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Muscle Building Weight- & Weight-Free Programs

By William Wilson, C.S.C.S.
Photography by Keith Munyan

So you’ve finally decided to make a serious fitness commitment, to whittle your waistline and get your muscles up to snuff. Congratulations. If you’ve been out of the fitness loop for awhile you’ll be surprised at how many training options now exist. There are hundreds of exercise machines, both cardiovascular and resistance oriented, available in health clubs and for home use. There are also newfangled training methods, most of which originated from hardcore bodybuilding, which can be helpful for regular guys too. But we’re here to tell you (and show you) that the only serious investment you need to make is in time and energy.

Building your body can be accomplished with dumbbells, a barbell and weight-free training. Very simple exercises will provide all the size and strength gains you seek, provided you make workouts a regular part of your schedule. Steady aerobic workouts, such as on a bike or stair climber, promote cardiovascular fitness. However, resistance exercise is the route to looking ripped and getting peak strength out of your muscles, no matter whether your genes decide you are an ectomorph (scrawny), endomorph (bulky), or mesomorph (somewhere in between). The heavier the loads you can handle the more bulk and strength you’ll develop.

Okay, you’re convinced you want to go for every ounce of muscle that your genes will grant you, so how should you work out? We recommend basic barbell, dumbbell and weight-free exercises for the major muscle groups, which include chest, back, shoulders, thighs, biceps, triceps, forearms and calves, at least twice a week. Each workout should include one set of eight to 12 repetitions, using enough resistance to cause muscle fatigue. You’ll get good results from training twice a week, but studies show you’ll get a worthwhile 20 percent extra from working out three times a week, so that looks like a good target.

Proper strength training is hard, but it doesn’t take too much time to complete one set of eight exercises, and boy does it pay off. Strength training increase range of joint movement, boosts muscle mass, strengthens muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones, improves your ability to achieve everyday chores and activities, improves fitness and health, helps avoid accidents, injuries and sickness, and if you do get hurt, speeds rehab. Need we say more?

The Dumbbells Workout

Dumbbells predate just about every other piece of exercise equipment, yet they’re still standard issue for men partaking in resistance training. The reasons are many. First and foremost, you can hit practically every muscle with a dumbbell, since the flexibility of a single arm working allows maximum movement. Muscles can also best be attacked from different angles with dumbbells, whereas barbells and machines have much more limited uses. Light dumbbells can provide excellent cardiovascular benefits via aerobic applications. And single weights will correct muscle imbalances, making for fine injury rehabilitation tools.

		BACK Bent-Over Rows Grasping dumbbells palms in, and with feet close together, bend over until weights are a few inches above the feet. Keeping the back straight and head up, proceed to pull the weights up to chest level. Pause, then lower to starting position.
		BICEPS Standing Curls Stand grasping dumbbells palms out at sides. Proceed to curl the right weight up until forearm touches bicep. Pause, then lower to starting position. Complete sets with each arm.
		CALVES Toe Raises Stand grasping dumbbells palms in at sides. Proceed to rise up on toes as high as possible. Pause, then lower to starting position.
		CHEST Pec Crosses Bend over grasping a dumbbell in the right hand, palm in, the arm extended out to the side. Proceed to cross the arm in front of the chest. Pause, then return to starting position. Complete sets with each arm.
		FOREARMS Seated Palms-Up Wrist Curls Sit and grasp dumbbells palms up with hands open, forearms on thighs and wrists over knees. Proceed to curl weights up as high as possible. Pause, then lower to starting position.
		SHOULDERS Seated Lateral Raises Sit with your back straight, grasping dumbbells palms in at sides. Proceed to raise weights out to sides until arms are parallel to the ground. Pause, then lower to starting position.
		THIGHS Front Lunges Stand grasping dumbbells palms in at sides. Keeping the back straight and head up, proceed to step forward with the right leg and lower until the thigh is parallel to the ground. Pause, then rise to starting position. Complete sets with each leg.

The Weight-Free Workout

These movements, while not requiring dumbbells or barbells, are still basically weight-oriented, since your body provides the resistance. Convenience is the chief asset of the weight-free set. It’s for when you’re away from your weights or don’t have the energy for a comprehensive dumbbell or barbell workout. After performing a set or sets, take the next day off from heavy training.

		BICEPS Isometric Curls Sit with your bent right arm on the inside of the right leg. Place your left hand on your right wrist and provide resistance as you curl the right arm up. Pause, then lower to starting position. Perform sets with both arms.
		CALVES Calf Stretch Stand facing a stationary object. Lean forward and grasp the object, keeping feet flat. Proceed to raise up on toes as high as possible. Pause, then lower to starting position.
		CHEST Arm Crosses Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and arms out to sides, hands fisted. Proceed to cross arms in front of you, right over left. Pause, then return to starting position and on the return cross arms left over right.
		FOREARMS Towel Twists Stand grasping a towel with both hands in front of you at arms’ length. Proceed it wring it all the way one way, then the other.
		SHOULDERS Inverted Push-Ups Begin in a push-up position, but with hands facing each other and elbows out to sides. Proceed to push up to arms’ length. Pause, then lower to starting position.
		THIGHS Leg Raises Stand with feet together grasping an object for support. Proceed to raise the slightly bent right leg up, keeping the knee slightly bent. Pause, then lower to starting position and raise the left leg.
		TRICEPS Reverse Push-Ups Begin with your hands on a bench or other object behind you, arms straight and body supported on heels. Proceed to slowly lower until upper arms are almost parallel to the ground. Pause, then raise to starting position.

The Barbell Program

The barbell’s main selling point is the overall balance it provides. Each side of the body works equally during the repetitions, promoting symmetrical strength and development. Men seeking mass usually prefer barbells because more weight can be handled in single repetitions than when using dumbbells, and heavy lifting is the key to hardcore muscle building. Assuming you’re not straining, there is also less chance of injury with a barbell because both sides of the body work together, as opposed to only one side stressed with a dumbbell.


		BICEPS Standing Curls Stand grasping a barbell palms up in front of thighs. Proceed to curl the bar up until forearms touch biceps. Pause, then lower to starting position.
		CHEST Bench Press Lie on a flat bench grasping a barbell with a medium grip at chest level. Proceed to press the bar up to arms’ length. Pause, then lower to starting position.
		SHOULDERS Upright Rows Stand grasping a barbell palms down in front of thighs. Proceed to pull the bar up under the chin, extending elbows out. Pause, then lower to starting position.
		THIGHS Flat-Footed Squats Stand grasping a barbell on the upper back. Keeping the back straight and head up, proceed to squat until thighs are halfway parallel to the floor. Pause, then rise to starting position.
		TRICEPS Seated Curls Sit at the end of a bench grasping a barbell overhead with a shoulder-width grip. Keeping the back straight, head up and upper arms stationary, proceed to lower the bar behind you until forearms touch biceps. Pause, then raise to starting position.