Building Muscle At Home: An Impossible Goal?

Is Joining a Gym Necessary to Build a Strong, Muscular Body?

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This is one of the most common questions from aspiring lifters:

“Is joining a gym necessary to build a strong, muscular body? "

Answer: No, you don’t have to join a gym! If you want to start building muscle at home you can do it with the right planning and equipment.

I saw incredible results when I spent my first two years building muscle at home using some basic equipment in my basement.

Not everyone can afford a gym membership.

If you have a busy lifestyle, building muscle at home can help you utilize your time better.

Until you get the body you want, you may be too embarrassed to train in a gym. (Although this really isn’t a very good reason!).

Whatever your reasons are for training at home, you don't need to worry!

Even though I now workout at a gym with my training partner, my years building muscle at home were fantastic.

I certainly didn't have to worry about travel times. Whenever I wanted, I could slip downstairs into my basement for my workouts and start building muscle at home.

I could blast whatever music I wanted without having to worry about others.

I could grunt, yelp and scream through my sets if I was in the mood without disturbing anyone (hey, squatting to failure isn't easy okay? ) or train shirtless if I felt like it.

Once my workout was over, I could collapse on the floor in exhaustion with the confidence that my post workout shakes were right there in the kitchen instead of a long drive to my home.

Those were the best of times.

Ultimately, the only real disadvantage you’ll face is that you won’t be able to access certain muscle building equipments such as calf or leg press machine. You can purchase certain machines if you have the money to spend and plan on building muscle at home over the long term, but for most people, this is not the most likely scenario.

Luckily, planning out a proper bodybuilding routine doesn’t require the use of any fancy equipment, plus the machine exercises can easily be swapped for free-weight substitutions when building muscle at home.

In order to build muscle at home, all that you require is some basic equipment:

Getting a cast iron set is a good idea, plus you have to purchase enough weights to enable you to progress from week to week.

Don’t purchase an entire set of dumbbells because the adjustable kind are much more efficient and cost-effective. Get a single set that includes both the barbell and dumbbells together.

If you are going to be doing bench presses and other seated movements, which you will, you will need a sturdy bench. Whenever possible, purchase a bench that can be inclined and remember to get one with safety catches if you want to train on your own.

You can get these for 15-20 dollars or so, and place them in the frame of your door.

A full squat rack can be pricey, so it’s typically the trickiest piece of equipment to purchase. But the fact remains that squats are an irreplaceable movement and have to be a part of your workout routine, especially if you don't have a leg press machine handy.

It’s time to get creative if you really don’t have the cash for a squat rack. Ultimately, when building muscle at home, you need to have some device that allows you to safely unrack a loaded bar and drop the bar onto a safety catch or the floor if your strength suddenly gives out.

You should never squat when building muscle at home without a safe place to drop the bar! You can kill two birds with one stone if you decide to get a squat rack, as full squat racks typically provide a chin-up bar on top.

So, if you want to setup a home gym, these are the five basic pieces of equipment you will need. As long as you have these basic tools, it’s not hard to do an effective workout without joining a traditional gym.

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