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Staying in shape might be a top goal for many, but with the coronavirus pandemic, achieving this can be more difficult. Gyms have shut down across the country to help stop the spread of the virus. If you're missing your regular gym routine, use this time to get inventive with what you have at home. Everyday household objects like frying pans, detergent bottles, and even beer cans can serve as workout tools! Here are ten ideas to stay active during the stay-at-home period using only items from your house.
10. Use a Chair for Exercises
A chair is incredibly versatile for home workouts. Find a sturdy chair and place it in a spacious area to begin your exercise session. Start with incline push-ups by positioning your hands on the seat and performing push-ups. For decline push-ups, place your feet on the chair and do the same movement.
A chair can also be used for dips. Place both hands on the chair's front corners and extend your legs out in front of you. Lower your body by bending your elbows, then push yourself back up to complete one rep. For an added challenge, place an extra chair under your feet. The best part? You can still enjoy your favorite show while getting fit!
9. Use a Backpack for Extra Weight
Most of us have an old backpack collecting dust at home—now’s the time to put it to work! Get creative by filling it with various household items to add extra weight to your bodyweight exercises. You can throw in books, clothes, cooking pans, or even those untouched beers that have been sitting in your fridge during quarantine. Once packed with a comfortable amount of weight, wear the backpack during exercises like lunges, squats, pushups, and other cardio routines in your home.
8. Substitute Dumbbells with Household Items
Just because you can't go to the gym doesn't mean you have to miss out on the benefits of weight training. Instead of dumbbells, grab common household items like paint cans, laundry detergent bottles, cast iron skillets, or milk jugs. If you're looking for lighter options, those cans of beer or bottles can work perfectly.
Once you've chosen the household item you’ll use, you can start your workout by doing exercises like bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, front raises, and overhead presses. These items can also double as kettlebells, allowing you to add even more variety to your fitness routine.
7. Grab Those Heavy Books
Head over to that forgotten bookshelf and dust off those hefty books you never got around to reading. A heavy book can elevate your core workout while exercising at home. Place a hardcover book on your chest as you do crunches to intensify the burn and challenge your muscles.
You can also lie down, hold the book above you with your hands raised, and engage your core to lift your shoulders off the floor. Another great move involves sitting in a chair with your legs together in front of you, placing the heavy book on your shins. Raise and lower your legs slowly to feel the burn. The possibilities are endless with a book—just get creative with your workouts!
6. Utilize the Stairs
If you're fortunate enough to have a staircase in your home, indoors or outdoors, it can provide a fantastic cardio workout and burn your muscles. Walking or running up and down the stairs gets your heart pumping. To make it even more challenging, add a loaded backpack while tackling the stairs. You can also use the stairs for incline push-ups, decline push-ups, dips, and a variety of stretches to enhance your fitness routine.
5. Find Some Rope
You may need to dig through a few bins in your garage, but there’s a good chance you have an old rope stashed away somewhere. Ideally, aim for around 8 feet of rope to help with your at-home workouts. The rope can serve as a resistance band for various exercises like seated rows, roll-ups, roll-downs, and planks with leg raises.
Tie knots at both ends of the rope and find a sturdy tree in your yard. Drape one end of the rope over a strong branch so that both ends hang freely. Now, you can use the rope for inverted rows, squats, and similar exercises. The rope also works great for stretching exercises before and after your workout.
4. Make Use of a Wall
If the previous household items aren’t available for your workout, this next one is guaranteed to be found in every home, both inside and out. Walls provide excellent support for stretches and exercises. While wall-sits aren’t anyone's favorite, they are effective for working your quads and glutes. Simply stand with your back to the wall, slowly slide down into a sitting position, and try to hold it for a minute. Can you feel the burn?
If you have access to a wall, you can perform wall push-ups as an alternative. Stand facing the wall with your arms shoulder-width apart, place your palms on the wall, and execute a basic push-up. Want a greater challenge? Try wall walks. Begin in a high plank with your feet against the wall. Walk your feet up the wall until your face is close to it, then carefully walk back down to your starting position. Complete a total of 5 repetitions.
3. Swap the Barbells
Just as you can substitute dumbbells with household items, barbells can be replaced too with a little creativity. Find a sturdy bar that can bear weight, like a metal pole, a strong wood beam, or a fence post. Then, for weights, use paint buckets. They fit snugly over the bar and can be filled with heavy materials if the buckets are empty.
Another DIY option for barbells involves taking two five-gallon buckets, filling them with concrete, and placing a large metal piece in the center of each bucket before the concrete sets. These homemade barbells are perfect for deadlifts, squats, curls, lunges, and can even be used for bench pressing if you find a suitable bench.
2. Use A Towel
You'd be surprised at how versatile a towel can be for your at-home workout. If you don’t have a yoga mat, just lay down a couple of towels. While they may not be as soft as a yoga mat, they'll serve the same purpose. Towels are also great for stretching before and after your workout. Plus, you can use a towel as a replacement for a resistance band in many exercises.
In a plank position, place a folded towel under your feet and gradually raise your hips towards the ceiling while sliding your feet towards your hands. If you have non-round doorknobs, a towel can come in handy for rows. Simply wrap it around the door handle, position your feet against the door, lean back until your arms are extended, and then pull yourself up until your chest touches the door. And of course, after your workout, you can use the towel to wipe off that sweat!
1. Grab the Paper Plates
If the dirty dishes are piling up in your sink because you’re stuck at home, you might have resorted to using paper plates and cups instead. If you have some extra paper plates, you're in luck—they make for a great addition to your workout. They can serve as sliders for exercises on hardwood floors, tile, or carpet, so you have no excuse not to use them!
Double up your paper plates and use them like a towel on the floor. They’re perfect for exercises like plank jacks, mountain climbers, and pikes. You can even add a challenge to your lunges by standing on the floor with one foot on a paper plate, sliding that foot back and forth as you bend your knee until the other knee reaches a 90-degree angle.
