Muscle building at home is an excellent alternative to going to the gym. Oftentimes people either cannot afford a gym membership or just find going to the gym inconvenient or uncomfortable. An excellent substitute that can be just as effective is muscle building at home with exercises that are proven to increase strength and slim the body.

By fitting these few simple exercises into your daily regimen at home you will begin to see results in no time. Don’t forget to begin any work out with a quick stretching routine and then do the following exercises, which target your upper, middle and lower muscle groups.

Push Ups: (Reps: Three sets of five, or five sets of three) Do simple push-ups, using your knees as your stability, instead of your toes. When lowering your body, try to go as slow as possible for the best work out.

Crunches: (Reps: Three sets of ten) Do crunches instead of sit-ups because sit-ups tend to harm your back. Lay on your back with your hands locked behind your head, bend knees so your feet are on the floor and lift your shoulders and head up forming the crunch. If you can hold it for one second the work out will be more beneficial.

Half-knee bends:. (Reps: Ten) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hands on hips, lower your hips halfway and hold, placing your weight on the balls of your feet. Hold for a ten count and then go back to a normal stance.

In addition to these standard exercises you might want incorporate these next few advanced exercises found at www.health.msn.com.

Bodyweight Squats: Stand with your hands behind your head, your chest out, and your elbows back. Sit back at your hips and bend your knees to lower your body as far as possible without losing the natural arch of your spine. Squeeze your glutes and push yourself back to the starting position.

Step-Ups: Place one foot on a step and push down through your heel to lift your other leg up. Return to the starting position and finish all reps with one leg before switching legs and repeating the exercise. Go up and down quickly and drive your knees up to get the maximum burn.

V-Up and Roll: Lie on your back with your legs straight. Hold your arms straight above your chest, your fingers pointing toward the wall behind you. Contracting your abdominal muscles, fold your body up by lifting your legs off the floor and stretching your arms toward your toes. Keep your back straight. Pause then return to the starting position. Variations like this one reduce the stress on your back (smarter) and use more muscles together (harder).

Muscle building at home can be as easy as incorporating these simple exercises into your daily routine.

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