MUSCLES WITHOUT WEIGHTS...how to use isometrics, strength training with no weights

There are people all over the world who do it every day. It's just a matter of understanding how your body responds to the demands you are placing on it.

"Isometrics" was a method of developing muscles that has been used for decades. Basically, it's about applying force to an immovable object and in the process, stressing your muscles.

Once the muscles are challenged they will develop in answer to the stress they feel, so it makes sense that if the same force is applied over and over, the muscle will have to grow stronger in response.

A simple push-up is a great example. You push against the floor to raise your body and in the process, stress the muscles in your arms, shoulders, and back.

The push-up is a form of isometrics. There are no weights in sight, but do enough push-ups and you will develop more upper body muscle. Plus, that's only one exercise that will develop muscles without weights.

I'm sure everyone has seen at least one of those prison films where the inmate is not able to leave his cell yet still manages to develop amazing muscles without weights.

The prisoner will do push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups. He will push against a wall until he feels the effort and stress in his arms and shoulders and will hold that position for certain amount of time and then do it again. This is "isometrics" at it's best.

Your muscles have no way of knowing what is causing all this work and stress. They don't know if you are lifting a barbell, pushing a car, doing a push-up, or applying force against a wall.

All they know is, if you keep repeating it often enough, they will have to get bigger and stronger in order to handle the work you are asking them to do. So you are in fact, building muscles without weights.

It wouldn't be that hard to devise your own work-out plan at home that does not involve one single weight.

Install a chin-up bar for those chin-ups, clear a space where you can do your push-ups and sit-ups, and find yourself a nice sturdy concrete wall to push against.

You don't want to push against your living room wall, because eventually you will might get so strong you will push a hole into it.

Try it yourself. Put both hands flat against a wall and "push". Push until you feel the strain on your muscles and then "hold it" there. Hold it for 15 seconds to start. Then wait for 60 seconds and do it again.

Repeat that 6 or 8 times and I guarantee you will feel the "burn" in your muscles of your arms and shoulders. Do your chin-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups as well. All of these exercises develop muscles.

Take a rest day after a work-out day and let your muscles recover, get rid of old tissue and begin to re-build. Do about 3 workouts a week.

As you start getting stronger and feel you want to get even stronger, you can do a few things that will increase the work-load on your muscles.

You can push against the wall harder, increase the amount of time you apply force, or can take less rest in between sets.

You can increase the amount of push-ups and sit-ups, and you can also increase the amount of pull-ups and do them "slower" to add more stress and make your muscles work harder.

These are just a few samples of exercises you can do that will make you stronger and gain more muscles without weights. If you want to find a lot more exercises that will work for you, just go to the library or check on the internet for books on "Isometrics" and you will be well on your way.

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