How to Build Muscle Tone Without a Gym

Exercise bands provide an inexpensive, at-home substitute for free weights and weight machines.

If you're too busy or budget-conscious to make it to the gym to exercise, building muscle can seem like a daunting proposition. However, almost anyone can improve muscle tone with at-home exercises using body weight and exercise bands. Start improving your muscle tone by adding one or two sets of simple exercises to your routine every day. These exercises don't take much time --- you can do them during television commercials --- but they can have a positive, lasting effect on your overall appearance and fitness levels.

Things You'll Need

• Exercise bands
• Yoga mat

Instructions

A 10-Minute At-Home Muscle-Toning Routine

1. 

   Push-ups are a body-weight exercise that can help tone muscles.

   Start your routine with push-ups. Lie on your stomach, and push up your body with just your hands and toes remaining on the floor. Then go down all the way to the floor with your nose and keep your back straight. If necessary, perform modified push-ups by putting your knees on the floor as well as your feet and hands.

2. 

   Instead of sit-ups like this, do bicycle crunches at home.

   Lie on your back on your yoga mat, interlace your hands lightly behind your head, and hold your knees in the air at a 90-degree angle. Alternate moving your right knee and your left arm toward each other, and your left knee and right arm similarly, straightening the opposing leg and taking care not to pull your neck forward with your hands. Keep your shoulders off the floor as you rotate from side to side during this abdominal exercise. (see References 1)

3. Place an exercise band under your feet with an even amount of band on each side. Squat down as far as you can without losing your balance, keeping your weight in your heels. Grasping the handles of the exercise band, press up slowly to a standing position, and then squat back down. (see References 2)

4. To perform an overhead press, start standing with the exercise band under both feet. Grasp a handle firmly in each hand, holding your hands at shoulder level, elbows in toward your body and palms facing out. Press up and straighten your arms overhead, and then lower for one rep.

5. Begin standing with the exercise band under both feet, grasping the handles with your arms held down at your sides, palms forward. Curl the handles up to your shoulders and back down to perform a single biceps curl.

Tips & Warnings

• Warm up your muscles thoroughly before you begin this muscle-toning routine. Jog in place for five minutes or take a brisk walk.

• Aim for 10 to 12 reps per set of each exercise, moving slowly and fluidly through each motion.

• Start this exercise program slowly, performing one set each exercise the first time. Add more sets as your fitness improves.

• Don't do sets of the same exercise back-to-back; instead, do one set of each exercise, followed by the next exercise. Once you've performed all five exercises, you can start at the beginning again.

• You do not need to perform one lengthy workout session to see results --- if you are busy, you can fit a set in here and there throughout the day or evening.

• Rest adequately between workouts, allowing all muscle soreness to disappear before performing the same exercises again.

• Do not undertake this or any exercise program without first receiving the go-ahead from a medical professional.

• Do not perform any of the exercises if they feel too strenuous or are potentially injury-provoking. Mild discomfort in the muscles being worked is OK; serious pain or other symptoms such as breathlessness, nausea and dizziness are not. (see References 3)

References

• New Study Puts the Crunch on Ineffective Ab Exercises
• Crossfit: Squat
• Wilkes Wild about Wellness: When to Stop Exercising

Resources

• Sports Injury Clinic: Resistance Band Exercises