How would I exercise every muscle without the gym? - Please some advice.

[The Real Me]

Hello! I am getting fatter and would like to fix that but I'm not super knowledgeable on exercise. I'm not looking to eat copious amounts of chicken and creatine to become musclebound, I just want to burn off fat, make my existing muscles more firm and maybe make my abs more defined.

If I was to only do sit ups, pushups, squats, planks and wall sits, are there any key muscles that I would be neglecting? What bodyweight exercises would you recommend to target those areas?

How should I plan out my sets of these exercises? Should I do the same routine every day?

Every sincere comment is appreciated.

 

[Gog & Magog]

You wiggle until the jiggle becomes... muscle.

 

[Neodanthril]

Should I do the same routine every day?

No, your muscles need tone to recover. What most people do is use each exercise session to target specific muscle groups. So Monday could be upper body, Wednesday could be core day, Friday legs day or something like that.

pushups, squats, planks and wall sits,

Those would not cover your deltoids, either your biceps or your pectorals depending on how you do push-ups, your hip flexors, You're obliques, and most of your back muscles whose names I don't remember.

You can look up hip flexor exercises, you don't need any specialized equipment for those, but I would strongly encourage you to buy a set of free weights and one of those pull up things that you can hang over your door frame to work out your upper back muscles. So with those two pieces of equipment you could incorporate shrugs, curls, arm raises I don't know what the name of it is, and pull-ups into your routine to hit the majority of your muscles. To hit your obliques all you would need to do is incorporate oblique planks into your routine.

Just some general advice that no one ever gave me, is that you get more out of your exercises if you are heart rate is elevated when you start so going for a brisk walk or doing jumping jacks or something to get your heart rate up before you do your other exercises will help significantly in muscle growth and tone. Well nobody else ever told me also is that you don't have to try to raw dog your cardiovascular exercise IE you don't just have to run non-stop until you're totally exhausted, you Walk a little while and then run a set amount of time at a speed that does not exhaust you, walk a little bit until you've recuperated some and then do it again so that you exercise for longer because the important part of cardiovascular exercise is doing it for a longer period of time. You burn more calories walking 1.5 mi for 30 minutes then if you were to sprint six miles per hour one.

Stretching is also very important there's a lot of different ways to do it, the important thing is to not overextend your muscle when you are stretching, just watch some YouTube videos and then do the stretches as they describe but very conservatively so just enough where you start to feel tension.

Oh and as far as ab definition goes it does not matter how much abdominal exercise you do you will not have a visible six pack until your body fat percentage quite low, I think it has to be below 5% to get the common perception of a six-pack, so don't be discouraged if you don't have the abs of a supermodel after a couple months.

Last thing, once you get the hang of squats and push-ups You may want to consider exchanging both of those exercises for burpees

 

[We Are The Witches]

I think an effective way to deal with that is (besides from diet) running or swimming.

Swimming is more of an annoyance, but running can be done easily, nowadays you don't even need to go out for that (due to treadmills) but is probably better running outside, specially if you have vegetation/nature around you.

 

[lIllllIiiiiLLLLiiiiIIIIll]

I'll be honest, I got really into exactly this kind of thing maybe a decade back -- seeking some perfect full body strength and cardio routine that would make going to the gym completely obsolete.

Spoiler: it's easier to just go to the fucking gym. Believe it or not, the place with all the specialized machines for different muscle groups is indeed the most efficient place to work out your whole body.

 

[Fascist Frederick]

Just do something. If you're neglecting some muscle groups, who cares. If you did 100 pushups and sit ups every other day you'd be in better shape than 80% of the world's population (and in the top 1% of Americans).

 

[Screamer_2]

Eat less junk, drink less alcohol. Lift weights, but don't just get dumbells and

Swimming is more of an annoyance, but running can be done easily, nowadays you don't even need to go out for that (due to treadmills) but is probably better running outside, specially if you have vegetation/nature around you.

Running outside for sure. Yes, it depends on what you have access to, the climate and the time you have but it's so much easier than people think. Key thing is, you're going for a walk. On that walk, go for a little run. Even if you can barely do anything before being gassed. It doesn't matter. Walk some more. Try again. The walk alone is doing you good. Track it. If you can only run for 30 seconds, 1 minute or 2. Pay attention and then when you can run longer you know you're improving. Work on it. It won't actually be that long before you notice improvements.

Enjoy yourself being outdoors. Listen to music, podcasts, audio books ect.

 

[The Mass Shooter Ron Soye]

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-get-fit-using-electrical-muscle-stimulation-ems/

Cover yourself in medical grade EMS units and start blasting.

 

[Hey Johnny Bravo]

Go swimming. I think that it is the best full-body workout available and you do not need a gym for it.

 

[Deadshot Daiquiri]

There's a YouTube channel called Hybrid Calisthenics who has a full routine for bodyweight-based excercise on his site which is free and not walled-off, I haven't done it properly myself nor watch him but it seems legitimate.

 

[Nero Fiddled]

Lick a mains outlet?

 

[ElHijodeDeficienciaCogni]

 

[RollerGator]

Just get a cheap exercise bike. You can find one for 150 to 200 bucks. It's the easiest way to burn calories. Just peddle and watch movies or play games.

Make a list of the foods you eat and the calories they contain and compare it to the calories you burn each day.

 

[Tsukasa Kadoya]

Jelqing helps

 

[Spiny Rumples]

If you want to work every muscle and not miss any, the only way I can think of is having a seizure.

There's a YouTube channel called Hybrid Calisthenics who has a full routine for bodyweight-based excercise on his site which is free and not walled-off, I haven't done it properly myself nor watch him but it seems legitimate.

I've done this for a few weeks.
Pros: It's one of the few workout regiments where I felt okay when I finished a session and then my body felt even better on the rest days.
Cons: It is more about getting stamina and ability to move the body (weights work faster for building visible muscle and lifting strength). Harder to do with friends because the usual people I work out with got bored fast.
Solid stuff, and I miss it.

My advice is to start with something safe like checking out Hybrid Calisthenics or working with a coach who can correct your form.
Once your body starts to get sturdier and you build up those instincts for how to move well, find a hobby that you'd enjoy sweating for.
If your motivation is 'fuck, this is fun' and it isn't something that will break your body down over time, it'll be a good ride.

edit (right after I posted): Also your body will adapt to make you better at your hobby, and you'll develop a distinct build. Feels sweet.

 

[Omega Bruh Moment]

If you're just interested in losing weight you can pick up a cheap exercise back like the above poster has mentioned or go out for jogs/runs on a daily/every other day basis.
If you want to lose weight and also develop your muscle then there are plenty of variations of those exercises you listed that would work OP.
I'd highly recommend adding to this and doing your own research, but
Chest: Push ups
Back: Floor elbow presses
Traps/Shoulders: Pike push ups
Abs: Leg raises+Ab crunches
Quads: Bodyweight squats + lunges
Hamstrings: Unweighted romanian deadlifts+Glute Bridges
Also if your doorframes can handle it, please get yourself a pull up bar. It is hands down the best bodyweight exercise that will hit your back and biceps. You can get some resistance bands to assist yourself if you don't have the strength to do even one.
Additionally, the most helpful part of losing weight/developing muscle mass will be your diet. I'd say your food intake is 70% of the work and working out is 30%. There are base metabolic rate calculators that you plug your height+weight+age into that will give you a good estimate of the amount of calories your body burns while just existing and doing nothing. Working out will add to that overall number, of course, but you should ideally aim to consume about 200-500 calories less than the amount you burn in an entire day. Consistency with this is key.
One last thing, you can go far with just getting yourself a cheap pair of dumbbells ranging only up to 20-30 pounds each on Amazon or your nearest Target/Walmart. They're easy to store under your bed or something and will give you access to a much more versatile set of choices with exercises. You can go very far with minimal equipment, healthy eating habits, and getting plenty of quality rest. It will take some time to see results, but the hardest part is always getting started. The willingness to start is an important first step too. I wish you all the best on your weight loss/fitness journey.
EDIT: When you start, it is normal for your entire body to be sore with Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS for short) for a few days, even a week if you generally aren't that active. Don't let this deter you from your fitness, but give yourself the time to get back to 100% so you do not burn yourself out or cause an injury. Once you are used to it, you can do your routine every other day or even just 2-3 times per week.

 

[poopshoes]

If you want to lose weight you need to change your diet there is no if ands or buts about it. Lifting and exercising are half the battle, the other is to change how you eat. Also, buy a scale and start to weigh yourself everyday it will help motivate you if you really want to shed pounds.

 

[Tablet County]

Have sex.

 

[JohnnyG]

I just want to burn off fat, make my existing muscles more firm and maybe make my abs more defined.

You look "toned" mainly by losing the fat hiding your muscles, but gaining muscle also increases your calorie/fat burn. So you really should do a combination of strength training and cardio.

If I was to only do sit ups, pushups, squats, planks and wall sits, are there any key muscles that I would be neglecting?

Pushups, situps, and squats are a decent start. Skip the planks and wall sits in favor of pullups & chinups...a simple bar will work or you can do grips at different angles to mix things up, but for bodyweight exercises pullups are hard to beat.

You really need some kind of cardio/conditioning like running (biking, rowing, swimming) to increase your calorie burn and get you in better general shape. And there's a reason that most people who look like they can lift heavy weights got that way by lifting heavy weights...a few sets of bench presses are more effective than doing a zillion pushups, etc.

 

[invisibult plus+]

Vary those base workouts a little. That's actually a good spread, but muscles like the triceps and calves are harder to target. For example, diamond pushups build your overall pushup count, while side planks** target muscles like the obliques better. Like others said, cardio and diet are just as important; much like cardio, introduce a better diet gradually. For instance, cut out soda. There's a rule to never drink your calories, but if you're looking to gain muscle, something like milk is good to have on work out days. For stretching, I do it before and after exercise, plus before bed on exercise days. Yoga in particular is good for balance, stability, and coordination. Look up a few basic ones to start, plus dumbbell exercises like curls and rows if you want to start your home gym.

Also people tend to forget that pushups are whole-body exercises. If you focus too much on your upper body, it's hard to keep good form. Think of your body as a fulcrum. Think plank.

**People say planks are bad for your back. I generally do forearm planks, front and side, though there are alternatives like mountain climbers. For mountain climbers, push your upper body further forward than you think it should be.