Many people ask if they can gain muscle without weights. The answer is yes, but how effective can these exercises or workouts truly be? It really depends on who you get your information from and how often you perform these workouts. You might know people or have friends that tell you the only way to build muscle is by going to the gym. That’s false and I will explain why…
To gain muscle mass without weights you need to force your muscles to work harder and go into over-drive. And lifting weights isn’t the only way this can be accomplished. You are able to perform exercises that will improve and build your muscles for almost every large muscle group in your body, without using weights. As long as you are pushing your muscles to the limit and even a bit further, you can achieve a much bigger, stronger physique. Here are some exercises you can try without using weights…
1. Push-ups-To be honest, push-ups are one of the greatest exercises you can do to gain muscle and become stronger. So do you think you already know all there is about push-ups? Well let me enlighten you on how you can break down 3 different ways of doing push-ups that will work different muscle groups in your upper body.
- Basic push-ups- Put your arms shoulder-width apart at middle chest level. This will work a bit of your chest, triceps, shoulders and core.
- Triangle push-ups- Put your hands together (to make a triangle) on the ground at middle and inner chest level. Try this, it’s going to be a bit harder, but it works different muscles. This will work more on your arms and biceps, rather than just chest and triceps doing basic push-ups.
- Basic push-ups, but with elbows in. Pretend you are doing a basic push-up, but keep your elbows in close to your body. This will work mostly triceps. Trust me, do this a couple times and you’ll know what I mean.
2. Dips- Use a sturdy chair and sit down in it. Now place your hands on the side of the chair at the edge. Lift your body up with your arms and you want to place your body in front of the chair going up and down with your arms behind you. This will produce definition and muscle mass for your triceps without even having to use weights!
3. Sit-ups- You don’t need weights to work your core. You can gain a six pack without going to the gym. Here’s a good strategy…Do a comfortable number of sit-ups to start off. Now, the next day add another sit-up to your workout. For instance, if you do 40 sit-ups one day, do 41 the next and so on. You’ll be surprised how much this will work your core.
4. Squats- How do I do squats without using weights? An easy way to do this is to stand up, put your arms out horizontal to the floor and bend down with your thighs touching your calves. It might be easy at first for some, but do around 50+ and you’ll feel the burn. This is a great way for your legs to gain muscle mass without weights.
5. Toe raises- Standing strait on the floor, lift your body with your toes. Many people do these in-correctly and don’t see any results. The secret here is when you lift up, hold at the highest point you can for 1-3 seconds. This will not only improve your strength and build muscle mass, but it will help improve your balance.
Now that you know 5 powerful exercises to gain muscle mass without weights, make these a daily routine. Come up with a set number to perform for each exercise daily and increase each by 1 everyday. This is just 1 powerful workout of many to help you gain more muscle mass.
