No Gym at Home? How to DIY Your Exercise Equipment During COVID-19

At-Home Replacements for Common Exercise Equipment

With many people staying at home and having unanticipated free time as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak, sales for workout equipment and athletic clothing have skyrocketed. Search terms for exercise regimens, workouts, yoga, and diets have gone up, but most gyms are closed as a result of quarantine measures taken across the world.

So, how can we close the gap between the desire to exercise and the need for public safety?

This article offers several at-home alternatives for work out equipment, with most of the solutions requiring no additional investment on your part!

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Dumbbells

Dumbbells and weights are essential for basic strength training. There are several at-home items that can replace the basic, most common dumbbell weights:

Half of a pound: Soup cans

One pound: A book, three medium sized bananas, a package of butter (with four sticks)

Two pounds: A pineapple, a quart of water

Three pounds: A box of wine, a steam iron

Five pounds: A bag of sugar, a 2-liter bottle of soda

Eight to nine pounds: A gallon of milk or water

Ten pounds: A bag of potatoes, a large bottle of laundry detergent

Twenty to thirty pounds: A baby/toddler

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Furniture for Body Weight Exercises

If you don't have or like any of the above options or if you simply prefer using your own body weight for exercising, you'll be happy to know that basic household furniture makes for great workout equipment!

Structurally, you can use stairs or a wall for exercises. Stairs are all you need for walking up and down on an incline, doing step-ups, or doing calf lifts on your toes! Walls, on the other hand, are great for maintaining your form and having support during half push-ups, wall-sits, and squats.

In terms of household furniture, chairs and tables also make for great workout equipment. They are great for tricep dips and inclined pushups, which are great arm-strengthening exercises for beginners!

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Yoga Mats

Yoga is a great way to relax and increase one's flexibility and stamina. However, doing Yoga on hard floors can be challenging and sometimes painful! Here are some at-home solutions for Yoga mats.

If you are keen to stay inside, then you can use your carpet as an indoor cushioned Yoga mat.

If you do not have any carpeted flooring, doing Yoga on hardwood flooring may sound a little scary. The hard wood is stable enough for doing poses, but it can be slipperly. Using grippy socks or standing on a bath mat can help you prevent slipping!

Beach towels and woven blankets make great replacements for yoga mats. They should have enough grip to ensure you don't slip on the ground during basic to intermediate poses! Additionally, you could always use your bed, but keep in mind that it is not as stabilizing for your spine as you do poses on your back!

If you want to take your Yoga practice outside, you can use a grassy lawn or the soft sand at the beach t0 connect with nature. Rays of sunshine or rhythmic waves will certainly add to the mood of your sun salutations! Plus, if all else fails, you can also use no Yoga mat at all!

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Other Gym Equipment

Resistance bands are great for building strength and flexibility. Common at-home replacements include robe ties, nylons, and towels.

PVC pipes or broom handles make a great replacement for balancing exercises such as lunge and presses, and basketballs or soccer balls are great for replacing medicine balls during leg squeezes.

If any exercises require you to be elevated or at an incline, consider using pillows to give you the extra boost! And, if you find yourself needing to jump over anything, standing paper towel rolls are a great option to consider.

Hopefully these alternatives can replace the gym for your adapted at-home workout routines!

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Our current project investigates food and product shortages across the United States as a result of panic-buying during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. This publication is one of a series offering alternatives for commonly purchased goods.

Avery Moon, United States.