Free At Home Workout Equipment Hacks
Whether you are working out at home or while travelling, finding ways to fit exercise into your day can be difficult. Equipment can help change up monotonous exercise programs, and challenge your fitness pushing you to the next level. At Made To Move, we dream of a world where exercise and manual therapy are accessible to all folks, regardless of their time or budget constraints.
Many household items can replicate popular exercises you see on YouTube. In this blog, we are going to give five examples of ways you can turn items from your kitchen and bathroom into your newest workout equipment!
First, let’s talk about sliders. I have seen sliders being used more and more for both cross-training and conditioning programs for athletes, dancers, and exercise enthusiasts of all backgrounds. I love slider exercises because they force you to focus on control, range of motion, stability, and often use of your core! I suggest using a tea towel or a dishcloth on a laminate/wood/tile floor. Start by setting yourself in a full plank on your hands and feet, engaging your core. Place your tea towel under your feet so you can slide your feet in and out. From there, slowly and smoothly slide your legs into your torso, keeping your body low. Once you are in this almost squat position on your hands and feet, slide back out into your full plank starting position. Repeat this exercise 15-20 times for a few sets and you have yourself a new core exercise! Try not to hold your breath during this, and ensure you aren’t hinging in your lower back, aggravating your spine. Check out other slider exercise in YouTube as there are great exercises for everything from core and arm strength to knee stability!
Next, let’s discuss glutes! We have three glutes, gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, and gluteus maximus (our largest glute). Glute max as it’s commonly called, is most utilized when sprinting (due to the muscle type), and when moving from 90 degrees of hip flexion extending to 0 degrees (or neutral). For this reason, I suggest trying step ups if you are looking for a great glute max exercise. Try using a kitchen stool, by placing it near a wall for extra support and safety. Ensure your stool is also on a non-slip surface. With your foot planted firmly in the centre of the stool, use your glutes and core to step up to the top slowly and controlled and then lower back down. Repeat this and you will feel it in your glutes very quickly! Try not to use torso rocking to initiate momentum and instead execute this exercise using mainly your glutes and hamstrings. Don’t forget to repeat on the other leg!
Gluteus Maximus
Over the past year, I have seen canned good exercises become more popular for at home arm workouts. I love this idea, and today I’m going to suggest a way to keep working out your arms with even more weight! I suggest using a laundry basket for this shoulder workout. First, try adding a few heavy items from around the house like cans or even jars of water! Water is great because 1 litre of water equals 1 kilogram. I also suggest putting a towel in the bottom of the basket so the items don’t roll around and potentially injure your shoulders. Once you’ve loaded up your basket, grasp it firmly with both hands, legs wide, core engage. From there slowly lift up to shoulder height keeping your elbows extended and lower back down. Try not to initiate the movement by swinging the arms. Repeat this until you begin to feel fatigued in your deltoid muscles. Then take one heavy item out of your basket and put it away. Begin lifting your basket again until you are fatigued. Repeat this trend of fatiguing and slowly emptying your basket and you will have a great shoulder workout and no mess to clean up after!
Deltoid
Next, I am going to suggest you use toilet paper as a tool to workout your abs! (Yes, you read that correctly). I know toilet paper was the hot item in early 2020, but I think it should be the hot workout item of 2022! Start by laying on your back on a mat to cushion your spine. Gently hold the toilet paper roll in both hands above your head laying on your back. From there, perform a full body crunch bringing your feet and hands closer together. Here is the tricky part, you are going to exchange the toilet paper roll from between your hands to between your feet and stretch back out again. To finish it off, repeat the full body crunch one more time exchanging the toilet paper roll back to your hands. Repeat this exchange back and forth about 25-30 times and you will feel a great challenge in your abs and improvement in your full body coordination!
Finally, we get to another workout favourite, kettlebells! Kettlebells are a great way to add challenge and resistance to your workout. A lot of kettlebell exercises include great shoulder range of motion, which is excellent for improving both strength and function. If you are interested in working out with a kettlebell at home but are hesitating to purchase one, I suggest starting with a laundry detergent bottle. The design and handle aren’t always as ergonomic for working out as a true kettlebell, but the concept can still be explored. Try starting out by grabbing your detergent bottle with both hands (lid safely secured). From there, with your legs wide apart, slowly swing the bottle from between your legs to above your head. Keep working slowly and gradually to prevent any injuries from rushing through this motion.
As you can see, there is almost always a creative way to replicate popular exercises with items found around the home. Next time you are watching a quick exercise tutorial on social media, think about how you can modify this to work for you at home! Get inspired even with the limitations of budget or lockdown and keep your body moving and growing.
