This 5-Minute Home Workout Will Help You Build Muscle Without Weights

Use furniture around your home to gain strength and tone, without any specialist equipment.

You’re reading Move, the nudge we need to get active, however makes us happiest and healthiest.

If you’re looking to build or tone your muscles, a combination of exercise and diet will help – but it doesn’t have to feel like hard work.

A hearty breakfast and a healthy mix of protein-based foods is a good place to start. Then, introduce some strength-building movement into your day. 

Fitness instructor Jade Kelsie Wolfenden has created this fast, five-minute workout to get you started. It can be completed at home (perhaps on your lunch break if you’re wfh) and doesn’t require any specialist equipment. 

Repeat regularly to help you build muscle and feel stronger in no time.  

Hip Thrusts 

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Jade Kelsie Wolfenden
Hip thrusts
  • Lie on your back with your arms by your sides 

  • Bend your knees and keep your feet planted on the floor 

  • Squeeze your glutes (bum) 

  • Press through your heels and drive your hips up so you form a straight line from your knees to your shoulders 

  • Tuck the chin into the chest then hold at the top of the movement for two seconds. 

Spilt Squats 

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Jade Kelsie Wolfenden
Spilt squats

 

  • From a standing position, take a long step forward and lift your back leg on to a raised surface (eg. sofa or coffee table)

  • Keeping your upper body straight, bend both knees until the back knee is 1cm away from the floor. Hold in the stretch for two seconds

  • Drive through the front heel back to standing position.  

Jump Squats

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Jade Kelsie Wolfenden
Jump Squats

 

  • Stand with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent 

  • Bend your knees and descend into a full squat position 

  • Engage through the quads, glutes and hamstrings and propel the body up and off the floor 

  • As you come down descend back into the squat position and hold for two seconds, then repeat. 

Press Ups 

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Jade Kelsie Wolfenden
Press ups
  • Get down on all fours, placing your hands slightly wider than your shoulders

  • Make sure the wrists are in line with shoulders

  • Keep your feet straight behind you on tip toes (or bend on your knees to make it easier)

  • Bring your whole body down in a straight line, keeping the core muscle tight

  • Then drive through the palms and bring yourself back up. 

Tricep Dips 

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Jade Kelsie Wolfenden
Tricep dips
  • Stand facing away from the sofa and rest your hands behind you at shoulder width 

  • Slowly lower your body to 90 degrees (keep tension on the arms) 

  • Hold in the stretch for two seconds then drive through the palms and repeat. 

All exercises should be done for one minute, on the spilt squat make sure that you alternate and work out each leg for 30 seconds.

Move celebrates exercise in all its forms, with accessible features encouraging you to add movement into your day – because it’s not just good for the body, but the mind, too. We get it: workouts can be a bit of a slog, but there are ways you can move more without dreading it. Whether you love hikes, bike rides, YouTube workouts or hula hoop routines, exercise should be something to enjoy.

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HuffPost UK / Rebecca Zisser