Building Muscle Without Weights

When most of us think about building muscle and sculpting rock hard abs and arms, we typically think of going to the gym and hitting our favorite machine.

However, gym memberships are expensive and finding time to get to the gym isn’t always easy.

Fortunately, the right diet and some basic muscle-building exercises can help you build muscle without weights. By working with the materials you already have, you can get full body results while saving time and money.

Supplement Your Diet

Although regular exercise is the key to building muscle, your body needs a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and protein in order to stay strong and healthy – not just protein as many people would have you believe. Key supplements for building muscle include amino acids, protein and creatine along with a number of additional nutrients.

While it’s important that you eat a wide variety of protein-rich foods such as eggs, fish, and chicken, it’s equally important that you have a good selection of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to give your body the basic building blocks for lean muscle.

Exercises to Build Muscle

Many bodybuilders like to hit the gym on a regular basis in order to achieve that ripped look. However, gym memberships can be expensive and there are safer and effective ways to build muscles without the weights. No need to buy expensive equipment or turn your basement into a personal gym, these exercises can help you build muscle by using your own bodyweight as resistance.

Legs: Looking to tone your legs and firm those calves? Then start off your routine with lunges. Lunges are done by stepping one leg forward and then pressing your body down until your front thigh is parallel to the floor and the back leg is almost at floor level (as if you were doing a princely kneel for the queen or getting ready to propose).

Note: in order to maintain good posture and form while doing this exercise, be sure that you keep the upper body straight.

Chest and Arms: Pushups and chin ups are some of the best exercises for building muscle without weights, working your chest, triceps, and shoulders. To do a pushup, begin by lying prone on the floor, positioning your hands palms down approximately shoulder width apart.

Then raise yourself using your arms, using the balls of your feet and your hands to support your weight while you keep your body straight. Then lower your torso to the ground and repeat the process.

To do a chin up, you’ll either need access to an overhead bar or a strong broom and two chairs – be sure that it will support your weight! Grab the bar and pull your body upward until your chest reaches the bar.

Abs: If you want those sexy washboard abs, then crunches and sit-ups are the way to go. These are performed by lying on the back, with your knees slightly bent. Clasp your hands together behind the head (supporting your neck and spine), and push your shoulders upward toward the knees.

Crunches are held briefly before relaxing to the floor, while full sit-ups require that you sit all the way up, touching your chest to your knees.

Final Suggestions

Not everyone has the genetic makeup to achieve that cut, muscular look you see on sports models and athletes, but you can definitely improve your overall appearance by regularly strength training and working your muscles. Keep in mind, that sometimes you have to lose a layer of fat before you’ll be able to see those lean muscles underneath, so be sure to balance your strength training with cardio.

Additionally, if you’re serious about building muscle without using weights, then you might want to consider supplementing with quality muscle building supplements and protein powders. You can read about the top muscle building products here.