Welcome to Fitness Deciphers…!!!
This is the complete guide on exercises to strengthen muscles.
Are you also suffering from muscle weakness like I was suffering before a few years?
A weak body means not being able to enjoy many things in life. Low muscle strength can become a roadblock in the journey of a healthy and happy life.
Am I right?
So what to do?
The simple answer is just to strengthen your muscle and bring your body out from weakness.
How?
Don’t worry. Here is the complete guide of exercises to strengthen muscles.
Let’s start.
First, we have to discuss the causes of muscle weakness. If we don’t know the actual cause behind our problem then we can’t treat it.
Causes of weak muscles
If you have any of the following causes then you have to treat them first. It is because no matter which exercises you do, they will keep on weakening your muscles.
The following can be the causes behind muscle weakness
- Anemia
- Anxiety
- Chemotherapy
- Sedentary lifestyle/ lack of physical activity
- Malnutrition
- Malabsorption of nutrients
- Exercising too much
- Low testosterone levels ( Read: Step by step guide to boost testosterone naturally)
- Muscle inflammation
- Muscular dystrophy
- Depression
- Dehydration
- HIV
- Stroke
- Sleep deprivation
- Hepatitis C
- Mineral Deficiency
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Aging
Symptoms of muscle weakness
If you have the following symptoms, you may be suffering from muscle weakness
- A weak grip
- Trembling
- Muscle soreness
- Muscular pain
- Neck pain, Back pain, Leg pain
- Muscle cramps
- You get tired early
- Muscle tenderness
Exercises to strengthen muscles
Tips before starting any of these exercises,
- Warm-up is must
- Don’t start with high intensity
- Increase the intensity slowly
- Start with less repetition
- Give proper rest to your body
- Have a break between two exercises
- Don’t stop exercising suddenly
Exercises to strengthen muscles
1) Fast feet exercise
This exercise increases the strength of communication between your brain and body. It also tends to increase endurance.
The main benefit of this exercise is that you don’t need any equipment.
Method:
- First, stand straight keeping the distance between your legs the same as the distance between your shoulders.
- Bend your both elbows to 90 degrees, position forearms in front of you, and hold your hands in loose
fists - Raise your left knee until your foot is around 3 inches off the ground, and shift your weight to your right foot.
- At the same time raise your right hand towards your chin and pull your left hand towards your hip
- Do the same exercise in a continuous motion for the other leg and hand alternatively.
- Maintain weight on the balls of feet for greater speed and agility
If your muscles are too weak then you can also do this exercise in a seating position. Then slowly increase the hardness.
There are lots of variants of this exercise. You can watch them here.
2) Step-ups
This is considered one of the best exercises to strengthen muscles.
You can’t live a healthy life with unhealthy knees. Performing this elevated stepping exercise will increase the strength and stability of knee muscle and other surrounding tissue.
It improves endurance, stability, mobility, and strength.
This exercise needs a step but if you don’t have, no problem. You can also use the stairs of your home.
Method :
- Stand behind the step or stair (you can also use a chair to increase the intensity of exercise)
- Put your hands on the hips
- Slightly lean forward and bend your knees as well as hips
- Lift your left leg and put it completely on the step
- Shift your weight to the left leg and push through your leg to stand up on the step
- Make sure that your right leg is off the ground
- Remain in this state for 1-2 seconds
- Then put your right leg on the ground and shift your weight to your right leg
- Again come to starting position and start with the right leg.
- Repeat this exercise
If your muscles are very weak then you can take support of a chair or something else.
Increase the hardness of exercise by taking weights in your hands such as dumbbells.
Watch this video for complete guidance about the step-up exercise.
3) Faux skipping
This is known as the rope-free version of skipping. It tends to improve stability and endurance.
Skipping is considered the best exercise to increase bone density. The main benefit of this exercise is that both legs absorb the same weight.
These weight-bearing impacts keep the bones strong and healthy.
(Increase the hardness using rope)
Method:
- It is very simple. Just imagine you have the rope in your hands and start skipping.
- Remember to land softly on the balls of your feet so that the impact can be distributed by the body.
- Keep your head facing towards and shoulders back.
Make the exercise hard by using the rope.
Watch this video for complete guidance on faux skipping
4) Chair mountain climber
This exercise engages the complete body and increases endurance, stability, mobility, and strength.
It also increases the strength of the core and upper body muscles. It also increases the flexibility of the hips.
You just need a chair to do this exercise.
Method:
- Stand facing the chair
- Grip both sides of the seat
- Step your both feet back, and shift your weight to your hands and the balls of your feet.
- Align your shoulders over the hands
- Pull up the ball of your left foot and raise your left knee until your left thigh is perpendicular to your right leg.
- Keep your shoulders square to the seat
- Pull back your left leg and get into starting position.
- Repeat this exercise for alternate legs
Watch this video to understand chair mountain climbing more precisely
To make this exercise easier, use a wall instead of a chair.
If you want to increase the hardness of this exercise then use the floor instead of a chair.
(High intensity)
5) Chair dips
This is considered one of the best exercises to strengthen muscles, increase strength, endurance and mobility.
This chair is helpful to strengthen your triceps, shoulders, chest, and back. Strengthening these four muscles makes your daily work easy.
However, dips don’t need any equipment but if your muscles are weak then you can go for chair dips.
Tips:
- Keep your chest upright and chin raised throughout the exercise.
- Force with triceps and not with legs
To make this workout easy keep your hips over the chair.
To make this workout hard, walk your feet out until your legs are stretched and balance on your heels. And keep your hips aligned under the torso.
As shown below image.
For a better understanding of chair-dips watch this.
6) Inclined push-ups
This is one of the best workouts that can help you strengthen almost every muscle. Because it activates almost all the muscles of the body.
It improves posture, strengthens the upper body, enhances shoulder mobility, and improves the stability of the core.
Method:
- Stand facing the table or any other stable object at about hip height.
- Step your feet back and shift your body weight to your hands
- Slowly, bend your elbows and make sure the load comes to your triceps, chest, and shoulders.
- Lower your body until elbows are bent to 90 degrees
- Then press through arms and raise your body slowly.
To make this exercise easy, use a wall instead of a table or any other hip size object.
7) Gunslinger
This weighted pushing exercise increases the strength of your core and improves head-to-toe coordination.
This exercise increases stability, endurance, and strength.
Method:
- Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Let your palm face inwards and hang your arms at your sides.
- Slowly bend your elbow using biceps and forearms to curl the dumbbell.
- Bend your elbow until hands are parallel to the ground
- Then use your chest and shoulder to push the dumbbell straight out.
- Until both arms are fully extended in front of you and parallel to the ground
- Then use your back to pull both dumbbells back to your body.
- Then return both dumbbells to the starting position (i.e, hanging arm position)
Make this exercise easy by seating on the chair.
8) Back row pose
This exercise is considered one of the best exercises to strengthen the back muscles.
This exercise involves the controlled unilateral movement that builds back strength and improves the stability for everyday work.
It also improves the posture and endurance of the body.
Method:
- Stand holding a lightweight dumbbell in your left arm and let it hang straight down.
- Put your right arm on the hip
- Pull the dumbbell up and back using your elbow
- Then lower the back to the starting position
- Repeat this exercise in the same way for your right arm also
To make this exercise seat on the chair to perform this exercise.
9) Bird dog
We usually train our core but neglect the lower back. It can lead us to poor stability and alignment.
This exercise tends to strengthen the core as well as stabilize the lower back.
Method:
- Kneel on all fours
- Align the shoulders above your hands and your hips over your knees.
- Align your head with the spine
- Keep your back straight
- Slowly raise your right arm
- At the same time, raise and straighten your left leg
- Keep doing this until they both are aligned with the torso in the straight line.
- Do the same exercise for the left arm and right leg.
- Repeat the exercise
10) Lightweight deadlift (one of the best exercises to strengthen muscles)
Though deadlift looks like a very simple exercise, its benefits are great.
It is one of the best exercises to strengthen muscles.
Remember to keep the joints of knees soft while exercising
11) Core strengthening
This exercise tends to increase the strength of the core.
12) Superhero flying position
This exercise increases the overall strength of the back.
You can increase the intensity of this exercise by holding lightweight dumbbells in your hands.
13) Cat cow stretching
It increases the stability and flexibility of the back muscles.
14) Squat exercise
It provides strength to the lower body.
Try to remain in this position for 5-10 seconds then get back to the starting position (i.e, standing position)
15) The sun salutation
This exercise has been practiced in India for thousands of years.
It has numerous health benefits. It provides strength, stability, flexibility, and endurance to the body.
It also tends to boost immunity.
Try to do the sun salutation exercise in the early morning under the sunlight.
These 15 exercises are great at strengthening the muscles.
Try to do them regularly and they will surely help you with your weak muscles.
Benefits of muscle-strengthening exercises
1) Strengthens bones
After the age of 30 years, a person starts losing bone density by 1-2% per year. Muscle-strengthening exercises include weight-bearing exercises.
That lowers the bone density loss. When you load your bones with weight, it increases bone cell growth and keeps you away from osteoporosis and fractures.
2) Builds and strengthens the lean muscles
Muscle atrophy is a condition in which the body experiences a significant loss in muscle mass with aging or inactivity.
These muscle-strengthening exercises can replace the damaged muscle fibers with new muscle fibers that build and strengthen the lean muscles.
3) Boosts BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
As mentioned above, the muscle-strengthening exercise builds lean mass. It results in increased BMR.
It is because your body needs more energy in the form of calories.
Even when you are not exercising, increasing muscle mass makes your body efficient at burning calories to keep you leaner.
4) Lowers the stress and improves the mood
When you are under stress, your body produces a hormone called cortisol also called a stress hormone.
It can produce inflammation in your body and lead to anxiety and depression.
Muscle-strengthening exercises make your body release a feel-good hormone called endorphins. That improves our mood and lowers stress.
5) It increases the life span
Muscle-strengthening exercise rebuilds and re-energizes the weak muscles. It also improves the functionality of the heart and lungs making it easier for the lungs to supply your body with oxygen.
As the heart also becomes healthy, it ensures more blood supply in your body.
These exercises also increase the oxygen levels in the body resulting in a longer life span.
6) It makes the nervous system sharp
As your age increase, the coordination between your body and your mind decrease. Muscle-strengthening exercises build a strong connection between your body and brain.
These exercises also increase your reaction time and balance that can help you prevent falling.
Conclusion
Living with weak muscles is painful and strengthening them is also somehow painful.
Which pain do you want is your choice.
If you want to strengthen your muscles then you have to take action. Because it is impossible to achieve something without taking any action.
Here I have mentioned 15 exercises to strengthen muscles. This is just a glimpse. There are many other exercises that will help you to make your muscles strong.
But starting with all these is a good consideration.
All these exercises to strengthen muscles had helped me a lot to get recover from muscle weakness.
I also hope the same for you.
If you like this article share it with the other person who needs it.
