You do not need a gym to workout. But, what if you don’t have gym access and you are trying to build or maintain your muscle? Don’t worry too much, there are tons of things that you can still do at home to keep your gains on track. You don’t need fancy machines or even free weights to keep yourself on track. All you really need is yourself and your own motivation to get things done.

It may sound easy and mundane, but lacing up your running shoes and going for a job around the block is a great way for you to build up muscle and get your blood flowing. Running will not only increase your cardio health, but it will also help you build up and maintain muscle in your legs. When both of these get stronger, you can go further and faster. If you are just stepping into the muscle world, this is a great place to start.

Bodyweight movements like push-ups and crunches are also great for building or maintaining muscle mass. Push-ups are effective and efficient when building muscle in your upper body, especially in your arms, back, shoulders, and chest. There are dozens of push up variations you can try as you get stronger as well. Crunches are something that you can do easily and incorporate into your routine. This helps you build muscle mass in and around your waist area. Crunch variations can also help you tone specific and different areas of your abdomen and waist.

The best way to gain muscle without weights and increase your muscle mass is to continuously challenge yourself through increasingly tough bodyweight exercises. Think of this as being similar to how you would add heavier weights throughout your progress in the gym. You can do advanced bodyweight movements that allow you to be continuously challenged throughout your muscle program.

However, no matter how much you workout, your body will try to fight the development of muscles. This sounds bizarre because muscles increase metabolisms and reduce the storage of fat in your body, but that is against your body’s natural function so it tries to fight it. Don’t worry though, plenty of people have figured out how to work around this. You can start by adding approved supplements into your routine like protein, amino acids, laxogenin, and magnesium. This will help your body hold onto the muscle gains a bit easier. It is also important to give everything you have during every workout. In other words, train passionately. Tracking your workouts is also very important if you plan to stay on track. This helps you see where you are, where you are going, and keeps you from targeting the same muscle groups every day.

Moving from the comfort of your home gym to the gym in the comfort of your own home can be challenging, and keeping muscle mass built up may seem impossible. But it isn’t. There is so much that you can do with your own body to build and maintain muscle as long as you are willing to put the time and effort into it.