At Home replacement for weights?

amclain93
amclain93 Posts: 64 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I don't have any weights at home, and it's way too early to invest in buying some, or joining a gym, so are there any good alternatives that are easily found around the house? I've been using full water bottles, but they're too light. I'm looking for something about ten pounds. I tried using my dog and he yelled at me.

Replies

  • misskris78
    misskris78 Posts: 136 Member
    You can get a resistance band for between $8-10 at Walmart.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    Sand bags, stones (Atlas or just stones), bodyweight using TRX straps and/or parallettes

    10 pounds isn't going to do much though
  • codygish
    codygish Posts: 63 Member
    You might find some ideas here:

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,181 Member
    Why not just use your own body weight?
    You can do squats/ lunges
    push ups/planks.
    buy a water gallon with a handle on it and fill it with sand
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    Commander_Keen wrote: »
    Why not just use your own body weight?
    You can do squats/ lunges
    push ups/planks.
    buy a water gallon with a handle on it and fill it with sand

    This, google I am my own gym and convict conditioning
  • Georgia422016
    Georgia422016 Posts: 38 Member
    look up calisthenics, it produces great results and requires no weights!
  • FitnessPrincess9
    FitnessPrincess9 Posts: 27 Member
    Water bottles filled with dirt, rocks, or sand, depending on how heavy you want them. Body weight is also very effective.
  • Kdp2015
    Kdp2015 Posts: 519 Member
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    Sand bags, stones (Atlas or just stones), bodyweight using TRX straps and/or parallettes

    10 pounds isn't going to do much though

    Really??? I'm using 2kg weights and struggling a bit. How heavy do they need to be to make a difference???

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    edited March 2016
    10 lbs can be challenging for a lot of people, especially upper body exercises.

    Check goodwill or other thrift stores for inexpensive dumbbells. Resistance bands are good too & easy to make harder when you need to.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    Kdp2015 wrote: »
    sunnybeaches105 wrote: »
    Sand bags, stones (Atlas or just stones), bodyweight using TRX straps and/or parallettes

    10 pounds isn't going to do much though

    Really??? I'm using 2kg weights and struggling a bit. How heavy do they need to be to make a difference???

    The point at which you are struggling. A 10 pound dumbbell may be right for specific people, and I'm not saying there's anything wrong if it is, but you want weight heavy enough to have to really push with compound lifts, and for arguably most peope 10 pounds isn't going to cut it. Dumbbells also tend to be relatively expensive pieces of equipment, and you'd get better bang for your buck buying a sandbag and learning to squat, press and carry it. Or, as I said above, buying some TRX straps or learning some other challenging bodyweight work.

  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
    If you have the store Five Below near you they have hand weights that are very inexpensive.
  • amclain93
    amclain93 Posts: 64 Member
    Well we're very 'working poor' (like, picking which bill goes unpaid this month poor, oops), so any actual exercise equipment, be it weights or bands or sandbags aren't actually an option for me (though i will check out goodwill next time there's some spare change!) but I'll try water bottles filled with sand, and I'll definitely look into calethenics!
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    do burpees at home and do pullups at the local park.
  • lax75
    lax75 Posts: 118 Member
    Not too long ago a young man on MFP shared his journey, and he had come up with some creative no-cost stuff-around-the-house solutions. I can't find it at the moment, but perhaps someone else will remember. You can do a search on mfp and even if you don't find his post you'll find some other ideas. And do consider body weight exercises.

    You don't have to revamp your tight budget just to get fitter. In any case, you'll do much better in the long run if you aren't making yourself feel financially irresponsible every time you work out! :-)
  • Irishsugar
    Irishsugar Posts: 117 Member
    darlswife wrote: »
    If you have the store Five Below near you they have hand weights that are very inexpensive.

    This is where I got mine... All these things add up! Maybe some canned goods? Maybe duct tape some heavy objects then make a handle with the tape??
    Just a thought :smiley:
    I agree with the planks, push-ups, lunges, and squats. These all get me moving. There are also MANY videos and tutorials on YouTube.. Fitness blender is a popular one.

    Good luck on your journey... Where there is a will there's a way!!
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
    Nerdfitness has been mentioned and posted up thread by @codygish.
    I can highly recommend it. I started having to build to do each exercise fully, then one full continuous set. Once I got to completing three sets I started adding more complexity to the moves.
    I used it for over two years and still have it as my travel routine.
    It will help strengthen your muscles and re sculpt your body.

    Give it a go. Simple but challenging is how I would describe it.

    Cheers, h.

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