6 Best At-Home Bodyweight Exercises for Men to Build Muscle

Bodyweight exercises are easy to do — just move the coffee table to the side, and you're ready to go.

That shows that you can get bigger and stronger without going to the gym (or a pricey home set-up). You use a wide range of stabilizing muscles in these exercises, which makes your workout more effective.

Solid gains are built on the basis of bodyweight exercises. Check out the following such workouts to help build your muscles.

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Bodyweight Exercises to Build Muscle

Check out the following six at-home bodyweight exercises to help men build muscle:

1) Push-Up

Push-ups are a great exercise to help build upper body pushing strength. If you are pressed for time, just perform 20 reps of this excellent calorie burner.

Depending on how you change the weight, number of sets, and number of reps, this bodyweight workout can help you build muscle mass, strength, and endurance.

Here's how you do this exercise:

• Set yourself up so that your weight is on your toes, and your hands are under your shoulders. Your body should be straight.
• Make sure to keep your core tight so that your head, glutes, and heels form a straight line.
• Lower your body till your chest is an inch from the ground. Explode up by fully extending your arms and driving up with all of your strength.
• Perform 20 reps.

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2) Pistol Squat

This is an advanced bodyweight exercise movement that works the glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip adductors, calves, and core muscles at the same time. As a one-sided movement, it can also help you find and fix any weak muscles.

Pistol squats are a great way to strengthen the muscles in the legs, especially the quads and glutes. It's a workout that tests how mobile, stable, and balanced you are.

Here's how you do it:

• Stand with your arms straight out in front of you, parallel to the floor and at shoulder level.
• Lift your right leg off the ground, and hold it in front of you.
• Lower your body as far as you can by pushing your hips back.
• Pause, and push your body back to where it started from.
• Perform 20 reps.

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3) Step Up with Knee Raise

The step up with knee raise is a great bodyweight exercise that works the thighs and glutes by toning and shaping them.

Cardio training can help you lose weight and also make the heart and lungs stronger. This move boosts blood flow, gives you more energy, and speeds up your metabolism.

Here's how you do it:

• Set a bench or box in front of you, and put one foot on it.
• As you plant your foot, drive forward with your other foot by bringing your knee up as high as you can.
• Put it back where it was, and step back onto the floor.
• Do it again on the other side.
• Perform 20 reps.

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4) Star Plank

As your core strength improves, you might find that traditional bodyweight exercises don't burn your abs as much as they used to. Instead of planking for hours on end, try a variation like the star plank to increase the resistance to give your muscles something new to work on.

Start this exercise by making a strong connection between your ribs and your hips. You can do that by locking down your abs and squeezing your gluteus. Try to keep your hips level at all times.

Here's how you do this exercise:

• From a push-up position, move your hands and feet out and away from the body till they form an X.
• Brace your core so that the head, hips, and toes form a straight line.
• Hold for the time needed, and walk back to a normal push-up position.

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5) Standing Long Jump

This move works the fast-twitching muscle fibers in the body. Slow-twitch fibers are used for endurance, but fast-twitch ones are used for powerful movements, so they are much bigger. Pay attention to them if you want to improve the power of your pins, or if you want bigger legs so that you can wear shorts.

Here's how you do this exercise:

• Put your feet shoulder-width apart, and get down into a squat position.
• Swing your arms back, and push yourself forward..
• Move your legs forward to get more speed.
• Jump as far as you can, and land on the bottoms of your feet.
• Perform 20 reps.

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6) Glute Kickback

Glute kickbacks work the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus muscles the most. They also work the hamstrings and loosen up the hips. Make sure to squeeze your buttocks at the top of the move, and hold for a while. Add a resistance band if you find the exercise too easy.

Here's how you do this bodyweight exercise:

• Kneel on the floor, and put your hands in a push-up position.
• Slowly lift up one leg till your hamstrings are in line with your back.
• During the move, tighten your glutes, and hold the stretch for a second once you're at full length.
• Go back to where you started, and repeat with the other leg.
• Perform 20-30 reps.

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Takeaway

The aforementioned bodyweight exercises can be performed anywhere. Try them out to build muscle strength and endurance.