Normally, when we hear the expression “muscle growth,” the first thing that comes to mind is a gym full of weights and machines. But is it possible to gain muscle mass with full-body weight workouts?
If you want to understand how muscle growth works, the muscular system is a good place to start. Each muscle in the body is made up of many fibers, like strings made of different materials. When these strings work together as a team, your strength increases without causing any visible physical changes. In other words, coordination between fibers improves with repetition of exercises. This takes 6 to 8 weeks. If you continue training, the muscle cells will increase in size (hypertrophy) and the muscle fibers will become thicker and stronger. This is when you will start to see changes.
During strength training, the body thinks, “This training has been tough, I have to find a way to make it easier next time.” The body then repairs the mini injuries caused by the training and at the same time adds more tissue for the next session. These small lesions are micro tears in muscle fibers caused by intense exercise.
If you increase your training performance and keep giving more of yourself, the body will have to continue adapting to the new stimuli. We could say that the muscles grow right after training to get safe and ready for the next time. Muscle growth begins during the recovery period, when the body repairs “injured” fibers. Another important thing you have to know is that the number of muscle fibers in the body is determined at birth. So training does not increase the number of fibers, but their thickness and shape.
The workout should stimulate your muscles, but not all workouts will help you build muscle mass. Only after weeks and months of regular training will you start to see your muscles grow.
If you want to get the most out of your strength training, you have to follow a number of principles. The only way to put stress on your muscles is through regular and varied training. Muscles disappear as fast as they appear if you don’t keep stimulating them. Finding a routine that you like makes it easier for you to stick with it. After a certain period of time, the muscles will get used to this stimulus. If you keep doing the same training, you will end up stagnating and you will not progress any more. That is why it is important to increase the intensity of your workouts. But don’t forget to schedule recovery days . Taking days off without training is vitally important, as this is when muscles recover and grow.
Remember that not only the muscles change. Tendons, ligaments and bones also have to adapt to new physical demands.
Of course! You don’t have to use weights or resistance machines to gain muscle. It all depends on your goal:
Training without equipment is ideal for beginners who want to start gaining muscle mass. Using the body’s own weight as an element of resistance is a challenge for the muscles. In turn, this makes them grow stronger and gain mass. There are tons of exercises and workouts that you can do using your own weight. As we have already mentioned, the important thing is that the workouts increase in level so that they continue to be a challenge for the body and give the body time to recover .
Important: Beginners should first check with a physical therapist or fitness expert on how to do the exercises properly. It is very important that the exercises are carried out correctly in order to gain muscle mass and avoid injuries.
Do you do sports regularly and are you already a professional in the world of fitness? If you’re interested in advanced level workouts and bodybuilding, you’ll need weights to maximize muscle growth. In some cases, weight training can lead to performance stagnation. The extra weight workouts help when evaluating your progress and thus you can increase the weight in the sessions according to your progress. Training with weights makes the results visible faster.
Another option to add more variety to your workout without equipment: you can increase the intensity by using a resistance band .
You can also take a look at this article for more tips on how to increase muscle mass efficiently.
Training with your own body weight doesn’t just improve your appearance. It also has other positive effects like stronger skin, better posture, and reduced stress . Strong muscles help stabilize the joints and give more support to the tendons and ligaments.
Do you also want to burn fat ? Great, so your new muscles will help you burn more fat at rest, because they need more energy than fat. People who do full-body workouts on a regular basis also benefit from the afterburner effect. This effect is the fact that the body continues to burn calories after exercising because the metabolism remains high. Exercise also has a positive influence on mental health, and strong muscles also contribute to better self-esteem.
There is no question that you can gain muscle without equipment. Training with your own weight is a challenge for your body, improves your resistance and can be done anywhere and at any time, without the need for additional weights or any type of equipment. You just need a little more patience, but you will see that the results are already on the way. Don’t give up and go beyond your limits!