- A major muscle group is the core of our bodies, namely the abs. While you can work your abs by doing simple crunches by sitting on the floor and putting your feet under a couch for support, this exercise doesn't work all areas of your abs. What you need is an ab bench. Lucky for you, it is easy to make. All you need is a board that you can lie down on. Boards are readily available from home-supply stores. Nail a piece of piping to the bottom of the board for foot support. Cover the board with a little cheap foam or a blanket and you are good to go. All you need to do is find a bench or a raised area onto which you can lay the board. Then, lie down on the board and you can perform leg raises and inverted crunches, which will really work the abs.
- A good set of dumbbells can help you work your legs, arms, back and chest muscles. Milk jugs can be converted into a set of dumbbells that can be adjusted for weight simply by adding heavy material such as rocks or metal washers. Milk jugs work great for dumbbells because they have a handle built right into them. This allows you use the jugs to do biceps curls or triceps exercises. Just be sure not to make the dumbbell too heavy. Fitnesschoices.com says if your dumbbell is too heavy, you could seriously injure yourself and put your exercise routine on hold until you heal.
- Push-ups are another easy exercise to do at home. You can increase the efficiency of the exercise by raising yourself up a bit off the ground. All you need to do this are a few heavy books, such as phone books or old textbooks. Set two stacks of books on the ground and make sure they are level. Wrap the books with twine or duct tape to make sure they do not slip while you are doing push-ups. Put your palms on the books and do a set of push-ups.
