Muscle strengthening exercises can do wonders for your body. They can be intimidating if you are a beginner. But, the right exercises lead to more muscles, stronger bones and joints, higher calorie burn, and better endurance. With the pandemic forcing almost half of the world’s population to work from homes, increased abdominal fat or risks of injury became a regular phenomenon. This is where the role of muscle strengthening exercises come in.
You may not be able to visit a gym when the pandemic is looming around the corner. Thus, here are the five effective muscle strengthening exercises you can do at home on your own.
5 Muscle Strengthening Exercises To Practice At Home
Muscle strengthening exercises make you stronger, burn your calories, reduce abdominal fat, help you appear leaner and more. Here are the five exercises you can practice at home.
Learn basic movement patterns using bodyweight
You can start with bodyweight exercises if you are a beginner. It is always better to learn the movement patterns before you move on to adding an additional load such as dumbbells. This ensures that you stay away from the risk of injuries and are capable of lifting more weight gradually in the future. You can add the load once you are familiar with the movement patterns.
The five basic movement patterns include:
- Knees dominant such as lunges and squats
- Hip dominant such as hinges, swings.
- Pulling movements such as pull-ups and rows
- Gait patterns like running and walking
- Pushing movements like dips, pushups and presses
Practice push-ups
Droopy shoulders and slouchy back are signs that you need to do push-ups regularly. Push-ups lift your upper body and correct your posture. These are fast and effective for building strength, especially in the upper body. If you do it with proper form, it can also strengthen your lower back and core.
The benefits of push-ups are:
- Works out multiple muscles at once- Regular push-ups activate different groups of muscles, thereby maximizing the efficiency of training.
- Measures cardiovascular health- It lowers the risk of cardiovascular problems.
- Requires no equipment- Push-ups are the best exercises for practicing at home since you need no equipment for them.
- Improves posture- You can correct your positioning if you do the push-ups with proper form regularly.
Do squats
Squats work equally work well in your legs, core and upper body. Use a dumbbell on each side for more resistance. Once you get the hang of this exercise, use a stability ball to check your form.
Benefits of squats are:
- Strengthens the lower body- Squats make the lower body stronger by focusing on Quadriceps and gluts.
- Keeps core muscles active- Regular squats make you use your core muscles.
- Lowers risks of injuries- The movements strengthen your ligaments, bones and tendons thereby reducing the risks of injuries.
Single-leg wall deadlift
This exercise activates your glutes and communicates messages from the brain to the lower body. If you go to gyms regularly, you must already be familiar with this exercise. The specific variation, however, targets each side for a complete workout.
Benefits of single-leg wall deadlift:
- Works all the major muscles such as the hamstrings, gluteus medius, the core, ankles and gluteus Maximus
- Enhances balance
- Strengthens the foot intrinsic and calf muscles
Plank
Plank is both the toughest and the least complicated exercise for strengthening muscles. Kneel on all fours and place your forearm on the ground. Make sure you are in a straight line from head to heel. Keep the spine neutral.
Benefits of plank:
- Maintains a healthy posture
- Improves flexibility
- Facilitates balance and coordination
All in all, these five exercises will help you strengthen your muscles at home. Prepare an exercise regime and work according to it every day.
