The weight of our own body allows us to carry out a training session at home without the need for sports equipment. Training with some versatile material such as a TRX or elastic bands will allow us to perform more exercises and variations, but if we do not have them we can stimulate our whole body anywhere. It will be very useful for those days when we are on vacation and we don’t want to stop training, or to do a full body circuit at home one day when we can’t go to the gym.
Training structure and guidelines
Training at home to gain muscle mass without the need for material is focused on a full body session The goal of this training is to do it about three times a week. It is intended for beginners in strength who want to increase their muscle mass at home.
We will divide the session into three blocks of work, four being the number of exercises in each block. Each block is performed in the form of a circuit, taking advantage of the rest of some muscle groups to stimulate others. In this way, while resting our back we can exercise our legs, for example.
The rest between exercises is minimal in order to increase the density of training. Once the four exercises of the block are finished, we can take a little breath for a minute and we will return to the circuit again.
We will start by making three series of each block or circuits. Once these three laps are finished, we will move on to the next block, with the same instructions for all of them. The next time you do this training try to do a few more laps to progress.
The number of repetitions should be a fan between eight and 15 repetitions, but the main thing is that you go close to muscle failure since it is a vital part of increasing muscle mass. If you do 15 reps, but you could have done 25, we’re not giving the proper stimulus.
Exercise blocks with your own body weight
Block I: Do 8-15 reps of each exercise and move on to the next. At the end of the four exercises in a row, or with as little rest as possible, rest for a minute. When you complete three laps of the block rest two minutes and go to block II.
- bulgarian squat
- Inverted row on table
- Chair Triceps Dips
- front plank
Block II: Do 8-15 reps of each exercise and move on to the next. At the end of the four exercises in a row, or with as little rest as possible, rest for a minute. When you complete three laps of the block, rest for two minutes and go to block III.
- Hamstring Curl with Rags or Towel
- Vertical pull with rags or towel
- push-ups
- Roll out with towel
Block III: Do 10-15 reps of each exercise and move on to the next. At the end of the four exercises in a row, or with as little rest as possible, rest for a minute. When you complete three laps of the block you will have finished the training.
- Glute bridge with back on the couch
- push-ups on peak
- Bicep curls with water bottles
- side plank
Block I: training at home without material to increase muscle mass
bulgarian squat
The Bulgarian squat is a simple form of increase squat intensity, since in this case we execute the exercise on one leg. If it’s too hard, use air squats instead. If you want to increase the difficulty add some load with elements that you have at home like some bottles of water.
Inverted row on table
The traction exercises are the ones that require the most creativity when working at home without material. We can execute this inverted row with the help of a table, placing ourselves as in the video and throwing the elbows back as if we wanted to nudge to something that we have close to our side.
Chair Triceps Dips
Tricep dips are a excellent option to work the back of our arms. You can increase the complexity by introducing a second chair and resting your feet on it. In this way we will have to support more weight with our arms.
front plank
The front plank is the foundation of our core exercises. It’s as simple as effective in activating the frontal muscles of our abdomen. You can facilitate the exercise by resting your knees on the ground, thus decreasing its intensity. In this case we will not go for repetitions but you must hold the maximum possible time in the position.
Block II: training at home without material to increase muscle mass
Hamstring Curl with Rags or Towel
Don’t you have a leg curl machine at home? Nothing happens, surely you have a towel or any old rag. Rest your heels on the fabric and slide your legs on the floor without taking them off said towel or cloth. It is an exercise that will test the back of your legs.
Vertical pull with rags or towel
Can you do pull-ups without a pull-up bar? Watch the video and follow its instructions. The same towel that we used in the previous exercise will now be used to support our torso and allow our body to move along the ground.
Pushups
Push-ups are one of the star exercises to do at home and without material, as they activate large number of muscle groups: pectoral, deltoid and triceps. There are different levels that you can see in the video that will be adjusted to your level, making the exercise easier or more difficult.
Roll out with towel
The roll out is one of the best exercises to stimulate the frontal muscles of our abdomen. It is usually done with an abdominal wheel, but we can do it with a towel at home without having to buy this material.
Block III: training at home without material to increase muscle mass
Hip thrust on the couch
The hip thrust hits directly on the back of your legs: glutes and hamstrings. You can do it without material or resting on your pelvis some element that you have at home and that is somewhat heavy. To greatly increase the intensity you can do it on one leg, but it is only suitable for people who have a high level of strength.
push-ups on peak
In the previous block we have performed the common push-ups. In this case we place our body in a “V” shape to focus more on the shoulder muscles. You can increase the intensity by raising your legs on a chair or sofa, since you will have to support more weight.
Bicep curls with water bottles
It is not easy to stimulate our biceps directly at home and without material. However, surely we have two bottles of water or some similar material on hand that allows us to perform a biceps curl with some load. yes it is very easy perform as many repetitions as possible, since it will be necessary to achieve our goal of increasing our muscle mass.
side plank
Just as the front plank is the base of the front part of our abdomen, the side plank is responsible for Activate the muscles of the sides. You can make it easier by resting your knees on the floor if you need to. In this case we will not go for repetitions but you must hold the maximum possible time in the position.
In Vitónica | 12 training videos at home with only your own body weight to keep us active and healthy
Pictures | iStock, Unsplash