These Can Build Muscle without Weights

How Muscle Is Built

The basic principles of building muscle are creating stress greater than the previous limits your body is accustomed to. In other words, use your muscles until they're tired. 

Your muscles will adapt to this new stress load by breaking down the muscles and rebuilding them stronger. Step two is resting and fueling your body to complete the muscle growth process with sleep and adequate nutrition. 

Notice how this process doesn't mention anything about a gym, weights, or equipment? There are numerous ways of getting physically active and building muscle without weights! 

The gym is one way to accomplish this but it's not for everyone, and that's fine. Let's explore ways of working out without equipment that you will enjoy and stick with this time.

No Weights Arm Workout 

1. Gymnastics

2. Martial Arts

3. Rock Climbing

4. Pole Dancing

5. Acrobatics

All of these are great workouts for biceps without weights. These also involve a lot of gripping and forearm strength utilizing your entire arms.

Workouts For Chest Without Weights

1. Boxing

2. Acrobatics

3. Mountain Biking

4. Wrestling

5. Gymnastics

Think about the pushing and squeezing involved in these physical activities. Some are very powerful and explosive pushing movements and others are more sustained, holding pushing and squeezing positions for longer durations. 

How To Workout Your Back Without Weights 

1. Rowing / Canoeing / Kayaking / Paddleboarding

2. Rock Climbing

3. Pole Dancing

4. Acrobatics

5. Swimming

These exercises all emphasize a pulling movement engaging your back. Whether pulling your body forward or up, they all can seriously strengthen your back and build muscle. 

Leg Workouts Without Weights

1. Jumping Rope

2. Backpacking

3. Equestrian / Polo

4. Mountaineering

5. Ball Sports (Football, Soccer, Basketball, Etc.)

These physical activities require a lot of running, jumping, stepping up, and squatting. Imagine a few thousand feet of high steps up a steep mountain or walking for miles with 30 lbs of gear on your back. How long do you think before your legs are tired and ready to rest and build muscle?

How To Workout Without A Gym 

Now we understand how muscle is built and see how it can be accomplished without the need of a gym, weights, or equipment. These are some of the best physical activities for building muscle but there are countless more as well as moving for other purposes like endurance, balance, speed, agility, and stamina. 

You can even exercise without equipment at home with some of these. As a Certified Health Coach, I like to remind people that getting physically active should be a personalized choice to move in ways that you enjoy and accomplish the fitness you desire.