Muscle building exercises

The "classic": pushups

In fitness and strength training there are different goals that you can set for yourself. One of them is muscle building, in which the exercises and training forms are chosen in such a way that the greatest possible muscle growth can be achieved. A distinction can be made between exercises for "at home" and exercises for the "studio". The many different exercises can be divided into groups. These are then named depending on the body part that is to be trained. From the areas of biceps exercises, chest exercises, triceps exercises, back exercises, leg exercises and abdominal exercises, some exercises for muscle building training are selected and presented here. Muscle building exercises for home workouts are presented below.

If you choose the right exercises, you can do a muscle building workout just as well at home as in a gym. For the exercises presented here, the principle always applies that the duration and intensity of training should be based on the fitness level of the athlete. In general, two to three sets of ten to 15 repetitions should be planned for each exercise. The rounds are interrupted by breaks of one to two minutes, after a day of training there should usually be a day to relax.

pushups

The classic among exercises for muscle building training at home. The whole body is under tension and it will be trained many muscles and muscle strands in parallel. In addition, this exercise trains the sense of balance, the ability to coordinate and the agility. The hands are placed parallel and about shoulder width apart on the floor, the feet are stretched back and stand on the balls of the feet. The entire body is in a horizontal position. The head should be kept in line with the spine. A slight modification of the exercise is recommended for beginners. Here the hands are not placed on the floor, but against a wall or a chest of drawers. Now slowly lower the weight of the body towards the floor and after a two to three second break push the body back up so that the arms are stretched out.

Lift a leg

In addition to the squat, the leg raise is another popular exercise to get your muscles to grow. The leg raises, however, are a little easier to perform than the squat, as accurate movement is very important there in order not to injure yourself. In addition, the leg raises are gentler and especially applies to athletes with knee problems. The body is in one Lying on your side on a mat or the floor. The legs are in one 90 ° position angled. This position becomes the upper leg is raised about 8 inches, held briefly and then lowered again in a controlled manner without taking it down in between.

Sit-ups vs. Crunches

Crunches on the pezzi ball.

In order to build up the abdominal muscles offer themselves Sit-ups or crunches. These exercises are very similar, but they apply Crunches as gentlerbecause the upper body is not raised quite as much as with the sit-ups.
The athlete is in a supine position with the legs bent on the floor. The hands are taken behind the head and the view goes straight up. The abdominal muscles now become the upper back and shoulders raised and lowered again. The head remains in extension of the spine and the hands are held loosely behind the head. When lowering, it should be ensured that the upper body does not completely lower itself to the floor, but rather that a little residual tension is maintained. Correct execution also requires that the lower back permanently on the floor rests.

Back stretching while lying down

As a training for the back muscles at home, back stretches while lying down are ideal. This exercise is because of its execution too Superman exercise called and lying on his stomach executed. The legs are stretched straight back and the arms next to the head forward. Now the athlete lifts his outstretched arms and legs at the same time and tries to lift it up as far as possible and hold it in this position. The limbs are then slowly lowered in a controlled manner. Possible variations are the alternating raising and lowering of the arms and legs. In addition, the exercise can be performed alternately with the limbs lying diagonally to each other.

Athletes who prefer their exercises with the help of exercise equipment perform, can fall back on a larger repertoire of exercise forms, as the possibilities in fitness studios are significantly more extensive. This is followed by forms of training that specifically contribute to muscle building. However, these exercises should not be performed by beginners, as they require a certain amount of experience with the training equipment. So-called multi-joint exercises are most effective for building muscle. Several joints are activated and a greater training stimulus is developed.

Leg exercises

Leg press, abduction, lunge (without or with barbell), pelvic lift, leg curls, burpee, squats

Squats

Exercising with a barbell

In addition to the leg muscles Gluteus and upper body muscles trained in this exercise to achieve targeted muscle building. Typically, this exercise is done on a barbell. In some fitness studios there are also machines that support the movement. You face the Barbell in a shoulder width position, preferably in front of a mirror. The barbell rests on the neck and is held and balanced with the hands. The elbows point backwards. The view remains forward throughout the entire process. As you inhale, bend your legs with your back straight until your thighs are level and your knee is at a 90 ° angle. The upper body is tilted slightly forward during this movement. Keep your heels on the floor. Then the legs are slowly stretched and the upper body straightened. You exhale again. However, the legs are not fully stretched. It is particularly important to note that the Keep your back in a straight upright position throughout the exercise.

Abdominal exercises

Abdominal press, Crunch, Hip raises, torso bends, Russian twist, forearm support, side knee raises

Also read our articles Six pack and Washboard abs

Knee raises

This exercise can leaning on the forearms be carried out in a device or hanging on a pole. The legs are hanging right next to each other in the air. Upper body and head are erect and straight. Now the Knees drawn towards chest and the back becomes a little rounder. Exhale during this step of the exercise. Then the legs are allowed to sink back into the starting position and inhale. To intensify the exercise, it can be done with the legs straight. This increases the stimulus for the abdominal muscles and makes the exercise more strenuous. In addition, the legs can be held for a few seconds at the top of the exercise.

Chest exercises

Pushups, butterfly, Flying (Machine, dumbbell, cable pull), Negative bench press, Coatings

The arms are not pushed all the way through.

Bench press (barbell)

Bench press is considered one of the most effective exercises for the Chest muscles, or the upper body. This exercise can be done in different variants are executed. The positioning of the bench can play a role (flat bench, incline bench) or the type of dumbbell (barbell, dumbbell).
On the Lying back becomes the barbell slightly wider than shoulder width taken and lifted from the holder. When you breathe in, the dumbbell is lowered in a controlled manner and lowered towards your chest. She briefly touches the chest Height of the sternum. Then the weight pushed up again and exhaled. The arms are doing it not fully stretched.

Depending on the design of the (flat) bench, the legs can be set up around a Hollow back to avoid. As already mentioned, many variations can be used to make the exercise more difficult and more intense. Besides the choice of bank you can different grip widths can be used (narrower grip, wider grip). The dropping point can be varied (dropping down at breastbone level, further below the breastbone, above the breastbone). For athletes who are not yet fully aware of the Advanced count, but have already had experience with strength training, this exercise on a machine is suitable. There the movement is carried along and the dumbbell cannot fall on your upper body.

Back exercises

Hyperextension, Deadlift, Barbell rows, lat pulldowns, rows, shoulder raises

Pull-ups

Pull-ups are good exercise for that Back and biceps muscles. It is also often called Counter exercise to the push-ups viewed as the contrary muscle groups are trained.
This exercise will hanging on a pole performed with the hands reaching far apart. While exhaling, pull yourself towards the bar with your chin or neck, or just over the bar with your chin. When lowering the body into the starting position, inhale and lower the arms not quite stretched out.

Correct execution of this exercise is extremely important. It should not got any momentum and there will be no kicking of the legs. For beginners and people with Obesity A device with a step is recommended, as training can be carried out here with support. Later you can go to the normal pull-ups change. On the other hand, if an athlete is very proficient with pull-ups, he can extra weights be hung on the body to intensify the exercise.

Barbell shoulder press

The exercise can be done standing or sitting.

This exercise will too Military Press called and usually sitting carried out. Whereby nothing speaks against performing it while standing.
When sitting, the upper body should be almost vertical and the barbell should be gripped wider than shoulder width. With arms outstretched, the dumbbell is lowered in a controlled manner onto the chest and inhaled. Without a long break, the pole is then again pushed vertically upwardswhile exhaling. During this exercise, too, make sure that your arms never completely stretched out are. You should also have a Avoid hollow back as a matter of urgency.
The backrest should not set too flat otherwise the exercise is too much on the chest muscles. This exercise is about the Shoulder muscles to train.

Variants of this exercise are quickly explained. By straightening your elbows forward and adopting a closer arm position, the burden is more on you Deltoid right on the shoulder. Another arm position and outward-pointing elbows are more likely to target the front and middle parts of this muscle. The personal perception of the degree of severity of the exercise changes significantly as a result.

Triceps exercises

Dips, tight bench press, French press, triceps push-ups, triceps presses

Kick backs

This exercise trains mainly the triceps muscle on the Back of our upper arm.
You kneel with one leg on a bench, the other leg stands on the floor. One arm is supported on the bench and the other arm holds the dumbbell. The back is straight and the head in line with the spine. The arms are doing it individually and alternately trained. The upper arm of the arm to be trained is held as close to the upper body as possible, the starting position is a bent arm. From this, the arm is stretched as far back / up as possible at the elbow joint while exhaling. The elbow does not move during the execution. Immediately afterwards, the dumbbell returns in their starting position back and it is inhaled.