If you don't have equipment but your goal is to build muscle, you might be wondering how to train to reach this goal. Performing bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and lunges are the way to go in order to build muscle without weights, but you also need to be strategic with how you program your workouts to maintain and build muscle mass.
How to Build Muscle Without Any Equipment
"Many people have had success in building muscle with bodyweight-only calisthenic workouts," Sten Stray-Gunderson, MS, an exercise physiologist and trainer at Reach Outcome [1], told POPSUGAR. Stray-Gunderson said high volume and high rep training lead to building muscle [2], also known as hypertrophy. In addition to training in the hypertrophy phase, "the key to building muscle is to promote muscle protein synthesis (a natural process that allows your body to produce protein in order to repair the skeletal muscle damage from exercise and promote skeletal muscle growth) through nutrition and exercise stimuli," he explained. Exercise is important but so is your nutrition!
How Long Will It Take to Build Muscle Without Weights?
No matter your fitness goal, building muscle won't happen overnight. "Changes in muscle composition require six weeks of training to see significant changes, so do not get discouraged if you do not see changes right away. Consistent training and nutrition intake (primarily high intake of protein and the timing of carbohydrate intake after training) will yield results — it just takes time," he explained.
Because every body is different (we cannot stress this enough!), how long it will take you to build muscle comes down to your current fitness level, genetics, and the frequency and duration of your workouts. It may take some trial and error to figure out what works best for you, but that's OK. Generally speaking, Stray-Gunderson recommends erring on the side of caution and building up your tolerance to exercise when starting a new routine. "For an average individual with some exercise background, three to five training days per week is usually well-tolerated," he said. Your goal should be high reps and sets, and he recommends three to five sets of 15 to 20 reps per exercise (if you have light weights, definitely use them, Stray-Gunderson said).
The Best Exercises to Build Muscle Without Equipment
It's going to take time to start building muscle but that doesn't mean it's impossible! "If you do not have access to equipment, performing full-body circuit training will maximally stimulate muscle growth and fat-burning," Stray-Gunderson said. He recommends doing high-intensity interval training [4] (HIIT) as it will help boost your metabolism [5] and promote lean muscle mass. Add movements like push-ups, pull-ups, bodyweight squats, lunges and burpees to your next HIIT workout to start building muscle.
Stray-Gunderson also recommends jumping rope and doing sprint intervals to build muscle [6]. If you're wondering how long your workouts should be, he said at least 30 minutes of training per session should suffice. Additionally, if your goal is to build muscle, you're going to want to hold off on doing long bouts of cardio, such as a five mile run, as cardio can burn both fat and muscle [7].
How to Maintain the Muscle You've Built
If you aren't sure when the dumbbells you ordered off of Amazon will arrive at your home, you may be wondering how to maintain your muscle mass sans equipment. "The biggest factor for maintaining muscle mass is sufficient protein and caloric intake," Stray-Gunderson said. "Muscles will not grow if there is not enough material to build them!" He recommends consuming 1.2 to 2.2 grams per pound of bodyweight a day of protein to preserve your muscle mass. This will also vary based on your body and genetics, so we recommend working with a registered dietitian for a more individualized plan. (Also check out these dietitian tips on what to eat to build muscle [8].)
Aside from your diet, Stray-Gunderson said to perform exercises focusing on the time under tension [9] (moving slow and controlled, for example, lowering down into a squat for three seconds, holding for one second at the bottom, and slowly returning to the starting position for three seconds) during a minimum of two workouts a week to stimulate muscle maintenance.
If you're ready to start building muscle, check out the 12 bodyweight exercises ahead to start adding to your workout. Also, consider adding the following bodyweight workouts into your routine.
- A 30-minute HIIT workout for small spaces [10]
- A four-move glute workout [11]
- A 12-minute full-body workout [12]
Knee Push-Up
- Begin in plank with your knees on the mat.
- Exhale to bend the elbows, lowering into a push-up. Inhale to straighten your arms. This completes one rep.
Forward Backward Lunge
- Stand with the feet together.
- Put weight in the left foot, lift your right knee up, and step into a forward lunge. The front knee should be at a 90-degree angle with the left knee just barely hovering above the ground.
- Push into your right heel, come to stand, and immediately step the right foot behind you into a reverse lunge with the left knee at a 90-degree angle.
- This counts as one rep.
Bodyweight Squat
- Stand up straight with your head facing forward. Pick a spot at eye level to focus on.
- Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Push your chest up and outward and hold your hands straight out in front of you, palms facing down.
- Begin the exercise by lowering your glutes down like you're going to sit on a chair or bench.
- Continue down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Your weight should be in your heels.
- Finish the move by pushing up through your heels and rising back to the starting position. This counts as one rep.
Single-Leg Bridge
- Lie on your back and place your hands on the floor for stability as you bend one leg and lift the other leg off the ground.
- Pressing your heel into the floor, lift your pelvis up, keeping your body in a stiff bridge position.
- Slowly lower your body to the floor. This completes one rep.
Reverse Lunge With a Knee Drive
- Stand with feet together. Take a controlled lunge (or large step) backward with your left foot.
- As you lunge back with your left foot, drive your left arm forward to maintain your balance.
- Lower your hips so that your right thigh (front leg) becomes parallel to the floor and your right knee is positioned directly over your ankle. Keep your left knee bent at a 90-degree angle and pointing toward the floor. Your left heel should be lifted.
- From the ground, drive your left knee up coming into a standing position with your left leg lifted at a 90-degree angle. Simultaneously drive your right arm up to maintain your balance.
- If it's too hard to come into to perform the knee drive from the lunge, step your left foot in to meet your right, then raise your left knee up.
- This completes one rep.
Banded Assisted Pull-Up
- Place a large resistance band [14] securely around a pull-up bar. A band with more resistance will provide you with more assistance/momentum to pull yourself up.
- Stand on a stable object (a bench will work), and grip the pull-up bar. With one hand, place the band around the arch of your shoe. Fully extend the banded leg.
- With a neutral spine and your abs engaged, pull yourself up. The band will provide you with momentum to lift your body up. Lower back down to the starting position. This counts as one rep.
Seated Knee Tuck
- Start seated on the ground or on a weight bench. Place your hands about an inch behind your back with your fingers facing forward. Your feet should be on the ground.
- Lift both feet up off of the ground and extend both legs as you simultaneously lower your upper body. Be sure to get full extension at your hips and legs.
- With control, bring your legs back to your chest without touching the ground with your feet and return to the starting position. This counts as one rep.
Single-Leg Deadlift
- Stand with all your weight on your right foot, abs engaged and chest lifted.
- Reach your torso forward as you lift your left leg behind you. Reach your arms out to the sides for balance as your torso and leg come parallel to the floor.
- Hold this position for a moment, and reach through your left heel to engage the back of the left leg.
- Moving in one piece, lower your left leg toward the floor as you return to standing upright, resting the left foot lightly on the ground. This completes one rep.
Close-Grip and Wide-Grip Push-Up
- Come into a plank position with your wrists underneath your shoulders and your fingertips pointing forward. Be sure to keep your neck and back in a neutral position — you don't want your spine to round or arch. Be sure to engage your core [15] to help you maintain proper form.
- To perform the close-grip push-up, move your hands in about two inches and tuck your elbows close to your ribs as you lower down to the ground. Your spine should still be in a neutral position, and your core should be engaged.
- Push your hands through the ground to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
- From here, move your hands about two inches outside of your shoulders and let your elbows go wide as you lower down into a push-up, keeping your neck and spine in a neutral position.
- Push your hands through the ground to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
- This counts as one rep.
- To modify this move, feel free to perform the push-up on your knees as you work on developing your strength.
Crab Walk
- Sit on the ground with your knees bent, your hands two inches behind you, and your fingers pointing away from your body. If this is too much weight on your wrists, slightly turn your fingers out to the sides of your body. Lift your hips two to three inches off the ground.
- Step your right foot forward as you simultaneously move your left hand forward. Then repeat on the opposite side. This completes one rep. Focus on perfecting the contralateral movement (moving opposite body parts at the same time).
Burpee
- Lower into a crouching squat with your hands on the floor.
- Do a squat thrust by jumping your feet back into a plank position.
- Do one basic push-up, bending the elbows and then straightening back to a plank.
- Jump the feet forward to the hands, and come into a squat.
- Do an explosive jump straight up, getting as much height as you can. Be sure to land gently and with control. This counts as one rep.
Plank With Alternating Arm and Leg Raise
- Come into plank position with your arms and legs straight and your shoulders above your wrists.
- With control, raise your right arm up as you simultaneously raise your left leg up off of the ground. Be sure not to rotate at your hip or upper body. Hold for one second.
- With control, lower your right arm and left leg back to the starting position. That counts as one rep. Repeat with the left arm and right leg.