Increase the repetitions

“If you don’t have access to weights, an easy way to make your training progressively harder is to increase the repetitions (or reps),” Kate says. For example, “if you managed four sets of eight press-ups in your last session, why not try four sets of 10 press-ups this time?”

The key here, Sara says, is gradual progression: “Don’t start with 10 reps one week and then do 50 the next, as this is only going to be detrimental to your progress. The key is to build slowly and consistently; that way you’ll remain motivated (since you’re not too sore or achy) and more inclined to continue.”

If your goal is hypertrophy (muscle growth), however, “the science points to a rep range of eight to twelve to be ideal” – so, while rep count is a great short-term option (you can keep on adding until you can’t do another rep), there are other ways of pushing your load.

No weights, no problem: how to make gains at home with progressive overloading