7 Hacks to Turn Your Home Into a Gym

These days it is really tough to get to the gym (or even find a gym that’s open) so the home gym has become the main way to get in a workout.

However, you can still have a lot of success mimicking those weight benches, barbells, and complex weight machines right in your own home. 

You can’t go wrong with regular bodyweight routines, but adding small variations with household items and using run of the mill fixtures in your house can really boost your workout regiment. 

Why Workout at Home?

Often times, working out at the gym can cost you a good bit of money. Monthly payments, additional private class fees, etc. 

Also, the amount of time necessary to prepare to go to the gym, drive there, and the trip back can add unnecessary time and thought that you could possibly avoid.

Here are 7 hacks to turn your home into a gym.

1. The Staircase

This cardiovascular workout is perfect if your looking for an easy way to get your heart rate up. 

You can actually end of burning over 280 calories if you stick it out for at least 30 minutes. 

Running to the top and back down again is the simplest way to burn calories and get your heart pumping, but you can also use a simple stair routine to build up strength in your legs and glutes. 

Simply step up onto the first step, right leg then left, and do this motion in reverse. Increasing the number of reps and speed can really give you a great lower body workout. 

2. The Milk Jug

Overhead shoulder presses and bicep curls can be done easily with one or two milk jugs filled with water. 

The handle makes for a pretty nice grip and the weight of the jug can easily be changed by either filling or dumping water out of it. 

And you won’t have to worry about storage space like you would with normal dumbbells. You fridge is the designated holding place for these weights. 

3. The Floor Slide

There a few variations of exercises you can do with floor sliders. These sliders can be paper plates or socks on hands or feet.

You can do the “body saw” routine with floor sliders. 

Simply get into a plank position with the plates or socks under your feet and slowly moved your body back and forth.

You can also do the “mountain climber” with the slide variation. 

Instead of picking up your feet when performing the mountain climber, simply put the floor sliders under your feet and keep them on the floor as you alternate each leg forward. 

4. The Chair Dip

This is one of the most classic at-home workouts. Your triceps can get one of the best pumps even without a machine.

You can do this exercise with more stability if you back the chair up against a wall. This way you won’t be able to slide backward and possibly get hurt. 

5. The Kitchen Counter

While initially not as difficult as standard horizontal pushups, performing a pushup at your kitchen counter will take the pressure off of your arms and transfer the stress to your chest. 

Using the kitchen count isn’t only a convenient place to do your incline pushups, but also a very stable and safe area to do them.

Your lower back will be more prone to bend inwards, so make sure to engage your abs to protect undue stress on that part of your body. 

6. The Door Handle

Door handles in every room of your house or apartment are really great fixtures where you can do a couple of different routines.

A “towel row” can be done by looping a thin towel around either side of the door handles, placing your feet a few inches away from the corner of the door, and slowly leaning backward, then forwards again. 

Your chest, abdomen, and hip muscles will feel the burn and you’ll work up a sweat in no time. 

Full body workout can be done using a TRX band.

7. The Classic Wall

The wall is one of your best tools to use in your workout routine. 

Two of the most difficult workouts where you can use this run of the mill workout station are the “wall sit” and the “wall crawl”.

The wall sit simply involves you putting your back up against the wall and getting into a sitting position. Hold that position for thirty to sixty seconds and your glutes, lower back, and thigh muscles will really benefit. 

The wall crawl or the decline wall push-up is a bit more involved. It begins with you in a pushup position with your feet as close to the wall as you can get them.

You then proceed to back yourself up and walk your feet up the wall, then back down.

This movement engages your upper chest, abdomen, and shoulder muscles. 

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