Building muscle doesn’t have to be a gruelling ordeal if you nail the right exercise and diet combo. It all kicks off with weight or resistance training. When you lift heavy or push yourself, you create tiny tears in your muscle fibres. As these tears repair, your muscles grow back stronger and bigger. But it’s not just about lifting weights — you need to fuel your gains with the right foods. Protein-rich options like chicken, fish, eggs, and beans are essential for muscle repair and growth. Don’t forget the power of rest – your muscles actually grow while you’re recovering, not during your workouts. Adequate sleep and rest days between intense sessions are key to preventing injuries and ensuring steady progress.

Here are 10 everyday exercises that can help you build muscles.

Push-ups: It is a fundamental exercise that targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. They can be modified to increase difficulty or target different muscle groups, such as performing wide grip push-ups for the chest or diamond push-ups to focus on the triceps.

Squat: Another essential exercise is the squat, which works the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Variations include bodyweight squats and sumo squats, which adjust the stance to emphasize different parts of the legs and hips.

Lunges: The exercise targets the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. They can be performed as forward lunges, reverse lunges, or walking lunges to add variety and challenge.

Planks: Planks are a great core exercise that also engages the shoulders and back. Different variations, such as side planks and planks with leg lifts, can be used to target specific areas of the core and enhance stability.

Burpees: For a full-body workout, burpees are highly effective. They engage multiple muscle groups including the chest, arms, quads, glutes, and core. Adding a push-up to the burpee can increase its intensity, while a version without the jump is gentler on the joints.

Dips: Dips, performed using a chair or bench, focus on the triceps, chest, and shoulders. For a more challenging option, straight bar dips can be used if accessible.

Leg raises: Leg raises are effective for targeting the lower abs. They can be done lying down or, if a bar is available, as hanging leg raises.

Dumbbell Rows: A great exercise for strengthening your upper back and biceps. This exercise effectively targets the lats, rhomboids, and traps while engaging the biceps.

Kettlebell Swing: The kettlebell swing is a dynamic exercise that targets your hips, glutes, and core, while also providing a cardiovascular workout.

Sand Bag: Sandbag exercises are a versatile way to build strength and endurance using a simple yet effective piece of equipment. It targets the shoulder, back, legs, and core. The sandbag can be carried one way, one distance at a time or it can be shouldered with the bag being carried from the ground to one shoulder and back to the ground.