No dumb-bells, no worries. Use these 10 household items for weight training

Innovation is you, and therefore all you need to do is look around for things in your home that can help you build muscle without equipment.
exercise at work
Use your chair or table to try and workout on a work day. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Nikita Bhardwaj Updated: 7 May 2020, 11:36 am IST
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Who says you can’t muscle yourself up without lifting heavy-duty dumb-bells? We think you should learn from Priyanka Chopra. In a recent Instagram post, you can see our very own desi-girl lifting her niece and doing her triceps extension, while she’s at it. 

 

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No gym, no problem. @sky.krishna @divya_jyoti

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While we’re all not as lucky as Priyanka to have a wee-lil baby around to make workouts akin to playtime, we all have some things lying around at home that we can use to build muscle.

That’s why we’ve brought you this list of the things available in your home right now that you can actually use for weight training. 

1. Water bottle
From biceps to triceps you can target both the muscle groups with a pair of water bottles. All you need to find is a look-alike pair of bottles and fill them up evenly and you are good to go.

 

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2. Bucket of water
Miss doing deadlifts? Well, replace the weight with a bucket of a water. Fill a bucket with water, according to your lifting capacity, and pull deadlift moves. That’s all!

3. Chair
Never underestimate the power of the chair. You can do triceps dips, hip extensions, leg extensions, side raises, and many other exercises with the support of this piece of furniture.

4. Hand towel
For shoulders and sides, all you need is a hand towel. To tone your sides, just hold the hand towel straight, lift your hands up, and do side bends. You will definitely feel the difference. You can also do shoulder rolls using a hand towel.

5. Elastic band
We all love resistance bands but unfortunately, not all of us have one at home. Worry not, because if you have elastic bands in your home then you can easily make yourself a DIY resistance band. Stitch an elastic strap on both ends to make a loop and your resistance band is ready. Now you can easily pull off those abs, arms, and legs exercises.

6. Bag of groceries 
Even during these times, you must be doing essential grocery shopping. So, why not use these heavy shopping bags to do some biceps curls?

7. Duffle bag
We’re sure you have seen the likes of Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor doing exercises using a weighted bag. Now, you can create one for yourself too. How? Well, all you need is a duffle bag. Just stuff it with some clothes and use it to do doing burpees, squats, abs, etc. You can also wear this bag on your back and climb the stairs or do calf raises for your leg muscles.

8. Stool
If you have a stool handy then doing a box jump is sorted for you. Box jumps include jumping on a tall(ish) box and you landing in a squat position. But please ensure that the stool you are using is strong and stable enough to take your weight. Otherwise, you could really hurt yourself.

9. Shoes
Ladies, you can do arm raises and weighted jumping jacks without dumb-bells. All you need is a pair of shoes. Just hold one in each hand and do arm raises and even jumping jacks. If you want to do add more weight, you can stuff your shoes with socks.

10. Books
Apart from imparting knowledge, books can also help you build muscles, and this is how it’s done. Balance a few books on your back and do push-ups to increase impact. While doing sit-ups, you can hold a heavy book in your hands to increase the impact on your core. While doing a plank you can keep a pile of books on your back and hold it for as long as you can.

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About the Author

Six-pack abs are all that Nikita needs, along with her daily dose of green tea. At Health Shots, she produces videos, podcasts, stories, and other kick-ass content. ...Read More

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