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Calcimator

Bodyweight Exercise Progression

Find your current level in calisthenics progressions and see estimated load for each difficulty tier. Covers push-ups, squats, and pull-ups from beginner to advanced.

About this calculator

Exercise Type selects one of three fixed ten-step progressions (push-up, squat, or pull-up), each with its own hand-assigned percentage of Body Weight per level — push- ups run from 20% at Wall Push-up to 95% at One-Arm Push-up, while pull-ups run from 50% at Dead Hang up to 130% at One-Arm Pull-up, since a pull-up moves your entire body weight against gravity plus grip and back tension that a push-up's partial-bodyweight lean does not require. Estimated Load at your Current Level is simply Body Weight times that level's fixed percentage, so Body Weight scales every load figure on the page proportionally, and Current Level determines which fixed percentage gets applied — it does not blend between levels, each step is a distinct named exercise with its own hard-coded loadPct.

Level and difficulty rating do not always move together: several squat and pull-up variations (Pause Squat, Wide-Grip Pull-up) sit at the same load percentage as the step before them but are ranked one difficulty point higher, since difficulty here also reflects balance, coordination, or range-of-motion demands that a simple bodyweight-percentage figure does not capture on its own.

Inputs

lb

Results

Current Exercise

Standard Push-up

Estimated Load

112 lb

≈ 11 house cats

Difficulty4/10
Next ProgressionDiamond Push-up
Next Level Load119 lb
Previous ProgressionKnee Push-up
Equivalent Barbell Weight112 lb
Levels Remaining6
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter your Body Weight in pounds.
  2. Select the Exercise Type: Push-up, Squat, or Pull-up Progression.
  3. Set your Current Level (0-9) based on which variation you can do for multiple reps.
  4. Review your Current Exercise, estimated load as % of bodyweight, and Difficulty rating.
  5. Use Next Progression and Equivalent Barbell Weight to plan your advancement.

What each input means

Body Weight
Your current body weight. This determines the effective load for each exercise variation.
Exercise Type
Choose the movement pattern to see its full progression from beginner to advanced.
Current Level (0-9)
Your current progression level. 0 is easiest, 9 is most advanced. Select the hardest variation you can do for 5+ reps with good form.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    Body Weight = 175, Exercise Type = 0, Current Level (0-9) = 3 = 3 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Current Exercise
    Current Exercise = current.name
    Standard Push-up = Standard Push-up
  3. Calculate Estimated Load
    Estimated Load
    112 = 112
  4. Calculate Difficulty
    Difficulty = current.difficulty
    4 = 4
  5. Calculate Next Progression
    Diamond Push-up = Diamond Push-up

Engine last updated . Checked against 5 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a heavier person show a higher Estimated Load for the same exercise?

Estimated Load is Body Weight multiplied by the fixed percentage assigned to your Current Level, so it scales up directly with body weight for any exercise you select. A 220 lb lifter and a 150 lb lifter doing the identical Standard Push-up (64% of body weight) are moving different absolute pounds even though the relative difficulty is the same.

Why is a One-Arm Pull-up rated at 130% of body weight instead of 100%?

Because a pull-up already moves your full body weight (100%) against gravity, and doing it on one arm adds real extra load from the asymmetric leverage and grip and back-tension demands beyond simply supporting yourself — the percentages in this progression are estimates of effective load, not a strict fraction of body weight always capped at 100%.

Why do some levels increase in Difficulty without a matching jump in Estimated Load?

Difficulty here reflects more than the bodyweight-percentage load — variations like the Pause Squat or Wide-Grip Pull-up sit at the same load percentage as the step before them but rank one difficulty point higher because of added balance, hold time, or range-of-motion demands that Estimated Load's simple percentage figure does not capture.

Does changing the Exercise Type change how Estimated Load is calculated?

The formula stays the same — Body Weight times the selected level's fixed percentage — but each Exercise Type (Push-up, Squat, Pull-up) has its own completely separate ten-step table of percentages, hand-assigned to that movement pattern. The push- up table runs 20% to 95%; the pull-up table runs 50% to 130%, reflecting how differently those two movements load the body.

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