Muscle-Expanding Exercises

When you think of building muscle, you might picture a large dumbbell or a gym full of complicated machines. There are a wide variety of muscle-expanding exercises, though. Beginners can do some, while others require advanced skills. Because you can injure your muscles if you push yourself too hard, you should always consult a physician before you begin a new strength-training routine, even if you've been lifting weights for years.

  1. Benefits

    • Osteoporosis is a serious health problem that can cause frail, brittle bones and reduce your mobility. Strengthening your muscles helps to reduce your risk of osteoporosis. Strong muscles can also help reduce pain, particularly in your low back, and will make everyday lifting and bending tasks easier. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that regular strength training can also reduce your risk of depression, diabetes, obesity, back pain and arthritis. The CDC advises a minimum of two days of strength training that targets all major muscle groups each week.

    Body-Weight Exercises

    • Body-weight exercises use the resistance created by your own body to build muscle, and they don't require any equipment at all. Lunges, squats, pushups, situps and planks are among the many options you have for body-weight muscle-building activities. When you do body-weight exercises that leave your hands free, you can hold hand weights to increase the difficulty of your routine. Yoga and Pilates also offer strength training using only your body weight.

    Weight Lifting

    • Weight lifting requires you to manipulate a weighted object in a way that builds muscles. While barbells and dumbbells are among the most popular weight options, some exercise aficionados use kettlebells, sandbags or even soup cans or water jugs. You can swing a kettlebell to work virtually every muscle in your body. Other options include deadlifts, bench presses and squats with a barbell.

    Exercise Machines

    • Exercise machines use movable weights to create resistance and are common at most gyms. Try a leg press to work your legs and hips, or an incline chest press to work your chest and shoulders. An assisted chinup machine can help you do chinups, while a lateral raise machine will target your shoulders. If you want strong biceps, try a cable bicep curl.