Too easy? Ask a family member to help add resistance for your training.

Contributed by Sebastian Tan

People usually associate getting muscular or toned up with lifting big heavy weights in the gym. Without a doubt, training in the gym with a wider selection of equipment can provide variety in one’s training. However, muscular growth does not rely only on lifting heavy weights. There are many determining factors of muscle growth such as your diet, sleep quality, hormones and quality of your training programme. Let’s look into how can you maximise your training at home by mainly making your body the machine. Note that the following suggestions are also applicable to training in the gym, so you could try them out after the MCO is over.

Matching the volume if possible

Our body adapts by growing muscles bigger and stronger through constant exertion of force. We usually measure that by looking into the number of sets and repetitions (reps) and the amount of weights. We called this training volume. When we are ordered to stay home with limit tools and weights, we have to train smarter to maintain the training stimulus. Otherwise, it is going to be difficult to maintain the hard-gained muscles. There is a saying: “You use it, you have it. If you don’t use it, you lose it (much like our brains too)”.  

Empty bottles filled with water make excellent weights.

For example, in the gym, you usually squat three sets x 10 reps x 20kg = 600kg of work. Now at home, you would have to try your best to match that. Get a 10kg worth of anything you can grab at home (containers filled up with water or load up their backpack) and do three sets x 20 reps x 10kg = 600kg of work. The lighter the weights, the more the reps to equal the 600kg of work.

Don’t forget your body weight is a weight too. Some exercises do not require extra resistance to challenge you, such as push-up variations and pull-up variations. If these are too easy for you, you can always involve your partners or family members at home to spice things up by asking them to be the extra resistance.

Prioritise execution quality

You can have all the right volume but do not see muscle growth at your targeted areas. It could be due to genetics and we can’t control that. What you can control is your training stimulus. 

If you are looking for gains, remember that muscle growth takes time and effort. If you are executing your exercises too fast, without control and with poor techniques, you are unlikely to maximise the benefits of your training.

You can get the right training stimuli if you execute the exercises with the right techniques. The training stimuli are mind muscle connection, Pump and muscular disruption. The mind-muscle connection is essential. For instance, when you are doing push-ups, you should feel it in your chest and triceps. The optimal mind-muscle connection is not merely feeling that the muscles are moving; it is about you feeling the tension on the targeted muscles as you are executing the exercises. You should be feeling the burn and tension to the extent that you could not continue. 

However, if you are feeling the burn and tension on the other areas such as your neck, biceps or your shoulders, we can conclude that mind-muscle not optimal for growth.

The pump is that you can see and feel the targeted muscles swell and expand. Execute with proper technique and incorporate resistance training like slowing the going-down phase of your push-ups or include pauses and extra range of motion along with higher repetitions. You can experience a massive pump at the targeted muscles as a result.

After training, you would also want to experience muscular disruption where the targeted muscles you trained will feel “funny” or rather; their functions would be affected. For example, after doing squats, you would face challenges when you squat down later to pick things up, or even when you use the staircase.

Sleep for better recovery

Simplify the training

Complicated or fancy exercises do not lead to superior muscle growth or fitness. Elite athletes of the world are the product of their mastery of foundational skills. Quoting Bruce Lee: “I fear not the man who practises 10,000 types of kicks, but the man who practises one technique 10,000 times.” 

Keep your training simple since you will have limited tools anyway, but you can train more frequently now. You can have all the tools, but if you do not apply the abovementioned optimal training stimuli, you will impede your progression. It is very common these days to see people on social media doing some challenges to finish as many repetitions of squats or push-ups or burpees as possible. 

If you don’t feel the training stimuli while doing such challenges, you might unfortunately just be getting some volume in and some calories burnt. It’s better to pick a few exercises and perfect them with good techniques.

Eat enough protein, sleep for better recovery

Food is important too.

Muscles get damaged and disrupted during training, but they grow stronger and bigger through adequate recovery. You put in hard work during training, but if you do not allow yourself to recover, it can be maladaptive. Establish a better sleep schedule where you would enjoy seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. 

Consume high-quality protein such as whey, eggs, poultry, fish and other plant-based protein daily to ensure muscle recovery and growth. Get them in wholefood, not processed food. Based on the recommendation by the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), the overall daily protein intake is in the range of 1.4g to 2g for every kilogramme that you weigh. 

This estimation is sufficient for individuals who want to build muscle mass or to maintain muscle mass. For example, if you are 75kg, the range of protein intake per day would be between 105g and 150g.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is your body. Applying proper training stimuli during your exercise sessions will ensure better chances of getting the physique you want. Otherwise, it is just like buying lottery. Training is science, and you fare better when you do it systematically. Stay at home and get toned.

Sebastian Tan has over eight years of experience as a fitness coach and is currently working as a fitness educator. He holds a First Class Honors Bachelor of Social Science in Psychology from UTAR. Tan is an American Council for Exercise (ACE) master instructor, certified personal trainer (ACE), health coach (ACE), and rehabilitation trainer (Australia). His area of expertise is strength and conditioning, corrective exercises and behavioural coaching.

Disclaimer

This article is intended to convey general information only. It does not constitute advice for your specific needs. This article cannot disclose all of the risks and other factors necessary to evaluate a particular situation.

Any interested party should study each situation carefully. You should seek and obtain independent professional advice for your specific needs and situation.