Is it possible to gain muscle mass without using weights, dumbbells, cables, or traditional gym machines? The answer is simple: YES! It can be done, and today I explain how to achieve it.
Why would anyone want to exercise without weights? Sometimes you do not have access to the equipment, the gym or it may even be due to lack of time to go to the gym, this has happened to almost all of us at some point.
And in the same way, we all know that using weights and machines will be the fastest and most efficient way to gain strength and size. Wait Is this really true? Is there no other way to do it?
The truth is that the answer here is not black or white, it will depend entirely on your specific goals, your body characteristics, and your current physical condition.
Let’s get fully into the subject, that the truth is that if you can develop muscle mass without using weights, let’s see how to achieve it.
Basic concepts to start training without weights
How much muscle do you expect to build?
The first thing you have to tackle is establishing the amount of muscle you are looking to build.
Not everyone wants to look like a bodybuilder, but any type of exercise that generates a minimum of muscular stress and that allows a progressive overload technique to be applied; Over time, it will result in a hypertrophy response over the muscle.
You can read an introduction to calisthenics here calistenia, training with your own body weight.
And based on this we can again affirm that yes, you can build muscle if you train without weights.
However, if you are trying to maximize muscle growth and overall strength, you will usually need to train with such an amount of weight (also called load or resistance) that you can achieve muscle failure.
In case you don’t know, the point of muscle failure is the point where you cannot complete any additional repetitions with proper technique, and this should be in the range of 8-12 repetitions.
Once you start going beyond 12 reps or so, the primary adaptation the muscle will experience is an increase in endurance rather than focusing on actual muscle growth.
Now, after you’ve been training exclusively with bodyweight exercises for a certain period of time, you can easily exceed this rep range.
And once that happens, and if they keep you under the same training conditions, it’s going to be very difficult for you to gain significantly more muscle.
So, if you’re someone who wants to improve your overall fitness levels, lose weight, and gain some muscle in the process, then a no-weight training routine may be enough to meet your goals.
However, if you want to focus on increasing your strength and size, there is simply no real substitute for the weight-based exercises typically used by traditional gym equipment.
For better understanding: it won’t be long before, for example, you can perform 30 or more push-ups in a single set.
While doing a dumbbell press will allow you to make a steady progression by increasing weight to stay in the 8-12 rep range for as long as you like.
Evaluate your experience in body training
The second thing to examine is your level of experience. And this is closely related to the previous topic.
It is a reality that the results you experience when training with bodyweight exercises will also largely depend on your level of experience. And beginners are the ones who can benefit the most from training without weights, just using their own body.
If you have never used a weight or have trained with a minimum of seriousness in your entire life, you will definitely achieve noticeable and significant results using this type of training during the first few months.
This is because it will remain a stimulus to your body; Since your strength levels will be relatively low in the beginning, you will be able to effectively overload your muscles within the lower or medium rep ranges in many exercises.
For example, if you can only perform 4 pullups at this point, you can easily stimulate your fats and biceps with the appropriate intensity to induce their maximum growth as you progress from those 4 repetitions to 12-15 or so.
But again, after going over this threshold it is going to be very difficult to gain significant mass without using additional resistance.
When is it better to train without using weights or gym machines?
These are some general guidelines that you can consider based on what we saw before …
A routine without weights, where you only use your own body weight, will be a good option if.
- If you are not looking to maximize hypertrophy or strength but rather want to do a basic exercise routine that improves your overall fitness and helps you build some muscle in the process.
- You are new to training and want to start with something simple to help build your foundation and acclimate your body to intense exercise.
- If you really don’t have equipment available or the ability to join a gym.
- If you have any type of injury and variations of the exercises without loads are the only way to train effectively and without discomfort.
- If you must use bodyweight exercises for a certain period of time to help you maintain your previous muscle development. (For example, if you are on vacation and do not have access to a gym).
Outside of these particular scenarios, the best options would be to join a gym or create your own home gym.
Now, if you are in the group of athletes who do not use weights, keep reading that I explain how to achieve it.
What is the best way to train without weights?
To build muscle without using weights, you must constantly challenge yourself by performing increasingly difficult bodyweight exercises or applying different techniques, similar to those you would use in the gym.
The idea is to maintain the concepts of progression and muscle overload.
For example, you will start with basic exercises like squats and push-ups.
But over time, you can begin to incorporate more advanced exercises, such as the one-arm push-up, the one-arm chin-up, the one-leg squat, and even isometric exercises.
These advanced bodyweight exercises require high levels of body tension leading to an interesting level of strength development.
Of course, keep in mind that training with these exercises requires a lot of patience and dedication, but it is incredibly rewarding when you can achieve that body that you wanted so much.
Exercises to train without weights
Below I share a series of exercises that you can carry out without using any type of weight or extra load other than your own body weight.
Click on the exercise you want to see that a new window will open to go to it, don’t worry, I’ll wait for you below to continue analyzing some interesting techniques that you can apply to further improve your workouts.
- Plank or Bridge for abs
- How to do Squats or Squats?
- How to do Pull Ups or Pull Ups on the Fixed Bar?
- How to Dipping or Dipping to Build Triceps?
- Push-ups on the floor
- Lateral Leg Abduction
- How to do the Dips or Parallel Funds?
- Crunch with rotation to train obliques
- Glute kick on the floor
- Hip Raise to Build Abs
- How to perform the Side Bridge to Tone the Abs?
Opinion on training without weights
Building muscle without using weights is no different than building muscle in the gym.
You must find a way to apply the principle of progressive overload, eat right, and get enough rest between your workouts to recover from the effort and allow your muscles to grow.
It sounds simple, and it is, but with all the misinformation that exists today it can be overwhelming to get started in the process of improving your body and quality of life.
Many people waste a lot of time believing that the only way to get the body they want is to go to the gym. Not only are they wasting time thinking that way, but they can even save their gym fee money.