No Nonsense Muscle Building primarily focuses on lifting weights at the gym in order to build muscle. However, there are also a number of bodyweight exercises that can be used with the no nonsense muscle building system:
Shoulder press. The shoulder press is a relatively unknown bodyweight exercise, but it is very effective. It is similar to a push-up but is tweaked slightly to focus on the shoulder muscles. Get into a push-up position and then arch your back up into the air so that when you lower your body, the majority of the stress is placed onto the shoulders. To make the exercise even harder, elevate your feet onto a chair or a stall. The extra gravity will place even more stress on the shoulders and thus help promote growth.
Side Plank. A side plank is a staic hold that works the oblique muscles. Lie on your side and support yourself with one forearm on the ground. Your other arm should be laying flat against your side. It is quite hard to keep balance during this exercise as you are trying to remain on your side whilst in an elevated position. Keep at it though as it is a great oblique exercise.
Chin-ups. This requires the use of a pull-up bar or some sort of bar that will support your body weight. Installing a pull-up bar in your home is relatively inexpensive and you just need to place the bar between a sturdy door frame and screw it in place. Grip the bar with your palms facing towards yourself, and then slowly pull yourself up until your chin touches your fingers. Exhale as you pull yourself up and inhale on the way down. At first chin-ups can be very hard and you may struggle to do just a few. Start off trying to reach 6 reps, and slowly build up the reps over time.
Burpees. A burpee is used for both strength training and as a cardio exercise. Start the exercise in an upright standing position and then lower yourself into a squat with your hands on the ground. Then push your feet behind you to manoevere into a push-up position. Now move your legs forward back into the squat position and jump up in the hair with your arms raised above your head. Burpees literally work out all body parts and are great for developing explosive strength.
Plyometric push-ups. To do a plyometric push-up simply do a normal push-up but when you come back up you use extra explosive strength to vault yourself up off the floor. So you are still in the push-up position – just in the air! The most advanced version of the pylometric push-up involves performing a clap mid-air. But simpler versions can just include only raising the hands off the ground and not the feet. Work your way up to the mid-air clap versions.
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