How do you build muscle with a home workout? This week my muscle gain journey was about mental toughness. So let’s see how to build muscle with a home workout. Once I get used to a routine and have no surprises, it becomes challenging to keep up.
I love the thrill of the unknown and doing strange things. However, a workout or diet requires compliance and consistency. The gym has a variety of equipment and people to keep me focused, but there is nothing at home. I find it odd that I must use a variety to maintain compliance and consistency, but it is true. I am not wired to do the same thing repeatedly with absolutely no change.
So how did I handle the boredom of working out at home with the same equipment? First, focus on the parts of the workout that grow. I focused on the isometric part of each lift by increasing the pause time at each lift’s bottom. I also focused on keeping the muscle under tension during the pause. The goal of the pause is to work the muscle more, not give it time to rest. For example, I held the weight one inch off my chest at the bottom of the bench press. It would be pointless if I rested the weight on my chest.
What happens when you break a diet
Okay, I fell off the wagon this week. I ate everything and anything in sight. I reminded myself that one week does not make a diet. The coronavirus has created a lot of stress, so I used food to release it. I knew what I was doing, but I could not stop myself. The human mind is complex and responds to stress in unpredictable ways. My one saving grace was I ate lots of protein. Protein is essential to building muscle and losing fat.
This week reminded me why a diet should not be a diet in what a diet is. Obstacles make life complicated, and you cannot be micromanaged or compartmentalized. Good eating habits must be holistic and factor into a person’s lifestyle. I am not making excuses, but I eat and workout better when I am not stressed. It’s best to put a dreadful week behind you and get back on the wagon. I plan to get back on the wagon by intermittent fasting.
How the coronavirus undermines sleep
Sleep is the one area I got right. I have a great sleep schedule, and I am well rested when I wake up. However, I am stressed about the coronavirus, causing my mental fatigue to sabotage my physical rest. The coronavirus makes me feel like I am going through a breakup. It is taking my attention off of my workouts and diet.
How to use mental toughness to build muscle with a home workout
My workout routine remains the same. The biggest problem with my workout is the amount of weight I am lifting and the variety of lifts I can perform. It’s mentally tough to get excited about lifting 150 pounds when lifting 300 pounds or more on some lifts. I have no choice but to focus on form. By focusing on form, each lift is more mental than physical. I really can’t afford to task my mind more because of the stress I am already under.
It is natural to hit physical and mental plateaus. I just reached a point where I am tired of doing the same thing repeatedly. Mental and physical fatigue sabotages the best workout programs. Jimmy Johnson, the Dallas Cowboys’ former coach, said: “fatigue will make a coward out of you.” Most people know the significant lifts: bench press, deadlift, squat, barbell rows, and overhead press.
There are a few varieties to the significant lifts, but not enough to make the lifts complicated. The problem is keeping the lifts interesting enough to stay compliant and consistent with the workout. I expect consistency and compliance to be an issue until I get back into the gym.
Workout:
Demographics: Age 52, Height 5-5, Weight 185 Pounds
Legs
| Lifts | Sets x Reps |
| Squats | 6 x 10 |
| Lunges | 6 x 10 |
| Deadlifts | 6 x 10 |
| Treadmill Incline | 5 minutes |
Chest
| Lift | Sets x Reps |
| Fly | 6 x 10 |
| Pushups | 6 x 25 |
| Bench Press | 6 x 10 |
| Shadow Boxing | 5 minutes |
Back
| Lift | Sets x Reps |
| Barbell Row | 6 x 10 |
| Dumbbell Row One Hand | 6 x 10 |
| Dumbbell Fly Rear Delt | 6 x 10 |
| Jump Rope | 5 minutes |
Shoulders
| Lift | Sets x Reps |
| Overhead Press | 6 x 10 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 6 x 10 |
| Dumbbell Front Raise | 6 x 10 |
| Treadmill | 20 minutes |
Arms
| Lift | Sets x Reps |
| Curls | 6 x 10 |
| Dips | 6 x 10 |
| Dumbbell Tricep Extension | 6 x10 |
| Treadmill | 20 minutes |
Traps & Stomach
| Lift | Sets x Reps |
| Barbell Shrug | 6 x 10 |
| Lying Leg Raise | 6 x 20 |
| Side Plank | 6 x 2 minutes |
| Treadmill | 20 minutes |
In conclusion, how to build muscle with a home workout requires consistency and compliance.
For the next couple of weeks, I must fight through the mental fatigue that the coronavirus caused. I intend to focus on my mental health this week and see if that motivates me during my workouts and diet. I plan to mix it up a little with my daily routine.
My state allows walking for exercise. I have a treadmill I was using for walking, but I need a change-up. So next week, I will walk outside to give my mind some needed entertainment and a change of environment. The best way to deal with mental fatigue is fun. So don’t worry; I will practice social distancing.
