Bulking up at home with modest workout equipment or body weight exercises can be done if you know what to do. The body "bulks up" or builds muscle in response to a training stimulus while adequate nutrients provide the raw material to rebuild muscle tissue bigger and stronger. Good nutrition, proper exercise selection, a good night's sleep and a few natural supplements will get you there even faster.
Step 1
Do resistance training workouts, focusing on the multi-joint, compound movements with a barbell and weighted plates or dumbbells. Compound movements include squats and deadlifts for legs, pull-ups and bent over rows for back, bench presses for chest, military presses for shoulders, barbell curls for biceps and weighted dips for triceps.
Step 2
Do a body weight resistance workout if you do not have a basic barbell weight set. "Combat the Fat" author Jeff Anderson suggests six cycles during which you alternate three exercises. For example, doing a set of pull-ups, a set of push-ups and then a set of body-weight squats would be one cycle. The first cycle, 1-2-3, means doing one pull-up, two push-ups and three squats. Next, do 2-4-6, 3-6-9, 4-8-12, 3-6-9, 2-4-6 and finish back at the bottom of the pyramid with 1-2-3. Rest for 30 seconds to one minute between cycles, and add cycles and repetitions as needed.
Step 3
Drink a post-workout shake or eat a meal that includes 30 to 50 g of protein, 60 to 100 g of high-glycemic carbohydrates such as dextrose or fruit juice and 30 g of healthy fats like flaxseed oil (2 tbsp). "Optimum Anabolics" recommends this ratio of nutrients for bulking up fast.
Step 4
Provide your muscles with proper nutrition all day long to trickle feed them the nutrients needed for growth and recovery. Eat five to eight smaller meals per day with about 20 to 30 g of protein per meal. The higher your metabolism, the more carbohydrates you need to build muscle. Use protein shakes to make convenient meals when you cannot get a whole food meal. Optimal times to take protein shakes include before your workout, before bed and upon rising in the morning.
Step 5
Combine three powerful supplements to speed up your results. Take 5 to 10 g of creatine monohydrate after your workout with 30 to 50 g of whey protein. The fastest digesting and most bioavailable protein (high net usage in the body), whey makes a powerful muscle-building tool. Finally, take 3 to 6 g of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) spread among your daily meals.
Step 6
Get seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Lack of sleep can cause the body to fluctuate hormone levels, decreasing production of vital muscle-building testosterone.
Things You'll Need
- Flaxseed oil
- Dextrose
- Fruit juice
- CLA
- Creatine monohydrate
- Whey protein
References
- "Combat the Fat"; Jeff Anderson, 2008
- "Optimum Anabolics"; Jeff Anderson; 2004
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