Home Workout to Build Muscle - Use Consistency and Compliance

Home Workout to Build Muscle – Use Consistency and Compliance

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 with no change repeatedly. 

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 portion 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 delay 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 for 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 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 weight I lift and the variety of lifts I can perform. It’s mentally tough to get excited about lifting 150 pounds when lifting 300 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 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 of 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

LiftsSets x Reps
Squats6 x 10
Lunges     6 x 10
Deadlifts          6 x 10
Treadmill Incline                5 minutes

Chest

Lift                 Sets x Reps
Fly6 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 Delt6 x 10
Jump Rope                        5 minutes

Shoulders

Lift                      Sets x Reps
Overhead Press                      6 x 10
Dumbbell Lateral Raise6 x 10  
Dumbbell Front Raise6 x 10
Treadmill                        20 minutes  

Arms

Lift                       Sets x Reps
Curls           6 x 10  
Dips        6 x 10  
Dumbbell Tricep Extension6 x10
Treadmill20 minutes

Traps & Stomach

Lift                       Sets x Reps
Barbell Shrug6 x 10  
Lying Leg Raise6 x 20  
Side Plank6 x 2 minutes
Treadmill20 minutes

In conclusion, building 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. So this week, I intend to focus on my mental health and see if that motivates me during my workouts and diet. Then, I plan to mix it up a little with my daily routine. 

My state allows walking for exercise. I have a treadmill 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. 

If you or someone you know is considering bodybuilding, share this article on Facebook or Twitter so that others can learn more about building muscle.

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