Today, in this 21st century, all of us want to stay fit and healthy. We dream day and night about having a body similar to the celebrities we idolize. Yet, when reality hits us, all we think and feel is that going anywhere near that goal is too much effort and a waste of a lot of time daily. Not to mention, spending a huge amount of investment, on gym membership, trainers, and so on.
But this is not the case anymore! Today, you can become muscular, at your own house, without putting in a huge amount of time, energy, or effort, and without filling your entire body with supplements and medications. All you have to do is be a little mindful, and make some small changes here and there in your daily lifestyle. And remember that the key principle behind building muscles is to take in more calories than you burn, i.e., ensure that your body has a positive energy balance.
Now, we list down some basic tips on how you can become muscular, easily, conveniently, and quickly, on your own.

Training your muscles

Building muscle at home is quite easy and straightforward and does not require you to spend a chunk of your income on fancy gym equipments. All you need is a little creativity and of course, a commitment to work out regularly. Although there is definitely a limit to which you can only gain muscle mass without relying on any professional equipment, experts recommend a home workout if you are just starting, and looking for safe, even muscle toning.
Spending a little time doing some basic exercises regularly can take you a long way, and prove to be quite beneficial for you! However, remember to spend some time warming up to loosen your muscles and whole body before beginning these!
● Pushups
○ Push-ups are the bread and butter of home workouts, that directly strengthen your upper body and core. These are an effective and efficient way to train all upper forms of body muscles like arms, back, shoulders, and chest.
○ You should start with basic push-ups, and once you feel experienced enough, you should mix in incline and decline push-ups for better overall muscle growth. You can do these improved forms of push-ups by leaning on the wall, on the kitchen door, or wherever, to do the push-up at an angle.
○ Each set of these pushups should be 8-12 reps. Your target should be to try doing up to 3 sets.
● Crunches
○ Crunches are undoubtedly the best exercises to build your abs and core. These help build muscle mass in and around the waist.
○ You can start with 5 -10 crunches a day and increase some more every day.
○ Experts recommend aiming for 3 sets of 8-12 reps of this exercise regularly.
○ You can also try some leg raises before beginning crunches, for better results.
● Dips
○ Dips are an effective complex exercise that lifts your entire body weight and particularly works out your arms.
○ The target should be to do 3 sets of up to 15-20 reps.
○ Keep in mind that this exercise might need the support of a sturdy bench, table, or chair roughly 1–2 feet (0.3–0.6 m) above the ground.
○ However, if you face any kind of trouble performing a dip you can ask someone’s help to hold your legs.
● Pull-ups
○ Pull-ups are considered the best among upper body exercises and improve body muscles like the back, arms, chest, and shoulders.
○ If you face difficulties in doing upright pull-ups at the initial stage, you can go with flat pull-ups and then proceed to an advanced level when you get sturdier.
○ You can also consider chin-ups as they are said to be the best for gaining biceps and building muscles fast at home.
● Planks
○ Planks are a great way to work your entire core, and they can easily be adapted for an extra challenge.
○ You should try to incorporate side planks, along with the regular ones, into your workout, for best results.
○ 12 reps in each set are said to be adequate initially. You can increase it once your body gets used to the exercise.
● Basic curls
○ If you are unwilling to spend money on the purchase of dumbbells and other weights, you can still perform bicep curls, tricep workouts, and other exercises that depend on these pieces of equipment. All you need is a gallon of milk, a heavy book, or any other form of weight lying in and around your house, and you are good to go!
○ 10-15 pounds of weight is recommended for a beginner.
○ You should try doing 3 sets of each exercise with 10-15 reps in each set
● Squats
○ Squats are among the most recommended exercises to build muscles. These help improve your legs and your back.
○ Additionally, squats also improve your core, and aid in building your thighs and ensuring that your lower back becomes stronger.
○ Experts recommend doing this 10 times, followed by another 2 sets after a short break.
● Lunges
○ Lunges are an extremely useful way to build your butt, hip, and hamstring muscles.
○ If you have dumbbells or weights with you at home, you can make this work out harder and significantly increase your conditioning. Even a gallon of milk in each hand is said to help wonders. However, this should not be done if you are a beginner at exercising.
To ensure the best outcome from your workout session, you should try developing an effective workout schedule, which suits you, your job schedule, and your stamina. To make a productive schedule, remember to allow 1-2 days of rest between similar workouts, to give your body time to recover. Moreover, it is said that your body will be less effective if you put pressure on it every day, without a break. Also, it is recommended to group similar muscle groups for workouts. For instance, since many chest exercises also work out your triceps, you can group these exercises, and get them done on the same day.
Lastly, your focus should be on great form, not extra repetitions, to gain muscle quickly and safely. Remember that 10 proper push-ups are far more effective (and productive) than 15 bad ones.

Dietary changes
Simply spending time working out and exercising will get you nowhere if you continue to eat burgers and pizzas. You need to plan out a proper, balanced diet, with sufficient amounts of nutrients, to ensure proper muscle building.
Some tips that you must keep in mind while consuming food have been listed below.
● Eat a proper breakfast
○ Nowadays, most of us have the habit of sleeping late at night and not waking up on time. This unhealthy schedule makes us miss the first meal of our day, which we basically take for granted. However, studies have shown that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
○ A proper breakfast gives you an immediate burst of energy and ensures that you stay full until your next meal. Moreover, it jumpstarts your metabolism as well.
○ Moreover, it also sets a healthy trend for the entire day, because it is said that if your day starts with a strong and healthy breakfast, you will be choosing healthy all day.
○ When your goal is to build muscle mass, it is best recommended to include omelets, smoothies, greek yogurt, and cottage cheese, as a part of your breakfast.
○ However, it is advisable to not overeat in the morning such that you feel tired and sluggish all day long.
● Eat frequently throughout the day
○ Eating the right thing at the right time is the key to boosting your muscle mass.
○ The most highly recommended way is to eat your breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as usual, interspersed with meals post-workout, pre-bed, and with two snacks in between.
○ Keeping your food intake up will ensure that you will not be as hungry, because eating smaller meals more often as compared to a few big meals will decrease your stomach size. You will tend to feel full more quickly, helping you shed the extra body weight quickly.
○ Eating more meals will also increase your metabolism and energy levels which will make it easier to build muscle.
○ Moreover, starving yourself in order to reduce weight, and/or not eating for long periods is never the right option. It can cause you to overeat at the next meal or choose unhealthy snacks.
○ Also, when you eat at fixed times every day, your body will get used to a routine, making you hungry at those fixed times only.
○ Lastly, many experts advise making your last daily meal a little smaller than your breakfast or lunch. Since your metabolism is lower late at night, eating a lot after that time may help you put on weight, but it will not aid muscle building.
● Intake the right quantity of protein
○ The bottom line to building muscle naturally is definitely consuming protein. To achieve this, you should be trying to eat at least 1g per 454g of body weight. For instance, if you weigh 91 kg, you should consume 200g of protein per day.
○ Moreover, since protein repairs muscle tissue, many suggest getting at least 25% of your diet from protein when you are bulking up.
○ The easiest way to get this amount is to eat a whole protein source with each meal. You can choose red meat, eggs, fish, poultry, and dairy products, among others, to get your protein intake. You can also go for vegan options that include lentils, tofu, seeds, nuts, etc.
○ Furthermore, research suggests that consuming lean protein 15 to 20 minutes before, during, and within one hour of working out may help improve muscle gain. Most people prefer this in the form of a protein drink or supplement. Although beneficial, you do not need to choose a supplement, you can always go for something homemade and natural.
○ Lastly, keep in mind the fact that if you go more than 15 hours without protein, you may begin to lose muscle.
● Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
○ Many experts recommend consuming these rich sources of vitamins and minerals with every meal, to boost the process of gaining muscles.
○ Most fruits and vegetables are low in calories, which basically means that you can eat till you feel full, full without gaining fat or weight.
○ Fruit and vegetables are also full of antioxidants and fiber which helps digestion.
○ However, many of these items available today are actually full of sugar content, so it is necessary to not choose any fruit and/or vegetable blindly, by simply assuming that it will benefit your body.
● Include enough carbohydrates in your diet
○ Carbohydrates are essential when it comes to producing energy. And since you will be using a lot more energy than most people by working out, getting plenty of carbs is essential to building muscle.
○ Intaking sufficient carbs will also increase your whole performance during complex workout routines.
○ You should try to make carbs 55-60% of your daily diet. You can choose to eat carbs with every meal or go for a carbohydrate-heavy dish like pasta.
○ You can go for rice, salmon, nuts, lentils, potatoes, quinoa, oats, etc. However, it is advisable to avoid white carbs and eat whole grains.
● Consume fibers, oils, and healthy fats
○ These should make up around 15-20% of your calorie intake.
○ While fiber is crucial for body digestion, healthy oils like olive oil and almond oil contain a variety of acids that help reduce inflammation, which you may run into while working out regularly.
○ Fiber-rich foods include any fruit and vegetable. You can pair all your meals with some veggies to ensure enough fiber intake. Popcorn made with a little oil and no butter or salt is a healthy nutritious snack that is rich in both fiber and oil.
○ Moving on, healthy fats improve fat loss and health as they digest much more slowly. Therefore, it is essential to balance your fat intake and eat healthy fats with every meal, while taking caution to avoid artificial trans fats and margarine.
○ Avocados, nuts, olive oil, and eggs all contain healthy fats and should be made a part of your daily meals.
○ A recommended way of getting fat is through fish, which consists of omega-3 fatty acids, which are vital fatty acids.
● Adjust your calorie intake
○ While an average male normally needs around 2,400 calories a day, women require around 2,000. Moreover, the calorie requirements of an individual differ a little based on age, weight, and height. You should seek advice from your nutritionist if you feel unsure about this.
○ For most people, consuming an additional 300-500 calories a day is adequate to bulk up while working out regularly.
○ However, remember that these calories should be equally consumed through proteins, carbohydrates, and a little bit of fat. You should avoid intaking calories through junk food.
○ Some fresh and light nutrients that are rich in calories include avocados, nuts, peanut butter, fruits, salad with creamy toppings, and so on.
● Eat whole foods
○ To achieve your goals, it is essential to remember that 90% of your food intake should consist of whole foods, which are basically unprocessed and unrefined/ little refined foods that come as close as possible to their natural state.
○ Fresh meat, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables, pulses, fruits, rice, oats, quinoa, etc. are all whole foods and are devoid of any added sugars, trans-fats, nitrates, corn syrup, sodium, and other chemicals.
● Keep your body hydrated throughout the day
○ Staying hydrated through adequate consumption of water is the basic underlying fundamental of a healthy and fit body.
○ Water keeps your energy levels up, regulates your body temperature, and helps you with digestion and nutrient absorption, all of which are important when trying to build muscle.
○ Moreover, drinking water not only prevents dehydration but also hunger since an empty stomach can make you think you are hungry, and overeat.
○ It is recommended to consume around 17–20 fl oz (500–590 ml) of water at least 2 hours before working out. While you’re lifting or running, you should target to drink 7–10 fl oz (210–300 ml) of water every 10-20 minutes. And after you are done, have 16–24 fl oz (470–710 ml) of water for every 1 lb (0.45 kg) you lost through your sweat to stay properly hydrated.

Lifestyle adjustments
Doing some tiny adjustments in your daily routine can do for your body what exercise and diet will not be able to do on their own.
● Make yoga a part of your routine
○ Yoga strengthens your muscles and gains flexibility and overall works out the larger muscle groups.
○ You can especially include this as a part of your routine, on the days you take a break from exercise.
● Go for a jog or a run
○ Jogging and running are the basic steps towards building muscles fast at home, that help you to remain physically and mentally healthy.
○ These also build up your leg muscles and your cardiovascular system.
○ For beginners, it is advised to begin with walking or jogging slowly and steadily to increase your physical stamina. You can start running after a few days when you feel ready to level up.
● Try cardio
○ While most people do not equate building muscles with cardio, there is a variety of exercises you can string together to build lean, powerful leg muscles.
○ You can try jumping jacks, lunges, and burpees, among other exercises, each for 60 seconds, with a 30-second break in between.
● Prioritize sleep
○ Sleep and rest are crucial for muscle recovery and growth. Experts say that if you do not get enough sleep, your body does not have enough time to recover, grow muscle, and burn fat.
○ Being sleep-deprived can also make you miss your workout sessions, or worse, injure yourself during those.
○ Therefore, it is recommended to get quality sleep of 7-8 hours per night.

Although most people today rely on supplements, medications, and other such things to help build and maintain a body, you can easily avoid it if that is not your style. You can choose to build your muscles naturally, which is said to be much safer and more likely to work. You will definitely not see results overnight, but if you are determined, and follow a strict schedule and a little discipline, you will undoubtedly see positive changes in a few months.
Remember to not be too hard on yourself at the beginning, such that you bruise yourself and/or fall sick on day 1 itself. It is always advisable to seek an expert before making any major lifestyle or dietary changes that might have a long-term impact on your body.
And if you are willing to push yourself further, maybe after some days or months of basic lifestyle changes and workout sessions, you should think about investing in home gym equipment. Nowadays, a whole lot of these products are available in the market, which are inexpensive as well as quality certified.
Furthermore, you can also go for a personal trainer, if willing. A trainer can guide you through the proper forms and mechanics for certain exercises, at home, and also ensure that you actually stick with your workout regimen.
Lastly, keep in mind that muscle building is an all-year-long, 24X7, project. And when it comes to acing this project, dedication is the closest thing to a magic solution.

Set a goal, stick to a schedule, stay motivated, be patient, and make sure your diet is on point! We believe in you and hope that you reach your end target very soon!