Due to current personal circumstances, I workout at home and have limited equipment, but do I let that stop me? hell no. Here is the list of equipment that I have to use:
- A bench with barbell rack
- A '3 position' chin up bar
- A barbell
- 2 dumbbell bars
- 120kg in weight plates
- 18kg kettlebell
- An exercise bike
- A punch bag
- And my body weight
I would say that's a good amount of equipment to have at home (all bought on sale by the way, love a bargain!) but there are pieces of equipment that I would love to have but do not own. So, how can you build muscle at home?
Well by getting yourself some equipment like I have, you can still do a good variety of exercises using fairly heavy weights. You can also use different training methods (it's not always about 'lift heavy or go home') You can experiment with different sets/reps, you can change the amount of time 'under tension' and so forth. My best advice is to stick with the 'tried and tested' exercises, such as - bench press (vary the angles) pull ups, barbell row, dumbbell fly/press, squat, shoulder shrugs, calf raises etc. The only problem I have is that I do not own a squat rack or any rests, so I have to lift the bar over my head (which is safe when you don't have a ton of weight on the bar). I have modified this to make it work, so I do slower squats (which really burn!) and I do barbell lunges, deadlifts and calf raises. This gives me a good leg workout with the equipment I have available.
As I don't have all of the equipment that I want/need, I don't do split workouts, I actually workout once every two days, performing a full body workout. This is tougher, a little more tiring, but it also burns some more calories to shift any excess fat. Now, without being big headed (as I am not at all) I wouldn't class myself as fat, even when I have been injured, I've always made sure to stay slim. But within the last 6'ish weeks, I have gone from around 72kg to about 78kg, and I haven't gained fat as my abs are still in decent shape. Coming back from my injury I tightened up everything and have thrown myself 100% into training and my diet, and my results are showing that hard work pays off.
You don't always have to pay out for a gym membership, as buying your own equipment (even though it's an upfront cost) costs you nothing every month. It is possible to gain muscle by training at home, you just have to work hard, be disciplined, keep your diet good and consistent. If I was training in a gym, I am very confident that my body would be better, and that my progress would be faster, but as I am training at home, I am still very pleased with my results, and you can do it too. It's also a great way for beginners to get in a bit better shape before they go into a gym. Some guys who are either skinny or very slim, can easily become scared or shy about lifting weights in a gym with some big guys around you. So by training at home, you can get yourself started, get into shape a bit, tone up, get fitter, and then you can head to a gym without feeling embarrassed or insecure. But remember! Everyone starts at the same place! So even those big guys in the gym were once slim, skinny or fat.
Why not try my BULK UP healthy eating plan to help you pack on that muscle!