How to Build Muscle at Home Without Equipment
The fact that gyms are now closed in an attempt to flatten the curve of the coronavirus pandemic doesn't mean that your workout regime has to suffer. You are not your gym membership, and you certainly don't need a gym membership to build bulk.
In fact, you can build muscle, lose fat and get in the best shape of your life without even walking out the door. For example, the bodyweight staple of press-ups are a great place to start.
"Push-ups are a great exercise movement to help improve upper body pushing strength. They can help to build muscle mass, strength and endurance, dependant on how you vary volume, sets and reps," explains Zack George, CrossFit's Fittest Man in the UK. "If your goal is maximal strength then you may need to think about other upper body pushing exercises, as you are limited with a push-up by your own body weight. If your goal is to improve body composition, then you will need to focus on your diet and nutrition in combination.
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Thankfully, we're not talking about scores and scores of fat-melting burpees — although, that particular compound exercise is an excellent option is you're looking to banish your belly — but instead, an intelligent, measured approach to building your best-ever body in the (dis)comfort of your own home.
Below, we break-down your training according to the body parts you'll want to bulk-up the most using home training methods – chest, arms and legs – and expert advice from some of the best trainers in the bulk-up biz. Ready, set, rep!
Build Your Chest Without Weights
This chest workout builds a bigger frame using just your bodyweight, combining elements of endurance work with explosiveness and speed, designed to craft maximum bulk in minimum time.
Perform these chest exercises 2 or 3 days a week in the order shown. Complete three sets of each, resting one minute between sets.
1. Wide Press-ups
How to do it: Perform a standard press-up, but with your hands placed wider than shoulder-width apart.
Reps: 10-15 Sets: 3, Rest: 60secs
2. Spiderman Press-up
How to do it: Get into a traditional press-up position. Lower yourself toward the floor and bring your right knee to your right elbow, keeping it off the ground. Press back up and return your leg to the starting position. Repeat with the alternate leg.
Reps: 10-15 Sets: 3, Rest: 60secs
3. Diamond Press-ups
How to do it: Perform a press-up with your hands close enough for the tips of your thumbs and index fingers to touch. That's the diamond shape.
Reps: 10-15 Sets: 3, Rest: 60secs
4. One-arm Press-up
How to do it: Perform a press-up with your right hand on the floor and your left hand on the box. Switch arms and repeat. That's one rep.
Reps: 10-15 Sets: 3, Rest: 60secs
5. Stair Press-up
How to do it: On a set of stairs, walk your hands closer than shoulder width and stay on your toes. Keep your body straight and lower your chest towards the stairs. Push yourself back up and repeat.
Reps: 10-15 Sets: 3, Rest: 60secs
6. Clap Press-Up
How to do it: Get in a press-up position, with your hands shoulder-width apart and back straight. Lower until your chest almost touches the floor then push up explosively, clapping your hands together before going straight into the next press-up.
Reps: 10-15 Sets: 3, Rest: 60secs
Build Your Arms Without Weights
What if we told you that it's possible to build bigger arms without having to pick up a dumbbell or a barbell? Here are four moves that will build bigger arms without lifting weights.
1. Incline Press-ups
How to do it: Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on a bed or a chair, with your feet planted on the floor. Bend your arms and lower your body until your chest touches the bench. Push your body back up to the starting position.
Reps: 10-15 Sets: 3, Rest: 60secs
2. Handstand Wall Walk
How to do it: Position yourself in a handstand position with your feet planted against a wall. Move your hands forward and walk down the wall until you reach the bottom.
Reps: 8-10 Sets: 3, Rest: 120secs
3. Bodyweight Dips
How to do it: Stand facing away from a bed, a chair or a bench, grab it with both hands at shoulder-width. Extend your legs out in front of you. Slowly lower your body by flexing at the elbows until your forearm creates a 90-degree angle. Using your triceps lift yourself back to the starting position.
Reps: 10-15 Sets: 3, Rest: 60secs
4. Body-up
How to do it: Start in a plank position with you forearms shoulder-width apart. Plant your palms on the floor and extend your body upwards, ensuring your torso remains straight throughout. Lower your body slowly to the starting position and repeat.
Reps: 10-15 Sets: 3, Rest: 60secs
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Build Your Legs Without Weights
We tapped up personal trainer and model Alex Crockford to draw you a personal blueprint to getting stacked down below. "This workout use no equipment other than usual things you'll find at home," explains Crockford.
"You need to feel it working, so if it's too easy you can add weight with anything heavy enough," continues Crockford. "These are a mixture of standard sets and supersets to build muscle, but with reasonably short rest periods to also keep the heart rate up to burn fat too."
1. Walking Lunge
How to do it: Lunge forward as far as you can with your right leg, bending your trailing knee so it almost brushes the floor. Use the heel of your right foot to push yourself off into the next lunge, this time leading with your left leg.
Reps: 12 each leg Sets: 3 Rest:30 secs
2a. Squat
How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Start the movement by bending your knees and sitting back with your hips. Go down as far as you can and quickly reverse the motion back to the starting position. Keep your head up and back straight throughout the move.
Reps: 12 Sets: 3 Rest: No rest, go straight to exercise 2b
2b. Squat Jump
How to do it: Stand straight with your arms across your chest and your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower yourself into a squat position until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Push up explosively from your feet keeping your arms folded as you jump up. Immediately jump again when you return to the squat position.
Reps: 12 Sets: 3 Rest: 60secs
3. Split Squat
How to do it: Stand facing away from bench (or a chair) with one leg resting on it, laces down. Squat down with your standing leg until the knee of your trailing leg almost touches the floor. Push up through your front foot to return to the start position.
Reps: 12 (each leg) Sets: 3 Rest: 60secs
Alex says: "Use a platform such a chair, bed, sofa or a stool, but make sure it is secure and safe."
4a. Step-up
How to do it: Place a bench or a box in front of you and step onto it with one foot. As you plant your foot, drive with your other foot bringing your knee up as high as you can. Lower it back down and step back onto the floor. Repeat on the other side.
Reps: 12 each leg Sets: 3 Rest: No rest. Go straight to exercise 4b.
Alex says: "Complete 12 reps on one leg before switching."
4b. Single Leg Bridge
How to do it: Lie on your back with one leg raised in the air. Thrust forward and raise your hips off the ground as high as you can. Slowly lower yourself to the floor.
Reps: 12 each leg Sets: 3 Rest: 60secs
5a. Lunge Jumps
How to do it: Lunge forward until your rear knee is almost touching the ground. Jump into the air, bringing your rear foot forward and the front foot back. Land in a lunge and repeat.
Reps: 1 min Sets: 1 Rest: No rest, go straight to exercise 5b
5b. Squat Pulses (without kettlebell)
How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Start the movement by bending your knees and sitting back with your hips. Go down as far as you can and stay at the bottom of the motion, 'pulsing' a few inches each way. Slowly reverse the motion back to the starting position. Keep your head up and back straight throughout the move.
Reps: 1 min Sets: 1
Alex says: "At the bottom of the squat, 'pulse' your body up and down a few inches either way."
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Edward Cooper Ed Cooper is the Deputy Digital Editor at Men's Health UK, writing and editing about anything you want to know about — from tech to fitness, mental health to style, food and so much more.
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How to Build Muscle at Home Without Equipment
Source: https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a758964/the-best-bulk-up-bodyweight-exercises-to-do-at-home/
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