4 Household Items You Can Use For At-Home Exercise (And a Sample Total Body Circuit).
With the screeching halt of normal life being heard around the country, a few things about our society have come to the surface.
1. We seem to have an obsession with toilet paper.
2. 6 feet seems to be an ambiguous distance for some people.
3. The Office has passed the torch to the new (Tiger) King of Netflix.
4. Everyone and their mother (who should only be seen via Zoom) is trying to workout from home.
Let’s face it, exercise is an amazing release after being cooped up inside all day, but the average person doesn’t have a gym set up at home. There are only so many squats and pushups one can do before you start to start losing it even more. Pulling out some creativity from our back pockets, we have put together a list of 4 household items you can use for your next workout. And if you are looking for a challenging and structured at home workout program, send us a message here (or fill out the form at the bottom of the page) and we will send you 2 weeks free, no strings attached.
Here we go…
Paint Can / Gallon Jug
Weighing in between 5-12lbs (depending on how much paint or liquid is inside), both of these items can closely mimic traditional dumbbells you would find at a commercial gym. With a handle, these will be your go to for different types of pulling/rowing exercises, twisting core exercises, weighted lower body movements, and even pressing exercises (think overhead press or chest press). You also get an added stability challenge bonus if the gallon jug is filled only halfway, as you will need to stabilize the weight as you press it away from your body. For a list of exercise ideas, check out the links below to a few of our favorites.
2. Your Couch
Tied with the paint can / gallon jug for the most versatile piece of household equipment, the couch is your makeshift exercise bench AND box. The number of exercises are really only limited to your imagination. From hip thrust variations to different types of pressing with your back supported (using your can or jug), elevated planks progressions, step up variations, deficit lunges, etc. The possibilities are almost endless. Check out the videos posted below for our favorite exercises utilizing the couch.
3. Broomstick + Backpack Combo
For those truly missing the feel of a barbell, or if you are looking for an easier way to grip some weight, the broomstick + backpack combo is your go to. Simply pack a backpack with ~10lbs (or more depending on how much weight you want and how much you broomstick can handle), zip it up, slide the top handle through the broomstick, and viola, your at-home barbell. We typically use big textbooks for the weight in our backpacks, but you can use whatever will weigh it down. This combination allows you to do some more of the traditional lifts such as back and front squats, deadlifts, overhead press, bent over rows, etc., but also gives you the ability to get creative with things like back loaded curtsy lunge, single arm rows, 1/2 kneeling shoulder press, and more. Check out these links for some ideas.
4. Hand Towel / Socks
Assuming you have some type of hard floor available to you (we are in 2020, so I hope your house isn’t wall to wall carpet), a hand towel or pair of socks is a perfect way for you to add some sliding exercises into your routine. For set up, just throw on a pair of socks (without the gripies for all you pilates folks out there) or place a hand towel under your heels as you lay with your back on the floor, and you are set up for some hamstring slides. Stand up and you can perform any variation of sliding lunges. Switch to your hands for upper body sliding movements such as a slide out push up or plank reaches. For our favorite sliding exercises, check out the links below. And if you are looking for something a little for sophisticated, you can find out a little bit more about exercise sliders here.
Sample Total Body Circuit
Now that you have all of the equipment needed to spice up your home workouts, here is a great circuit you can do that will hit every major muscle group, utilizing all of the equipment above. Get to it!
Total Body HIIT Circuit - 3 to 5 rounds w/ 30 seconds rest between rounds.
1. Slider Lateral Lunge (Hand Towel / Socks) x8 reps per leg
2. Staggered Single Arm Row + Leg Support (Paint Can / Gallon Jug) x10 reps per arm
3. Broomstick + Backpack Single Arm Push Press (Broomstick + Backpack Combo) x8 reps per arm
4. Couch Supported Hip Thrust (Your Couch) x15 reps total
5. Straight Arm Plank Slideouts (Hand Towel / Socks) x8 reps per arm
Thank you so much for supporting us and for reading this article. Readers like you is what powers our business. Additionally, if you are looking for more traditional exercise equipment, giving you an even wider range of exercises you can perform at you, feel free to check out our equipment store here.