You don’t have to go to the gym to work out. For many, home workouts are the starting point.
They have their own advantages. At least at the initial stage.
But such claims immediately raise a number of questions. And one of the main ones is a suitable training program for gaining muscle mass at home.
How to build muscle while exercising at home
Home exercises to increase muscle volume must include the following three main rules:
- Regular workouts
- Quality food/diet
- Recovery
Properly organized strength training stimulates the flow of testosterone into the blood. This male hormone is responsible for starting the synthesis of muscle tissue in the human body.
Muscle growth requires building material in the form of amino acids obtained from protein foods. As well as energy in the form of glucose (which comes from carbohydrates).
Therefore, it is important to consume protein in sufficient quantities, not forgetting about carbohydrates and fats.
Read also: The Science Behind Muscle Growth
The last stage of muscle growth is a complex recovery of the body.
During this period, super-compensation occurs (super-recovery or hypertrophy of muscle tissue). If rest is not enough, progress will not come.
But let’s move on to the main topic – training.
Required equipment
For strength training, you need to have certain training equipment.
Muscle growth is best stimulated by free weight exercises. This is a barbell, dumbbells, and your own body weight. If you have a heavy barbell and a pair of collapsible dumbbells at home, you can progress for a really long time.
In most cases, there is no full-fledged training equipment at home, but there is a way out of this situation.
How to replace the barbell and dumbbells
If there are no standard weights, it does not matter. There is an alternative:
1. Your own body weight
You can perform a sufficient number of effective strength exercises with your own body weight.
2. Pull-up bar
For adherents of a healthy lifestyle, a horizontal bar at home is not uncommon. But if you do not have one, then there is a sports ground in almost every yard.
As a last resort, sporting goods stores sell many options for quick-attach horizontal bars at budget prices.
3. Water bottles
But even if you build a homemade barbell, then racks for it (for squats and bench presses) are a difficult task.
Summing up all that has been said, let’s define the concept of training for gaining mass at home:
- Training equipment should be comfortable and safe, and a set of exercises should be done using a minimum of auxiliary items (racks, stands, benches, etc.).
This means a program that will involve body weight, dumbbells, and a bar.
And most of the exercises are performed from the starting position, standing, sitting (on a chair), or lying down (on the floor).
The training program
Day 1 – Chest, Biceps, Abs
1. Wide grip push-ups
3 sets of 10 – 12 reps
2. Push-ups with raised legs
3 sets of 10 – 12 reps
3. Dumbbell flyes
3 sets of 12 – 15 reps
4. Reverse pull-ups
3 sets of 10 – 15 reps
5. Dumbbell hammer curls
3 sets of 12 – 15 reps
6. Lying leg raises
3 sets of 15 – 30 reps
Day 2 – Back and Triceps
1. Pull-ups
3 sets of 6 – 8 reps
2. Parallel grip pull-ups
2-3 sets of 8 – 10 reps
3. Incline dumbbell row
3 sets of 12 – 15 reps
4. Boat exercise (for back)
3 sets of 15 – 20 reps
5. Push-ups with elbows at the body
3 sets of 10 – 12 reps
6. French dumbbell press
3 sets of 12 – 15 reps
Day 3 – Legs, Shoulders, Abs
1. Bulgarian squats with dumbbells
3 sets of 15 – 20 reps
2. Goblet squats with dumbbells
3 sets of 15 – 20 reps
3. Reverse lunges with dumbbells
3 sets of 15 – 20 reps
4. Seated dumbbell press
3 sets of 10 – 12 reps
5. One-arm dumbbell press
2-3 sets of 12 – 15 reps
6. Crunches
3 sets of 15 – 30 reps
Rest between sets – 60-90 seconds, the pace of execution is average. If the exercise feels too easy, it can be made heavier. For example, when doing push-ups on your back, put a water bottle or a backpack stuffed with things. If push-ups from the floor are too difficult, replace them with a simplified version – from the knees or from the bench. If pull-ups are difficult, special rubber bands with different levels of resistance will come to the rescue.
Throw it over the horizontal bar and insert your knees into the hanging edge. The rubber band will take some of the load off. In no case do not exclude push-ups and pull-ups from the program! These are the two main exercises for increasing muscle mass in the upper body at home.
Push-ups are responsible for increasing the muscle volume of the chest, delts, and triceps. And pull-ups on the crossbar stimulate the growth of the broadest, biceps and forearms. And be sure to swing your legs, because this is 50% of the muscle mass of the whole body. In addition, it is leg exercises (squats and lunges) that stimulate the production of testosterone the most. And this hormone is directly related to muscle growth.
Nutrition and recovery advice
After strength training, nutrition comes first. Provide the body with the necessary macronutrients – proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
The main rules for compiling a diet are as follows:
- Daily intake of protein – 2 grams per 1 kg of body weight
- Carbohydrates – 5 – 6 grams per 1 kg of body weight
- The total calorie content of your daily diet should be 40 – 50 calories per 1 kg of body weight
- Follow a water drinking regime (30 – 40ml per 1 kg of body weight)
- Make meals frequent and small – 4 – 6 times a day
These rules may vary, but at the initial stage, they will be an excellent guide for those who want to gain mass.
Among other things, follow these general recovery rules:
- Regular baths/saunas are recommended (once a week)
- Massages 2 – 3 times a week
- Minimize stress
- Sleep 8 – 10 hours preferably
During sleep, anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone (somatotropin) are produced.
By disrupting nighttime sleep or significantly reducing it, you slow down the rate of increase in your own muscle volumes.
In conclusion – effective workouts for gaining muscle mass at home are quite possible.
The main thing is to perform the correct basic exercises and gradually increase the training load. And also monitor nutrition and recovery.