New years resolution to gain muscle, but no time for gym

**tkdyo** · 01-25-2012 12:03 AM

Hi all, I made one of my new years resolutions this year to gain about 10~15 lb of muscle. I noticed when I was 170 for my fight I was at about 10% body fat...so id like to keep that % but be about 180~185. Only problem is between having a regular job and going to mma for a few hours a day I dont really have time for a gym. So Im looking to do this muscle building from home after I get back from mma.

I know that body weight exercises such as squats, tricep dips and push ups can help, but I guess what I really want to know is if its realistic to expect to put on that much muscle with just body weight exercises? I know they are great for definition, but idk if they add much mass/explosive strength. And if so, any other tips you all may have?

**tehmuffinman** · 01-25-2012 02:54 AM

At 170 with only around 10% body fat, it sounds like you've got a fair amount of muscle already. At this point I think you are right, regular body weight exercises like squats and push ups won't be very effective for increasing muscle mass or explosiveness, and I doubt they will put 10-15lb of LBM on you. In my experience the best way to get stronger is with barbells. Exercises like squats, various presses, power clean (awesome for explosiveness); but unless you can afford to get a set at home or can manage to budget time to go to a gym this seems to be out of the question.
When you say you "go to mma," does that mean you go to an MMA oriented gym type place to train with others? If so I'd suggest you ask some of them. If not then perhaps there are some resources online. MMA Forum - UFC Forums - UFC Results - MMA Videos <- that looks promising. It might be in your interest to scrutinize your time and see if you really don't have time to get to a gym for strength training but otherwise, it looks like there is a section dedicated to strength and power training on that forum I linked to and I'm sure they could give better advice specialized to your sport and situation than I can.

**tkdyo** · 01-25-2012 03:06 AM

Haha, well I do have some muscle already, but a lot of it is in my legs. I have good sized thighs and calves but my upper body is a little weak. So I forgot I should have been more specific and mentioned I want to add that to mostly upper body so Im more proportionate lol.

Yes, by got to mma I mean a gym for training, where we mainly focus on cardio, circuit training and sparring/grappling. When I hear them talk, most of them do go to the gym and lift weights. I suppose I can work out a half hour or so if that is sufficient. Perhaps if I went straight to the gym after work, then to mma.

Thanks for the forum link, I will look around and see what turns up in there as well. I just figured I would ask here as well since it seems we have a lot of smart people here

**Original Poster** · 01-26-2012 01:33 PM

Athletes have way better bodies than gym-rats anyways. I'd focus on working hard and improving your stamina as a MMA fighter, pushing yourself toward greater skill and speed rather than toward a specific weight goal. Also eating post-exercise ensures more nutrients feed the muscles rather than get stored as fat.

**tkdyo** · 01-27-2012 07:52 PM

Oh, I know what you mean, but we already do a lot of cardio and skil training at mma. In fact its all we do besides sparring. I'm just looking to add some strength on top of that. I've especially noticed I'm not great at holding people down in my guard (jujitsu) even with proper technique, so I need at least a bit more back and arm strength.

**Original Poster** · 01-28-2012 04:16 PM

Have you tried training with some wrist weights?

**tkdyo** · 01-31-2012 04:53 AM

I have not, Ive heard mixed reviews on the effectiveness of this method. Do you know anyone who has tried it?

**Original Poster** · 02-01-2012 07:25 AM

I knew someone who went to work with ankle weights but the positive effect of ankle weights is more substantiated than wristweights. Without proper conditioning, wristweights may lead to carpel tunnel syndrome, for all I know. My reasoning is, if you purposefully disadvantage yourself in some way, you'll build upper body strength faster.

There is plenty of theory to back up their effectiveness, mostly coming from people trying to sell a product. I did a little search to look for opposing viewpoints and found this:

Wearing 1- or 2-lb weights on your wrists will help you burn more calories and help you gain more strength when exercising with them on. However, those who wear wrist weights often start to think that if they are benefiting from 1 or 2 lbs, wearing 3, 4 or 5 lbs would be even better. However, using more weight can strain tendons and ligaments and cause undue soreness for those wearing wrist weights

Are Wrist Weights Dangerous? | LIVESTRONG.COM

**sefalik** · 03-23-2012 04:34 PM

Honestly, I'd say to just try to re-schedule things to get actual gym time in. Working out at home can't replace proper equipment, especially for weight training. You can do some good cardio exercises at home, but obviously don't need more of that.

Even if you go just 3 times a week, that's great. Maybe even two days. I split my work out into three separate days, so really I'm only do a "full" workout once a week. If you're weekdays are cramped, you could possible split up a workout for two days--Saturday and Sunday.

I'm fairly tight on time too. I work at least 8 hours a day, drive an hour to work and another back, and then I go to school part time on Mon/Wed/Fri. Plus food preparation, homework, and all the other menial, daily tasks... but I still get my gym workouts in throughout the week, as well as some cycling (I do this more for fun that as a workout). Like I said, I go three times a week and work out for about 30 minutes.

I know this probably isn't the answer that you wanted, but I think it's your best option in terms of adding muscle. I'm a skinny guy adding muscle, and this "routine" has worked great for me.

**tkdyo** · 03-23-2012 06:08 PM

Omnis: I did use to use ankle weights to do "concentration kicks" aka kicks that were intentionally slow and segmented, I think it really helped my hip flexors and other small muscles to make my kicks much faster (which is great, of course), but Im not sure if they really helped the major muscles. I guess I can always see.

sefalik: You are right its not quite what I want to hear, but I think I can in fact make it work because Im about to go back to college full time in another month. So I will definitely be more free to make my own schedule then. What kind of routine do you use? Even when I read workout routines Im never sure how heavy of weight I should use or which exercises are most effective.

**sefalik** · 03-23-2012 06:30 PM

I go to a nutritionist/physical trainer for my diet and gym routines. This is what I'm currently doing, with 3 sets of everything, 10 reps each.

Day 1
Leg Extensions
Leg Curls
Leg Press
Front Lunge w/ Dumbbells
Calf Press

Day 2
Incline Bench Press
Incline "Twist" Flyes
Shoulder Press
Tricep Press Down
Tricep Extension (seated)

Day 3
Lap Pull Down
Seated Row
Pull Up
Bicep Curls (standing)
Hammer Curls (standing)

As far as weights go, if I can't do at least 6 good reps, it's too heavy. If I do 10 reps and I'm not burning on the last two, I might need to go heavier. To start (or anytime you do a new exercise), you'd want to stay on the light side before you figure it out. If you think you can do something with a 30lb dumbbell, grab a 25lb. If it's easy by the end of ten good, slow reps, THEN go heavier. If you start too heavy on a new exercise, it's easy to injure yourself.

**tkdyo** · 03-23-2012 07:36 PM

Thats some good advice on the weights, I will keep that in mind and hopefully will see good results. I noticed theres a lack of ab work though, is there a reason for that?

**sefalik** · 03-24-2012 05:35 AM

Not sure why she didn't include abs... but I actually hate working my abs, so I don't mind.

**Huntstreet** · 04-06-2012 06:01 PM

I think you can do it with college too. That's what I did. There's a gym on campus and when I got here I started going about 5 times a week. I weighed 162 and benched only 135. Go to the gym man, and take Whey protein from Walmart. It's cheap and it works. I started in September and also took a whole month off for Christmas break and I now weigh ~180 and bench 195. My arms are twice the size and so is my chest. Make time for it, you won't regret it. If you have to miss a couple of days that's fine. The body needs to rest anyways.

I just went with people that knew how to work out correctly and went through routines with them and created my own. My suggestion is to do Chest/Triceps one day and Back/Shoulders/Biceps the next. Also fit in a day of legs. Read the machines and figure out what areas they work out and go from there. Watch other people, ask for tips, etc. You can do it.

Feel free to PM me with questions or even just to keep in touch and let me know how progress is going. It's always good to have someone else to give motivation.