If
you want to build muscle, barbell exercises are the easiest way. The problem:
you need weights. Not everyone can afford expensive gym memberships or buy a home gym. Maybe you don’t feel the need to get huge, but would
still like to gain a little muscle and tone what you already have. Fortunately,
there are some simple yet effective exercises you can use to sculpt your body. Here’s
a muscle building workout you can do without weights:
Body-weight Exercises
Your body needs a reason to build muscle. That reason is stress. Exercising will stress
your body & force it to build muscle. You don’t have access to weights, so
you’ll use body-weight exercises:
Pull-ups. Build back &
arms muscles. Doorway pull-up bars or
any surface where you can hang from work. If you can’t do one rep with correct pull-up technique: use momentum, ask someone to help you or
use a resistance band to assist you on the way up.
Push-ups. Build chest,
shoulders & arm muscles. Use a full range of motion: arms locked on the way
up, nose against the floor on the way down. Put your knees on the floor if you
can’t do one push-up. Switch to regular push-ups when this gets easy.
Squats. Build leg
muscles. Put your hands behind your head & bend through your knees. Keep
your heels on the floor, push your knees out, look forward & squeeze your glutes on
the way up. Stretch your hamstrings 3
times a week if you can’t squat lower than parallel.
Training Program
SimpleFit.org has a 3 day a week
routine based on the above exercises. It takes less than 90mins a week. Easy to
mix with your work, business, relationship & hobbies.
Progression
You must get stronger to build
muscle. Doing 100 reps of an exercise builds endurance, not strength. Switch to
more challenging exercises once you can do more than 20 pull-ups, push-ups or
squats.
Rings. Push-ups & pull-ups using rings are harder: you need to stabilize the rings while doing
the exercises.
One Arm Push-ups. Start
with Incline One Arm Push-ups: one hand on a high box. Decrease the height as
you get stronger until you can do them on the floor. Then switch to feet
elevated One Arm Push-ups: feet on a box, gradually increasing the height.
One Arm
Pull-ups. Pull-ups with one arm. Tricky to
master.
One Leg Squats. Start
with One Leg Box Squats: lower yourself on a box. Start with a high
box & gradually decrease the height. Switch to One Leg Squats once you can
do them from a very low box.
External Resistance. You
could consider this as weights but I’m adding it anyway. Wear a rucksack filled
with water bottles or books while doing the exercises. Wear a weighted vest. Wrap some chains around your upper-body while
doing the exercises. Use adjustable ankle/wrist weights. Use a belt, chain,
carabiner & weights.
Nutrition
You need solid nutrition to build
strength & muscle. Eat at least your body-weight in lbs x 18 kcal. Go for
these foods:
Protein. 1g/lbs daily. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, whey, etc.
Fat. Balance your omega 3, 6 & 9 intake.
Veggies. All kinds, especially green fibrous veggies.
Fruit. Also all kinds. Eat veggies and/or fruits with every
meal.
Water. 1 liter per 1000 calories you expend.
Whole Grain
Carbs. Oats, rice, pasta, breads.
