When you’ve got the goal of building muscle, there are a number of factors that play a big role in your progress. One of these is the amount of blood and metabolites that you are able to pump the muscle with. Training makes muscles tense; this, in turn, makes blood and other hormones such as growth hormone and testosterone gather in the muscle area. The muscle then becomes ‘occluded’; in simple terms, this means the blood pools, and the body produces signals to promote growth.
Another factor is the extent that muscle fibers are recruited and used. The more times that muscles are torn (this is known as micro tears), the more the work rate increases to repair and grow back at a bigger size and strength. Such muscle use can bring about improvement in your ‘mind-muscle connection’; this, in turn, gives you greater control and enhances the ability of muscle engagement.
When taking this into account, it becomes clear that the actual amount of weight used is not important. Whether you use lots of weights or none at all, the key is to challenge the muscles.
It is for this reason that bodyweight training is so effective; in addition, it is the factor behind why the choice is endless for people who want to develop a more creative approach to weight training. Let’s take a look at a few examples:
The Self-Resistance Body Weight Training Method
You yourself, being the provider of the resistance, is one challenge option during a workout. Using this method lets you stay in control of the resistance amount, hence building strength in the muscle in relation to the resistance you create.
One simple illustration of this is to grab one arm with your free hand. Next, use the grab arm to stop the other one from curling; in this way, you are the resistance provider and are creating a way to build and grow.
If you are away from home or don’t have access to gym equipment, then self-resistance is a great option. However, the joints can suffer, and the performance isn’t especially fun, so it’s better as a short-term option.
A Look At Plyometrics
With our body as the only piece of equipment needed, the plyometrics method has pretty much always been in existence, even though it was not at first recognized as an exercise. Humans living in ancient times certainly depended on such vigorous movements as the vertical jump to ensure survival. The first Olympics saw athletes taking these moves and making them official.
Muscle strength, leg power, balance, agility and speed are all benefits of correctly-performed plyometric exercises. Evidence also indicates that weight control, lowering the chance of sports injuries and even building bone density are all linked to plyometrics.
Dynamic Tension As A Body Weight Regime
Static contraction is another way to train the body’s muscles. In simple terms, this means creating tension and contraction within the muscles to a maximum level, even with the absence of movement, with the sole purpose of recruiting muscle mass and developing a higher control of the mind-muscle connection.
Adding movement to the exercise brings dynamic tension to another level. For example, you can perform curls but do so while tensing the biceps. Whilst weights are not used, the tension coupled with the movement leads to the same idea.