3 Smart Household Items You Can Use Instead of Weights

Workout equipment can be expensive and I am all about removing excuses from the stuff I need to do. When working out at home, it can be easy to say I can’t because I don’t have the right equipment.

However, there are many items around the house that can be used instead of weights. Whether your reason is not having enough space to store more exercise equipment or a lack of funds to buy it, here are some items that make good strength training equipment equivalents.

3 Smart Household Items You Can Use Instead of Weights

Canned, bottled, bagged or boxed items

A can of soup makes a great replacement for a one pound weight to use in doing bicep curls. And the beauty of it is that as you progress, just use a heavier canned or bottled product. Need a two pound weight? Grab a big bottle of ketchup!

Need a heavier weight to do weighted lunges? A one gallon milk jug weighs around 8.5 pounds. You can make it weigh more by refilling it with sand once it’s empty for an even better workout as you progress in strength and want to challenge your muscles even more.

A bag of flour or rice can easily weight 5 pounds. Either works great to put on your chest when doing crunches. Grab a box of laundry detergent for one-arm rows; it can weigh up to 10 pounds. Most of the boxes even have a built-in handle. What a deal!

Bunji Cords

You might already have these in your garage, the stretchy cords that you use to tie down things when hauling. Just tie loops on each end – one for your hand and the other for your foot. Or if long enough, you can put a loop in each hand and step on the middle of the cord to work both arms doing bicep curls.

If you have short cords, you can put a hand in the loop on each end and stretch it to workout chest and arm muscles. Be sure to work it slow in both directions so you get the full benefit.

Your Own Bodyweight

And of course, you can always use your own bodyweight. If you have stairs in your house, a 140-pound person burns 175 calories by walking up and down for 30 minutes. For tricep dips, use a kitchen chair and your bodyweight.

Also look at items like hardback books that offer a nice area to hold on to while working your body.

With strength training, you should have at least a day between exercising the same set of muscles. Strive to do two to three sets of each exercise in your routine with 12 to 15 repetitions per set. A 20 to 30-minute session three to four days per week is all you need to get firm and tone.