I have always believed that you have a much better chance of reaching your fitness goals if you join a gym and get advice from a professional trainer or coach. However, many MuscleandStrength.com readers do not have the time, money or desire to join a gym and prefer to workout at home. I believe that working out home has a its disadvantages, but the one huge advantage it does have is?you don't have to leave the house!
If you are one of these people that plans to workout at home then this article is for you! Like I just mentioned, you will have a far better chance of achieving your goals when you join a gym but it is possible to get into shape and build muscle without leaving your home with limited equipment.
So here at my top 5 tips for building muscle at home:
1) Don't waste your money on ?miracle? gym equipment Getting in shape takes time, motivation and hard work. If you are not willing to put in those three things then you may as well not start. Avoid gym equipment that says ?get in shape in 5 minutes a day?, or ?flatter abs in 14 days?. These types of equipment are a total waste of money! You can literally do hundreds of exercises just using a set of dumbbells and a barbell, and these happen to be some of the cheapest pieces of gym equipment. If you are unsure of what equipment best suits your needs you should consult a fitness professional (see tip 5).
2) Wherever possible, use your bodyweight If you have limited equipment, bodyweight exercises are your friend. You can potentially pack on a huge amount of muscle without ever lifting a dumbbell or barbell. Good bodyweight exercises to do at home include chin ups, wide grip pull ups, dips, bench dips, push ups and bodyweight rows.
3) Plan your diet around your workouts If you have the flexibility of working out at home then you also have the ability to plan your meals around your workouts. Diet makes up 70% of the building muscle process so you can see how important it is. Make sure you eat a good serve of complex carbohydrates about one hour before your workout and a nutritious meal containing protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals within 1 hour of finishing your workout. You should spread your meals out evenly throughout the day. Eat six small meals throughout the day instead of three large ones. This promotes a fast metabolism and limits fat storage.
4) Avoid distractions One of the problems with working out at home is getting easily distracted. If possible, set up your gym equipment in an empty room with a stereo so you can focus on working out and not what's happening around the house. A friend of mine who has a home gym told me he often used to put his favorite bodybuilding DVDs on while he was training to keep him motivated. This is an awesome tip to stay motivated at home. Another tip would be to try and workout when no one else is home.
5) Consult a fitness professional I recommend this for people who are new to weight training and home workouts. Even if you have trained in a gym before, working out at home is much different and a fitness professional with working out at home experience should be able to help you out. In addition to helping you with your home gym setup, he/she will be able to plan a good routine and give you some tips to maximize the equipment you've got. You should be able to get all the help you need in one or two sessions so it shouldn't break the bank!
These are just a few important tips for those of you working out at home. If you are serious about workout out at home for the long term, I would recommend that you pick up a few more basic pieces of equipment. These include an adjustable bench, weight rack (this can be used for bench and squatting) and a good range of dumbbells and weight plates.
If you have any more questions about working out at home head over to the forum on MuscleandStrength.com, our members will happily help you out with some free advice. Well, good luck with your home workouts and thank you for reading this article. See links below for further information.
Jeff Anderson nicknamed "muscle nerd" has authored Optimum Anabolics. He got the nickname from his habit of dutifully writing down every minute detail of all that he did at the gym. So can he help you? If yes then how? The research that has gone into Optimum Anabolics will leave you with some of the best information on how the body works to build muscle. The information is delivered in a very clear and concise manner that is simple to understand. This is a very unique book. It is animated and brought alive by a character Joe Hardgainer. Who is this: "Joe Hardgainer", you ask? It is you (well not literally) but you will surely see yourself in him. He's a guy who wants to desperately gain muscle weight. He has hit the gym, spoken to the biggest guy, tried the much-hyped supplements, scanned the muscle magazines and the professional bodybuilders for help. He is remotely successfully in his endeavour, but is still fighting those plateaus unsuccessfully. He has not been able to pull across the plateaus that constantly stall the progress of the most dedicated trainers. The author of the book shows you that he understands what you have been through and understands how to display the information to you in a manner that you will relate to. Make no mistake that you will have to be very motivated to get the results that are promised with this book. You must follow the guidelines exactly if you wish to gain the muscle mass that is possible with Optimum Anabolics. There is a diet plan and workout plan that must be followed to the letter if you want to get results, and it will require your commitment and discipline. There are eight anabolic factors that must be learned. They are what the entire program is based on and your understanding is what will create the effect that will gain muscle mass. The program is included on Mp3 so that you can take the program with you wherever you go. Some of the points are the tempo, the frequency of the workout and the diet that you are following. At the base of the program there is Hyper Adaptive Cycling. This what the entire program is based on. If you are looking for results, this program is something that can be worked very easily by a commited person. You will learn how to break through the plateaus that derail other bodybuilders and how to stop them from happening from the beginning. At the center of the program there is a great deal of information on how the body grows muscle. You will learn how the natural occurances in the body cause it to grow muscles in response to these occurences. When you understand the natural process of muscle growth, you will see how effective Hyper Adaptive Cycling will be on your program. When you are just beginning in bodybuilding, you will realize how difficult it can be to get through a plateau and start the body growing muscles again. When your body recognizes your workout, it will stop growing muscles after a period of time. The simple explanation of how this occurs is that your body is no longer responding to the workouts because it no longer needs additional muscle growth to complete the workout. It is important to get your muscles to react to add new muscles. Therefore, bodybuilders constantly introduce alterations to their training and keep their body guessing to never enter a comfort zone. Hyper-Adaptive Cycling is not about bringing classic changes that keeps the body guessing it goes much beyond that. Hyper-Adaptive Cycling = Massive change You will learn through this program how the body works to help you add new muscles. You must learn how to reprogram the body to use defense mechanisms that occur naturally in the body and add to your muscle growth. The use of the program will work by keeping your muscles guessing and have no choice but to grow in response.
Both Darren Macleod & Westy are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Darren Macleod has sinced written about articles on various topics from Build Muscle, Health and Disease & illness. Learn how to build muscle, gain weight and shape up by reading this . Muscle&Strength.com has over 700 page of free info including. Darren Macleod's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.
Westy has sinced written about articles on various topics from Build Muscle, Bodybuilding Supplements and Build Online Business. Westy's Workouts provides you with the most effective natural body building and weight lifting advice on the net. Find for growing strong FAST. Westy's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.