How to Make a Gym at Home Without Weights

Gyms and fitness centers are chock-full of fitness equipment that can help you strengthen your muscles and burn the calories that lead to weight loss -- but you don't necessarily have to go outside your home for all of that. It's totally possible to outfit your home with beneficial equipment, even with a relatively small financial investment. And while weight training can be a beneficial addition to your routine, you don't have to use weights to do it.

Things You'll Need

  • Pullup bar
  • Yoga mat
  • Exercise ball
  • Resistance bands
  • Jump rope
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Instructions

    • 1

      Install a pullup bar in a doorway or on a ceiling joist of your garage or basement. Pullups are beneficial upper-body exercises that target the back, arms, shoulders and chest, so they're a good alternative to weight training.

    • 2

      Lay down a yoga mat that you can use for stretching, as well as for pushups and crunches such as the bicycle crunch. According to a study published by the American Council on Exercise, bicycle crunches are among the most effective abs exercises.

    • 3

      Use an exercise ball to do planks that strengthen the upper body, as well as crunches for the abdominals. Crunches on an exercise ball are another of the most effective abdominal exercises, according to that ACE study. Set the exercise ball on your yoga mat to help keep the ball from sliding around while you do your exercises.

    • 4

      Use resistance bands to do total-body resistance exercises, including biceps curls, triceps extensions, arm raises and squats. To get the best results, start with resistance bands with a tension level rated for beginners, and then move up to intermediate and advanced bands as you get stronger.

    • 5

      Purchase a jump rope to do an inexpensive form of cardio exercise. Jumping rope is an excellent calorie-burner, burning roughly 744 calories per hour for a 155-pound person.