How to Utilize Everyday Household Items as Weights
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Not everyone has a home gym that’s equipped with dumbbells—but weight training is key for retaining and building muscle mass, especially when you spend most of your day sitting in front of a computer. Here’s a list of everyday household items you can use in your weight training workouts.
Canned foods
Most cans of soup or vegetables weigh 1-2 lbs, and are great for use as small weights when doing shoulder exercises, wrist exercises, or back flys.
Gallons of milk or water
Full gallons of milk or water weigh approximately 8 ⅓ lbs, and can be used in a variety of ways—the handles make them convenient for kettlebell swings, bicep curls, chest presses, and many other exercises.
Coffee table books
Large coffee table art books can weigh between 3-10 lbs, or more depending on their size, their page count, and the quality of their paper and bindings. Use them with both hands for Russian twists, overhead presses, and weighted squats.
Full backpacks
Fill a backpack with as many paperback books and hardcover books as needed (figure ½ lb for a paperback, 1 lb for a hardcover), and use the full backpack for chest presses, pullovers, and more. Make two if you want a heavier bicep curl workout.
Large bags of food/pet food
Most large bagged food items will be marked with their exact weights and can be used accordingly (5 lb. bags of potatoes and onions work well for lighter workouts, 20 lb. bags of pet food for heavier ones). Just make sure the bags don’t rip or spill open or you may end up with a mouthful of dog food during your chest workout.
Metal and stone sculptures
Small sculptures with no fragile elements are heavy and can be great for core workouts, especially weighted sumo squats. Weights can vary, but hold the sculpture with both hands at your sternum, use your core, and squat away!
Pets and small children
Small dogs, cats, and babies and toddlers make terrific workout companions and workout tools—but be sure to utilize living beings only for workouts on your back, and always keep them close to your body to avoid injury (think squats, deadlifts, and chest presses rather than workouts that require you to extend your arms upward or outward). Check recent medical records to determine their exact weight and suitability, and only attempt this with calm and compliant creatures.