The pandemic caused many of us to convert areas of our homes into home gyms. Now that mess is over, but a lot of people are still working out at home. After all, it’s cheap and convenient.

If you think a home gym in the right choice for you, all you need to do is get the equipment. One option is to go to a sporting goods store and buy items like weights, a bench, and a treadmill. But did you know you can create your home gym using the items you already have in your home?

Here are some ideas for making a home gym using what you’ve got.

Laundry Detergent and Kettlebells

Kettlebells are all the rage in fitness. You can swing them around (carefully) to work nearly every part of your body.

But if you’d rather forgo the expense and hassle of buying one, a bottle of laundry detergent with a handle will do the trick. Just make sure it’s nice and full.

A Chair as a Bench

When it comes to using a chair for workouts, the possibilities are endless. You can place the chair behind your head and use it to steady yourself during ab workouts. You can sit in the chair and do triceps dips. You can put your feet on the chair to work your thighs…and so much more.

A Backpack as a Weighted Vest

Want to take your exercise routine up a notch? Try doing it with a backpack on your back. Just fill the bag with cans, water bottles, or anything else that adds weight, and work out as usual. You can add more weight every day to keep it challenging.

Soup Cans as Small Weights

Small weights are great for high repetition movements like overhead triceps extensions and curl pulses. If you’d rather not splurge on entire set of small weights, soup cans will do the trick quite nicely.

The Stairs for Cardio

Why get a StairMaster when you can use the stairs? Walking up 400 steps a day has been shown to significantly increase endurance. That’s a lot of stairs… but every bit counts.

If you live in an apartment, you can even use the stairs in your building for your workout. Just be sure to schedule your routine for time of the day when there’s low traffic.

A Rope as a Suspension Trainer

If the weather is nice enough, you can get some outdoor exercise in with a rope and a tree. Get about 8 feet of rope and tie a knot at both ends. Find a tree with a sturdy branch and sling the rope over it. You can use your makeshift equipment to pull off inverted rows, squats, planks, and lunges.

A home gym makes for an inexpensive way to work out. Using the items you have in your home will save you even more money. Which of these household goods will you be using to create a fitness center in your residence?