I am not sure about where you live, but because of gym closures here, I had to find workouts to build muscle at home with no weights. Right now, my gym is back open, but there is no telling if that will still be the case in a month.
I am absolutely terrified of being skinny again. I spent the majority of my youth and young adulthood as maybe the scrawniest person I knew. So when my gym closed down, I needed to find a way to make gains at home.
I put together this list because I firmly believe that if you follow these exercises and eat right, you will be able to put on muscle at home. For more information about what it takes to put on muscle as a skinny person, check out our tips for going from skinny to muscular.
Before we get into this, I wanted to let you know that all of these exercises are available on our app All Workouts: Personal Trainer (iOS | Google Play). We have a ton of FREE gym based workout plans, but you can also create your own custom workout plans based around our at home workouts below.
I will be breaking this up into 5 categories to make it easy for you to follow. Chest, Back, Arms, Shoulders, and Legs. These are the best workouts to build muscle at home with no weights.
Chest
Pushup
This is one of the most well known exercises in the whole world. The pushup has been around since the dawn of man. It uses gravity to engage your chest muscles, and will help you make some gains.
If you are finding these difficult to do, just remember that the heavier you are, the more you are working out your muscles, so think of that as a win!
Close-Grip Pushup
The close grip pushup might seem a little bit odd at first. It is similar to a regular pushup, but you are bringing your hands directly under your chest instead of off to the side like a regular pushup.
Gravity is your friend and helps you here by blasting your chest muscles. You will also notice that your arms might be burning a little bit here. That is because this pushup hits your arms too.
Medicine Ball Crossover Pushup
Obviously, this only works if you have a medicine ball, which can be purchased here. Do not worry though, you can use a lot of different things in your household to modify this exercise.
Instead of using a medicine ball, maybe you can use a stepping stool or an upside down pot. Instead of pushing them back and forth each time, you can do 5 on one side, and then switch and do 5 on the other side. Get creative!
Back
Pullups
Pullups are a tricky one to do if you don’t have a pullup bar. Luckily Amazon has cheap ones that you can hang on your door frame. If you absolutely need to do pullups at home, but don’t want to buy a pullup bar on Amazon, simply go on Google Maps, and search “outdoor gym.”
Most cities have outdoor equipment for working out like pullup bars and other body weight exercise machines.
Suspension Trainer Inverted Row
This is another piece of equipment that can be found on Amazon. The suspension trainer, most commonly known as a TRX trainer can be used for a variety of different exercises.
It can be mounted to your ceiling, your wall, or temporarily to a closed door jamb. Using a suspension trainer for an inverted row is a great way to target back muscles. Be sure to squeeze your back muscles together at the top!
Superman
Does the superman exercise look goofy? You bet it does! But let me tell you, it is no joke. You are going to feel your whole entire back get targeted here. You are not going to want to miss this one.
The longer you hold the superman, the more you are going to feel it. Try to go as long as you can for maximum results.
Arms
Chinup
Similar to a pullup, which targets your back, we are just switching our grip here to perform a chinup. Surprisingly, this changes everything up, and targets different muscles.
A chinup will still target your back, but you will notice that your arms are being target more.
Suspension Trainer Bicep Curl
We are back to the suspension trainer. If you don’t already have one, we highly recommend buying one on Amazon. This workout will really hit your biceps hard.
You are essentially curling dumbbells, but with your bodyweight. You can experiment with different angles to switch up the amount of weight you are pulling. The closer to vertical that your body is, the less weight that you are pulling.
Sphinx Pushup
This one is really going to blast not only your arms, but also your chest. All you need to do is tuck your arms by your side, with your palms a little bit below your chin. Keep your body straight, and use all of your strength to push yourself off of the ground.
This one is definitely harder than a regular pushup, but it is worth it for building muscle in your arms without weights.
Shoulders
Suspension Trainer Y-Raise
We are back to the TRX trainer, or suspension trainer as some like to call it. This is one of the most difficult exercises to perform in this list, but when done correctly, it will really build muscle in your shoulder.
Watch the video closely to understand the correct form. Start slowly. Don’t forget that the more vertical your body is, the easier the exercise will be.
Pike Press
In the video, you can see that the exercise is done on an adjustable bench, but it can be done with a coffee table, work bench, a couch, or anything else that you have in the house at a similar height.
Simply put your legs on an elevated surface, and make your body into a 90 degree angle, and push down towards the ground and then away.
Shoulder Dips
Shoulder dips are another exercise that can be done on something other than an adjustable bench.
All you need to do is rest your hands on the edge of your bench or other elevated surface, and then lower your body towards the ground until your upper arms are parallel with the ground. Then use your shoulders to push you back up.
It is important to avoid using your legs here. This is one of the key requirements to build muscle at home with no weights.
Legs
Jump Squat
Jump squats are as simple as can be. They can be used also for HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). If done in rapid succession, jump squats will really get your heart rate pumping.
The best part about jump squats, is that they not only build muscle in your legs, but they are also very functional.
Walking Lunge
Don’t let the weights in the video scare you. Walking lunges can be done without weights no problem. If you do want the weights however, we recommend these from Amazon.
Walking lunges are essentially you just taking large steps, and using your leg muscles to go down and push back up.
Single-Leg Glute Bridge
Trying to tone up your glutes? This is the perfect workout for you. The single leg glute bridge will really fire up your muscles.
Make sure that when you get up to the top, squeeze your glute muscle. This will ensure that you have the most effective exercise for building your glutes.
Main Point: There are MANY workouts to build muscle at home with no weights.
If you follow these exercises, and make performing them a habit, there is no doubt in my mind that you will find success in building muscle at home.
If you are ready to graduate from bodyweight only exercises, take a look at our recommended gym equipment for your home from Amazon.
Keep up the good work, and keep pushing yourself towards your best self!
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4 of the Best High Intensity Interval Training Workouts for Beginners at Home
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