It’s important to build muscles not just because they make you look good but because they keep you healthy.
Moreover, it’s important to build muscles as we age, because we lose 5 per cent of our muscle mass every decade as we age.
We all want to build muscles but not lift weights. While some think that it’s very tough to lift weights, others just think it’s not for them.
If you are in either of these categories, here is a solution for you. We tell you five ways you can build muscles without lifting heavier weights.
1. Vary your tempo
Slowing down your reps helps your muscles experience greater time under tension, which stimulates their growth without adding any additional weights.
But one does not have to go too slow, as it may lead to less muscle activation. A lifting tempo of roughly 0.5 to 3 seconds for the concentric (upward motion for many exercise) and eccentric (downward motion) portions of your reps is best.
2. Boost your efficiency
By increasing efficiency, we mean you lift the same load, perform the same number of reps but with more efficiency (better form, more control and better activation of target muscles). Performing in a more controlled manner and right form works equally good as adding weights.
3. Rest for lesser time
If you rest for 3 minutes after 10 reps of shoulder press, you can try to cut it down to 2 minutes between two sets now. This decrease in the rest time will stimulate the growth of muscles due to added metabolic stress.
But make sure not to shorten the length of your break for more than 2 minutes after you do some compound movements (bench press, squats, deadlifts, pullups and pushups). For isolation movements like curls, you can decrease your rest periods to 60-90 seconds.
4. Boost your range of motion
Increase the stretch and the time your muscles experience under tension during each rep. This stimulates more growth without adding any additional load.
But do not try to do this if you are still not well equipped with the form. Like, do not try to go deeper on squats that you can go safely. Avoid this principle, especially while doing the exercises that involve your shoulders.
5. Increase reps
Lifting lighter weight with more reps helps build more muscles as compared to lifting heavier weights with lower reps. So, simply increase the number of reps to maximise muscle growth.
Verdict
The first step to start with should be increasing efficiency before moving on to other methods. Start by aiming to perform the exercise with better form and better activation of your chest. Once you nail it down, then you should move to other methods.
