Hello chaps.

I hope to pack a bit of muscle on my arms before I get too old and decrepit. I've done calisthenic exercises for some time, and they do help keep me fit, but I think in order to gain muscle mass, I would really need to start lifting. I don't want to join a gym as I like my solitude and really don't want to have to put up with the women that now infest these places. ...Which is of course why I'm posting this here rather than on a bodybuilding forum.

And so I'm thinking of getting some weights.

Now I am (as many of you probably are) a bit of a minimalist: I try to avoid accumulating lots of stuff, and to buy only what I strictly need.

...So, what is the minimal kit one would require (free weights or similar --- not bulky machines) in order to build up one's arms? I've thought about buying things which have other uses and training with them --- e.g. getting a sledgehammer and using it for grip/forearm exercises, but I imagine that at some point one is going to need some proper weights.

If anyone here has managed to add muscle to their arms/shoulders/chest using simple, minimal equipment, I'd be very interested to hear about it.

Thanks.

P.S. I understand that eating the right food at the right time is important. Currently I also eat rather minimalistically --- i.e. I eat only one meal a day, in the evening --- so presumably this would have to be replaced by a series of small, equally spaced, protein-rich meals in order to gain muscle.