Not everybody has access to a gym or can stick to a regular physical activity routine.

Some people simply don’t like the environment and prefer to exercise at home. However, just because you don’t want to go to the gym does not mean that you can’t build muscle.

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There are many other ways to exercise, gain strength, and build muscle that don’t involve lifting weights at the gym.

Let’s take a look at nine different ways in which you can build muscle without having to step foot in a gym:

1. At-Home Bodyweight Exercises

There are many exercises you can do at home that require no equipment and help you gain strength and build muscle. The best of these exercises are bodyweight exercises. As the name suggests, these exercises use the weight of your own body to give you resistance instead of using weights.

Some great bodyweight exercises to try include push-ups, pull-ups, squats, dips, lunges, planks, sit-ups, and crunches. A combination of these exercises will work different muscle groups in your body and help you build your core strength and stamina.

2. Swimming

Swimming is not considered as strenuous as lifting weights at the gym, but it is a full-body workout that will help you build muscle without putting any added pressure on your joints. While swimming, you can work your abdominal muscles, shoulder muscles, back muscles, forearms, glutes, and hamstrings.

3. Cycling

If you cycle to work every day, not only are you helping the environment and getting in lots of fresh air and sun, you are also building up strength, stamina, and muscle. The element of resistance in cycling builds muscles in your legs. Even just 30 minutes of cycling a day can make a significant impact on your leg muscles. Your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves will never see better days than if you take up cycling.

4. Yoga

Yoga has many benefits, including being good for your mental health, but did you know that it also helps build muscle? While yoga can appear relaxing and calming, you may be underestimating the amount of endurance and strength it takes. Certain yoga poses are better suited to help you gain muscle. Some of the poses you should try to include are the tree pose, the bridge pose, and the plank pose.

5. Running

Running is good for building muscle, depending on the intensity and duration of your run. High-intensity, short runs help build muscles, while longer runs can lead to muscle damage. A quick run is a great way to work on your lower body muscles without the need for any weights. Sprinting is good for muscle growth, whereas long-distance running is not.

6. Eating More Protein

Protein is an essential building block for muscles, and your body needs a certain amount of protein to build and maintain lean muscles. Eating more protein can help you build muscle in the long term. You can add protein to your diet by increasing your intake of foods like beef, chicken, eggs, milk, and yogurt. You can also try protein powders, or protein shakes after your workout sessions.

7. Resistance Training

Resistance training involves exercises that use external sources of resistance to build your strength, stamina, and muscle. A benefit of resistance training is that it helps you focus on specific muscle groups. Some specific machines and weights can be used for resistance training at the gym, but you can do resistance training at home with elastic bands.

8. Suspension Training

Suspension training is a great way to get started in bodyweight exercises as the suspension can give you added support and help. It involves using ropes and straps to suspend your body and using your bodyweight’s resistance to build strength and muscle. You can also do this with portable suspension ropes and straps at most locations.

9. Maintaining Good Posture

Many of us have bad posture and do not sit up or stand straight most of the time. A simple and easy way to build muscle and core strength is by improving and maintaining good posture.

Wrap up

Going to the gym and lifting weights is not for everyone, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t build muscle in other ways. Try out some of the alternatives that we have talked about, and you’ll be sure to see an improvement in your strength and muscle mass in no time!

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