Ma'anar ƙamus na kalmar "calisthenics" tana nufin wani nau'i na motsa jiki wanda ya ƙunshi jerin motsi waɗanda aka tsara don inganta ƙarfin jiki, sassauci, da kuma dacewa gaba ɗaya, ta amfani da nauyin jiki kawai a matsayin juriya. Calisthenics yawanci ya haɗa da motsa jiki kamar turawa, squats, lunges, jacks masu tsalle, da katako, kuma ana iya yin su ba tare da wani kayan aiki ba. Kalmar "calisthenics" ta fito ne daga kalmomin Helenanci "kalos" ma'ana "kyakkyawa" da "sthenos" ma'ana "ƙarfi," yana nuna fa'idodin ƙaya da ƙarfi na wannan nau'in motsa jiki.