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You can use your own bodyweight in order to build it up. You may need to make
some simple apparatus, or may find suitable locations at home. There are already
a few such at the group site as well.

Training Without Weights at Home
It's a bit more difficult to train without weights, but the plan is to use your
own bodyweight where possible. As you gain, your weight goes up, thus making the
workout harder.

For chest and arms, you can do press ups. Lie face down, legs straight. Place
hands flat, palms down, either side of your chest and push to raise your body as
you straighten your arms. Repeat until you have to stop. Keep your back straight
as you do this. You may find it much harder if your feet are on, say a low stool
which forces more weight onto your arms.

There's a similar type for triceps where you are supported, facing up, between
two chairs, one hand on each, and feet supported at the same level in a L shape.
You lower yourself by bending the arms and then pushing back up. I warn you its
a hard one.

If you have a doorway with a cross bar above it with a good hand grip, take a
wide spaced hold and raise yourself. You will be using underhand hold probably,
so this will affect biceps and lats.
(If there are those horizontal beams at school its like raising yourself to
"chin" the bar.) This allows under or overhand grip. Try both, you will feel a
difference.

Sit ups with BENT legs. Anchor your feet under a heavy item so they don't move
and lift yourself so that elbows touch knees. lower, but DONT let your back
touch the floor. Repeat till you ache! It is also possible to touch opposite
knees in turn with your elbows to exercise the side of your abdomen. You can
hold a bag on your chest to raise resistance. See also "crunches" on the web
page which are more effective (page4, I think). A simple, tiltable Abdominal
board can be made too.

Squats for legs.(quads) If you can raise your heels on a wood block (about 50mm
or so), lower till knees at 90 degrees and then up again. If you have a bag or
something, hold it in front of your chest to add weight.

Calf raises. If you put your toes on the block and raise yourself on it,
holding on your toes for a few seconds. (you'll tilt forwards here so steady
against a wall in front of you) and repeat. Raise onto tiptoe in effect, when
doing this.

The important point after a session (or preferably at bedtime as well) take a
protein rich snack or a weight gain supplement. Muscles grow at night as you
sleep, so give them some food to work on!


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