Training guide
You can build muscle at home with no equipment at all. Muscle grows when sets are taken close to failure, with light loads as well as heavy ones, and reviews of the evidence find that home, band and bodyweight training all work. The catch is keeping it hard: once 20 squats feel easy, doing 40 more isn't the answer; a harder version is.
This guide explains why light loads work, how to make body weight heavier (harder versions, one leg at a time, slower lowering), the missing pull and how to fix it, what bands and dumbbells add, how hard to go, how many sets and how often, how long it takes, and the free home plans and workouts that put it into a week.
In the American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 overview of 137 reviews, home-based, elastic band and circuit training all improved strength, band and circuit training improved muscle size, and the type of equipment made no consistent difference.
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Across 28 studies of 747 adults, light (more than 15 reps), moderate and heavy loads taken to failure built similar muscle; heavy loads built more maximal strength. In 49 trained men, sets of 20 to 25 built as much muscle as sets of 8 to 12.
In two small studies, one of them non-randomised, bodyweight sessions done to near failure grew thigh muscle in untrained middle-aged and older adults, while easy, fixed-rep home sessions improved fitness but didn't grow muscle. Stop 1 to 3 reps short, and move to a harder version once a move passes about 20 reps.
Use harder versions (feet-raised push-ups put about 74% of body weight on the hands, against 64% for a floor push-up), one leg at a time, slower lowering, and a loaded backpack or a pair of dumbbells.
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Build towards about 10 hard sets per muscle a week, with about 4 as a floor when time is short, over 2 or 3 full-body sessions. Bodyweight sessions are mostly pushing, so add band rows, inverted rows or chin-ups.
Band training gave similar strength gains to weights and machines across 8 studies, and an adjustable pair of dumbbells makes adding load simple. Protein, food and sleep are the same as in a gym: our build muscle guide covers them.
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The 2026 position stand pooled 137 reviews of more than 30,000 people. Compared with no training, strength improved with standard, circuit, elastic band and home-based training, and muscle size with standard, circuit and band training. Training to failure, free weights against machines and set structure made no consistent difference. Bodyweight training on its own wasn't studied as a separate method, apart from the Nordic curl.
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In 21 studies, light and heavy loads taken to failure built similar muscle, while heavy loads built more maximal strength. A network meta-analysis of 28 studies and 747 adults agreed: the difference in muscle growth between heavy and light loads was small and not significant, while heavy loads clearly won for one-rep strength.
In 49 trained men over 12 weeks, sets of 20 to 25 at 30 to 50% of their maximum built as much lean mass and fibre size as sets of 8 to 12, all to failure. In 18 untrained men, light loads to failure grew the thigh 6.8% in 10 weeks, against 7.2% with heavy loads.
In untrained adults aged 30 to 64, a supervised bodyweight circuit to near failure twice a week for 8 weeks grew the thigh muscle by about 4% (a non-randomised trial; free weights grew it a little more and raised knee strength more). In adults over 65, low-load bodyweight training twice a week for 12 weeks grew the front of the thigh by about 10% with 3 sets and 5% with 1 set; those were the placebo groups of trials funded by a supplement maker.
In 39 middle-aged adults, online home training of 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15 twice a week for 8 weeks raised fitness tests but didn't change thigh size. In 16 older adults, 4 sets of 35 chair squats 3 times a week for 12 weeks improved chair stands but not thigh thickness or knee strength. Both studies were small, and neither had a separate control group.
In 18 young men, push-ups to near failure grew the chest and triceps as much as a light bench press over 8 weeks.
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Across 8 studies, band training gave similar strength gains to weights and machines in the arms and legs, though the studies were of low quality. In 477 older adults, bands improved function tests, but pooled fat-free mass didn't change, with very low certainty.
Each extra weekly set added a little more growth, with diminishing returns, and 10 or more sets per muscle a week tended to do best. Training a muscle once, twice or three times a week built similar muscle when the weekly sets matched, as did 3 or 6 days a week.
In healthy older adults, home exercise raised strength a little across 17 trials. Programmes with supervision built somewhat more strength than fully unsupervised ones, with similar attendance and no serious harm. These trials were in older adults.
We found no trial comparing a full home bodyweight programme with a gym programme for muscle over months in young adults. The closest is one 8-week non-randomised trial in untrained middle-aged adults.
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A squat or lunge, a hinge or bridge, a push, a pull and a core move in each session, as our home workouts do. A review of time-efficient training names a leg move, an upper-body pull and an upper-body push as the minimum.
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Two sets of each move with 3 or 4 reps to spare for your first 2 weeks, as our plans advise, while you learn the moves.
Three sets, stopping 1 to 3 reps short of failure: 2 or 3 on the big moves, and 0 to 2 on the last set of small moves, as our plans say. Going all the way to failure isn't needed, but muscle growth does improve as sets end closer to it, and people misjudge the reps they have left more in long sets, so be honest with high-rep bodyweight sets.
Most sets of 6 to 20. Sets of 15 to 40 still build muscle when taken to failure, but once a move passes about 20 reps with reps to spare, make it harder rather than doing more (our editorial rule, as our 3-day home plan does).
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Add reps; slow the lowering to 3 seconds; pause at the hardest point; move to the harder version; then add load with a backpack, dumbbells or a stronger band (our plans' progression for body weight, with the pause and backpack as our editorial additions).
About 4 hard sets per muscle a week is a floor for busy people; build towards about 10 or more over the months. Two full-body sessions a week meet the health guideline; three build more.
Ninety seconds to 2 minutes between sets of the big moves and 60 to 90 seconds on small ones. To save time, pair a push with a pull and rest after the pair, as our plans suggest.
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Note the version, the reps and how many you had left for every set, so you know what to beat next time.
Each step is a move with a 3D demo below; move up a step when every set reaches the top of its range.
Incline, then floor, then feet-raised, then archer push-ups; pike push-ups for the shoulders; close-grip push-ups and bench dips for the triceps.
Band rows, then inverted rows with bent knees, then with a straight body, then slow negative pull-ups, chin-ups and pull-ups if you have a bar, as our full-body calisthenics workout's pull ladder does.
Bodyweight squats, then split squats, then Bulgarian split squats, then skater squats, as our calisthenics workout's squat ladder does, with step-ups alongside. For the hamstrings: single-leg bridges, slider curls, then Nordic curls; add single-leg Romanian deadlifts for the hinge (our suggestion).
Single-leg calf raises from a step, holding a dumbbell when 15 is easy.
Our editorial starting point, built on our plans' notes on starting weight, effort and progression and on our 3-day home workout plan.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Split squat
Pick one move per pattern at the step where you stop 1 to 3 reps short within the range; our full-body calisthenics, lower body and upper body home workouts give the sets and reps.
3D demoPush-upIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoFeet-elevated push-upAdvanced · A bench or box
3D demoPike push-upIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoBench dipBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoInverted rowIntermediate · Pull-up bar
3D demoChin-upAdvanced · Pull-up bar
3D demoSplit squatIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoRear-foot-elevated split squat (Bulgarian split squat)Intermediate · A bench or box
3D demoSkater squatAdvanced · No equipment
3D demoStep-upBeginner · A step
3D demoSingle-leg glute bridgeIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg Romanian deadliftAdvanced · A dumbbell
3D demoSlider hamstring curlIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg calf raise from a stepIntermediate · A step + A wall
3D demoNordic curlAdvanced · An anchor pointA band with a door anchor gives you a pull, and adjustable dumbbells make adding load simple. The band row's move page gives 3 sets of 10 to 15, stopping 2 to 3 reps short of failure, with 60 to 90 seconds' rest, as its editorial starting point.
3D demoBand rowBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoFace pullIntermediate · A band
3D demoBand good morningBeginner · A band
3D demoHalf-kneeling Pallof pressBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoDumbbell goblet squatIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoDumbbell Romanian deadliftIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoDumbbell floor pressIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoSupported single-arm dumbbell rowIntermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoStanding overhead pressIntermediate · A barbell + A dumbbell
3D demoDumbbell lateral raiseBeginner · A dumbbell
3D demoFarmer's carryIntermediate · A dumbbell + A kettlebellA chair, a wall, a step and a towel on a smooth floor cover every pattern except a pull, as our beginner workout plan shows.
A band set with a door anchor adds rows, face pulls, presses and a Pallof press. Anchor it in a closed door on the hinge side, never a handle that can open, and check it for nicks before each session.
One adjustable pair covers light raises up to heavier squats and deadlifts, as our 3-day home workout plan says. With no bench, press from the floor and row with one hand on a sturdy chair.
A doorway or wall-mounted bar adds chin-ups, pull-ups and hanging core moves. Test it before you hang from it.
The 3-day home workout plan is the best fit, with a dumbbell track and a no-equipment track. The beginner plan suits your first month, and the calisthenics plan builds bodyweight skills over 12 weeks.
Three full-body home workouts a week with dumbbells or no equipment at all, plus walks and an 8-week plan to keep progressing.
3 training days35 minBeginner2 days a weekYour first four weeks: two, then three short strength sessions a week at home plus walks, building gently to a full routine.
2 training days20 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week calisthenics plan for beginners: three bodyweight sessions a week with push-up, pull-up, squat and dip ladders, and a bar if you have one.
3 training days40 minBeginner3 days a weekAn 8-week resistance band workout plan: three full-body sessions a week at home or away, with how to choose bands, add tension and anchor them safely.
3 training days35 minBeginner4 days a weekA 4-day dumbbell-only plan for home or gym: two upper and two lower days, every set, rep and rest, and how to keep progressing when the dumbbells max out.
4 training days45 minBeginner2 days a weekTwo full-body strength sessions a week: the minimum that meets health guidelines, with every set, rep and rest, and an 8-week progression.
2 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA 4-week workout plan for beginners and anyone coming back: three full-body sessions a week, gym or home, short walks, and what to do in week 5.
3 training days45 minBeginnerNo equipment: the bodyweight, calisthenics and home workouts. With a band or dumbbells: the band and dumbbell workouts. Our 20-minute strength workout covers every pattern when time is short.
A 20-minute full-body workout with no equipment: squats, knee push-ups, bridges, lunges and planks.
20 minBeginner10 movesNo equipmentA gentle 20-minute beginner home workout with a chair, a wall and a band: sit-to-stands, wall push-ups, band rows, step-ups and dead bugs.
20 minBeginner11 movesA bench or box, A wallAn intermediate no-equipment workout: push-ups, split squats, single-leg bridges, pike push-ups and core work.
30 minIntermediate11 movesNo equipmentA full-body calisthenics workout with a ladder for every move: rows to pull-ups, push-ups, split squats to skater squats, dips, hamstring curls and knee raises.
45 minBeginner11 movesPull-up barAn upper body workout at home with no gym: push-ups, band rows, pike push-ups, face pulls, close-grip push-ups and Y-T-W raises, with dumbbell options.
30 minIntermediate13 movesA band, An anchor pointA lower body workout at home: split squats, slider hamstring curls, single-leg bridges, step-ups, band walks and calf raises, with dumbbell options.
30 minIntermediate12 movesA wall, A stepA 30-minute bodyweight arm workout: chin-ups and rows for the biceps, close-grip push-ups and dips for the triceps, and a bar hang for your grip.
30 minIntermediate8 movesPull-up bar, A bench or boxA full-body resistance band workout: squats, rows, push-ups, presses, pull-aparts, band walks, good mornings and flyes.
30 minBeginner9 movesA band, An anchor pointA 35-minute full-body band workout: rows and push-ups, split squats and an anchored hip hinge, then bridges, face pulls, raises, triceps and a Pallof press.
35 minBeginner15 movesA wall, A bandA 35-minute full-body strength workout with dumbbells: goblet squats, presses, rows, Romanian deadlifts and carries.
35 minIntermediate9 movesA band, A dumbbellHome dumbbell workout B: reverse lunges, push-ups, bent-over rows, single-leg glute bridges, lateral raises and side planks.
35 minIntermediate11 movesA wall, A dumbbellDumbbell leg workout B: Bulgarian split squats, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, slider curls, single-leg bridges, calf raises and suitcase carries.
45 minIntermediate12 movesA bench or box, A dumbbellA 20-minute full-body dumbbell workout: two supersets of squats, rows, Romanian deadlifts and push-ups. Twice a week covers the minimum dose.
20 minBeginner8 movesA dumbbell, A bench or boxA 30-minute chest workout at home with a pair of dumbbells or a band: push-ups, dumbbell floor presses, flys and a squeeze press, with no bench needed.
30 minBeginner8 movesA band, A dumbbellA back workout at home with dumbbells and a band: pull-ups or band-assisted pulls, two rows, face pulls, reverse flys, shrugs and Romanian deadlifts.
40 minIntermediate14 movesA band, Pull-up barA 25-minute glute workout with bodyweight and a mini band: bridges, clamshells, band walks, kickbacks and lunges.
25 minBeginner9 movesA wall, A bandIn trials of six weeks or more, people new to training gain measurable strength and muscle, as our plans say. In small home bodyweight studies, thigh muscle grew by about 4% in 8 weeks in untrained middle-aged adults (a non-randomised trial) and by about 5 to 10% in 12 weeks in adults over 65 (the placebo groups of trials funded by a supplement maker). Track your reps and versions, not the mirror.
Beginners grow fastest, and on the same training some people gain much more than others, as our build muscle guide explains. Nobody can promise how much or how fast.
Set days and times, keep a log, and if you can, book a session or two with a trainer or physiotherapist to check your form: in older adults, some supervision added a little strength (our reading). Our motivation guide covers habits.
About 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight a day from food covers most people, enough food overall, and 7 to 9 hours' sleep: our build muscle guide has the evidence, and our protein calculator works out your number.
Call NHS 111 (in the US, your doctor or urgent care) for severe muscle pain and weakness with dark (cola-coloured) or reduced urine after unusually hard training. This can be rhabdomyolysis, which can harm the kidneys and needs prompt care.
If you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise.
For chest pain that comes on suddenly and doesn't go away, feels tight or like squeezing, spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness; severe difficulty breathing; someone who faints while exercising; palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, shortness of breath or feeling faint; or a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, especially while lifting or straining, or comes with numbness or weakness, difficulty speaking or loss of vision. The NHS says a bleed on the brain may be more likely when lifting something heavy. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for a headache that's triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing, bending down or exercising. In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care.
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Stop straight away if you feel any pain or become unwell, the NHS says, and contact 111 if your symptoms worry you or don't go away.
A dull ache in your muscles for a day or two after something new is normal. Joint pain that's sharp, gets worse during a set or lingers into the next day means switching to the easier option, and seeing a GP or physiotherapist if it carries on (our plans' rule). Our muscle soreness guide has more.
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A pop or tearing at the front of the armpit or chest during a lift, followed by bruising into the chest or upper arm, a change in the shape of the chest or armpit, or weakness pushing, can be a torn chest tendon. Don't wait for it to settle: get help the same day from NHS 111 or an urgent treatment centre, as our pec strain guide explains.
A sudden pop at the front of the elbow during a heavy pull, with bruising, a gap at the front of the elbow or a bulge in the upper arm, can be a torn biceps tendon. Go to an urgent treatment centre or A&E (in the US, urgent care or the emergency department), and don't wait for it to settle: repair is best done within the first 2 to 3 weeks.
Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
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See a GP if pain spreading down a leg hasn't improved after a few weeks of home treatment, is getting worse or stops your normal activities. Sciatica on both sides, or weakness or numbness in both legs that's severe or getting worse, is a 999 call or a trip to A&E.
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See a GP if you think you have a hernia, a bulge or lump that may get bigger when you strain and smaller when you lie down. Get help from NHS 111 if you have a hernia and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, you feel or are sick, you're vomiting blood or your vomit looks like coffee grounds, you're constipated, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. Call 999 or go to A&E for a femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of your thigh, in your groin) with very bad tummy pain, sickness, being unable to fart or poo, a high temperature or sudden confusion.
Anchor the band in a closed door on the hinge side, or round a sturdy post: never a handle that can open.
Speak to your GP first if you haven't exercised for some time or have medical conditions or concerns, as the NHS advises. Get advice before heavy lifting or hard straining work if your blood pressure is uncontrolled, or you have heart disease or chest pain when you're active, a pacemaker or defibrillator, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, a hernia, recent eye or tummy surgery, or you're pregnant, as our breathing guide lists. After a recent shoulder dislocation or shoulder surgery, follow our shoulder dislocation guide or your surgical team first.
After heart surgery through the breastbone, or a heart or lung transplant, follow your surgeon's advice before pushing, pulling or lifting with your arms.
Our suggestion: with any of these, keep sets short of failure, breathe out on every effort, and ask before trying the hardest moves on this page, such as Nordic curls and feet-raised push-ups.
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Beat says a drive to be more muscular, sometimes called muscle dysmorphia, can be part of an eating disorder, especially in men. The NHS lists exercising too much and very strict routines around food among the signs of an eating disorder, and says people with body dysmorphic disorder may take anabolic steroids because they don't see themselves as big or strong enough. See a GP; our eating disorders guide has Beat's helplines.
The NHS lists spending a lot of time worrying about your weight and body shape, eating very little food, exercising too much, and having very strict routines around food among the signs of an eating disorder, and says to see a GP as soon as you can. Worrying a lot about one area of your body can be body dysmorphic disorder. Beat's helpline in England is 0808 801 0677, and our eating disorders guide has the other numbers.
Muscle grows with light or heavy loads when the sets are hard, home-based, band and circuit training all work, and push-ups built chest muscle like a light bench press.
Sets of 20 to 25 built as much muscle as sets of 8 to 12 when taken near failure. They build less maximal strength.
Easy, fixed-rep home sessions improved fitness but didn't grow muscle in small studies. Sets have to be close to failure and get harder over time.
Bands gave similar strength gains to weights and machines, and band training improved muscle size compared with no training.
With weekly sets matched, how often you train barely changed muscle growth. Two or three sessions a week are enough.
Muscle responds to hard sets, not to what provides the resistance. We found no study showing that body weight builds a different type of muscle.
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Yes. Home-based, band and circuit training all improve strength, and band and circuit training improve muscle size. What matters is that the sets are hard and get harder over time.
Yes, if each set gets close to failure: light and heavy loads built similar muscle across 28 studies, and push-ups matched a light bench press for chest growth. Body weight needs harder versions as you get stronger.
Do one push, one pull, one squat or lunge, one hinge or bridge and one core move, 3 sets each, 2 or 3 times a week, stopping 1 to 3 reps short. When a move passes about 20 reps, slow it down, then move to the harder version. Our 3-day home workout plan has a no-equipment track.
Anywhere from about 6 to 20 a set works if the set is hard, and up to about 40 still builds muscle when taken to failure. Past about 20 reps, make the move harder rather than doing more.
Two or three full-body sessions suit most people. Once your weekly sets match, how you spread them makes little difference to growth, and two days meets the health guideline.
Yes: bands gave similar strength gains to weights and machines across 8 studies, and band training improved muscle size compared with no training. A band with a door anchor also gives you a pull.
Yes. An adjustable pair covers every pattern, and our dumbbell workouts and plan give the sets and reps. When they max out, slow the lowering and go single-leg.
Use a resistance band anchored in a closed door for rows and face pulls, or inverted rows under a secure bar or sturdy table edge, tested first. Bodyweight sessions are mostly pushing, so add a pull to every session.
Go single-leg: split squats, Bulgarian split squats, step-ups, single-leg bridges and single-leg Romanian deadlifts, with slower lowering and a backpack or dumbbells when they get easy. Bodyweight squats alone soon stop being hard.
Yes, in the same way: women build muscle at a similar rate to men relative to where they start, as our plans explain. Every move here has an easier and a harder step.
The same as in a gym: trials of six weeks or more show measurable gains in beginners, and in small studies, home bodyweight training grew thigh muscle by a few per cent in 8 to 12 weeks. Track your reps and versions, not the mirror.
No. About 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight a day from food is enough for most people, as our build muscle guide explains; a shake is a convenience, not a requirement.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
