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People have their reasons for wanting to learn how to build muscle without weights. Whether you travel for business and don’t have access to a gym or you just prefer to train without weights, you can certainly build muscle without going to a gym. However, you can’t take a haphazard approach to gaining muscle.
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Whether you are training with or without weights, you need to follow the same principles as weight lifters. The only difference is that you are using different types of resistance. In order to gain muscles, your routine must emphasize progression, nutrition, and recovery. If these areas are not addressed, you are just sabotaging your efforts. So, you want to learn how to build muscle without weights?
You obviously need to exercise. There are many weightless exercise movements that will help you build muscle. Your training routine must work the whole body. Hitting pushups and sit ups five days a week won’t get the job done. You should perform exercises that hit the chest, back, and legs. Great exercises include lunges, squats, various pushup exercises, pull ups, dips, and crunches. These are not the only exercise but they do provide a great start.
When performing these exercises, you must progress each week to make gains. Many weight trainers neglect this aspect of training and wonder whey they haven’t build strength and size in the last couple years. You body needs a reason to add muscle. If you did 5 sets of 10 push ups with 2 minutes rest between sets your first workout, your goal is to improve upon that performance during your next session. In this example, you goal for the next workout could be 6 sets of 10, 5 sets of 12, or 5 sets of 10 with 90 seconds of rest between sets.
Nutrition is often overlooked for those learning how to build muscle without weights. Nutritional needs vary based on the current condition of the individual. If you are skinny, you need to eat enough calories to build muscle. If you are eating 2000 calories and can’t gain weight, bump it up to 2500 calories. You may need to bump calories 500 calories every few weeks until you notice a weight gain. Your diet should consist of 5-6 feedings of protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. Supplementation should be very basic. A quality whey protein powder, multivitamin, and fish oil is a good start.
Recovery is important as you muscles grow while resting. Ensuring you get adequate sleep is a great start for adequate recovery. Also, get some rest on your off days from training. Other recovery techniques include massage, hot tubs, and hot/cold showers. If you’re just learning how to build muscle without weights, starting with these techniques will help you gain muscle without stepping into a gym.
