For many people who want to get ripped, joining a gym is just not an option. Perhaps they are a junior and their allowance won’t stretch to a gym membership. It could be that with the current economic climate adults too find they simply can’t justify paying the fees when there are far higher priorities to take care of first. It might also be that some people just do not like the gym culture and feel uncomfortable working out within a crowd of strangers.
Whatever the reason the following pointers will show you how to get muscles without the need for joining a gym.
First off, what level do you want to take your muscle building? If you plan to just tone up and get in better shape then all you need is some basic home fitness exercise equipment and we cover this level of training in our section called health and fitness. If however, you plan on getting ripped then you need to accept that there will need to be a few costs involved.
To build serious muscle mass you need to lift weights – heavy weights. If you can afford it I recommend you purchase a set of dumbbells, a barbell with weights and an adjustable bench. These 3 pieces of equipment are enough to ensure all your muscle groups are covered and can be picked up cheaply second hand.
Dumbbells are the most popular equipment for those building muscles at home because they are cheap, easy to store and can be used in the smallest of rooms.
A barbell and weights will be the most expensive item you purchase and strictly speaking, if you got yourself a quality set of dumbbells with plenty of weights then you can make do without a barbell for the time being. See the video at the bottom showing how to do a bench press with both a barbell and a dumbbell.
An adjustable workout bench can take up a lot of room so if this is limited be sure to buy one that folds down flat. Having a bench greatly increases the number of exercises you can do and is essential if you are serious about getting ripped.
With the above 3 pieces of exercise equipment your workout routine can include rows, curls, raises and extensions as well as the bench press workouts.
OK, now we have the equipment lets get started.
The most important thing when it comes to getting ripped is to be consistent. Draw yourself up a rota and stick to it. Don’t skip sessions but just as importantly, don’t add extra sessions either. Your muscles need time to repair and grow between workouts so it is strongly recommended as a beginner you only do 3 sessions per week, one every other day and then have 2 full days off ie Mon, Wed and Friday with the weekend off to allow your body full recovery. This will allow you to work each muscle group once per week or twice max and also keeps your exercise program nice and simple.
You also need to keep good form during each exercise. Lowering a weight builds muscle just as the lifting did so don’t jerk or swing – keep the entire movement nice and smooth. To start with you will want just enough weight on your bars to allow you to do between 8 and 10 reps for a total of 3 sets with a short rest in between.
So for example if you are doing bench presses you want to be struggling on the 8th, 9th or 10th raise. Rest for 30 seconds to a minute and then repeat. Ideally you won’t be able to complete your 3rd set.
Choosing Your Workout Routine
First off, don’t go copying what some famous bodybuilder says he’s doing in the latest fitness magazine because your body is almost certainly not ready for that kind of workout yet and secondly, bodybuilding is a ruthless sport and there is absolutely no way any bodybuilder is going to reveal his training methods to a fitness magazine for all to read.
You know your body better than anyone so the first thing you should do is write down which muscle groups you want or ned to improve. As a beginner this is most likely going to be your entire body and that’s ok but you still need to write down the muscle groups you want to work on ie. abs, legs, arms, chest.
Once you have the muscle groups written down you can start to add exercises you want to do to work those areas. When you do start looking at the different exercises you will quickly see that many of them work more than one muscle group and you will want to keep this in mind whilst devising your workout routine.
It is good practice to change your exercise routine every couple of months to avoid boredom and makes sure the muscles are not continually worked the same. If you notice your gains slow down to nothing, changing your routine will kick start growth again.
The above shows you how to get muscles without the need for a gym membership and seriously, if you get yourself the equipment I recommended and get started right now you will see gains. However, there are many other things to consider as you move toward your goal of getting ripped.
Making sure you have the right mindset, learning the pro’s and cons of training supplements and of course making the right changes to your diet. Getting ripped is a lifestyle change and as well as guidance you need to be committed.
If you are committed to learning how to get muscles then I’m happy to help you reach your goals. Check out our catalogue of diet and fitness programs by clicking here.