| I have always believed that you have a much better | | | | workout and a nutritious meal containing protein, |
| chance of reaching your fitness goals if you join a | | | | carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals within 1 hour of |
| gym and get advice from a professional trainer or | | | | finishing your workout. You should spread your meals |
| coach. However, many readers do not have the | | | | out evenly throughout the day. Eat six small meals |
| time, money or desire to join a gym and prefer to | | | | throughout the day instead of three large ones. This |
| workout at home. I believe that working out home | | | | promotes a fast metabolism and limits fat storage. |
| has a its disadvantages, but the one huge advantage | | | | 4) Avoid distractions |
| it does have is...you don't have to leave the house! | | | | One of the problems with working out at home is |
| If you are one of these people that plans to | | | | getting easily distracted. If possible, set up your gym |
| workout at home then this article is for you! Like I | | | | equipment in an empty room with a stereo so you |
| just mentioned, you will have a far better chance of | | | | can focus on working out and not what's happening |
| achieving your goals when you join a gym but it is | | | | around the house. A friend of mine who has a home |
| possible to get into shape and build muscle without | | | | gym told me he often used to put his favorite |
| leaving your home with limited equipment. | | | | bodybuilding DVDs on while he was training to keep |
| So here at my top 5 tips for building muscle at home: | | | | him motivated. This is an awesome tip to stay |
| 1) Don't waste your money on "miracle" gym | | | | motivated at home. Another tip would be to try and |
| equipment | | | | workout when no one else is home. |
| Getting in shape takes time, motivation and hard | | | | 5) Consult a fitness professional |
| work. If you are not willing to put in those three | | | | I recommend this for people who are new to weight |
| things then you may as well not start. Avoid gym | | | | training and home workouts. Even if you have trained |
| equipment that says "get in shape in 5 minutes a | | | | in a gym before, working out at home is much |
| day", or "flatter abs in 14 days". These types of | | | | different and a fitness professional with working out |
| equipment are a total waste of money! You can | | | | at home experience should be able to help you out. |
| literally do hundreds of exercises just using a set of | | | | In addition to helping you with your home gym setup, |
| dumbbells and a barbell, and these happen to be | | | | he/she will be able to plan a good routine and give |
| some of the cheapest pieces of gym equipment. If | | | | you some tips to maximize the equipment you've |
| you are unsure of what equipment best suits your | | | | got. You should be able to get all the help you need |
| needs you should consult a fitness professional (see | | | | in one or two sessions so it shouldn't break the bank! |
| tip 5). | | | | These are just a few important tips for those of |
| 2) Wherever possible, use your bodyweight | | | | you working out at home. If you are serious about |
| If you have limited equipment, bodyweight exercises | | | | workout out at home for the long term, I would |
| are your friend. You can potentially pack on a huge | | | | recommend that you pick up a few more basic |
| amount of muscle without ever lifting a dumbbell or | | | | pieces of equipment. These include an adjustable |
| barbell. Good bodyweight exercises to do at home | | | | bench, weight rack (this can be used for bench and |
| include chin ups, wide grip pull ups, dips, bench dips, | | | | squatting) and a good range of dumbbells and weight |
| push ups and bodyweight rows. | | | | plates. |
| 3) Plan your diet around your workouts | | | | If you have any more questions about working out |
| If you have the flexibility of working out at home | | | | at home head over to the forum on |
| then you also have the ability to plan your meals | | | | MuscleandStrength.com, our members will happily help |
| around your workouts. Diet makes up 70% of the | | | | you out with some free advice. Well, good luck with |
| building muscle process so you can see how | | | | your home workouts and thank you for reading this |
| important it is. Make sure you eat a good serve of | | | | article. See links below for further information. |
| complex carbohydrates about one hour before your | | | | |