start putting rows and jack knife pull-ups together, you'll be far stronger than you ever have been before. But we don't just want to improve our upper body. We also need to give our legs a bit of challenge, too. Because just training bodyweight squats isn't going to cut it. So, to make things interesting, we're going to learn lunges next. Working one leg at a time is what's going to make this more challenging and a lot better for growth. You can do these as forward lunges or if you want to spice it up. You could do these backwards. These I would definitely aim to do 10 to 12 reps per leg. So, not only are you getting bigger legs, you're also getting stronger legs. Of course, it wouldn't be an anime
• 08:00 - 08:30 physique vid if we didn't talk about the six-pack. In my opinion, one of the best exercises to learn early on is the hollow body hold. With this exercise, it becomes very easy to engage the abs. It helps to grow your six-pack and strengthen the core for the next exercises. Just remember to keep your lower back on the floor at all times to make sure you have proper core engagement. Now, at this point, you're definitely starting to look like an anime character. Your chest is bigger, your back is wider, but if you're really trying to look like Toji Pashigro or Sunjin Woo or freaking Go that Beast, we
• 08:30 - 09:00 have to take things up a notch and start getting into the grade two exercises. These are going to take your gains to a whole new level as we dive into the nittygritty of calisthenics training. So, the first exercise you are going to learn in grade two is the push-up. The freaking push-up. These are your main chest builder. Mastery of this simple exercise requires good technique and a lot of reps. Like at least 20 to consider yourself decent in my opinion.
• 09:00 - 09:30 But it's all going to be worth it because at the end of it, you are going to have the chest of Nami. And getting really good at push-ups unlocks a whole new variety of pushing exercises which are going to work different muscles such as the exercise which helps target the shoulders pike push-ups. It's the same technique as the elevated pike push-up going into the pike hold and pressing your body weight overhead. And these are going to be far more effective the slower and more controlled you are with the movement. So practice going nice and
• 09:30 - 10:00 steady. Get nice and intimate with the push-up. Buy some flowers. Take it out on a date. Moy keiente. And do that for at least eight reps. And after that, drive the push-ups back home. Take them back to your place. Settle down. And then start training your legs. Start leveling up those quads with some jumping squats. These are perfect for grade two because they're not hard to learn, but you can always do better by just jumping higher. And if you can comfortably maintain the same amount of force for 15 reps, you are going to get some serious stallion legs, guaranteed.
• 10:00 - 10:30 Now, we've done push-ups, we've done squats, so I bet you guys are pretty eager to start learning some pull-ups. Well, hate to burst your bubble, but we're not there yet. The jump from inverted rows to pull-ups is way too much if you're starting from zero. So, for grade two, we need a much easier progression, pull-up negatives. By just training the lower portion of the pull-up, we are going to be strengthening the exact same muscles, but without needing the ability to perform a full pull-up. Just jump up to the bar, scapula engaged, and lower down
• 10:30 - 11:00 as slow as you possibly can, controlling the entire movement all the way through. And if you're able to do these eight times with good form, then you'll definitely be close to unlocking the full pull-up. But to get even stronger and to enhance your physique 10fold, you're going to want to learn these next set of exercises, which are isolation exercises. These are simply movements that work one muscle at a time. To start, learn the bodyweight bicep curl. They're simple, pumps up the arms, and they can be done on rings or any sort of low bar or broomstick and chairs. You
• 11:00 - 11:30 know, I love the broomstick and chairs. Next up is sphinx push-ups. These are going to be isolating the triceps, giving you more size. And lastly, I learned body weight lateral raises because what anime character has tiny shoulders, literally none. Going for 10 to 12 reps for each of these exercises is going to be perfect for developing those aesthetic anime arms. Now, if there was one more exercise that I think everybody should learn at this level, it would be the LSIT. A fundamental core exercise that also helps to unlock that six-pack. Just keep your legs straight,
• 11:30 - 12:00 raise your legs up at about 90° and feel your core and hip flexors activating to keep them up. The hanging variation is a lot easier, and it helps to unlock the more challenging exercises in grade 1, which is what we're going to tackle next. When you reach this point of the training, people are just going to wonder who the hell turned off the gravity. They'll be stronger than you were ever before. And at this point, you're going to start to look like the protagonist of your own story. And the first exercise to kick this grade off with a bang, is the ultimate pushing exercise, dips. These are going to
• 12:00 - 12:30 absolutely blow up your chest. Since you've got no feet support, you're basically pushing your entire body weight with just your chest and arm. Form tip, try to go as deep as your mobility will allow while having a slight slight forward lean to bias the chest. here. I would go for eight to 10 reps if you truly want to master this amazing exercise. But once you start to get stronger at pushing and you start developing your shoulders a little more, the next exercise you'll want to learn is the crow pose. Now, I wanted to include these because these are great
• 12:30 - 13:00 for the shoulders, but learning hand balancing helps with so many more advanced moves in the future, like the handstand, like handstand push-ups. Try to go for at least 10 seconds, but go for 20 seconds if you're feeling brave. If these are too hard, you can always do the easier variation, the frog stand. Whichever one you pick, just remember to lean forward as much as you can, putting the pressure mostly on this part of the hand. Now that you've gotten used to balancing on your hands, we need to learn how to balance on our feet. And what better way to do that than in the next exercise, the pistol squat. Now, I
• 13:00 - 13:30 talk about the pistol squat a lot of times on the channel, and it's simply just the one-legged squat, which is easier said than done. Just being able to do five in a row is impressive, but try your best to aim for 10 if you're looking to get those super strong hams. Now, learning new exercises is great, but what makes calisthenics so awesome is that you can create variations of existing easier exercises to make them harder. And one of the simplest ways to do that is just changing the position of your feet. So, the best exercises to learn that use this technique are the decline push-up and the elevated pike
• 13:30 - 14:00 push-up. Elevated pike push-ups are going to be harder than pike push-ups because the elevation shifts more of the weight to your shoulders. Decline push-ups are more challenging in the same way, but they also have the added bonus of working your upper chest more. Since both of these are harder than their simpler foundational counterparts, expect to do less reps, maybe around 8 to 10 when you're starting out. Now we finally come to the elusive, the most amazing, the creme dull creme creme creme of calisthenics
• 14:00 - 14:30 training, the pull-up. All of our training has led to this glorious moment. And this exercise is very close to the end because it's one of the hardest exercises to learn when you're a beginner. And I know it's a lot of people's dream to unlock their first pull-up. And honestly, I don't blame them. This is one of the best back builders you will ever do for your Vtaper and your demon back. It builds your arms, your forearms, core engagement, rear delts. It's just the best exercise. Every guy should aim to do at least five pull-ups as a bit of a
• 14:30 - 15:00 short-term goal, but ultimately they need to get to 10 reps. But if you still find pull-ups too challenging, you can always shift the focus to learning chin-ups instead. These are going to be a little easier because you have a little help from the biceps. But because of that, you're also going to help work the biceps by doing chin-ups. Either way, I would learn both pull-ups and chin-ups to get a well-rounded physique, but learning chin-ups first can be a nice stepping stone to unlocking that perfect pull-up. And if you guys want to learn how to do the perfect pull-up as
• 15:00 - 15:30 quickly as possible, you can check out this video right