I don’t know if any of you are going a little stir crazy stuck at home with nothing but scary news feeds running in the background, but even if you’re not, we figured it was a good time to distract you and keep you fit by sharing some of our pre-recorded home-based workout videos on our facebook, IGTV and Youtube social media channels.
You can find many different styles of home workout videos on our social media feeds. We’ve been posting everything from resistance training to cardio and walking workouts, some with and some without equipment. Now, if you are itching to try some of our workouts that do use exercise equipment, but don’t have any at home, we’ve compiled a quick guide of home workout equipment substitutes using common household items below.
Dumbbells
There are a variety of common household items that can be used of place of dumbbells. Anything from canned goods, milk jugs or water bottles, large packages of rice, jugs of laundry detergent, big bags of dog food, to a backpack or reusable shopping bag filled with pantry staples can be used depending on the weight you want to lift. Here are some examples:
- 1 pound (0.45 kg or 19 ounces) = canned goods
- 2 pounds (0.9 kg or 32 ounces) = small bags of rice or beans or a 1 litre juice carton
- 5 pounds (2.3 kg or 64 ounces) = large bags of rice or regular bag of potatoes
- 10 pounds (4.5 kg) = 4.42 L laundry detergent bottles, 1 gallon paint cans, a large bags of potatoes, flour, or rice
- 20 pounds (9 kg) = bags of salt or sand
- 45 pounds (20 kg) = large water softener or salt bags
Gliders
Dishcloths, small towels, paper plates, or soft cozy socks (you can just slip them onto your hands) work great here. Make sure to use a slippery surface like a hardwood or tile floor.
Resistance Bands
Resistance band substitutes are a bit harder to come by but some items you can use instead include nylons, suspenders (make sure to take off any metal clips before using them) or bicycle inner tubes.
Barbells
You can use a broom stick or metal pipe and hang a large sand-filled bucket or a water jugs on each end like this. You can also use a combination of a broom stick with elastic resistance bands like this.
Weighted Vests
Backpacks filled with heavy household items work perfectly here.
Steps
Use a stairwell or a chair (make sure its’s sturdy and to anchor it against the wall first).
Or…Build Your Own Home Workout Equipment
If you are handy, really motivated, or looking for a DIY project to keep you busy, here are some great ways you can build your own workout equipment out of home improvement supplies that can be found at your local building supply store (luckily these retailers are still open for now).
- Cheap Homemade Weights
- DIY Barbell
- 4 Ways to make homemade barbells and dumbbells
- Hallway monkey bars
- DIY dip and pull-up station
- PVC parallettes or Equalizer Bars
- Homemade kettlebells and dumbbells
If you have other ideas for homemade gym equipment to share with our members, we would love to hear them!
