Get ripped at home

If you are like most of the population then you know that after a long day at work it can be a painful task to leave the house after you get home to hit the gym. Lucky for you, there are many great exercises you can do right at home to fill in the days that you can't get to the gym.

1.
The pectoral muscles, or "Pecs", as they are commonly referred to, can be built with old fashioned push-ups. Your hands should be shoulder width apart, and your body flat like a board (or knees bent if you are having difficulty). You should concentrate on getting as close to the ground with your chest as possible (like when you are doing the bench press you bring the bar right to your chest). Do as many as you can, take a minute break, and then repeat for two more sets.

2.
Your abdominals can be some of the hardest and most difficult muscles to build and tone and standard crunches often end up targeting the wrong muscles. The Plank is an exercise where you lie face down on the floor resting on your forearms with your elbows shoulder width apart. Raise up onto your toes and rest on your forearms. Keep your body as flat as possible, and hold this position for a target time (say 60 seconds). While in this position, continually contract and release your abdominals while keeping your body as straight as possible. Repeat this exercise for two more sets.


3.
The triceps are a group of muscles that can be targeted by doing triangle push-ups. Triangle push-ups are very similar to regular push-ups, but you put your hands close together and make a triangle between your index fingers and thumbs. Concentrate on contracting your triceps to raise off the floor instead of using your chest.






4.
The Latissimus dorsi, or "Lats" as they are commonly known as, can be trained at home with pullups. Many companies sell pull-up bars that are easily installed in doorways - just make sure they are properly secured before using or you could end up in a painful situation. The most common mistake people make when doing pull-ups is not letting their body down far enough. Make sure you let your body go all the way down before pulling back up. You want to hang with your arms straight between each pull-up. If you don't do this you are only cheating yourself and will not see the results you could have if you did the exercise properly.




All of these exercises will also target support muscles and various other muscles of the body. The muscle groups targeted in this article do not fully comprise all of the muscles in the body, but should give you enough of a workout to tide you over until you can hit the gym and get a complete workout.