To build muscle, you don’t necessarily need weights or gym training equipment. You can do so in the comfort of your home. You can use your body weight to build the required muscle that you want.
Ensure you use the first few minutes of your training time to do warm-ups. This will prevent injury. Read on to discover the best ways to build muscles without weight.
- Push-ups
Push up is one of the best muscle building exercises. It works the upper body such as the arms, chest, abs and the back.
Pushups also require the flexibility of the lower body to be more successful. There are many variations of pushups. They include regular push-ups, knee pushups, and wall pushups and so on.
For the regular pushups;
- On an exercise mat, position your two palms on the ground while lying. Ensure your palms allow little space between your shoulders
- Gently bring your body down until your chest is almost on the floor
- As you push down and up, press your gluteus muscles together. Also, make the abdominal muscles rigid
- Ensure also that your shoulders are protected by placing your elbows by the sides
- Repeat the pushups as many times as possible for about 3 sets.
If you find the regular pushups difficult, do the other variations of pushups. The knee push up follows the pattern of the regular pushup. The only difference is that the knees are bent.
The wall pushup requires standing up and placing your hands on the wall. Inhale as you begin the exercise and exhale as you leave the wall.
- Squats
Squat is one of the natural muscle-building exercises. It builds the lower body such as the hamstrings, gluteus muscles, and quads.
Just like other forms of exercise, it has different variations. To practice squats;
- Straighten out your hands forward while standing with a little space between your feet
- Start bending at your knees and at the same time, push your butt and hips back
- Continue bending to a squat as low as possible. Ensure your back and chest are up and flat
- After a few seconds of squatting, return to the starting position
- Do as many reps as possible.
- Burpees
Burpees work both the upper and lower body. It’s a combination of strength and cardio training. It is one of the best exercises for building muscles without weights.
Burpees involve three different kinds of exercise at the same time; press up, squat and jump. This combination works out the entire body. To practice burpees;
- Stand straight leaving a little space between your feet
- Place your arms by your sides
- Begin squatting down and as you reach the ground, stretch to a pushup position
- Without wasting time in the pushup position, jump up to the starting position
- You can do 12 reps
- Squat jumps
Squat jumps work out the lower body which includes the gluteus muscles, quads, and hamstrings. Squat jump is a high impact exercise. To start practicing;
- Bend your knees into a squat
- Bend your arms in your front and fold your palms
- Jump up immediately and return to the squat position
- As you reach the squat position, repeat the process for 10 reps doing 3 sets.
- Tricep dips
A Tricep dip is one of the muscle-building exercises. It builds the muscles in the arms. To perform the tricep dip;
- Sit at the edge of a chair and place your hands at the chair’s edge too
- Give your leg a 90 degree and lower your butt to the ground
- Remain in that position for a few seconds
- Return to the sitting position afterward
- Do 3 sets of 10 reps.
- Standing side hops
Standing side hops is an exercise helping in the mobility of the hips and ankle. It builds the muscle without weight. To begin;
- Stand on your feet together and your arms 90 degrees
- With your feet kept together, jump to the right side
- As you land, jump to the left
- Repeat the process for 3 sets of 15 reps.
- Crunches
Crunches help in building muscles in the midsection. They help in building core strength.
- On an exercise mat, lie flat on your back
- Bend your knees to get your feet touching the ground flat
- Cross your arms behind your ears
- Exhale and lift your head and then your shoulder
- Ensure you don’t lift your whole body but stop at the shoulder level
- Pause for 5 seconds
- Inhale deeply and then gently return to the starting position
- Do 3 sets of 10 reps.
- Running
Running is another way of building muscles without weights. Running helps build muscles in the legs. If you have not been a runner, you can begin by running a few miles. As you advance, you can then increase your duration and distance.
For beginners, you can walk at a high pace or jog slowly. On the first day, you can exercise for 30 minutes. You can then increase as the days go on according to your strength.
- Mountain climbers
Mountain climberswork the abdominal muscle because they engage the core muscles. It does not require any form of weight. To begin;
- Extend your arms while maintaining a plank position
- Drive up your left knee towards your chest
- Return it to the starting position. Immediately, drive up the right leg to the chest too
- Repeat the process very fast while maintaining the plank position
- Do 3 sets of 15 reps
- Rotational jacks
Rotational jacks works out the whole body. It exercises the triceps, hamstrings, gluteus muscles, biceps, chest, quads and lots more.
Rotational jacks twists up the jumping jack. To begin;
- While on a wide stance ensure you have soft knees
- Extend your arms straight on the sides ensuring they are parallel on the ground
- At your hips, hinge forward. Immediatelyget your torso rotated and get your right hand on the floor
- Jump to the starting position getting your feet together
- Repeat the same process with the left hand immediately
- Continue and do 3 sets of 15 reps.
Conclusion
Consequently, at the comfort of your home, you can build muscles without using weights. The above-listed exercises will do well in helping you build the desired muscles.
The exercises cover all the muscles of the body. Use them interchangeably for the best results. You can make selections of the ones you enjoy to ensure you last long in your exercises.
