Try These 10 Bodyweight Exercises to Build Lean Muscle

Did you know that we naturally start to lose muscle mass after the age of 30-35 years? It is a part of the aging process and is called sarcopenia. But you can slow it down with lifestyle changes. With the world focusing on weighing scale and kilogram by kilogram weight loss, we need to move our focus to building lean muscle mass instead. You may have often heard us speak about this. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to build buff muscles, here are some reasons why we recommend you build lean muscle:

Don’t build lean muscle just for aesthetics, but also:

• Protection of bones
• Prevention of osteoporosis, frailty
• Reduced risk of falls, injury, fractures
• Longevity, graceful aging
• Better posture
• Mobility
• Reduce the chances of knee and hip replacements later in life
• Fewer neck, shoulder, and back aches
• Feeling physically strong and toned
• Prevention against diabetes, insulin resistance
• Hormonal balance
• Lesser fat %, calorie burn
• Better metabolic rate
• Higher energy levels
• Better mitochondrial health
• Slower age-related muscle loss

Besides these building lean muscle can also help boost human growth hormone, mental health, and gut health [think gut motility and peristalsis (how food moves in and out of your body)].

You don’t necessarily have to sign up for a gym membership to achieve this. While you can if you want, remember that you can build lean muscle at home with simple exercises, the right food choices, a healthy mind, proper recovery, a balanced lifestyle, consistency, discipline, and patience.

What are some simple ways to build lean muscle?

You need to exercise to put your muscle under stress:

• Bodyweight exercises (lunges, squats, pushups, core exercises, tricep dips, jumping jacks)
• Resistance bands
• Plyometrics (tuck jumps, box jumps, skipping, burpees)
• Hanging from a bar
• Mobility exercises
• Yoga asanas (the magic is in holding the asanas)
• Isometric exercises (plank, wall sit)
• Walking
• Or simply, pick up a rod, bag, or bottle of water and start!

Today we will discuss 10 bodyweight exercises that can help you build lean muscle

No matter what your weight is, whether it is 60 kg, 70 kg, 80 kg, or more, you can use your body weight to boost your muscle growth, build stamina and endurance, burn fat, increase your metabolism, and much more. You should be able to carry your body weight and handle it. Bodyweight training is a form of strength training that even research backs has tremendous benefits.

Think about it like this. Whatever the reason, if you cannot handle your weight or do a simple pull-up, push-up, or plank, you need to start thinking about your future years because that means your own body, muscles, joints, and spine will not be able to support your weight. Of course, some people cannot handle their weight because of genuine issues like an injury, surgery, spinal issues, or excess body fat, but for everyone else, this is an aspect of fitness that you need to pay attention to. And it is not difficult. All you need to do is move to action.

These bodyweight exercises we discuss today have been practiced by pro athletes, elite trainers, army soldiers, and bodybuilders for decades. The beauty of these exercises is that they train every single muscle of your body. It is the key to overall fitness. Having the same Monday to Friday workout routines that involve leg day, back day, upper body day, and core day may lead to you missing out on minor muscles. You can engage these through these bodyweight exercises.

Where to start? If you are a beginner, start with one exercise a day. Even if you do one rep a day, it is good. As you develop more strength, you can gradually aim for 5 to 10 repetitions and build it up. These are free and will not cost you even a penny.

Push-ups

Irrespective of your gender, do this exercise. Push-ups are about your will and your skill. Once you learn how to do a basic push-up, it is one of the most fabulous exercises to adhere to. It is a mandatory exercise in defense forces that enables soldiers to train their upper body, shoulders, back, core, chest, and glutes. Start with a single push-up and once you have mastered its technique and form, start aiming for higher repetitions. You can gradually add variations like close-handed, diamond, wide-armed, and so on. These variations will endlessly challenge and strengthen your muscles every time you do them.

Pull-ups

Your ability to do a pull-up defines your level of strength and fitness. The best investment you can make right now is to get a pull-up bar and master a basic pull-up. If you cannot do a pull-up, begin by simply hanging on it to recruit and strengthen your back and arms. Apply variations here as well, like chin-ups, close-handed, wide-handed, and more. As you develop strength, you can even strap on additional weight like a weighted vest. No other weight training exercise recruits the number of muscles at a single time than a pull-up does, and that is why it is difficult at first.

Some people have never even stepped into a gym but engage themselves in pull-ups and have chiseled, ripped, and lean bodies. While this may not necessarily be your goal, it even works for body toning, boosting metabolism, and fat loss. There are ample variations for beginners like a supported pull-up. Nevertheless, make it a part of your lifestyle!

Lunges and squats

These are the best exercises for the lower body. They train your quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core. If they are easy for you, add variations. If variations become easy too, add plyometrics! So, squat and jump, and then squat again. Similarly, you can try jumping lunges. The idea is to keep challenging your body when it starts to get too easy for you. If you have weak knees, an injury, or torn ligaments, please take professional guidance before you try this.

Planks

These exercises target your core and have so many variations again like pylo planks, side planks, push-up planks, twisted planks, walking planks, forearm planks, and many more. A weak core could mean lower back and neck pains, and planks are perfect for your core. It also targets belly fat. So try this.

Bridge

This is similar to the bridge pose in yoga also known as Setu Bandhasana. Lie down on your back, fold your legs and lift your butt up and down. This exercise targets your legs, lower back, hamstrings, glutes, core, and quads.

Supermans

These are great to strengthen your lower back and core region (mind you, your core is not just your six-pack, but also the sides and back of your abdominal region). You can time the holds to develop strength and stamina, and gradually add variations and multiple repetitions too.

Calf raises

These can be easily done anywhere, even at the office or while you are standing in a long queue. You can do them with toes pointing towards the front, sideways as well as inwards. This helps target every single part of your calves. If it gets too easy, hold a weight or add some ankle weights for additional resistance.

Mountain climbers

This is a great cardio-cum-weight training exercise. It targets the shoulders, core, legs, glutes, hamstrings, back muscles, and many other muscles, which no other exercise can.

Jumping jacks and skipping

These too are fantastic bodyweight exercises that come with a bit of plyometrics. If you do not have a skipping rope, skip with an imaginary one.

The bottom line

These exercises don’t cost you a lot of money, most of them are free. All you need is your body weight, a few minutes, and discipline to take out those few minutes for yourself. Start slowly with a gradual build-up and keep challenging your body. Some of them may be difficult, but not impossible.

Even if you have a goal of lifting heavy weights at the gym, first start with bodyweight exercises and then progress to other exercises. It is important to learn how to crawl before starting to walk. In most gyms, people ego-lift, which is trying to lift more weight than others, simply to show off, and in turn, end up injuring themselves terribly. There is always proper training for everything, and body weight exercises should be everyone’s starting point.

If you can do these exercises, it speaks volumes about your fitness levels, the strength of your core, stamina, and endurance. Ideally, we should be able to do these exercises even when we are 70 or 80 years of age, and some senior citizens do them. So, start now!

You can easily find these exercises on YouTube or have your trainer demonstrate them, but please get the basic form and technique correct.

What are some signs that you are on track with building lean muscle?

• Your fat % decreases
• Your love handles, midriff, and back fat shrink
• You have a better body tone
• Your clothes start fitting you differently
• Your workouts start becoming easier to follow
• You build better posture

Pointers to keep in mind while building lean muscle:

• Do not overdo cardio
• Wholesome nutrition with good carbs, fats, and protein that suits you
• Eat protein in every meal and snack
• Avoid extended fasts and starvation
• Keep exercise fun and varied
• Maintain good form, no ego training
• Prioritize rest and recovery
• Manage high-stress levels (cortisol inhibits protein synthesis)

Whether you do it for 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes, do it with consistency, discipline, and patience. It takes time to build great things in life. This is for everyone – men, women, young and old, adolescents and teens. And those who only focus on cardio with no strength training.

And most importantly, while you are at it, do not compare your journey and progress with someone else. You will start your path to misery right there. Everyone has a different path, biotype, diet, training plan, and routine.

Disclaimer: Safety first. Please make an informed decision and seek your health expert’s guidance before beginning any of these exercises, especially if you have an injury or are recovering from a recent surgery. Do not overdo any exercise and modify these to suit your unique needs and conditions. If you have been advised not to work out due to an ailment, please avoid it.

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Struggling with body fat? Weak bones? Hormonal imbalance? Feel fatigued no matter what? Looking at aging gracefully? Aiming for longevity? Lean muscle building is an important focal point to achieve results besides other lifestyle changes.

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