Constantly looking for ways to fit in time for your health but have difficulty finding time to work out? Forget the pricey gym membership or that expensive home gym, because you don’t actually need those. Home exercises are as effective as a gym if done rigt.
Just the weight of your body or a pair of dumbbells is enough to get your swole on at home.
How to build muscle?
Most exercise regimens recommend a mixture of cardio and strength training. Strength training can happen through the use of weights or just by using your own body weight.
As your fitness levels improve, you will need to add weights. But don’t neglect cardio. It is still a necessary part of any exercise plan, but now it doesn’t only have to be HIIT that you do. Focus on HIIT workouts a few times a week for optimal muscle building.
A recent review of exercise research revealed that for optimal muscle growth, 2 days a week is ideal. Start with 2 or 3 days of weight training, cardio and rest.
As you get stronger, you can add a fourth weight day and make sure your weightlifting days include both upper- and lower-body workouts.
However, to achieve the best results you should mix cardio and strength training. It often involves lifting weights with your hands or just using your body weight.
Even though you may be working out harder now and be hitting your cardio workouts up to a few times a week, it’s still important to think about weights. High-intensity interval training is the perfect show of muscle power, especially if you plan to increase them when becoming more proficient with weight-bearing exercises like squats.
Based on research from 2016, getting your body strength training one to two days a week is recommended. Get started with 2 or 3 days per week of full-body weight training, 2 days of cardio, and 2 days of rest.
As your lifting gets stronger, you can gradually add the fourth day of lifting and target the upper- and lower-body muscles.
Chest:
1: Push-up: 3–6 sets of 6–12 reps
The push-up is one of the most efficient bodyweight exercises you can do to build strength in your chest and triceps. This exercise also engages the shoulders, core muscles, lower back, and lower body.
Lie face down on the floor, with your arms and feet outstretched. Lift up to lift your shoulders and torso, until your arms are fully extended; only your hands and toes should be touching the floor. Slowly lower your body until you’re almost in a push-up position, then repeat this exercise.
2: Burpee 6 per minute for 15 minutes
You can get a whole-body cardio workout with the burpee and other exercise routines. The burpee works out your entire body, including your chest, core, arms, back, glutes, and legs.
From a standing position, squat down and place your feet wider than the width of your hands. Move into a perfect push-up position, in which your hands and feet are on the floor level, just as you do from a standing position. Explosively jump up with your hands above your head by pushing back into a squatting position. Repeat for 1 minute.
3: Pull-up 3 sets of 2–5 reps
Pullups are an exercise that will work your biceps, shoulders, and back. Starting off with a few reps is a good strategy to build up strength, but make sure to practice safe form and keep your eyes on the bar at all times.
To have success with pull-ups, play dead, perform a full-body activation technique and engage the muscles of your upper body and core by taking shallow, controlled breaths. Start in a dead hang from the bar and pull up until your chin clears the bar. Slowly lower yourself back into the dead-hang position.
Arms:
1:Plank-up,3 sets of 5–10 reps
Plank-ups are an excellent way to target the triceps and biceps muscles in your arms.
Learn how to do an “elevated push-up” in plank position, with your elbows and toes on the ground and your core engaged. Push yourself up with one arm by extending it upward, keeping your body straight. Return to starting position one arm at a time. Repeat!
2: Triceps dip, 2 sets of 10–12 reps
You’ll need a chair, box, ledge, bench, or staircase to do triceps dips. This move will quickly strengthen your triceps (and your pecs!), which tend to need a targeted workout due to their size.
Begin seated in a chair, grabbing the edge of the chair with your hands on either side of your body. Lift up and out as you come à la The Waiter. Your legs should now be extended until they are largely straight. Slowly lower yourself to the floor until your arms are at roughly 45° parallel to the elbows. Push down into your hands to raise back up until you are back at shoulder level and then let go of the chair.
3: Inchworm 3 sets of 4–6 reps
With this creepy crawl, your arms, shoulders, and chest will feel like it’s time for a superhero suit. While building those muscles in your arms, shoulders, and chest, you’ll also build up your abs, glutes, and quads.
Stand with knees slightly bent. Bend at your hips, then slightly lean forward and touch your toes. Place hands on the ground, then move them out further from your torso until you are in a plank position. Take insect-sized steps forward until feet meet hands.
Legs:
1: Step-up: 3 sets of 15 reps (each side)
Due to the simplicity of this exercise, beginners can get stronger areas such as the anterior and lateral hamstrings and glutes. Step-ups are a simple beginner exercise that is beneficial for use when you have limited space like stairs or a box.
If you don’t have a staircase, your options are to look for something sturdy two feet in front of you and step up that. If you can reach the step with your right foot first, place your left foot on it as well. Then switch the leg by reversing direction on the other step.
2: Lunge, 3 sets of 15 reps (each side)
With a strong lunge variation, your glutes and quads will develop and you’ll strengthen your hamstring.
From a standing position, take a big first step, lower your body towards the floor until your upper thigh of one leg is parallel with the floor, and your back knee is just above the floor. Raise yourself up by putting pressure on that heel of your front leg. Next, take a big first step with the opposite foot.
3: Squat, 3–5 sets of 8–12 reps
Squats are popular with weightlifters but they can also be done without weights. Even though it looks difficult, squats with the bodyweight alone strengthen your legs. If you do them form properly, it’s not a difficult exercise.
Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Extend arms straight with palms facing down. Inhale and push your hips back slightly as you bend your knees. Look straight ahead, keep the chin up, shoulders upright, and back straight. Squat as low as you comfortably can, aiming to have your hips go below your knees. Engage your core to push upward explosively from your heels.
