What are some heavy household objects I could lift?

silvermist18903
silvermist18903 Posts: 27 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I don't have any money for weights right now, so can anyone help me come up with heavy household objects to do weight training with, in the mean time?
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Replies

  • quruuxley
    quruuxley Posts: 20
    I used to use two water bottles full, standard not the full 1L, at the beginning of my 30day shreds since I would do that at home not at the gym. I had to buy weights just because you outgrow the 2lbs quickly! lol. It's not a huge investment. I got 10lbs weights at Walmart for around $20.
  • sandobr1
    sandobr1 Posts: 319 Member
    Fill a backpack with books, you can adjust as needed, and it has handles.
  • silvermist18903
    silvermist18903 Posts: 27 Member
    Wow, those are amazing ideas guys! Thanks!
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
    5-gallon water jugs (the ones that you put on water coolers) weigh about 40 pounds. You can do farmer's carries with 2 of them, goblet squats, sumo deadlifts, etc.

    Edited to add: Buy (or check out of the library) a book on body weight exercises. Push-ups, chin-ups, planks...
  • sPaRkLiNgLYFE
    sPaRkLiNgLYFE Posts: 609
    fill milk jugs with water, if that's too heavy lift can goods, one can in each hand
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    A gallon of milk/water weighs about 8 lbs.

    Fill a pillow case or durable bag with sand, adjust to whatever weight you need it.

    The more awkward the object, the more stabilizer muscles you'll need to use to keep it stable.
  • AnnaVee84
    AnnaVee84 Posts: 345 Member
    books, canned food, gardening pails or buckets, bag of rice, chains...small children :laugh:
  • __RANDY__
    __RANDY__ Posts: 1,036 Member
    I'd squat my couches. Moving mattresses is always an incredible work out.

    Body weight dips on chairs or bath tub.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    If you have cats, lift bags or buckets of kitty litter. Some are up to 40 pounds.
  • jkirby79
    jkirby79 Posts: 44 Member
    I got really inspired by the book: You are your Own Gym by Mark Lauren. The idea is that you can strength train without leaving your house if you are willing to get a little creative. There are literally a zillion (maybe not literally) body weight exercises ranging from easy to extremely difficult that do not require weights. I've been doing one of his programs listed in the book for 5 weeks and am liking it. See if your library has it!
  • Markguns
    Markguns Posts: 554 Member
    Water in plastic bottles, in milk jugs, your kids, your neighbors kids, shovels of dirt, Yourself: body weight exercises (search it) you can do presses in doorways for example... :bigsmile: :laugh:
  • Improvised
    Improvised Posts: 925 Member
    I lift my kids.
  • kcaffee1
    kcaffee1 Posts: 759 Member
    Your four legged, furry children work well also. I don't know how many times my cats wound up serving double duty for me as dumbbells!
  • efirkey
    efirkey Posts: 298 Member
    An iron skillet weighs a ton.

    There are a lot of body weight exercises you can do to get a great workout.

    If you have a wood pile, unstack it, move it to a new location, and stack it.
  • janegalt37
    janegalt37 Posts: 270 Member
    Visit www.nerdfitness.com

    You'll love it!
  • selina884
    selina884 Posts: 826 Member
    fill 2 milk bottles with sand.

    Dumbbells sorted
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    firewood, saddles, chainsaws, gallon jugs (full), toasters, blenders, 5 lb. bags of flour, War and Peace, cement blocks........
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    I like all of these ideas. Thank you guys so much for sharing them!
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    If you have kitty litter jugs, those can be quite tiring to lift up and put down again. If you really want to challenge yourself, if you have a backpack, fill it with rocks or something and then squat with it.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    People and pets. I use my dog as a dumbbell for skull crushers and bicep curls (he's around 22lbs) and I use my brother for squats (around 150lbs) but he doesn't like to cooperate often so I normally just go to the gym :laugh:
  • mountaingirl2207
    mountaingirl2207 Posts: 181
    You can also do tricep dips on a chair, step ups on the first 2 stairs in your staircase, wall sits, lunges with your desired weighted item, and of course push ups and ab work.
  • IliaShade
    IliaShade Posts: 20
    And if that's not enough for you and you have a tiny budget at least.. (I don't know if you do, but wanna drop my two cents)

    For like 28 dollar buy a set of bodylastics resistance bands. Attach to the door easily ( or any other way) and you can train everything upto like 58 pounds.

    They 've been a life saver for me for training and toning and so cheap!

    Other than that, great tips have already been given :)

    NOTE: You can get like 10-15 dollar resistance band sets but please please don't . I did, and using even only the 10 pound band it snapped on me!
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
    sofa
    bed
    fridge
    table
    shed
    husband
  • timbrom
    timbrom Posts: 303 Member
    Definitely small children (if available). Plus, as you get stronger, they get bigger, which is perfect!

    If small children aren't easily accessible, then body weight stuff is great, as mentioned. Burpees kick *kitten*, especially if you add in the pushup and the squat jump.
  • jestersand
    jestersand Posts: 61 Member
    Gallons of water, or fill up a gym bag with heavy items like food cans. Cinder blocks, or bags with sand.
  • CLFrancois
    CLFrancois Posts: 472 Member
    Cat litter (just buy the 42 pound)
    speakers
    books
  • JeneticTraining
    JeneticTraining Posts: 663 Member
    Fill up those gallon milk jugs or water bottles with sand or dirt!
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    Try filling bottles and such with play sand rather than water to increase the weight. Liquid laundry jugs work reasonably well as kettlebells.
  • Dozer71
    Dozer71 Posts: 11 Member
    Get the vacuum cleaner out and push it round the house. Tie some water bottles to your mop and broom as you clean the fall. When doing the dishes, use a tub on the floor and the dishes on the bench so you get plenty of squats in.

    Plenty of things you can do as you clean the house.:tongue:
  • LdyPsych
    LdyPsych Posts: 79 Member
    Although I have never tried this myself, I had a patient who was a retired professional ball player and coach and he swore by gallon milk jugs filled with water. And this guy was 80 and very fit.

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