{"id":42892,"date":"2015-08-31T07:15:19","date_gmt":"2015-08-31T11:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=42892"},"modified":"2021-05-19T07:43:31","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T11:43:31","slug":"diy-workout-props-home-gym","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/diy-workout-props-home-gym\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Cheap DIY Workout Props for Your Home Gym"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nCelebs and athletes love touting the benefits of fancy exercise systems and zillion dollar recovery treatments<\/a>. But when you’re not on a Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous<\/em> budget, your fitness regimen has to come in at a fraction of the price. Whether you’re new to the workout game or you’ve been pumping iron for decades<\/a>, a few basic tools can help give your routine that A-list boost.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The 25 Craziest Workout Excuses Trainers Have Ever Heard<\/a><\/p>\n

But before you fall down the QVC rabbit hole, get this: Much of the equipment you need for a great home workout is already right at your fingertips. Need a yoga block? Check the bookshelf. Want an ab roller? Head to the\u2026 kitchen? Check out these surprising everyday items that can up the ante at your next at-home sweat session.<\/p>\n

7 DIY Fitness Props You Already Own<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Books
\nYour DIY:<\/strong> Yoga blocks
\n<\/em>When you\u2019re not reading, use that copy of Harry Potter<\/em> in lieu of a yoga block. Dense foam cubes typically used to make poses more accessible, yoga blocks can set you back<\/a> $10 or more (and we know you\u2019d rather spend that on lattes). “The blocks can bring the ground to you, enabling [you] to experience the fullest and safest version of the pose possible,” says Rachel VanCleave, instructor and studio manager at Yogamaya in New York City<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 7 Beginner Yoga Poses to Get You Through Your First Class<\/a><\/p>\n

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Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. Frozen Water Bottle
\n<\/strong>Your DIY:<\/strong> Foam roller (plus cold therapy!)
\n<\/em>Chances are you’ve seen or heard of foam rolling<\/a> (aka self-myofascial release), but you may not be ready to splurge on some of the pricier rollers<\/a> out there. Foam rolling<\/a> is all the rage for recovery<\/a>, improving range of motion<\/a> and more<\/a>. It works by elevating your temperature to increase blood flow to the muscles, explains Noam Tamir, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and owner of TS Fitness New York City<\/a>, Instead of investing in a “real” foam roller, use a large frozen water bottle, which could offer even better results, he says. Because the muscle is chilled, when it re-warms, the rush of blood is even greater than with foam rolling alone, Tamir says. This can help better prevent inflammation and boost muscle recovery.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Are You Foam Rolling All Wrong?<\/a><\/p>\n

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Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Swiffer or Broom
\nYour DIY:<\/strong> Workout bar
\n<\/em>Give your cleaning tools a whole new (way cooler) life by using that broomstick or Swiffer to improve mobility<\/a>. Grab either one during your warm-up to open up your chest and shoulders (super important if you\u2019re hunched over your keyboard all day). Try this: Stand up and hold the broom, hands hip-width apart. Then, extend your arms straight out in front of you. Next, draw your arms forward by spreading your shoulder blades and then retract them back in. You can also try adding shrugs, upright rows, and “pull-ups,” to loosen up tight shoulders. Once you\u2019re ready to get going, Tamir adds that you can also lay that Swiffer handle on the ground to jump over when doing plyometric movements<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Is Your Mobility Holding You Back? 5 Tests to Find Out<\/a><\/p>\n

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Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Belt
\nYour DIY:<\/strong> Exercise strap
\n<\/em>Take your lower body<\/a> and core exercises<\/a> to a whole new level by using a belt (yes, the one from your pants), to engage your upper extremities. Gripping the belt at shoulder-height with hands about shoulder-distance apart, hold your arms straight out in front of you, elbows extended, while doing exercises like sit-ups, lunges, and squats<\/a>. Keep that belt around for your post-workout stretch<\/a>, too. “We all have different proportions and levels of flexibility,” says VanCleave. “Simply put, straps can provide a little more length to your arms or legs.” Try wrapping a belt made of a pliable material, like rope, around the ball of your foot while stretching your hamstring.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. Rolling Pin
\nYour DIY:<\/strong> Ab wheel, foam roller
\n<\/em>When it comes to working out at home, less is more (as in, the less gear you have to shove into the coat closet when guests come over, the better). Most of us probably don’t have an ab wheel lying around, even though rollouts<\/a> are a great way to challenge the entire core. Instead of investing in the $40 gadget<\/a>, Tamir recommends busting out that good old-fashioned rolling pin. While it’s out, you can also use it as a foam roller \u2014 in case you didn’t plan ahead and freeze that water bottle.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Hate Crunches? 6 Better Core Exercises for Beginners<\/a><\/p>\n

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Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

6. Bag of Textbooks
\nYour DIY:<\/strong> Weights
\n<\/em>Anybody who ever rocked a backpack in middle school knows textbooks can be heavy.<\/em> Tamir suggests piling one (or more!) into reusable grocery bags (or an old backpack) to create easy-to-lift weights. Hold a bag in each hand for a farmer carry<\/a> (do a few laps of your yard or block carrying the bags), or use just one for a suitcase carry<\/a>. Both will improve grip strength<\/a>, and work your entire body, says Tamir.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

7. Bungee Cord
\n<\/strong>Your DIY:<\/strong> Resistance bands
\n<\/em>Unless you\u2019re a serious baller, we doubt you\u2019ve got a rack of free weights<\/a> (or even resistance bands) lying around. Luckily, bungee cords can provide a great workout, too. Double- or triple-up on cords to increase resistance and make sure you only use the cords for exercises where you’ve got the band pinned down (e.g. one end in each hand, holding the cord down with your foot). Unlike a flat band, the cord can roll around, and trust us, you don’t want it to come whizzing at your face.<\/p>\n

Now that you’ve got a bunch of cheap DIY tools to add to your workout arsenal, here are 9 DIY projects<\/a> for when you\u2019re ready to really take your home gym to the next level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Train like a star athlete at a fraction of the cost. Here\u2019s how to use the stuff you’ve got lying around to take your home workout to the next level. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":42905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6],"tags":[43,289,341,343,100],"class_list":["post-42892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","tag-diy","tag-exercise","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}