5 Top Tips For Building Muscle At Home

By: Darren MacLeod

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.

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