At first glance, there seems to be no concrete reason for anyone to choose to train without weights. But, in practice, there are some very valid reasons, the most common being the lack of access to gyms, either for reasons of location, lack of time or even for economic reasons. It is true that training with external weight or resistance devices is the fastest and most effective way to gain strength and increase muscle mass.
If for some of the reasons mentioned your training has to be done at home or at least outside a gym, what will be the most efficient way to do it? In these situations, the most suitable type of training is calisthenic training, which, in addition to keeping you physically active, allows you to gain muscle mass.
The calisthenic movements consist of a variety of exercises that recruit large muscle groups, performed in a rhythmic way and with a minimum of equipment, usually even with only body weight. (We recommend to athletes pregnyl 5000 preis) They aim to increase strength, endurance and flexibility. Calisthenic exercises also benefit muscle and aerobic conditioning, in addition to improving psychomotor skills, such as balance, agility and coordination.
In this article we will leave you some infallible tips to keep getting the results you want.
Techniques for bodybuilding at home
High number of repetitions
Performing a high number of repetitions, of a given exercise, has as main objective to stimulate the muscular groups involved to the limit, in order to develop more resistance and more muscular strength. Performing a high volume of repetitions promotes the development of type I muscle fibers, known as “slow twitch muscle fibers”, which produce less contraction force but are more resistant and less prone to fatigue.
It is, therefore, possible to increase muscle mass with workouts that involve only body weight and a high number of repetitions, provided that muscle failure is reached, that is, the point at which it is not possible to perform any more repetitions. This type of training can induce muscle growth similar to traditional strength training with high loads, but not in such a comprehensive way.
From a mental point of view, it is also a highly challenging technique, which prepares you psychologically to face more intense workouts. Try to do simple exercises, such as push-ups, lifts, sit-ups or crunches. Try to do the maximum number of repetitions followed by each movement until you complete, for example, 100 repetitions.
Isometric contraction
Another effective way to work your muscles is through isometric contraction or posing. This type of exercise consists of promoting high intensity muscle contraction and maintaining it for at least 10 seconds. Despite being known to be extremely tiring and often neglected, isometric contraction can effectively promote an increase in muscle mass.
When a muscle flexes or contracts, the flow of blood to the tissue is temporarily interrupted, creating the so-called “occlusion effect”. This temporary restriction of blood supply will cause muscle hypertrophy to occur, even in low intensity poses. The reason for this phenomenon lies in the pressure that sarcoplasm (liquid content of muscle fibers) is subjected to, when occluding, expanding and filling the fibers and creating a more voluminous aspect.
On the other hand, occlusion generates a state of hypoxia (lack of oxygen in the cells) that triggers a series of cellular mechanisms, culminating in hypertrophy. One of these mechanisms includes the increase in the activity of satellite cells (myosatellite cells or muscle stem cells), which have the potential to form new muscle fibers.
An interesting variation of this technique is, right after the posing exercise, to perform a dynamic exercise, which recruits the same muscles that were in contraction. For example, contract your chest muscles and triceps for as long as you can and then do a series of push-ups until the muscles fail.
Increase in intensity
Another effective tip for promoting muscle growth is to reduce the rest time between sets of exercises. In a first approach, the rest between sets should be around 60 seconds, but as you progress, try to progressively reduce the rest time to 45, 30 and, finally, 15 seconds. In a more advanced stage you can try to do a whole cycle of calisthenic movements without any rest.
Try, for example, doing a series of lifts to muscle failure. Rest just a few seconds, maximum 10, and start another series. You will notice a marked reduction in the number of repetitions you can do in the second set, but this approach will have a very positive impact on your muscle development.
Unilateral movements
Unilateral exercises are movements performed with only one limb (upper or lower limbs) or with only one side of the body in its sagittal plane (right or left side). The main benefit of including unilateral exercises in training plans is that, in addition to being stimulated on both sides of the body, it increases the degree of difficulty of exercises that use only body weight and, consequently, increases strength and endurance generated.
Another of the main advantages of unilateral exercises is to widen the spectrum of recruited muscles (compared to the muscles involved in conventional movements), such as the core, back and other stabilizing muscles, as they require more balance during your exercise. execution.
As examples of these exercises we have squats with only one leg or pistol squats, push-ups and lifts with only one arm and the side planks. These variations are highly challenging and you should definitely try them out.
Slow and controlled movements
The control of movements, during the execution of an exercise, adds stimulation to the recruited muscles and allows gains in strength and mass. To better understand its importance and master its execution, it is necessary to know the concept of concentric movements, in which the muscles contract and become shorter, and eccentric movements, in which the muscles stretch to the maximum in response to an opposite force.
Performing the exercises in a slow and timed manner, both in the concentric and eccentric phases, allows you to correct posture and technique, to ensure consistent and well-executed movements and simultaneously allow gains in strength and hypertrophy.
Suggested weight training exercises to do at home
- Push-ups or push-ups
- Hand stand push-ups or push-ups
- Dips or sinking
- Pull-ups or lifts
- Sit-ups or sit-ups
- Squats or squats
Conclusion
Doing a bodybuilding workout at home is perfectly possible, just by introducing some adaptations and techniques, which allow to broaden the spectrum of the recruited muscles and optimize the.