For various reasons, a novice athlete comes to the conclusion that bodybuilding should be done at home, because there may simply not be enough time for the gym due to the main job or lack of money for a subscription, therefore, you need to know what strength exercises can be performed at home to achieve results as quickly as possible.
In all matters, in order to achieve high results, not only in bodybuilding, you need a strong desire to achieve your goal, and only then begins the search for the right training program, exercises, proper nutrition to gain muscle mass.
Bodybuilding at home[edit | edit code]
Richard Choueiri - works out only at home
When engaged in bodybuilding, a person does not always strive to conquer the top of the sports Olympus. 95% of bodybuilders do not participate in competitive bodybuilding. In the vast majority of cases, bodybuilding is associated with the aesthetic beauty of the body, attractiveness and a healthy lifestyle. All this can be achieved at home, since many exercises can be easily emulated with simple equipment that you can equip your own home with without difficulty and expense. In this article we will try to prove that bodybuilding at home is real.
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Bodybuilding at home - advantages[edit | edit code]
So, you've decided to start bodybuilding at home. This approach certainly has a number of advantages: you can perform the exercises at any convenient time, the duration of the workout is determined only by your needs and, finally, no one will grab the barbell right under your nose and lie down on the bench while you decide to work out bench press Bodybuilding at home is an opportunity to prove your independence from the artificial world of services. And finally, bodybuilding at home means saving money that can be spent on other needs.
Another benefit is the ability to experiment. After reading an article on how to snatch properly, a person may decide to try it, but the gym is not the best place to experiment. Few people like to try a new exercise in front of many witnesses. There is a possibility that something will be done wrong - people are afraid to seem funny. But at home you can try out any new exercise or even an entire program. You can make mistakes without worrying about what others will think about it. If you're alone, it's very easy to focus on each rep and perfect your form. You can try a new technique, such as very slow or very fast reps, or perform sets without rest, and then evaluate the results.
Disadvantages of bodybuilding at home[edit | edit code]
Bodybuilding at home will force you to deal with the need to purchase equipment and will require time and effort to create your own equipment. An experienced trainer will not help you, so you will have to learn everything yourself. On the other hand, a coach or an experienced athlete can be invited to help at home.
When using improvised means, there is an increased risk of injury. Safety is a major concern for those who train alone. Since there is no safety net, some exercises will have to be avoided or performed with moderate weights. Number one in this category is the bench press. The largest number of people training at home get injured in this exercise. Therefore, it is recommended to use a power frame. Not necessarily huge, but just enough to hold the weights you're working with. Or use dumbbells. Therefore, be careful, act methodically and wisely, and do not rush things.
Home Bodybuilding Goals
At home, muscles cannot grow indefinitely, but at home, you can grow 17% of your muscles on your bones in three years.
Most men who lead a sedentary lifestyle have only 33% muscle and more than 20% fat in their body.
The goal of bodybuilding is body shape, brute strength. If you have great brute strength, like a master of sports in powerlifting, but have a waist of more than 100 cm, then this is not bodybuilding.
Bodybuilding is when your body contains more than 50% muscle and less than 8% fat.
The difficulty with bodybuilding is that you need to build muscle mass and muscle strength while keeping an eye on your fat percentage.
training program
Bodybuilding at home: five essential elements[edit | edit code]
Self-education[edit | edit code]
If you have seriously decided that bodybuilding at home is right for you, then the first thing you should start with is mastering the theory. And since you are already reading this article, we can say that you are on the right track. Do not limit yourself to short articles, read the literature (an entire section of SportsWiki is dedicated to this) in order to understand the mechanisms of muscle growth, determine the characteristics of your body, and penetrate into the intricacies of the physiology of the body. You will not be able to succeed if you cannot find or create a suitable training program for yourself, and this is only possible if you have a high level of knowledge of bodybuilding theory. In addition, the Internet is currently replete with a large number of video tutorials that you can also use.
Goals[edit | edit code]
Clearly define your goals: getting ripped, gaining muscle mass, burning fat, and so on. Obviously, certain muscle groups will require increased attention, others less, all this should be taken into account when drawing up a program and purchasing or constructing sports equipment.
Planning[edit | edit code]
It is necessary to draw up a clear training plan; bodybuilding at home requires that you independently develop a training program for yourself, and include not only a list of exercises, the number of approaches and repetitions, but also a schedule for the whole day: sleep, work, study and, very importantly, diet and sports nutrition.
Preparing the premises[edit | edit code]
Even in the smallest apartment there is a corner for organizing a home gym. The minimum space to make bodybuilding a reality at home is 9 square meters. There should be no furniture or other household items with sharp edges around; clear the floor and cover it with a carpet or, ideally, carpet. It is advisable to hang a mirror on the wall so that you can see at least the upper half of the body. Don't forget about music, place sound sources around the periphery. The room in which the home gym is located must have ventilation and good lighting.
If you have small children and curious pets, you should consider blocking their access to the home gym to avoid injury. An excellent option for a home gym is an insulated and heated loggia.
Acquisition of equipment[edit | edit code]
The equipment of a home gym to organize bodybuilding at home can be divided into three classes:
- Class 1
- equipped with exercise equipment with full functional coverage. This gym is in no way inferior to professional fitness clubs. However, large financial costs will be required. - Class 2
- equipment is limited to basic projectiles, and is in an intermediate position between class 1 and class 3. - Class 3
- minimal equipment, limited to a few shells, with abundant use of improvised means. Cost-effective, but less functional option. However, with the right approach, this equipment class can fully satisfy your needs.
A detailed analysis of equipment for the above classes for a home gym is discussed in the article Home Gym
Exercises for home bodybuilding
Home bodybuilding begins with bodyweight exercises. First you need to master push-ups, pull-ups and air squats with strict technique.
Popular bodybuilding methods recommend doing 5-10 exercises per workout and doing 3 workouts per week.
Moreover, many popular bodybuilding techniques recommend training different muscle groups in each workout, which means different exercises.
A weekly training program for a beginner in such popular techniques may contain 30 different exercises.
It's too much to learn how to do all these exercises well using strict technique.
But doing 10 exercises per workout means doing only 2-3 sets per exercise. And this is too little to quickly learn the strict technique of performing each exercise.
training program
I often get new clients with experience in independent bodybuilding who cannot do simple exercises with their own weight using strict technique: air squats, push-ups, and even more so pull-ups.
Often such people have a history of many injuries. This is due to the fact that they always tried to add weight to the barbell before they had time to master the exercise technique well.
To master the exercise well, you need at least 1000 repetitions.
In the size/quarter , the minimum requirement is 15 sets of one exercise per week. If you meet this requirement, then good exercise technique can be mastered in 6 weeks of training.
If you train according to popular methods and do 2 approaches per exercise once a week, then you can master the technique in each exercise in a year.
A year of working only on exercise technique? And when to work on increasing the load.
That is why in the size/quarter there are only three exercises per week and they do not change, but become more difficult approximately every 6-12 weeks.
training program
Bodybuilding at home: effectiveness[edit | edit code]
Many champion bodybuilders have trained at home for years and achieved impressive results. Lou Ferrigno, Arthur Beckles, Dorian Yates spent many years in their own garages and basements and achieved championship form. It's all about motivation. Exercises with free weights: barbells, dumbbells - have no less, and maybe even more, impact on the muscles than exercise machines in the gym.
John DeFendis - writer, former Mr. USA, a certified trainer with 20 years of experience, writes that he often starts training people who previously only practiced bodybuilding at home and got impressive results without going to the gym, using sports nutrition or pharmacological agents. John DeFendis believes that bodybuilding at home is quite possible.
If you follow all the tips given in this article and eat right, your results can far outshine people who go to the gym. The effectiveness of training, first of all, depends on the mental attitude, systematic approach and nutrition, as mentioned above.
Example training program[edit | edit code]
Workout program for home with a girl
- Squats with feet shoulder-width apart 20 times
- Push-ups with palms shoulder-width apart 15 times
- Crunch press (lifting shoulder blades only) 20 times
- Squats with weights (you can use a backpack with a load) 20 times
- Push-ups with narrow palms (the partner can put pressure on the back as a weight) 15 times
- Leg raises in a lying position 20 times
- Forward lunges (with weights) 15 times on each leg
- Push-ups from the floor one palm above 8 times change and 8 more
- Bicycle press 20 times
- Back lunges (with weights) 15 times on each leg
- Hold on elbows (plank) 30 seconds
How to choose equipment
To stay in good shape, you don't have to have a whole gym at home. For strength training, home cardio and heavy interval training, three inexpensive equipment will be enough for you.
Collapsible dumbbells
They consist of a bar and discs with different weights, allowing you to increase the load as you progress.
Expander tape
A set of bands with different resistance replaces half of the gym.
Fitball
A large elastic ball helps develop balance and pump up those iron abs.
With this equipment, your workouts will always be interesting and different. You will be able to adjust the load and perform new exercises every day.
If you want even more variety, you can buy:
- pull-up bar;
- massage roller and balls for warming up and relaxing after training;
- jump rope for a good warm-up and crazy cardio;
- non-slip floor exercise mat;
- weights on the legs for high-quality development of the hips and buttocks.
Read also[edit | edit code]
Bodybuilding at home: exercises
Bodybuilding equipment
Workouts at home Workouts at home for weight loss Bodybuilding at home Workout programs at home Bodyweight training program Legs - exercises and training features Biceps - exercises and training features Pectoral muscles - exercises and training features Shoulders - exercises and training features Triceps — exercises and training features Back — exercises and training features Strength training on the road
Equipment for home bodybuilding
Many people can achieve their home bodybuilding goals using only their body weight. At the first stage, you will not need dumbbells, barbells, or even exercise equipment.
For some beginners, even a horizontal bar is too complex a sports equipment. If you cannot do at least 12 pull-ups, then you do not need to climb the horizontal bar. What kind of barbell and racks can we talk about then?
If you can't do 12 pull-ups, then at first you may not think about equipment for home bodybuilding.
Features of female bodybuilding
More and more women are giving up their group cardio classes, preferring full strength training on machines or with free weights. Strength training trains the entire body better and helps you achieve your goal in a relatively short time. In addition, it has been scientifically proven that the fat-burning effect of strength training is superior to cardio, if done correctly.
However, female and male bodybuilding have a number of differences related to physiological characteristics. So, men come to work with heavy weights much faster and quickly build muscle mass. The result that a woman will achieve in three months of hard training, a man can get in just one month of training. But the requirements of girls are not the same as those of men, so there cannot be a universal training for everyone.
The main features of female bodybuilding are as follows.
- There should be more repetitions. Standard 6-8 repetition exercises do not work for women because they have fewer muscle fibers. Because of this, the number of repetitions of the exercise increases at least 2 times, otherwise it will not be possible to start the process of muscle hypertrophy.
- Focus on upper body exercises. It is much more difficult for women to build up the muscles of the chest, arms and back, and the triceps are a problem area for most girls who have not played sports. In this regard, it will take significantly more time to work on these zones than for men.
- A larger supply of glycogen in the muscles allows you to exercise longer and more efficiently. So, if a man feels tired after 40 minutes of intense training, then women have approximately 15-20% more energy reserves. True, this also determines the fact that fat deposits in women form much faster.
The main condition for women's strength training is fewer approaches and more repetitions. A universal recommendation for almost all exercises is three sets of 15 repetitions.
