household things to use for weight training

KAlex

Tue, Mar 09 2010, 6:51 am

And it's me again!

Full 500ml bottles of water. (Recommending that size because they're easy to hold, and that they be full so that the weight isn't shifting about as you move. One in each hand should be a good starter size.)

Cans of food (but be careful with this and anything else you haven't got a good grasp of, as it'll hurt if you drop it on yourself! Nothing glass or otherwise easy to break.)

Sealed bags of grains, as they come in good weight increments, and have softer edges than boxes. (Don't drop them just before Pesach, though, and certainly don't go up in a cloud of flour... Wink

)

A big dictionary/encyclopedia (I'd say a bulky chumash or gemara, but it's not so respectful. YMMV, however). Put a strong elastic band or something around it, though, so it isn't changing shape on you halfway through.

Basically anything you're comfortable holding, that isn't lop-sided and that won't do too much damage to you or it if you drop it.

You aren't likely to get above a kilo or so with such things (unless you keep bricks lying about), but it's a good way to start.

If you do want something heavier (but it'll be significantly bulkier) try filling a stong bag/suitcase with similar things.

Remember to lift safely!

shabbatiscoming

Tue, Mar 09 2010, 6:53 am

KAlex wrote:

thank you very much!!!

and what do I do? just lift a few times and keep on increasing the times of raising each item?

KAlex

Tue, Mar 09 2010, 7:15 am

If you can't (even once) go to a professional for advice on a good starting programme, I'd recommend getting a good book (out of the library, if you can, so you can try a few and see which suits you), as this will discuss the different muscle groups and good exercises for each.

Very roughly (and again, I'm no expert) your muscles work in pairs. Eg in your upper arms you have the biceps (at the front, used for bending your arm at the elbow) and the triceps (at the back, for straightening the arm out again). You want to be exercising both sets, so as not to create an imbalance that can lead to straining. Strive for balance, throughout. (Eg do ten of something on the right side, then ten on the left while the right is resting, then ten on the right, etc, rather than doing 100 on the right and then being so tired you do two on the left.)

Unless you want to build big bulky muscles (and most women don't) it's better to do many repetitions of smaller weights than a few of larger ones. Building up slowly to a few (five or less, definitely) kilos should be great, but really, please get the advice of a professional (through their writing, if not in person) for specifics.

louche

Tue, Mar 09 2010, 12:04 pm

Once upon a time I tied a pile of pennies into old panythose to use as ankle weights. as previously posted, you can't get up very high with homemade weights but they'll do in a pinch to start out. As you progress, you will eventually need the real thing. They're not that expensive and last forever, but if you're weighting ( Very Happy

) to see if you stick to a weight training program, homemade light weights will do until you decide this is for you and are willing to invest in proper equipment.

BTW when you do invest, may I suggest that you get both a pair of dumbbells and a pair of wrist/ankle weights. That way, when you're ready to go up a notch with your arms, you can strap on the wrist weights and hold the dumbbells till you progress further and have to buy heavier bells.