Exercising or working out is one of the most effective ways to stay healthy besides having a nutritious and balanced diet. However, simply performing push-ups and other simple workout forms wouldn’t really work that well if you need to build or strengthen your muscles. In order for your muscles to be in top shape, you will need to follow a strict home workout plan that will include simple and complex exercise routines. Here are some of the best home workout ideas to build and strengthen your muscles.
Purchase and Use Appropriate Gym Equipment
If you have the budget to spend on home workout equipment, it is essential that you should have several exercise machines and workout items at home. To learn more about what to buy, below are the must-have pieces of gym equipment to have a proper home workout.
- Dumbbells Set
- Barbells Set
- Training Bench
- Pull-Up Frame and Bar
- Exercise Bike (Stationary Bike)
- Treadmill (Motorized or Non-motorized)
- Fitness Ball
By having these workout items and machines at home, you will have a faster time strengthening your muscles without the need to go to the gym. However, if you want to have a proper workout plan, you can also hire a gym instructor that will tell you everything you need to know about building muscles and following a strict diet to stay fit.
Build Your Arms Without Using Dumbbells
While dumbbells are essential exercise items that you need to have at home in order to effectively build your arms, a set of dumbbells can sometimes be quite expensive that some of us can’t afford it. Fortunately, you can do some exercises that will allow you to build your arms without the use of dumbbells or barbells. Here are those exercises that you can follow.
Tricep Dip
- Sets – 2 (1 minute rest for each set)
- Reps – 10 to 12
The tricep dip can be done by placing your hands on the seat of a chair or on the fence while your back is turned on it and slowly dipping the lower part of your body or your buttocks closer to the ground. In performing this exercise, it will look like you are trying to sit on the ground, but your arms are preventing you from doing that.
Plank-up
- Sets – 3 (1 minute rest for each set)
- Reps – 6 to 10
The plank-up is done by doing the classic push-up formation first, but instead of actually pushing up, you are supposed to bend your arms and form an L-shape and then straighten them again.
Handstand Wall Walk
- Sets – 3 (2 minutes rest for each set)
- Reps – 8 to 10
The handstand wall walk is performed by walking using your arms, but to give you balance, you would need to place your feet on the wall. To get a proper workout while doing the handstand wall walk, you would need to walk towards the wall and then return to your original position and let your feet touch the floor before performing the exercise again.
Strengthen Your Chest Muscles Without Weights
Similar to the arms, you can also build and strengthen your chest without using weight by simply performing effective exercises at home. Below is a list of both easy and complex exercises for your chest and how they should be done.
Push-ups
- Sets – 2 to 6 (1 minute rest for each set)
- Reps – 6 to 12
The classic push-up doesn’t need any explanation, but for those that aren’t familiar with it, all you have to do is to place your hands on the floor with your arms straight, and then your body should be on a planking position where your legs are straight and going downwards on an angle to the floor. To strengthen your chest muscles, you will need to bend your arms, and your chest should almost touch the ground before straightening your arms again.
Clap Press-Up
- Sets – 3 (1 minute rest for each set)
- Reps – 9 to 15
The clap press-up is an advanced version of the push-up where you need to clap your hands after straightening your arms once you are done performing a rep. In addition, the push-up motion that you need to do for the clap press-up should be fast or explosive in order to get more time to clap your hands together before your chest falls down.
Burpee
- Sets -2 to 3 (1 minute for each set)
- Reps – 8 to 12
The burpee starts in a usual push-up position, but instead of starting the push-up, you will need to stand up and jump before returning to the push-up position again. You will need to do this eight to twelve times per set in order to get a good workout.
Have a Proper Diet to Build Muscles
As we have already said previously, having a nutritious and balanced diet is also important to build muscles besides regularly working out. Protein is arguably the most crucial nutrient that you need to provide for your body, and you can get it by eating foods that are rich in protein like eggs, milk, oats, cottage cheese, and chicken breasts. In addition to getting sufficient protein intake, here are some more diet-related tips for building muscles.
- Always eat breakfast
- Eat fruits and vegetables to still have a balanced diet for every meal
- Limit your intake of carbohydrates
- Only eat carbohydrates after a workout to replenish your energy
- Consume plenty of whole foods
- Avoid eating processed foods that contain a lot of sugars, sodium, and trans-fats
- Eat a healthy snack like high protein low carb protein bars every three hours in between meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Those are some of the best tips that we can provide you to get a great home workout to build and strengthen your muscles. Aside from exercise and having a healthy diet, you should also prioritize having sufficient rest, as napping or sleeping will allow your body to heal properly after an intense workout. So, have a daily schedule in order for you to plan out how many hours you are supposed to allocate for workouts, schoolwork or office work, and rest.