4 Weighted Home Workouts Using Household Items

With quarantine and stay-at-home orders still in place, many people are looking for creative ways to keep exercising. After all, staying active is a great way to boost the immune system and keep you fit and healthy! Our fitness experts here at The Palm have put together a list of weighted workouts that you can do in the comfort of your home living room. No weights nearby? No problem! You can use items you can find around your house. Whether you use canned food, water bottles or a bag of flour, these moves can be accomplished with many miscellaneous household items.

If you had a gym membership prior to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, you probably don’t have weights lying around. We cannot let that stop us from moving and getting our heart rate up! According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the average adult should aim for about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week. The site credits exercise with helping to manage weight, blood sugar and insulin levels. It is also said to boost mood and mental health and improve sleep—just to name a few benefits.

Get moving at home with these four weighted workouts using household items:

Exercise #1: Backpack Lunges

Lunges are a great way to build those booties! According to Healthline, this simple move increases muscle mass not only in our glutes but abdominals, backs, quads, hamstrings and calves! Adding weight to a backpack with books, water bottles or other compact household items can add a challenge to some of your home workouts. Hoisting it on during lunge sets simply adds greater resistance, which incorporates more strength training into the exercise. You can also hold small weights in either hand while doing this move, such as soup cans or water bottles. When doing a lunge, step forward with your right foot. Bring both needs to 90-degree angles, just barely touching the floor with your left knee. Make sure to keep your right knee directly above your ankle and not jutting passed your toes. Step back with your right knee and return to a standing position. Repeat the same process with your left foot.

Exercise #2: Russian Twists

This move is a total core exercise! According to Women’s Health magazine, this simple move works your core, obliques and spine while improving your balance and increasing spinal stability. To do this move, take it to the floor. Sit on your bottom and bring your legs out straight. While slightly leaning your torso back (like you’re reclining in a chair) form a V-like shape with your legs. Bracing your abs to engage your core, twist your torso from side to side without moving your legs. Add some resistance to this move with a household item like a melon, spaghetti squash, sports ball or water jug.

Exercise #3: Plank Rows

Plank rows are a super move that pack in tons of muscle focus in a simple action! According to Men’s Health magazine, this move provides an asymmetrical ab workout while engaging your lats and shoulders as well. When doing a plank, it is vital to maintain proper form. Keep your shoulders directly over your wrists and your neck in line with your spine. Squeeze your glutes and core to maintain spinal alignment throughout the entire move. Once again, you can use household items to fulfill this move, as it is more about form and focus than anything else. Grab a water bottle, a water jug, a canned good or anything else you can hold with one hand. One arm at a time, use your lats to pull your fisted item to chest height, then return the “weight” to the ground, keeping your body balanced and braced the whole time.

Exercise #4: V-Ups

The V-up, also known as a jackknife, will certainly work your core! According to Women’s Health, with this simple up-down motion, you simultaneously increase your core strength and endurance. To complete the move, lie on your back with your legs about six inches off the floor and your arms stretched over your head, palms facing each other and slightly lifted off the floor. In one movement, lift your arms and torso while raising your legs, creating a V-shape with your entire body. Lower your body back down. That is one rep. Again, to add resistance, hold a weighted household object between your hands to challenge yourself a little more! A pack of potatoes like the photo above is a great option. However, you could also use a spaghetti squash, basketball, water jug or heavy book.

*Always speak with a doctor before starting an exercise routine.