Your body is the only weight you need to achieve muscle growth. It is a powerful tool that can be just as effective as any piece of gym equipment. The following techniques teach how to grow the main muscle groups quickly and efficiently using your body’s own resistance.

Push-ups: pump your pectorals. This exercise develops the pectoral muscles and triceps. Push-ups are an excellent way to grow pectoral muscles. If done properly it is just as effective as working out on a bench press. Your body is the resistance weight and will reflect on how many repetitions (up and down movement) you will achieve before your muscles fail (can’t go up anymore).

Push-up technique - The distance your arms are apart will reflect which area of the chest will be worked. Hands closer together will work the inner chest and give a nice defining line. Positioning hands more than shoulder length apart will work the outer muscles. If you are light and need more resistance you can add more resistance by putting your feet up on a coffee table or box. To get maximum muscle growth it is important to continue the workout until muscle failure.
Push-up routine - Start with hands in line with shoulders (until failure). Wait for 2-3 minutes, then change to inner hand position (until failure). Wait 2-3 minutes, then change to outer hand position (until failure). Wait 3-5 minutes, and repeat the cycle 2 more times.
Pull-ups: huge guns in no time. Pull-ups promote fast and explosive growth in biceps and back muscles. If done regularly, your body will experience an incredible strength increase.

Pull-up technique - Find a smooth horizontal pole that you can hang off without danger of falling or injuring your hands. Play ground equipment in your local park is a popular choice. A sturdy tree branch can also be used. When hanging from the beam with straight arms, it helps to have space between your feet and the ground to avoid your feet and ground making contact during exercise. Grip the pole with your thumbs facing out and hands slightly more than shoulder width apart.

Slowly and steadily pull up and bring your face to the level of the pole, breathing out as you go up. Hold for a moment and bring yourself down until your arms are straight. Pause for a moment, then go up again. Repeat until muscles fail. It’s important that you don’t bounce when you come down. As your strength increases, you can vary how far you go down and which direction your wrists face.

Pull-up routine - Do 1 set till muscles fail. Wait 2 minutes, then repeat 3 times.

Squats: powerful toned legs. Squats are proven to be the fastest way to gain muscle mass in the legs without the use of weights. Squats also work out the hamstrings, calves and lower back.

It’s important not to do too many too soon as the legs can tend to hurt for a few days after an intense workout. Find out how many you are comfortable with, and then increase that number by 5 every day.

Squat technique - Stand up straight with your legs shoulder-width apart. Slowly bend your knees and bring your bottom down until your knees are bent at a 90 degree angle. Hold for 3 seconds, then steadily return to the standing position. Remember to keep your back strait.
Squat routine - Do 10 squats, then take a 2-3 minute break. Then do 15 squats and afterward take a 2-3 minute break. Then do 20 Squats. Continue incrementing up until you feel comfortable your muscles have been worked out (you will know!).


Crunches: sculpt a washboard stomach. Crunches exercise the abdominal muscles and, if done regularly, will give you a ripping 6 pack. The crunch may be hard and painful to do at first, but try to focus on the results you will achieve. It’s a fact that if you do crunches your muscles will grow -- it's as simple as that. Your abdominals are divided into 3 main areas; Top, middle and bottom.

Crunch technique - Top: Lay down on your back with your knees bent at a 45 degree angle, feet on the floor, hands down by your sides. Slowly lift your head and shoulders off the floor and towards your knees. Don’t take your lower back off the floor. When you reach the point where your muscles contract, HOLD AND SQUEEZE, count 1, 2, 3. Squeezing and tightening the muscle is the key to growing abdominal muscles without weights.

Middle and lower: Lay in the same starting position as before, only this time put your hands on your thighs with your arms straight. As you go up, move your hands up your thighs till your wrist meets your knees. Squeeze 1,2,3 then ease back down. Tip: Take your time with this exercise, the slower and more controlled your movements are, the more muscle growth you will experience.

Crunch routine - Do as many top abs crunches as you can, till it hurts. Stretch your body out by curling into a ball while on your side, then stretching out. Wait 2-3 minutes, then do as many middle/lower crunches as you can.

It’s important to understand that these exercises need to be done routinely to get results. Three days a week is a good start. After 3-4 weeks, increase to four days a week. Increase the number for exercise cycles as your strength increases. To get the best result, you will need to endure some degree of muscle pain and aching. No pain, no gain! Keep at it and your body will adjust and you'll stop aching. To assist in muscle growth, recovery and regeneration, invest in a tub of protein and creatine powder.