Best Way To Build Muscle At Home

Building muscle at home isn’t quite the same as doing it at the gym. With that said, there’s no reason to believe you can’t be as successful. We give you insights on the best way to build muscle at home.

I know we are called Gym Junkies, but we’re all about making muscles no matter if you go to a gym or workout from the comfort of your own home. If you do not have access to a gym or can’t get there as much as you would like, don’t worry! It’s still possible to build muscles from home and I’m going to explain everything you need to know to make it happen.

A lot of people don’t think that you can bulk up from home and without the use of weight racks, benches, pull-up stations or other gym equipment. But you can by using your body weight and working various exercises in different ways to make them more challenging as time passes so that you can keep advancing.

It’s the challenging part of exercises that makes big changes in your body. Some weightlifters who are benching large loads might not find traditional push-ups all that challenging until they’re modified in such a way that wakes up your muscles and gives you that burn you so desire.

Here are at home workouts without equipment…

Are you up for a challenge?

In that case, let’s get on with it!

The Best Way To Build Muscle At Home!

No Equipment? No Problem! No Pants? That’s Fine Too!

Let’s say you’re at home in your living room and you are ready to get your workout on. There are no dumbbells to be found, no pull-up bar and not even a single kettlebell.

Now what?

How are you supposed to look like a beast when you’ve got nothing around to break some muscle?

Easy, keep reading.

Let’s think back to one of my older articles where I explained how you do not have to lift heavy to build muscle, you just have to lift to failure with each set. This is scientifically proven to work. By doing any strength exercise to failure and at about 30% of your max, you are still going to build muscle at the same rate as you would if you were lifting at 60 to 80% of your max.

Not challenging enough?

Move your hands closer together.

Feel it now?

There’s always a way to make any bodyweight exercise more challenging. You just have to make adjustments. Try this no-equipment-required, muscle building plan:

Monday – Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders

3 X 12 Diamond Push-Ups – Begin in the traditional push-up position then move your hands just under your face and touch your thumbs and index fingers together forming the shape of a diamond with your hands. Slowly lower yourself towards the floor by bending at the elbows. When you are just a couple of inches from the floor, rise back up to the starting position. Keep your core tight and your body in line.

3 X 12 Triceps Dips (from the floor or coffee table) – Sit down on the floor. Bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor. Reach behind you with both of your hands and place your palms flat on the floor (or a short table or sturdy step stool). Lift your butt off the floor, placing most of your weight in your heels. Bend at the elbows and lower yourself towards the floor then come back up for one rep.

3 X 12 Burpees (with push-up) – Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Hinge at the hips and place your hands on the floor. Bend your knees, press off with your feet and kick back to the push-up position. Complete one push-up then jump your feet forward with your hands still placed on the floor, come up to standing and jump up with your hands reaching towards the ceiling. Land as softly as you can and repeat.

3 X 12 Inclined Wide Set Push-Ups – Get into the traditional push-up position and prop your feet up on a stool or coffee table for an incline. Place your hands outside of the width of your shoulders. Keep your core tight and your body in line. Bend at the elbows and lower your chest towards the floor until you are just a couple of inches from the floor. Push away from the floor and come back up to the starting position.

Tuesday – Rest or Cardio

Wednesday – Biceps, Back, and Abs

3 X 12 Biceps Curls – No, not the traditional way, because this is a no-equipment workout. For these, you are going to sit down and grab one bent leg (just under the knee) with the opposite hand and pull it up towards your chest while keeping tension on your biceps muscle. You can also do this standing if you have good balance. If you want to make it more challenging, let your leg work against your biceps by adding resistance with the leg muscles.

3 X 12 Doorframe Pulls – Everybody has a doorframe and hopefully you do too. Grab the doorframe with one hand and make sure you have a good grip. Bend your knees and lean back while keeping tension on your biceps. Pull yourself toward the doorframe by bending at the elbow and flexing your biceps. Return to the starting position and repeat.

3 X 12 Supermans – Lie face down on the floor and raise your arms above your head. Your legs should be straight and toes should be pointed. At the same time, lift your arms and legs off of the floor just high enough that you feel your back muscles engage. Hold for a second and return to the starting position.

3 X 12 Toe Touch Crunches – Lie on your back and raise your legs straight up to where the bottoms of your feet are running parallel to the ceiling. Extend your arms straight, engage your abs and reach with your fingertips towards your toes.

3 X 12 Reverse Snow Angels – This should be done just like when you were a kid, except you will be lying face down. Lift your arms off the floor just a few inches until you feel your shoulder blades squeeze together. Bring your arms up past your shoulders, close to your ears, and touch your thumbs together then bring them back down by your sides and repeat.

3 X 45 Second Planks – Get into the traditional push-up position and make sure your body is aligned then drop down onto your forearms. Hold this position for 45 seconds while making sure your abs are engaged. Do not let your hips sag.

Thursday – Rest or Cardio

Friday – Glutes and Legs

3 X 12 (Per Leg) Single Leg Glutes Bridges – Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your arms by your sides. Your palms should be facing down. Drive one heel into the floor as you lift your hips up toward the ceiling (the opposite knee should come up toward your chest). Your body should be in line from your knee, to your hips, to your shoulders. Return to the starting position and repeat.

3 X 12 Goblet Squats – You can do this exercise without the use of a dumbbell or kettlebell. You can even hold a jug of water if you have one. Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Bring your hands together right in front of your chest. Bend at your knees and push your hips back as if you were about to sit on a bench. Go as low as you can in this squat and keep your elbows between your knees as you sink down. Keep your back straight and weight in the heels. Push off the floor as if you are spreading it apart with your feet and come back up to standing.

3 X 12 Calf Raises – Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms down by your sides. From there, slowly raise your heels off the ground until you are on your tiptoes. Lower your heels back down and repeat. To make this more challenging, you can try doing this move from a stepstool or a stair where your heels can hang off just a bit.

3 x 12 Alternating Lunges – Stand with your feet hip-width apart and take a large step forward with one leg. Bend both knees until your back knee is just a few inches above the ground. Keep your chest out, back straight and head facing forward. Be sure not to let your front knee go any further than the middle of the foot. Come back to the starting position and switch to the opposite leg.

On Cardio days, Do HIIT!

HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is proven to burn up body fat while building and maintaining lean muscle mass. I suggest using HIIT for those of you who want to save your muscles instead of risking them during long bouts of cardio.

People tend to think that fasted HIIT or fasted cardio is the way to burn fat, but it’s not! In fact, when you have nothing in your system you can say goodbye to your muscles long before you’re saying it to your fat.

The fat burning process happens around two hours after your workout anyway, so what’s your body using for fuel if you have nothing in the tank?

That’s right!

It’s using your beautiful hard earned muscles. Your muscles get broken down and used as fuel for your workouts. Needless to say, you don’t want that!

HIIT only takes up to 20 minutes of your day, but the afterburn lasts for up to a full 24 hours. Try this routine on your cardio days:

45 seconds of jumping jacks

1 minute of walking in place

45 seconds of high knees

1 minute of walking in place

45 seconds of running in place

1 minute of walking in place

45 seconds of plank jacks

1 minute of walking in place

45 seconds of speed skaters

1 minute of walking in place

45 seconds of boxer shuffle

Do this workout for a total of three rounds and then cool down and stretch.

Conclusion

To build muscle you have to eat right, get enough sleep and, of course, work out often. Always remember that taking a rest day is very important for your muscles to be able to grow and recover. In other words, rest is key.

Be sure you are eating a good mix of protein and complex carbs at least one to two hours before your workout. Stay hydrated and keep your diet clean. Include fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, organic dairy and lean meats such as turkey, fish, and chicken. Feel free to also eat lean cuts of beef and pork. If you feel like you aren’t getting enough protein in your diet, supplement with a good protein powder.

Sleep is extremely important while you are trying to build muscle. Be sure to get at least seven to eight hours of shuteye every night. Shut off the screens and hit the hay as early as you can for best results.

Stay faithful to your routine.

Why?

When you’re consistent, you will get the best results. If you miss a day, that’s fine. Get right back on track and do not ever give up!

Also, don’t forget to keep it challenging. If something seems too easy, step it up a notch. For instance, if you are flying through your squats with ease, grab a large bag of dog food or even a cinder block and take it down with you. You can always find things around the house to use that will add some resistance to your exercises. Good luck to you and your muscles.

By Heather Neff, CPT