You don’t need equipment to enjoy an effective at-home workout, but adding weight and other challenges to your training is always valuable. If you want to up the ante, but don’t have any dumbbells or equipment at home, you’re in luck. From canned goods to towels, the following workout is designed to be used with common items you already have in your home.
This circuit, which is repeated three times and made up of 11 moves, is perfect for the days you can’t get to the gym but still want to train. All you need is a couple dish towels, two canned food items, a coffee table, a bed, a pair of boots and a broom—easy enough? Before you get started, review what household item to use for each workout, then save the following routine (you can pin it using the icon on the bottom-right corner) to your smartphone or tablet for easy access!
Circuit
|
Exercise |
Reps – Round 1 |
Reps – Round 2 |
Reps – Round 3 |
|
Overhead boot squats |
16 |
14 |
12 |
|
Mountain sliders |
20 each leg |
10 each leg |
20 each leg |
|
Weighted glute pulses |
15 each leg |
12 each leg |
10 each leg |
|
Plank arm circles |
10 each arm |
8 each arm |
6 each arm |
|
Triceps dips |
14 |
12 |
10 |
|
Decline pushups |
14 |
12 |
10 |
|
Bedside crunches |
30 |
20 |
10 |
|
Arnold press |
16 |
14 |
12 |
|
Lateral hops |
20 each way |
16 each way |
10 each way |
|
Split squats |
15 each leg |
12 each leg |
10 each leg |
|
Supine toe touches |
30 |
20 |
10 |
What household item to use for each workout
1. Overhead Boot Squats – Heavy boots
Grab a pair of heavy winter boots, holding one firmly in each hand. Lift them over your head and stand with your feet hip width apart, feet slightly turned out. Squat down, hinging at your hips and sticking your butt back (like you’re sitting into a chair), keeping the boots over head the entire time and your back straight. Stand back up, boots still overhead, and repeat.
2. Mountain Sliders – Dish towels or washcloths
Grab two small dishtowels or washcloths. On a smooth, non-carpeted surface (tile or wood works best), move into a tabletop position (all fours). Put the two towels under your toes and slide your feet back so you’re in full plank position, hands under your shoulders. Slide your right knee in toward your chest, so that your toe is now almost under your hips and your knee is under your right shoulder. If you’ve ever done mountain climbers, this is the same concept. Slide your right foot back and repeat on the left side. Set towels aside—you’ll need them again!
3. Weighted Glute Pulses – Canned goods
Grab a can of food—the bigger or heavier the can, the better. Move into a tabletop position and wedge the can behind your right knee. Hold can in place by flexing your calf toward your hamstring. With the can sturdy, lift your foot to the ceiling and pulse, allowing your knee to dip halfway down and back up, for the allotted number of reps. Switch the can to the other leg and repeat.
4. Plank Arm Circles – Dish towels or washcloths
It’s time to use those small towels again! In tabletop, place the towels under your hands. Stay on your knees or move into full plank position with your feet extending out behind you. Push your right hand forward and slide it in a circular motion, toward the right, and return to start to make one complete circle. Continue for the allotted amount of reps and repeat on the other side.
5. Triceps Dips – Coffee table
Sit on the side of your coffee table and place your hands beside your butt, so close that they’re touching the sides of your body. Step your feet out so that your knees are at a 90-degree angle and slide your butt off the table just a little—make sure that your shoulders are situated over and aligned with your wrists. Slowly lower your body down, making sure that your elbows are shooting straight back, not out to the side, which they’ll naturally want to do. Rise back up, squeeze your triceps at the top, and repeat.
6. Decline Pushups – Coffee table
Get onto all fours with your coffee table directly behind you. Lift each leg up onto the coffee table so that just the tops of your feet are touching (your calves should not be touching the table at all) and lower yourself down into a pushup. Note that you can keep your wrists below in line with your shoulders for a triceps-focused pushup, or pull them out wide for a chest-focused pushup. The wider your arms are in the pushup, the less challenging it will be.
7. Bedside Crunches – Bed
Lie on your bed and inch yourself to the edge. Let your body hang off the side, so that half of your back is hanging off and the other half is still on the bed. Cross your hands over your chest or place them behind your head and crunch up as high as you can. Return to start and repeat.
8. Arnold Press (bicep curl + shoulder press) – Canned goods
Reach for that heavy canned good plus one more—you need two this time. Stand with your feet hip width apart. Hold a can in each hand, palms facing out, glue your elbows to your sides and curl your hands up to your shoulders, keeping your elbows in place. Once the bicep curl is completed, flip your hands to face forward, lift your arms out so that elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle and press your hands up toward the sky, with both meeting in the middle, above your head.
Return to start the same way you got there by lowering your hands down until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle. Twist your hands to face back toward you as you return to the top of the curl position, and then lower all the way down, hands still facing you, to starting position.
9. Lateral Hops – Broom
Put a broom on the ground and stand on the right side of it. With one giant leap, jump laterally, over the broom to the other side. Pause here and repeat, jumping laterally back over the broom to reach your starting position.
10. Split “Squats” – Chair or coffee table
Stand with your feet hip width apart and lift the right leg backwards, to rest the top of your foot on the table or chair behind you. (Make sure there’s enough distance between your back foot and your front foot so the left knee doesn’t go past your ankle when lower down into the lunge.) Lower your back right knee down toward the ground so your left knee shifts forward, like in a backward lunge. Stand back up, keeping your right foot on the table or chair and repeat on the same side for the allotted number of reps.
11. Supine Toe Touches – Broom
We’re using that broom again! Lie on your back and raise your feet in the air, keeping them as straight up and down as possible. Hold the broom in your hands, arms fully extended so your elbows are almost locked. Reach up and crunch your body, with the goal of touching your toes with the broom. Lower back down and repeat for the allotted number of reps.