Often I feel that the biggest benefit of calisthenics is the cardio effect.
You get the “runner’s high” like euphoria in a way that’s building you up physically.
(I’ve been liking this aspect of my pushups and squats lately.)
Running wouldn’t have the muscular benefits of the calisthenics, and lifting doesn’t allow you to do the necessary density of work in as short a period to really get the cardio effect going. Calisthenics being strength-endurance combine the two nicely.
Calisthenics pushed (and better yet superset) becomes an enjoyable strength building cardio.
Don’t have a gym? If you work you’ll be surprised just how far the calisthenics will take you. Add in jump roping, and isometrics, then it’s “oh boy” where you’ll end up.
A note : at ~215lbs I could run well, play full court basketball without issue off of…10×100 pushup and jump rope supersets. Pumping short range of motion pushups, and making sure I got 100 revolutions in a row, always ending with a crossover and double under. Those sessions often ended up at ~1500 skips due to that perfection requirement and fatigue.
That’s the style of training best for losing weight :
Cardio Calisthenics
Persistence & Tenacity
(The link was either going to be this or “our song”.)