You do not need access to weights or fancy gym equipment to build muscle. So if you do not have weights, or even if you are away from home, it is important to realize that your own body weight can give you a significant workout anywhere, anytime, all by itself.
Push-Ups
According to bodybuilding.com, push-ups help build muscle in the chest, shoulders and triceps. Certified trainer Alwyn Cosgrove in "Men's Fitness" says the push-up is a tough exercise because it requires work from many different muscles. When performing push-ups, remember to slightly touch your chest to the floor at the bottom of the move, but do not use the floor to rest or gain momentum. In addition, you should always keep your legs, upper body and head straight. Do not bend or move to help make the exercise easier.
Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups
Chin-ups and pull-ups help build muscle in the back, shoulders and biceps, according to bodybuilding.com. Basically, pull-ups use an overhand grip, while chin-ups stick to an underhand grip. Both work much of your upper body in one movement. To perform, grip a chin-up bar with an underhand grip for chin-ups or an overhand grip for pull-ups. Hang from the bar with your arms extended, pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar, then return to the starting position to complete one repetition.
Dips
Dips can be done without any support to focus on the chest and can also focus on the triceps by placing your feet on a level surface to isolate the triceps. Dips work most of the upper body, but focus on the major muscles in the chest and the arms. To perform chest dips, grab the handles of a dip station and cross your legs to keep them from touching the floor. Lower yourself down until your underarms are even with the handles, then return to the starting position to complete one repetition. To perform tricep dips, you will simply need a couple of chairs or sturdy objects. Place your hands on one chair, extend your legs fully in front of you and place them on another chair. Move your body off so only your hands are on the chair, then lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the ground, then return to the starting position to complete one repetition.
Sit-Ups/Crunches
Sit-ups and crunches are great exercises to build a strong abdominal area and add core muscle. Sit-ups and crunches are the best way to add muscle and strength to the stomach and abdominal area. Both exercises can be performed anytime and anywhere because all you need to begin is a little space to lie down. Take your time while performing crunches and sit-ups so that you emphasize the muscle contractions.
Calf Raises
Calf raises focus on the calf muscles in the lower leg and really are the only weight to isolate the calves. Bodybuilding.com advises performing them on stairs and making sure to fully extend in both directions to add to the difficulty of the move. To perform calf raises, start by standing on a step or an incline surface with only your toes on the step. Let your heels hang off as far as you can while still maintaining balance. Raise up on your toes as far as you can, hold it for a second, then lower to the starting position.
One-Leg Squats
Performing squats on one leg can add to the difficulty because even though there is no weight resistance, you still must balance yourself. Bodybuilding.com says one-leg squats require good balance, but that the difficulty doing them leads to more muscle added. Squats are a complete body workout and work most of the lower body muscles, but the quadriceps certainly do a lot of the work during squats. To perform one-leg squats, stand on one leg and extend the other leg fully out in front of you. Squat down as deep as you can, preferably until your upper leg is parallel to the floor, while maintaining your balance. Return to the starting position to complete one rep; complete at least 10 repetitions, then perform them with the other leg.
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