What type of training uses only body weight for resistance?

Calisthenics is the type of training that uses only body weight for resistance.

The term describes strength and conditioning built around movements such as push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, dips, and handstands. Instead of selecting a barbell or machine load, the trainee changes leverage, body position, range of motion, repetitions, tempo, or balance to make an exercise easier or harder. Many calisthenic movements are compound, closed-chain exercises involving several joints at once.

The name comes from the ancient Greek words kalos, meaning “beauty,” and sthenos, meaning “strength.” Bodyweight exercise has ancient precedents in Greece and China; Greek soldiers and athletes used gymnastic drills, while Han-dynasty physicians prescribed exercise as part of health practices. Modern calisthenics also includes advanced static skills such as the planche, front lever, back lever, and human flag.

Calisthenics is not identical to plyometrics or isometrics. Plyometrics emphasize explosive jumping and stretching actions, while isometrics involve producing force without visible joint movement. Calisthenics can include both explosive and static exercises, but its defining feature is body weight as the principal resistance.