Who says that you need to go to the gym to be a bodybuilder? Not me. You can get amazing muscle building results with nothing more than home workouts. And what’s more is that you can even see great results without buying a single piece of equipment. But if those things are true then why are is there a common thought that states otherwise. Why do people insist on paying monthly gym fees, and driving back and forth to the gym everyday. Well for one reason, some people like the gym. They prefer it over working out at home, and if that helps them to keep working out then I’m all for it as well. I’ve enjoyed many workouts at gyms, and the principles that I teach in my workouts can used at the gym just as easily as at home. However, I think that home workouts can be just as effective for results in any endeavor.
Of course, the more specialized you want to be in a certain area of fitness, the more you’ll want to use barbells and plates. For example, if you want to get really good at Power Lifting or Olympic Lifting then barbells are a must. That’s because those are tools specific to those sports. Now that doesn’t mean you have to go the gym. Buying your own equipment and creating a home gym can be one of the best things that you do for your personal fitness. If you decide to take that route, bodybuilding progress will be easier to monitor.
However, that doesn’t mean that a barbell and plates are necessary for bodybuilding. That’s because there are 5 principles of working out that can be altered to yield different results. They are: Volume Intensity Frequency Rest Tempo Volume refers to the overall work done in a given period. It’s typically measured in the overall repetitions for the week. We have to take into account each set of reps. Different rep and set combos do different things. A moderate amount of sets with a moderate amount of reps works great for bodybuilding. So about 8-15 sets of 8-15 reps is good way to go. A moderate to high volume is good for bodybuilding. Intensity with weights is best measured with a percentage of the 1 rep max. For bodyweight exercises, it may not be as precise but different progressions can be used. You may only be able to do 2 handstand push-ups, but you can do 12 pike push-ups.
Since we want a moderate intensity, the pike push-ups will work better for bodybuilding. Frequency is an often debated subject, and probably will be for a long time. I have had good results from exercising a muscle 2 days a week, and I have received good results from exercising a muscle six days a week. You have to experiment and see what works best for you. A safe bet though is a full body workout done 3 times a week such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There are many different kinds of rest, but this principle refers to the rest periods in between sets. If you do your workout in a typical linear fashion then you should rest 1-2 minutes between sets for optimal muscle growth.
An example of linear fashion is to do all 3 sets of 10 reps in the bench press before moving on to another exercise. If you’re doing supersets, you could eliminate the rest or keep it below 1 minute. If you’re doing circuits with 4 or more exercises, I wouldn’t rest at all. Many stand by the linear fashion because you can completely focus and exercise one set of muscles at a time as opposed to jumping back and forth. Tempo is an often overlooked element that can actually be very instrumental in a bodybuilder’s success. Slower tempos are very effective at increasing muscular size. Tempo refers to the speed of the movement, and the time for counted for any pauses.
For example, two good bodybuilding tempos are 3/0/1/0 or 3/0/3/0. The numbers all represent seconds, and the first one is the time spent lowering the weight. The second is the pause at the bottom, the third is the lifting phase, and the fourth is the pause at the top. Pauses can also be helpful in bodybuilding, but are best kept short such as 3/1/3/1. After you alter those 5 principles in a bodybuilding direction, there are 2 more things you need to do.The first is to focus. Pay attention to your body and what you’re doing as you workout. This applies to anyone that works out. The third, and final piece of the puzzle is a proper diet. It’s often been said that results in fitness are 80% diet, and only 20% working out, or some ratio like that.
No matter what the actual ratio is, we have to accept that diet plays a huge role in reaching our fitness goals. In bodybuilding, it is especially important because bodybuilding is mainly about the look. In weight lifting sports like Power Lifting, the goal is to lift as much weight as possible. With good form, of course. My point is that bodybuilders need good nutrition to not only fuel their workouts, but to keep the fat off as well. Emphasis on proteins, veggies, and fruits is a must. Don’t forget unprocessed carbs, and healthy fats as well. The more focus you put into your bodybuilding diet plan the better off you’ll be. So as long as you are willing to put in the time and effort, bodybuilding at home can be a very realistic venture. Exercises like bicep curls are not necessary to build big arms, and you can find ways of adding resistance without adding external weight.
My advice is to use what you can. If you have an old backpack that you can fill with heavy materials then definitely use it with your push-ups, and squats. And when you’re trying to narrow in on a smaller muscle such as the bicep, do close grip chin-ups. That is one piece of equipment that I do feel is necessary. You have to have something that you can pull yourself up on. If you don’t then you need some sort of weight to do rows with. A bodybuilder needs proper back development, and a pull-up bar is definitely worth the price. If there’s only one piece of equipment that you get for your home gym, I recommend that it be a pull-up bar. That combined with your hard work, focus, and creativity will allow you to become an amazing bodybuilder that works out at home.
