Looking forward to building muscles, well this can be possible with some of the muscle-building exercises that we will be enlisting here in this article. Building muscles isn’t simple while just going to the gym, or eating pounds and pounds of protein. To build muscle, you need to push your muscles to the limit, then let them recover and grow stronger on their own. And to do this, you must create the proper recovery environment after every successful workout session.
One of the best ways to get started is to understand and define what muscle-building actually is. Muscle hypertrophy is the increase in the growth of muscle cells, and it’s a process that’s often kickstarted by resistance training. Essentially, you need to push your muscles hard, often by lifting heavy loads for repetitions, stimulating the release of muscle-growing hormones and other metabolites.
Benefits of Building Muscles
There are many benefits of muscle-building exercises which has wholesome benefits to improve our health and overall body posture.
- Helps to Build Strength and Stamina – During your first few months of a weight-training program, you gain strength without much of an increase in muscle tissue. This stage is known as the adaptation phase, where your nervous and muscular systems get better at using the muscle you already have. You gain considerable strength without building any muscle. Then, after you have pushed your strength limits with your existing muscle, you start to build more muscle. After a few more months of consistent weight training and a high-protein diet, you notice a little more shape in your body, and your strength continues to improve.
- Supports Our Joints – Muscle protects our joints from the effects of stepping off the wrong way or slipping on some unseen ice. If you have the strength and coordination, you’ll catch yourself rather than crashing and getting hurt. Also, the hormonal effects of building muscle help to repair other tissues and alleviate some of the pain you feel.
- Builds Bones – Although calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D and K are necessary for bone health, our body won’t build bone unless we give it a reason to. So we need to stress our bones with muscle-building exercises.
- Makes you Smart and Confident – Building muscles offers a new experience as far as physical transformation or accomplishing new personal bests is concerned. Firring into a new pair of pants, seeing the definition in your shoulder, reaching a new PR on the squat and deadlift, doing 10 real pushups in a row, or completing your first bodyweight pull-up are some of the achievements of getting smarter and confident.
Top 10 Muscle Building Exercises
1.) Lunges – This muscle-building exercise is a must to promote functional movement, and increase strength in your legs and glutes.
Steps To Perform
- Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, and arms down at your sides.
- Take a step forward with your right leg, and bend your right knee as you do so, making sure your thigh is parallel to the ground.
- All this while, ensure your right knee doesn’t go past your right foot.
- Push up off your right foot, and get back to the starting position.
- Repeat with the other leg. Do 10 reps for three sets.
2.) Pushups – Pushups are considered one of the best muscle-building exercises as it involves several muscles in our body at the same time.
Steps To Perform
- Start in a plank position. Your core should be tight, shoulders pulled down and back, and your neck neutral.
- Bend your elbows, and lower your body down to the floor.
- Slowly and steadily, lift it up.
- Focus on keeping your elbows close to your body during the movement.
- Do as many reps as possible.
3.) Squats – Squats are one of the best muscle-building exercises since it increases the strength in our lower body like no other. Besides all, performing squats are one of the best exercises because they engage some of the largest muscles in the body.
Steps To Perform
- Start by standing straight, with your feet at shoulder-width apart, and your arms at your sides.
- Keeping your chest and chin up, push your hips back and bend your knees, as if you’re going to sit on a chair.
- Don’t bend your knees, and ensure your thighs are parallel to the ground, bringing your arms out in front of you in a comfortable position.
- Pause for one second, extend your legs and return to the starting position.
- Do three sets of 20 reps.
4.) Overhead Dumbbell Press – Overhead Dumbbell Press is one of the best muscle-building exercises as it works out on our shoulders, and also engages our upper back and core.
Steps To Perform
- Pick a set of dumbbells measuring 5 kilos. Start by standing, either with your feet shoulder-width apart or together.
- Move the weights overhead, so that your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
- Begin to push up until your arms are fully extended above your head.
- Next, bend your elbows and lower the weight back down, until your triceps are parallel to the floor again.
- Complete three sets of 12 reps.
5.) Burpees – Burpees are one of the best muscle-building exercises that increase our endurance and muscle strength.
Steps To Perform
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart, and your arms down at your sides.
- With your hands out in front of you, squat down. When your hands reach the ground, get your legs straight back into a pushup position.
- Jump your feet up to your palms. Get your feet as close to your hands as you can get.
- Stand up straight, bringing your arms above your head, and jump.
- Do three sets of 10 reps as a beginner.
6.) Deadlifts – Deadlifts are one of the best muscle-building exercises that will pack on slabs of muscle mass while helping you become as strong as a bear. Like squats, deadlifts can be performed with the help of barbells.
Steps To Perform
- Stand with your mid-foot under the barbell.
- Bend over and grab the bar with a shoulder-width grip.
- Bend your knees until your shins touch the bar.
- Lift your chest and straighten your lower back.
- Take a big breath, hold it, and stand up with the weight.
7.) Dips – Dips are one of the best muscle-building exercises as it offers a complete workout to the shoulders, chest and triceps. This exercise is great for building a beefy upper body. Dips should be performed at a parallel bar dipping station.
Steps To Perform
- Grab the parallel bars and jump up, straighten your arms.
- Lower your body by bending your arms while leaning forward.
- Dip down until your shoulders are below your elbows.
- Lift your body up by straightening your arms.
- Lock your elbows at the top.
8.) Pull-Ups – Pull-ups are considered one of the best muscle-building exercises for building the back and biceps, and should be used instead of inferior exercises such as the lat pull-down when possible.
Steps To Perform
- Exhale while pulling yourself up so your chin is level with the bar. Pause at the top.
- Lower yourself (inhaling as you go down) until your elbows are straight.
- Repeat the movement without touching the floor.
- Complete the number of repetitions your workout requires.
9.) Bench Press – Bench Press is considered one of the best muscle-building exercises dedicated to the upper body. There are several highly effective variations in bench press which include the flat bench barbell press, flat bench dumbbell bench press, incline bench barbell presses and incline dumbbell bench press.
Steps To Perform
- Lie on your back on a flat bench. Grip a barbell with hands slightly wider than shoulder width. The bar should be directly over the shoulders.
- Press your feet firmly into the ground and keep your hips on the bench throughout the entire movement.
- Keep your core engaged and maintain a neutral spine position throughout the movement. Avoid arching your back.
- Slowly lift the bar or dumbbells off the rack, if using. Lower the bar to the chest, about nipple level, allowing elbows to bend out to the side, about 45 degrees away from the body.
- Stop lowering when your elbows are just below the bench. Press feet into the floor as you push the bar back up to return to starting position.
- Perform 5 to 10 reps, depending on the weight used.
10.) Rows – Rows are considered one of the best muscle-building exercises dedicated to the upper body. Both barbell and dumbbell rows are tremendous upper back exercises. Old-school barbell T-bar rows are also a solid choice. While cable and machine lifts are generally sub-par, seated cable rows can be very challenging and effective.
Steps To Perform
- Stand with your mid-foot under the bar.
- Bend over and grab the bar.
- Unlock your knees while keeping your hips high.
- Lift your chest and straighten your back.
- Pull the bar against your lower chest.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
