How to build muscle at home- beginner help pls!

[Newnameagain111]

Hello! I am 35, pretty much sedentary and recently discovered I am “skinny fat”. I have a normal bmi (22) but my body fat is well over 30%.

I understand that I need to start exercising and specifically build up muscle.
I have the upper body strength of a marshmallow- I cannot do a single press-up. BUT! I am determined to make a proper go of this and take up some form of exercise that will help get my body back to a healthy composition.

I am at a bit overwhelmed about how to go about toning up my muscles at home. What exercises and how many reps etc? Most things seem too hard for me to tbh. Can anyone recommend a free (or reasonably cheap) programme or youtube channel for beginners, like a ‘couch to 5K’ for toning muscles up at home?

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give me!

Building muscle is really hard and isn''t "toning" (I am not sure what toning is tbh - what do you mean by it)?

How do you know your body fat percentage? I have used two different scales and they produced very different results.

I think strength training at home with no previous experience would be very difficult as form matters so much and to build muscle you either need to lift heavy or do hard bodyweight exercises well. And it requires a lot of motivation. I'd try online classes instead. Lots of gyms run them or there are things like Les Mills (there is a thread on here about that).

www.nerdfitness.com/blog/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

Here is a home beginner bodyweight routine but a lot of those exercises are included in classes, and you'd get more variety and structure.

If you want to do a press-up, start on stairs if you have them. Google for videos of good form but do them with your hands on whichever step allows you to do 8-10 well. Then move down the steps. Worked for me.

Newnameagain111 the best way to start at home would be bodyweight exercises like press ups, squats, lunges, tricep dips, calf raises, etc. You can do these at home with no additional equipment and it would be a good way to start building up some base strength before working with weights. A word of warning - start small! Don't do what I did and start with 15 lunges on each leg or you won't be able to walk!!

Not everyone's cup of tea but I highly recommend Joe Wicks and his you tube exercise videos for body weight exercises. Obviously there are others to choose from but the benefits of his programme really helped me. I eventually signed up for his 90 day programme having tried soooo many other exercise programmes. I've now built up lean muscle and dropped body weight that I've never been able to lose. I've moved on from body weight HIiT workouts to dumbbell and kettlebell workouts. It's been a progression though.

If you're like me and have problems seeing exercise routines through, there are ways you can trick yourself into thinking its easy or fun.

For example, a Powerspin helped me hugely (you can buy them on amazon) - 5 minutes every day on the arms and I noticed them getting toned within a few weeks. As muscle built up I was then been able to do more, and have noticed even more changes since using the Nintendo Switch Ringfit game every day.

I now have muscles and can do push ups etc, its amazing!

I like the beach body work outs. They have some that contain weights. Agree with pp though the word toning is a misnomer. What even is it? All you can do is build muscle.

I use the Fitness Blender website for free videos to do at home. They have all levels, so you can start with an easy 10 minute video and build it up from there. They don't have music so I add my own music which I much prefer. I always pick the videos with Kelli because I like her style - i.e. I'm not intimidated by her. They have some plans too that you can follow for a month, but they might not be free of charge, I can't remember.

Once you have been building up for a while, you might want to add in some weights.

Fitness blender: they have some free 5 day strength programs that are free, fab and well paced. Yy to them not being intimating and ver achievable but I find them as dull as ditchwater as no music

les Mills body pump: not free but cheap for what it is. Release 114 is better, but generally it is not so good for building up from complete scratch. Most fun/sustainable in the long run.

pilates (not yoga): havent found an online one I like

zumba strong on DVD: this is fab for building up strength quickly but low impact/joint friendly if you follow the right presenter. If I've had a break from Exercise I do this for 2days-1week then onto Les Mills. I also like it because I can switch seamlessly between low and high impact depending on whether my joints are playing ball.

30 day shred: very quick build up of all over body strength and cardio. But very high impact. Only do if your joints are up to scratch and are happy to jump. A lot.

I havent tried Joe wicks

Wii fit 2+ balance board: really awesome if you are completely totally and utterly unfit and don't want to think of yourself as exercising, you are just playing games, that happen to be good for strength..... you will hit a plateau of what you can achieve with it though relatively quick to the effort involved in setting it up and once you achieve a level of fitness you are unlikely go back to the Wii

I disagree with PPs saying how hard it is and how you must do it with an online class or trainer.

My husband went from being morbidly obese with no strength to a healthy weight with very big muscles just by picking stuff up and lifting it. It's not complicated. Get a set of beginner dumbbells, start with the very lightest and set yourself 10 reps of each type of lift (arms to the side, bicep curl, up over your head etc). If anything hurts stop immediately and have a day off. Listen to your body. Always increase the reps before moving up to the next size weight.

For his lower body he would do squats and sit ups in between the dumbbell reps. None of this would be a structured workout, he would always do it in between kitchen jobs, so 10 reps while the kettle was boiling, empty the dishwasher and do some squats etc. He never had time to do a proper one. I use past tense because now he has changed jobs so he can spend time doing a proper workout with music on and stuff but it just shows what he managed to achieve by consistency, little and often.

It makes me laugh because whenever I had a fitness plan I would buy all the workout gear, dvds, yoga mat and make a big deal of setting up a workout space and achieve very little because I would always give up, then he goes and does a few sit ups on the kitchen floor while his dinner is in the microwave and ends up with the body of a God!

Most women do not build muscle like men. And there is a difference between building muscle, and revealing existing muscles by losing fat.

@MsMartini

Most women do not build muscle like men. And there is a difference between building muscle, and revealing existing muscles by losing fat.

I mean yeah, sure, tell OP it's impossible and she shouldn't try. Whatever.

Women are just as capable of building muscle using the same techniques as men. They might not build as much but are you seriously saying that if we pick a dumbbell up repeatedly on a daily basis nothing is going to happen? It's not fucking hard. Using muscles makes them grow.

Oh and in addition there is no way in the world that my husband was hiding all those muscles under his fat. He had skinny arms and carried all his weight on his belly. I watched his muscles grow over time, I'm well versed in the shape and size of my own husband. He as also able to lift and carry things easily that he had struggled with before.

Yy to Daybath. I was wondering what on earth MsMartin meant.

When I was going to the gym and focusing on strength classes the men and women did the exact same exercises. The weights may have been lighter or heavier or you may be doing a slightly easier or harder version.
But that depended less on your sex and more on how long you had been doing it, how your joints are and if you had any injuries.

You don't lift a dumbell with your penis!!!

There are some good apps like the 'Lose weight' apps, kettle bells, yoga etc.
Have a look at the app store.
I do a bunch of these and have really noticed a change in my strength and shape of some of my muscles.
They basically give you a movement to do, tell you how to do it and how long for. You can usually select how long you want to exercise for as well and increase difficulty as you go on.

I always struggled with doing body weights independently as I either bowed out early or couldn't come up with my next move, but these apps have been great at helping.

You don't lift a dumbell with your penis!!!. PMSL, so true!!

I am definitely not saying that. I strength train, mainly with men and using the same techniques as them, love it, and would greatly recommend. And I have built muscle, as a middle-aged woman. But the OP asked specifically about building muscle, as a beginner, at home. Lifting progressively heavier weights with no experience or instruction is asking for injury IMO and IME. Starting with bodyweight and cardio, as in the classes I and others recommended, allows you to develop good form and get fitter and stronger generally first.

Online advice is usually built for men and its true that their physiology is different and they put on muscles easier.

Its harder for women to gain and sustain muscle but that doesn't necessarily mean "difficult".

I mean I guess you have to justify gym subscription to yourself somehow but no. It's really not complicated as long as people listen to their body and take it slow. Lifting half pound weights isn't going to cause issues. Coaches are only necessary when you get to the level of needing a spotter.

Men do build muscle easier though. Not that women can’t obviously.
OP I’d start out doing some body weight exercises like sit ups, press ups, crunches, lunges, squats. And then just keep at it. Loads of reps to begin with if you’re not adding any weights. A few times a week consistently and you’ll notice results. Then get some light dumbbells and a resistance band for your legs. If you’ve got Instagram then search for the hashtag resistanceband and loads of workouts will come up. There’s also loads of programs online you can pay for where the trainer gives you a workout each day to follow. You just let them know what equipment you have, if any at home.
Good luck! The hardest part is getting started.

It's easy to tell if you've built muscle, you get stronger!

Starting with bodyweight and cardio, as in the classes I and others recommended, allows you to develop good form and get fitter and stronger generally first.

Ahh now that makes much more sense and I agree there. I really didnt get your difference between men and women comment. In the end it doesn't matter about gender. Do regularly a strength based exercise that suits you and eat enough protein-> building up muscle.

Tbh if you are coming from a basis of no exercise at all then all you need to do to start with is move. Find something you fancy having a go at and do it. Try something new every day if you like. It doesn't need to be following a programme, YouTube is great for this.

If you like the focus on individual muscles, strength training with bodyweight exercises is a good place to start like pp said. Or there is yoga if you like a slower pace of exercise for lean muscle and fantastic for core. A barre class would do similar but up in intensity.

If being outside appeals, then walking (properly marching, not mooching)? Find a hill and stride up it until your heart rate is raised. You'll build calf, thigh and glute muscles. Then, c25k would be a step up. Cardio also builds muscle, it's not just for weight loss.

My thinking is that when you say "build muscle" it's not to be visual or like lifters at the gym. You need to increase you muscle strength simply by using them more. Get into the mindset that anything is better than nothing and start there. Once you have found what you enjoy and it has become part of your lifestyle, you can then build challenges in to keep your focus.

For example, for years I did no exercise apart from dressage riding horses. Then a friend invited me to a gym class with her as "I should be doing proper exercise". My core strength was better than the rest of the class, including my gym bunny friend. And I was better at squats!

Get an online consultation with a local PT. Then if you like them book some sessions, you will soon see a difference.

Honestly, best money you will ever spend!

Oh and before any jumps on me..... online sessions or 1:2:1 sessions outdoor until the gyms reopen-open.

I was you a year ago (except not skinny!!). DH had been doing a circuits class in the Village Hall so I went with him for a few sessions and then moved onto Zoom when the lockdown started.

I had no weights so started with full squash bottles as weights. Then I bought some 2kg dumbbells from Aldi. Now I have 3s and 4s too. I do 2 sessions a week - squats, lunges, crunches, planks, bicep curls etc. Nothing overly complicated. I also walk or jog every day. If the weather is awful I do a training session from the Nike Fitness app which is free. I'd highly recommend it - lots of different styles of workout and different trainers. Includes sessions which are good for people who live in flats for example and don't want to annoy their neighbours by thumping on the floor.

It has made a massive difference to me without a doubt. I have lost weight, my body shape has changed, I can feel muscles in my core and my arms. I am now able to do exercises that I struggled with a year ago which has really upped my confidence levels. I have made it a habit to do 30 mins of exercise every day so it's now part of the daily routine.