How to Build Muscles Using Bodyweight

admin — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 03:02:22 +0000

Not everyone can afford a gym membership and most people don’t really have time to get to the gym due the nature of their jobs. Does this mean that you should give up on your fitness goals? Emphatically, NO.

The truth is that people are conditioned to think they can only develop strong muscles by lifting weights. Even though it is true that you can build lots and more muscles in your arms and chest area using weights. But there were times when weight lifting didn’t exist and people got strong and ripped. Really, all you need to build muscles lies within you- your body weight.

Here are a few proven ways by which you can build muscles without going to the gym.

Push-Ups

Push-ups are one of the most basic and oldest exercises. They position all upper body muscles and builds optimum strength in the chest, shoulders and forearms (or upper arms). Here’s how to perform a basic push-up:

When down on the ground, place hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
Your feet should be set up right and comfortable in a anyway.
Ensure your body is in a straight line.
Lower your body until your chest is about to touch the floor and then back up.
Arms should be straight supporting the bodyweight when from the top position.
Your head should not be straight down but slightly ahead of you.
During the movements, try squeezing your butt and tightening your abs, in that case, your core will engage.

If you still find difficulties in doing the push-ups, start by working it up on a wall.

Pull ups & Chin ups

Pull-ups and chin ups are also important exercises which helps to build upper body strength. Chin ups however, engages and puts stress on the biceps while push-ups accentuates the biceps but in favor of the triceps and upper back. It is also important to secrete between pull ups and chin ups.

Pull ups- performed with palms facing away from you.
Chin ups- performed with arms facing you.

Squats

Squats are said to be one of the best exercises to do. It’s works impeccably well for toning to legs, strengthening the core and increasing flexibility. Here’s how to perfect your form:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with hands in front or on your hips.
Lower your body as if you’re sitting on a chair. Keeping the motion slow.
Look straight ahead with chest up making your back flat and straight. Your back should be maintained straight throughout the movements.
Now press down on your heels rising back up slowly.

Lunges

Lunges also are essential and effective in developing muscle tissues. They also help in strengthening the legs, improving core strength and hip flexibility. Here’s how to do forward lunges:

Keeping the upper body straight, with shoulders back and relaxed and chin up.
Engage core muscles.
Step forward with one leg, lower your knees until both legs are at an angle of 90 degrees.
Make sure that the other knee doesn’t touch the floor.
Make sure the front knee goes directly a little above the ankle.
Keep the body weight in your knees when pushing back up.

Conclusion

Aforementioned, are different exercises that can help build muscles without you spending a dime of your money. What are you waiting for?

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Mistakes Holding You Back From Being Ripped

Christina Helen Brown — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 12:29:56 +0000

YOUR BODY IS A REFLECTION OF YOUR LIFESTYLE

You train hard with both weights and cardio, but for some reason you’re still not lean. If you find yourself wondering how it’s possible to seemingly do everything right and still not see a ripped physique in the mirror then you must read on!

Below are five reasons you aren’t ripped that can easily hamper your efforts to burn body fat and blur your abdominal definition. Address each one and you might finally make being ripped a reality!

1. Cutting Your Cals Too Quickly

A common problem many dieters make is dropping calories and carbs too drastically right out of the gate. A drastic cut in your carbs can lead to a big drop in body weight, but that drop will be short-lived. The problem with dieting is that your body is constantly fighting to prevent too much fat loss; after all, fat is a great energy reserve if times get tough and food is no longer plentiful. While that may have been a problem for our ancestors, it’s not a real issue for most of us today.

So no matter how low you drop carbs and calories, your body will eventually adjust to your new caloric intake. If you’ve dropped most or all of your carbs, your body will adjust to that low-carb intake and you won’t have room to cut further.

The real key to dieting is to eat as much as you can while still losing body fat. Then, when you reach a plateau, you make a small cut in carbs and calories so that when you plateau again, as you inevitably will, you can make another drop and can continue losing body fat.

2. Not Hiting It

One misconception that’s been perpetuated in bodybuilding circles for decades is that you must do low-intensity cardio to maximize fat burning and spare muscle mass. Yet the research and what we’re seeing in the gym today points in the exact opposite direction.

Studies having shown that those who do some form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which alternatives cycles of all-out training with slower recovery phases, lose about twice as much body fat as those who do steady-state cardio. In a nutshell, HIIT results in less time spent doing cardio, and way more fat being burned. This is because HIIT increases your post-exercise metabolism, which boosts the calories and fat burned while you’re not exercising.

As far as sparing muscle goes, both lab research and real-world experience show that those performing HIIT either lose no muscle or actually gain it. As an easy example, consider the muscle mass of a sprinter compared to a long-distance runner. The high-intensity training the sprinter does helps build muscle, not sacrifice it. The long-distance runner who trains at a slow, steady pace has far less muscle mass.

3. Lifting Too Light

Another misconception about training for fat loss is that you should opt for light weight and high reps to get lean. This misconception is probably the result of thinking that higher reps means more work performed, which can help you burn more calories. But it’s not just about how much work you do, but also how the work you do affects your body and your metabolism.

Similar to HIIT cardio, research confirms that using heavier loads in your workouts results in a higher metabolic rate post-workout as compared to light weight.

4. Taking Too Much Rest

Another area that may be hampering your fat-loss efforts is all the time you waste in the gym between sets. If getting shredded is your goal, you should spend as much time as possible moving in the gym, not standing around admiring yourself in the mirrors.

Bottom line: Minimize your rest time between sets. Researchers have discovered that when subjects rested 30 seconds between sets on the bench press for 5 sets of 5 reps, they burned a little more than 50 percent more calories than when they rested three minutes between sets.

I suggest turning your rest time into work time via super sets or cardio acceleration. As discussed earlier, cardio acceleration can save you time in the gym and further enhance fat loss. Super sets involve doing two exercises back to back, either for two different muscle groups (such as a chest exercise followed by a back move), or for the same body part (such as two quad exercises).

5. Sitting For Too Long

What you do when you’re not in the gym may further be compromising your fat-loss efforts, not to mention your health. Researchers found that, out of more than 2,000 subjects who exercised vigorously for a minimum of 2.5 hours per week, those who watched more than 40 minutes of television per day had higher waist circumference, blood pressure, and blood-glucose levels than those watching fewer than 40 minutes.

The researchers theorized this may be due to the fact that, when you sit for prolonged periods, your body’s ability to burn fat is severely compromised.

The take-home here is simple: Avoid a fat-burning slump by staying active throughout the day. If you sit for long periods at work, try getting up and stretching or walking to the fridge or water cooler at least every 20 minutes or so. Do the same if you’re sitting at home in front of the TV or computer. When you’re shopping or running errands, park far away from store entrances to increase total walking distance. Even better, walk or bike to run your errands when possible instead of driving. Avoid elevators and escalators and take the stairs whenever you can.

Seizing all of these opportunities for physical activity can add up to a lot of extra activity, which can keep your fat-burning engines primed and your health optimized. At that point, you won’t need to look for reasons you’re not ripped because you’ll be ripped!

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