Muscle building at home has increased in popularity lately, and I can't blame them. If someone has the right strength training exercises that they can do at home, they can get solid results with little to no money spent on a gym membership or fancy equipment. No matter your fitness level, you should be strength training if your goals are to build muscle, develop bone density, and build overall strength. In this blog, I will provide legitimate exercises for strength training at home that will help you build muscle, and ways to start in the easiest way possible.
Why Strength Training Exercises are Important for Muscle Growth
Strength training exercises are meant to overload muscles to make them work harder than usual. By overloading your muscles, you will create microscopic tears in your muscle fibers, and when they repair, they will grow stronger and larger. With regular strength training, you will build muscle mass, increase your metabolism, and improve your overall health. About strength training at home, like I mentioned, it allows convenience and flexibility while saving you money.
The Benefits of Strength Training at Home
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Convenience: no need for a gym or travel.
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Cost: You can initiate strength training at home with little to no cost associated with expensive equipment or memberships.
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Flexibility: You can train at your own pace and on your own time.
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Target Build: You can accommodate and customize what muscle groups you want to work on and how frequently.
Essential Strength Training Exercises to Build Muscle at Home
Now that you know all about the benefits of strength training, let's take a look at some effective exercises you can do from the comfort of your home. These exercises are also scalable based on your needs, not requiring much to no equipment!
1. Push-ups
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Target Muscles: Chest, triceps, shoulders, and core.
Push-ups are a fantastic bodyweight exercise that emphasizes upper-body strength. This traditional exercise is effective at developing the chest, triceps, and shoulders, while similarly engaging the core.
How to Perform a Push-Up:
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Start in a plank position, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
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Lower your chest to about an inch off the floor.
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Drive your arms to return to the starting position.
Progression: Add incline or decline to your push-ups for variation and increased effort.
Push-Up Variations
| Type of Push-Up | Difficulty Level | Muscles Targeted |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Push-Up | Moderate | Chest, Triceps |
| Decline Push-Up | Advanced | Upper Chest, Shoulders |
| Incline Push-Up | Beginner | Lower Chest, Triceps |
2. Squats
Target Muscles: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core.
Squats are a great lower-body exercise that targets the large muscle groups of your legs and glutes. It builds muscle in your legs and improves mobility.
To Do It:
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Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
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Lower yourself by bending at your knees to pretend like you're sitting back in a chair with your knees aligned with your toes.
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Push through your heels to return to your starting position.
Progression: Add weight by holding dumbbells or a backpack.
3. Lunges
Target Muscles: Quads, glutes, hamstrings.
Lunges are another great leg and glute exercise that promotes muscle growth and improves stability and balance.
To Do It:
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Stand up tall with your feet together.
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Step forward with one leg and lower yourself down until your knees are at 90-degree angles.
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Push off your front leg to return to your starting position, and do the same with the other leg.
4. Plank to Push-Up
Target Muscles: Core, chest, shoulders, triceps.
The plank to push-up is an awesome exercise that combines the benefits of two exercises - the plank and the push-up! You'll strengthen your core and chest, and shoulders while challenging other muscle groups at the same time.
How to Do It:
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Begin in a forearm plank position.
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Push up onto your hands, one hand at a time, and then lower back down onto your forearms.
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Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. Dumbbell Rows
Target Muscles: Upper back, biceps, and shoulders
If you own a couple of dumbbells (or some object with weight), dumbbell rows are a great way to build strength in your upper body!
How to Do It:
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Stand with your knees slightly bent and with a dumbbell in each hand.
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Bend at the waist, keeping your back straight.
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Pull the dumbbells towards your torso, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
6. Glute Bridges
Muscle Focus: Glutes, hamstrings, core/abdominals
This exercise targets mainly your glutes and hamstrings, and for anyone who is looking to develop big glute muscles at home, this exercise is your best bet.
How to do it:
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Lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
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Lift your hips upward toward the ceiling, and squeeze your glutes at the top.
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Lower your hips back towards the floor.
Progression - Add single-leg variations or place a weight on your hips for a greater challenge.
Weekly strength training plan for muscle development
To build muscle, you need to be consistent. Here is an easy weekly plan using the exercises mentioned above. You may want to adjust the sets and reps according to your level.
| Day | Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Push-Ups, Squats | 4 | 12-15 |
| Wednesday | Lunges, Dumbbell Rows | 4 | 12-15 |
| Friday | Plank to Push-Up, Glute Bridges | 4 | 10-12 |
| Optional | Additional Core Exercises | 3 | 15-20 |
Tips to Improve Your Results
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Progressive Overload: You want to keep the intensity on the rise when you perform the exercises, you can achieve this by increasing the reps, weight, and or the variation of the exercise.
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Rest and Recovery: It takes time for your muscles to heal and grow, so when doing resistance exercises, you want to allow 48 hours of rest between strength training for the same muscle group.
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Nutrition: You want to ensure that you are fuelling your body properly and providing enough protein and calories for muscle growth. You want to get at least 1.2-2g of protein per kilogram of body weight.
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Form and Technique: You want to make sure you are using proper form so that you do not get injured and to get the most from your resistance exercises.
Conclusion
Strength training exercises are an effective way to gain muscle and strength and improve your health without requiring a gym or gym membership. By doing the right exercises and being consistent, you can see some great improvements. So do not hesitate to get started, stick to it, and you will see your muscles grow!