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Many
people want to build muscle fast at home. Not many have the luxury
or time to go to the gym, they prefer to exercise at the comfort
of their home. Reaching this goal is definitely possible but you
need to become disciplined, consistent and patient. It's easy
to get distracted at home and lost track of your routine. As a
matter of fact, you'll need to have the qualities of a body builder.
Living this type of lifestyle will certainly give you the mental
discipline and focus to build muscle fast at home. You have 2
ways to exercise at home, either with free weights or with your
own bodyweight or both. Either one is good, but get started with
your own bodyweight. This also enables you to build strength.
Then once your progress reaches a plateau, you can incorporate
some weight training. This is how I got started. My only exercises
were using my own bodyweight initially like push-ups, pull-ups,
chin-ups and dips. This gave me a whole upper body workout. They
were highly effective in sculpting an impressive physique provided
you do them intensely enough. There are many variations of push-ups
like:
Normal push-ups - targets mostly middle chest and to some
extent the lower chest.
Decline push-ups - targets mostly upper chest(feet elevated
on a chair).
Diamond push-ups - targets inner chest and triceps.
Push-ups between 2 chairs - targets outer chest.
Push-ups is actually a compound exercise and apart the main muscle
group which it targets ie the chest or pectorals, it also works
the triceps and shoulders. You don't need to perform push-ups
everyday, this can result in overtraining. Instead do them at
least 2-3 times per week. Just have a whole chest session and
try to incorporate 2-4 chest exercises per workout. You can set
your own repeats but usually 8-15 per set is recommended. Go for
2-4 sets per exercise. Don't forget to rest in between sets like
30-45 seconds.
If you want to build a muscular back, pull-ups will be your next
challenge. This can be an extremely daunting exercise for beginners
as it requires strength to be able to pull yourself up to the
bar. Yes you'll need a pull-up bar at home. These are sold in
fitness shops and can be easily fixed at home usually close to
a door. If you're barely able to perform one single repeat, try
negative pull-ups. Just hang yourself from the bar and try to
raise your body up to the bar a bit, then slowly lower it in a
controlled fashion. You can use a chair to assist you if you can't
raise your body initially. The goal of this technique is to build
arm strength, once you're able to do that, you can start pumping
some pull-ups easier. Pull-ups same like push-ups are compound
movement exercises and target notably the upper lats and to some
extent the biceps, forearms and shoulders. Pull-ups are usually
performed using a pronated grip meaning palms facing away from
you and using a wide grip.
Chin-ups on the other hand use a supinated grip meaning palms
facing you and a close grip. They are usually a good biceps builder
and works the lower lats and middle back too. You should gradually
increase your repeats and with time include sets. Once you can
get 3-4 sets of 6-10 pull-ups and chin-ups, you are strong and
this will also reflect on your muscle gains. You can also perform
some dips which is a great triceps builder. Place your hands behind
your back on a solid square chair and feet on another chair, it's
a bit like a reversed push-up.
Then slowly lower your body till your elbows are inclined 90 degrees,
then return to starting position. Try 3-4 sets of 8-15 repeats
and your triceps will be on fire. Dips also work the shoulders
and if you lean your body a bit forward, you'll lay more emphasis
on lower chest.
What is impressive is these 4 exercises ie push-ups, pull-ups,
chin-ups and dips can give you a total upper body workout due
to their compound movement benefits. To target lower body, try
some bodyweight squats and calf raises. As you can see, you can
freely build muscle fast at home without any major upfront investment.
If you're looking for a complete and in-depth resource on bodyweight
training, I highly recommend Workout
Without Weights by Eddie Lomax.
With time, if you want to take your training to the next level
or spice it up to prevent boredom, buy some free weights and a
bench. You can also get some adjustable dumbbell weights like
the Bowflex
SelectTech 1090 Dumbbells if you don't want to encumber
your house with a rack of weights. With just these tools, you
can perform an impressive number of exercises. You can isolate
your muscle groups much better with free weights for example the
biceps, triceps and shoulders.
While training is important to build muscle, you won't go far
if you don't provide your body with the required nutrition. So
coming to this aspect of your lifestyle, nutrition is of utmost
importance. Making the correct food choices will make you build
muscle fast. Skipping meals is simply a No-No. Here are some ideas:
Complex carbohydrates - sweet potatoes, wholegrain oats, brown
rice, wholewheat pasta, wholegrain bread, kidney beans, garbanzo
beans. Avoid anything processed like white bread and white rice.
You'll get more energy and make better gains with complex carbs.
Lean protein - skinless chicken breast/turkey breast, lean
beef, white fish, tuna, eggs, skim milk, cottage cheese, greek
yogurt. You'll need adequate amount of protein and amino acids
to repair and rebuild muscle fast and also to sustain your muscle
mass.
Healthy fats - omega-3 essential fatty acids found in monounsaturated
fats and polyunsaturated fats. Derived sources include fish oil,
olive oil, flaxseed oil, flax seeds, salmon, herring, sardines,
anchovies, avocados, walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, pistachio,
natural peanut butter and macadamia nuts. You'll need healthy
fats for boosting muscle growth as they help in protein synthesis.
Also, they stimulate faster muscle recovery and also help to grease
your joints which is beneficial for your exercise movements.
Dietary fiber & vitamins - rich in vegetables and fruits.
Derived sources include asparagus, green beans, spinach, broccoli,
cauliflower, blueberries, strawberries and bananas. You definitely
need vitamins and dietary fiber in your diet to prevent constipation
and to promote effective bowel activity as well as boosting your
immune system.
Water - don't forget to drink at least half a gallon of
water everyday as you'll sweat a lot during exercise. Drinking
adequate water is essential to hydrate your body and also to flush
out toxins and impurities.
Protein shakes - protein shakes can play a crucial role
in your nutrition notably post-workout whereby you need a fast-digesting
meal preferably a liquid meal. I recommend some whey protein shakes
as they are really effective in replenishing your depleted muscle
tissues fast and this is what you need at this critical point
in time. Some people call it the "window of opportunity"
meaning if you don't feed your body properly a few minutes after
your workout, it's like you just wasted your workout in terms
of future muscle gains. Here is what I recommend. Mix your whey
protein with some dextrose(fast-digesting
carbs) so as to replenish your depleted glycogen stores fast and
get your energy levels back up again. For your whey protein needs,
I recommend a pure whey protein isolate like Integrated
Supplements 100% Whey Protein Isolate which works very
well and is free from artificial sweeteners. Only 1 scoop gives
a whopping 32 grams of high-quality protein. A blender will be
useful for your protein shakes.
Now that you have a brief idea what kind of foods you need, you'll
need to take an active role in your own grocery shopping and get
used to cooking too. Check out Anabolic
Cooking to get access to 200+ muscle-building and fat-burning
recipes, solid nutrition advice and much more. This is the ultimate
cookbook and complete nutrition guide for bodybuilding and fitness.
Last but not least, you need to get adequate rest for your muscles
to grow. Getting at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night
is best as your muscles grow during rest and not when you train.
Sleep before midnight preferably to be fitter tomorrow. Sleep
early and rise early.
By following these 3 building blocks of body building, building
muscle fast at home can become a reality for you starting today.
Get your butt off the couch and take action by performing bodyweight
training, pumping those weights and eating like a champ. Practicing
the body building lifestyle not only helps you physically but
mentally as well because it builds self-confidence and self-esteem,
makes you more disciplined and helps you achieve your goals in
life.
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