Unexpected Household Items You Can Use As Gym Equipment

They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure… but we say, one man’s washing detergent is another man’s workout equipment. If you don’t have proper gym equipment at home (because let’s face it, most of us don’t), don't look at it as deprivation, you just need to approach it with some creative adaptation! So to help you out, we’ve rounded up a list of unexpected household items that you can use as gym equipment! 

Hand weights: 

If you don’t have dumbbells, hit the kitchen! Soup cans, tinned chickpeas and canned tomatoes make great substitutes for all those low weight but high repetition exercises like bicep curls and tricep extensions. Honourable mention also goes to sacks of flour and sugar (but for the love of protein cookies, make sure they’re still sealed before you start to sweat). 

Kettlebells/sandbags: 

Missing your kettlebell swings and standing rows? A big bottle of laundry detergent, milk or even a tin of paint will suffice (again make sure they’re sealed before you start swinging)! For weighted squats, try filling a green bag (standing rows) or backpack (weighted squats) with books. This way you can also play regress or progress by adding or subtracting books. 

Benches: 

No bench? No worries! Take your step ups, tricep dips and lunges to a set of stairs, the couch or a chair instead to still get an effective range of motion. If you want to take the intensity up a notch, use a chair for upper body work like incline push-ups by propping your feet up on a chair and lowering your chest slowly down to the ground to build your strength. 

Booty Bands and TRX straps: 

When in doubt, a humble towel will help you out! Tie a towel or tea towel around your thighs just above your knees to add resistance to your squats and target glutes and hamstrings. Want to get into your back and shoulders? Wrap a towel around a pole or sturdy object, place your feet as close to the pole as possible and pull yourself into an upright row.

Sliders: 

Most commonly used for ab and core exercises, sliders can easily be replaced with paper plates or small hand towels. Slider mountain climbers and plank jacks are great for building core strength. Set yourself up on a wooden floor or tiled surface and position 2 paper plates under your toes to get those abs firing.