People often think that they need to work out in the gym to gain muscles and look a certain way but it is not the case. You can work out anywhere if you want to stay fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle. You can also gain muscles if you work out properly at home using the right equipment, exercising the right way, and eating the right foods. Below are a few tips as to what things can be taken care of if you want to gain muscles while working out at home.
What Do I Need To Build Muscle At Home?
According to Spoorthi S, fitness Expert at Cult, these are the tips to follow for muscle building at home:
1. Invest in equipment: Invest in resistance bands, dumbbells, Swiss balls, or medicine balls and introduce progressive overloading. Progressive overloading means gradually increasing the weight, resistance, or reps of your exercises over time. This will help your muscles to adapt and grow.
2. Balanced Diet: A protein-rich diet is essential for muscle repair and growth. When you exercise, your muscles break down. Protein is needed to repair and rebuild these muscles. Aim to consume 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. This will help you to build and maintain muscle mass. In addition to protein, you also need to consume sufficient carbohydrates and healthy fats for energy. Carbohydrates are your body's main source of energy. They are also needed for hormone production and cell growth. Include vitamin-rich foods in your diet to enhance cell function, energy production, and bone health. Vitamins are essential nutrients that your body needs to function properly.
3. Set Goals and Create a Routine: Seeking guidance from a fitness professional is crucial for developing a personalized and effective workout plan tailored to your specific goals and needs. A qualified fitness trainer can assess your current fitness level, identify any potential limitations or injuries, and design a workout program that aligns with your objectives. They can also provide expert instruction on proper exercise techniques to ensure safe and efficient muscle development. Creating a realistic workout schedule is essential for building a habit and achieving long-term success
4. Form & Technique: Performing exercises with the right form is crucial for maximizing the effectiveness of your workout and achieving your fitness goals. Proper form ensures that you are engaging the intended muscle groups, minimizing the risk of injury, and maximizing muscle activation.
5. Intensity: Gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts is crucial for continuous progress and achieving your fitness goals. This principle, known as progressive overload, challenges your muscles to adapt and grow stronger over time. Some strategies to gradually increase workout intensity are increasing reps or repetition, reducing rest periods between sets, slowing down each rep to increase tension, and progressive overloading. Each week, gradually increase the weight or resistance by 5-10 pounds or 10-20%. If you find yourself struggling to complete the desired repetitions, reduce the weight or resistance slightly to maintain proper form.
6. Hydration: Water is essential for all bodily functions, including muscle building. It makes up about 60% of your body weight and is crucial for transporting nutrients to your muscles, removing waste products, and regulating muscle temperature. Studies have stated that men should ideally consume at least 3 liters and women should consume 2.2 liters of water. In addition to water, electrolytes (such as sodium, potassium, and chloride) play a role in maintaining proper hydration and fluid balance.
7. Rest and Recover: Rest and recovery are crucial components of any muscle-building program. While exercise stimulates muscle growth, it is during rest and recovery that muscles repair and grow stronger. Quality sleep is also essential for muscle recovery and overall health. Aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night. Other recovery methods can include soft tissue massage, foam rolling, hot/cold therapy, and stretching.
8. Train all Movement Patterns: Incorporate the seven foundational movement patterns from the fundamental building blocks of human motion, encompassing a range of activities that our bodies naturally perform. These include locomotion, squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling, rotation, and anti-rotation. Locomotion involves walking and running. Squatting engages lower body strength, while hinging, like in deadlifts, targets the posterior chain. Pushing and pulling motions work opposing upper body muscles, and rotational movements engage the core and oblique. Anti-rotation exercises, such as planks, enhance stability.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)