Muscle Building Home Exercises
So, you want to build muscle, but you can’t go to the gym all the time. That shouldn’t be a problem. There are exercises that you can do at home. All you need is space and determination on your part. In the next few minutes, you will learn about these simple exercises that you can try on your own.
15 Muscle Building Home Exercises
Here are the top 15 muscle-building exercises that you can do while staying at home or without having to go to the gym.
1. Walking
Let’s start with the simplest one. The advantage of walking is that you can start doing it right away. You can engage in walking when you are running errands and doing other stuff.
It’s a great way to work on the muscles of your legs if you include steps or hills into your walking routine.
2. Running
If you feel that walking is too simple for you, then you can take it to the next level and try running instead. You don’t have to get a treadmill, all you need is a pair of running shoes.
While running is a cardio exercise that will normally not build your muscles, what you can do is to pull your navel to your core as you run to work on your abs.
3. Squats
The great thing about squats is that you can easily progress to more difficult versions over time. Here are steps you can follow to do squats:
- Stand with your feet at least shoulder-width apart
- Place your arms out in front
- Push your hips back and bend your knees
- Look straight ahead and keep your chest up
- Your back should remain in the neutral position
- Squat down as low as you can and then pop back up
- Weight should stay on your heels all throughout
4. Push-Ups
The great thing about push-ups is that they can work the shoulders, triceps, chest, and core. It’s a simple and complete muscle-building exercise. Here are the steps you can follow to do push-ups:
- Place your hands on the ground keeping them a bit wider than shoulder-width apart
- Lower yourself to the floor but don’t rest on the floor
- Try to tense your abs as you lower and raise your body
- Try to keep your elbows close to your sides
5. Crunches
Crunches can help to develop your core strength and tone your midsection. But don’t count on it solely for working on your core strength.
Crunches should only be a part of your muscle-building exercise routine for your midsection. Here are the steps that you can follow to do crunches:
- Lie on a mat
- Bend knees so your feet are flat on the surface
- Cross your arms in front of your chest
- Lift your shoulders towards the ceiling using your abdominal muscles and then pause
- Do not try to lift your whole back off the floor
- Exhale and contract abs while going up and inhale and ease slowly back down
6. Lunges
Doing lunges is another super-easy exercise that you can do in order to build your muscles. Here’s how you can do it:
- While standing keep your feet hip-width apart
- Take a large step forward and bend your knee at 90 degrees.
- Keep knees over your ankles and your shoulders over hips
- Take another step and repeat until fatigued.
7. Tricep Dips
This exercise will help to develop the back of the arm. When you go to a gym, you are going to use machines or weights to develop this part of the body but you can also use the weight of your body.
Here’s how you can perform this exercise:
- Sit at the edge of a chair
- Place your hands over the edge of the chair
- Slowly bend your elbows into a 90-degree angle
- Lower your bottom towards the floor
- Pause and then return to sitting position
- Keep the pressure on the heels of your hands
- Keep your feet closer to you to make it easier
8. Triceps Extension
The triceps extension will help to isolate the tricep area and help to develop it. Here’s how you can perform this exercise:
- Stand in front of a wall and place your hands about half a foot apart
- Step back a few feet allowing your body to straighten out
- Lower your entire body forward
- Bend at your elbows, so that your head ducks below your hands
- Keep your elbows tucked in a whole way
- Extend back up through your triceps.
9. Chin-Up
Chin-ups are great for developing biceps because of the heavyweight of the body. Here’s how you can do this exercise:
- Hold the bar with your palms facing towards you
- Keep your body straight
- Pull your chest towards the bar
- Try to pull your shoulder blades down and back
- Pause when you are at the top
- Lower yourself back down slowly
10. Inverted Row
The inverted row exercise can help to develop your back muscles. Here’s how to do it properly:
- Lie on the floor under a table
- Grab the edge of a table with your palms facing away from you
- Keep your body in a straight line
- Pull yourself upwards
- Lower yourself back down
11. Resistance Band/Curl
You can also use a simple resistance band to help your muscle-building routine. Here’s what you can do:
- Place the center of the band under your feet
- Hold the ends of the band
- Allow your arms to hang by your hips
- Keep a bit of slack in the band
- Keep your chest out
- Raise your hands to your shoulders
- Lower your arms.
12. Up Downs
This is a great exercise for the upper body and is also ideal for the abdominal area. Basically, go from standing to the push-up position, perform a push-up then pop up to the standing position.
Just keep in mind to have your core engaged throughout the exercise.
13. Step Climbers
You can use a chair or stairs for this exercise. The higher the step that you use the more difficult this exercise becomes.
14. Triceps Kick Back
You will need weights for this exercise. This is how you do this exercise:
- Start by bending over while standing
- Keep a bit of a bend in your knees
- Keep your back straight
- Row your arms
- Lift and lower your weights up towards the ceiling by kicking the weight behind you
15. Shoulder Press
This exercise can be done sitting or standing. Here’s how you can do this:
- Start with your weights held up by your shoulders, ear height
- Extend your arms fully straight up
- Lower your elbows below shoulder height
- You should be able to see your hands without moving your head before your raise the weights
- Slowly lift the weights
Wrap-Up
These are just some of the exercises that you can do to build your muscles, without having to go to the gym.
There are other exercises that you can try (you can find dozens of home exercises in 6 Week Fit), but you can get started with these.
- How To Build Muscle At Home: 15 Must-Try Exercises - May 23, 2023