How to Build Muscle Without Weights

If you’re interested in building muscle without weights, then this guide was written for you. Specifically, we’re going to talk about the benefits of bodyweight exercise, how to train the upper body, and how to train the lower body. By the time you’ve finished reading this guide, you’re going to have a brief, yet useful overview of how to build muscle without having to use weights or any expensive gym equipment.

Let’s start by taking a look at some of the benefits of using bodyweight exercise. The obvious one is that it requires no expensive gym equipment. While there are ways to enhance certain movements (like using resistance bands or weighted vests), you generally don’t need any equipment to get started.

What many people don’t realize is that you can still build a lot of strength using the resistance of your own body. After all, resistance is resistance, whether it comes from your own bodyweight or an expensive set of weights.

Another huge benefit to this form of exercise is that it can be performed practically anywhere without any disadvantages, as long as you have enough space.

Now let’s talk about how to train and build muscle on the upper body using bodyweight exercise. The most common (and one of the oldest) exercises for the upper body is the push up. Why? Simply because it’s one of the best possible ways to develop your chest and triceps, as well as your deltoids and midsection, to a lesser extent.

Another great thing about the pushup, is that it’s insanely customizable. If you can’t do a full pushup yet, you can start by performing a pushup from the knees, or against a wall. Once you can comfortably do 20 or more normal pushups, you can also make the exercise harder by adding a weight vest, or learning how to perform a plyometric pushup – which requires more explosive strength.

Finally, let’s talk about how to train the lower body. The truth is, most people neglect this area – because it doesn’t feel as rewarding as developing your arms, chest, and other mirror muscles. But if you’re training for any particular sport, or you want to lose some weight to get that “ripped” look – then lower bodyweight exercises are important.

One of the most common exercises is the bodyweight squat. This is where you stand with your feet shoulder width apart, then bend your knees to “squat”. This exercise isn’t just for beginners. It can be greatly intensified by adding weight, performing the exercise with one leg, and more.

So to summarize, this guide has given you a quick overview about how it's possible to build muscle without weights or expensive gym equipment, simply by using bodyweight exercises. Now that you’ve finished reading, you should realize that there are ways to get fit, get ripped, and build muscle without relying on expensive equipment.

While you will still need some more advanced variations of these exercises as you progress (and free weights can help), there is no need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on fitness equipment, or even sign up to the gym if you don't want to.