Can You Weight Train For Free?
Weight training has become increasingly expensive to participate in; gym memberships, home dumbbells, or protein supplements; the cost of lifting weights has rocketed!
Weight training for free is possible through creative exercise engagement – using resources not intended for fitness purposes as equipment for a workout. Items include rucksacks, furniture, or desks. If not practical, it can also be achieved through deal hunting, negotiating, or budgeting against commercial gyms.
How To Join A Gym With A Strict Budget
If you’ve found the ideal gym, but it’s slightly out of budget, don’t discard it yet; we have collected a few hacks that help reduce the cost!
- Looking out for special offers: Gyms, like any business, use promotional marketing strategies to encourage more members; one method is discounted gym membership fees. You can find these offers via television, radio, magazines, or leaflets. They usually have a limited-time deadline, so once you see the offer, act quickly!
- Eligible discounts – People such as pensioners, students, or military soldiers, and some organizations like businesses with which the gym has ties, the gym’s employees, or different franchises of the same gym. It’s worth checking this with the gym before joining, as you may already be qualified for a discount! These tend to be permanent, so you can enquire anytime.
- No joining fee – Many gyms neglect the joining fee in numerous situations; for example if you commit to a 12-month membership, join via their website or simply ask them.
- Using guest passes – if you know someone who’s already a member, they may receive monthly guest passes from their gym. If they are cool with you using them, it gives you access to the whole gym for a day, free of charge. Additionally, some gyms give you and your friend/ family discounted membership fees if you permanently join via their guest pass.
- Free Trials – These range from a day pass to months of free membership.
- One-off payments – Many gyms operate on a monthly direct debit. However, some gyms offer discounts if you pay a year’s membership in one large sum. For example $30 a month every month for a membership or a $300 one-off payment for a twelve-month membership (equating to $25 a month).
Money Saving Tips When Weight Training
Getting buff comes at a cost – we have outlined a few tips that help reduce the cost:
- Only pay for what you need – memberships range from $10 monthly to $500+ depending on its facilities. High-end gyms are equipped with saunas, steam rooms, and spas which are great if you utilize them weekly; however, if you don’t use all of them, find a cheaper membership!
- Many beginners over-commit themselves. For example, they purchase workout supplements, fitness watches, or clothes before they’re sure they enjoy weight training. As a result, they rack up a hefty bill of unnecessary items, so they think they can’t afford to train. Avoid this, as it makes weight training seem more expensive than it is.
- Use second-hand equipment. If you want to build your own gym, you can find second-hand equipment on websites like eBay, Facebook, or Craigslist, where it will be substantially cheaper. Moreover, there is no monthly cost of building your gym, making it cheaper in the long run.
- The art of negotiation. Whether it be a membership or the price of equipment, it’s always worth the ask to reduce the price. Especially if you’re honest and reasonable about your income and budget, some gyms make it work for you.
Can You Use Household Items To Train Weights?
Many individuals begin by looking for household items. To start, find something that ticks the list below:
- Good grip – you want to stabilize the item without it falling or, worse, crushing you when you lift it so that you can concentrate tension on the intended muscle group.
- Adaptability – the item should be able to increase or decrease in mass so you can alter the weight based on strength and fatigue.
- Replaceable – in case the item breaks due to it being too heavy or you not being able to lift it, you should be able to replace it effortlessly.
- Safe to use – ensuring the item is safe is imperative when using it for weights. For example, it shouldn’t have sharp edges, toxic chemicals, extreme temperatures, or be big/heavy enough to crush you.
- Sustainable – The item will undergo heavy use if you aim to use it as a resistance. As a result, it should be durable enough for long-term use, or you should have a constant supply of it.
It relies on you having the item already; if you go out and buy a household item with the intention of using it for weights, it defeats the purpose.
Once you have sorted a few items, you can follow a home workout plan and replace the weights with said items.
What Household Item Can Be Used For Weight Training
Finding an item that can hold a large amount of weight or is heavy itself enables an individual to weight train at home. While most understand this, they struggle to find any – below are some examples to help.
| Household item for training | How it can be used to build resistance |
|---|---|
| Backpack | A backpack can be filled with sand, water bottles, or rice and be worn to increase downward force. Alternatively, it can mimic a medicine ball to be used for a new range of exercises. |
| Beds | Lifting your bed from one side allows you to curl significant weight without the need for a bar. As well as curls, you can use it for leg press or a squat rack (if safe and secure). If too light, you can always chuck heavier items on your bed to increase the resistance. |
| Towel | A towel mimics resistance bands but is only useful with a partner. It allows you to perform curls, pull-downs, or rows without cables or weights. |
| Desks | An average size desk is heavy enough to lift and has its legs at a reasonable distance to grip onto. This allows you to curl the desk or if you flip it onto the flat side, it can be used as a chest press. The large surface area allows you to balance extra weight if necessary. |
| Shelves | Secure shelves can be used in conjunction with a rucksack filled with rice, cans, or sand to perform weighted pull-ups. |
| Bucket | A bucket allows more flexibility as you can fill it with a range of obscure items such as bricks, water, or logs. Attaching two identical weights to a log will create a weighted bar that can be used as a squat rack, bench press, or bell bar. |
| Furniture | While it depends on the shape, furniture can mimic a rubber tire to push and pull heavy weight. |
It depends on the size and weight of your items to use to your advantage, though if you’re struggling for some inspiration, here are some examples of weight training exercises examples:
How To Use A Backpack For Weight Training
A strong backpack can replace a medicine ball/ weighted vest/dumbbell. You can fill it up with anything that fits, though if you use it for a weighted vest, ensure it is flexible enough to sit comfortably on your back. A few exercises to try include:
- Weighted Squat – wear the backpack as usual and squat with the weight in the bag.
- Hammer Curls – fill the backpack with any heavy item and use both handles to mimic a hammer curl
- Hamstring Curls – Sit on an elevated surface with your feet dangling, wrap each handle around each foot, then slowly straighten your knees to perform a single curl.
- Lateral raise – hold a rucksack filled with weights centrally and lift outward to mimic a lateral raise.
How To Use Textbooks For Weight Training
Textbooks can replace dumbbells or sandbags. The size of the textbook will influence what type of exercise you can implement. For example, smaller textbooks mimic dumbbells, whereas you can stack larger textbooks to create heavy structures.
- If you have a few large and heavy textbooks, collect them and tighten them with an elastic band, tape, or glue. You can then push and pull this structure, flip it, or jump on top of it.
- Ripping textbooks is another weight exercise you can participate in to create an intense forearm workout.
- Small compact textbooks can be used as dumbbells. As a result, you can do exercises such as bicep curls, chest presses, or goblet squats.
How To Use A Towel For Weight Training
If you have a partner, a towel is a great way to create your own weight. Essentially, you both grip onto it and carry out inverse exercises one at a time; however, your partner completes the resistance to make the workout more demanding. For example
- Hold onto a towel and perform a bicep curl while your partner pushes down on the towel. Once you reach your full flex, swap roles, and your partner performs a tricep-pull down while you pull up on the towel to create resistance.
- Have both partners lie down, on their backs, in a straight line, with their heads facing one another. Raise both arms and feed a towel through each other’s hands. Then, take it, in turn, to pull the towel towards your chest. See below for a visual representation; this exercise is in the chapter called ‘abdominal core circuit.’
Free Alternative Training Methods That Work
Athletes weight train to achieve hypertrophy. If you aren’t bothered about this and just looking for a low-cost form of exercise, there are numerous other training methods you can participate in. These include:
Calisthenics – using your body weight as resistance. Exercises are explosive and intense, burning lots of calories and reducing fat levels. In effect, calisthenics increases relative strength and improves muscle tone. Practices include push-ups, chin-ups, and sit-ups.
Cardiovascular Endurance Training – low intense activities for a long duration to better your heart strength. Exercises include anything aerobic, such as running, cycling, or swimming, which gets the heart beating slowly and steadily.
There are numerous ways to exercise for free that are worth trying.
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