Bodybuilding.net - Bodybuilding Forum

For those of us who do not have the time or money to go to the gym for muscle building, bodyweight exercises can do the trick. You can do these exercises when you are at home or even when you are out on a vacation.

In order to build muscle, the body requires stress. The equation is simple, the more stress you apply on your body, more is the muscle it builds. You can use your bodyweight effectively to increase your muscle mass by incorporating the following exercises in your daily routine:

Pushups: These exercises can be used to develop shoulder, chest and arm muscles. Do regular pushups by lying horizontal with your face facing the floor and moving your body up and down using the arms. When doing regular pushups become easy, you can put your feet on a higher object. If you think you are strong enough, you can even try having a person sit on your back when you do pushups. This will make the task more difficult and build up more muscle.

Pull ups: There can be two forms of this exercise - pull ups that develop your back; and, chin ups that mainly help build your biceps. Hang yourself freely on the bar with arms straight and palms facing your face. Pull your body up slowly and let your chin cross the bar. These are known as chin ups. The same exercise done with the back of your palm facing you is called pull ups.

Squats: These exercises help you build leg muscles. To do this exercise, you must bend through the knees keeping your body erect and heels touching the floor. Try adding weight to your body when you find it easier to perform squats.

You can try different forms of these exercises to increase the level of stress on your body. However, you must take care that you increase the number of reps gradually.