Homemade Adjustable Dumbbells

If you've got an extensive but obsolete CD collection at home that you're willing to part with and put to better use, you can use them to make your own adjustable dumbbells. These homemade adjustable dumbbells will save you the cost of going to the gym and buying pricey dumbbells. For added benefit, you can even adjust the amount of weight on the dumbbells when you increase your strength and want a more challenging dumbbell. A CD weighs about 15 g, so 100 CDs per dumbbell is about 3.6 lbs. You'll need another 50 CDs per dumbbell to get it up to 5 lbs. each.

Things You'll Need

  • 60-100 CDs
  • 12-inch threaded rod
  • Four 3/4-inch spools
  • Measuring tape
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Instructions

    • 1

      Compile about 60 to 100 CDs. You can obtain them cheaply from a thrift store or your own collection. Over the years, you're bound to have collected a lot of CDs that you no longer use or care for.

    • 2

      Measure the diameter of the CD so you know what size threaded rod to pick up. Go to the hardware store and purchase a threaded rod. You can take a CD with you to test that the diameter size is accurate.

    • 3

      Insert a spool on the end of your rod and thread the CDs onto one end. Be gentle with the CDs, as they can crack. Once you've added about 1/4 of your CD stack, insert another spool.

    • 4

      Use one hand to hold the center of the dumbbell. Insert another spool on the opposite end and thread it all the way down the rod until you reach your hand. Now you've created the handle bar section.

    • 5

      Insert the second 1/4 stack of your CD onto the rod, one at a time, and thread them down the rod as far as they go. Insert a spool at the end to keep the CDs from falling out.

    • 6

      Use the rest of the CDs to create the second dumbbell using the process described above.

    • 7

      Add more CDs to the dumbbell and adjust the weight by removing the spool and threading more CDS. Make sure the CDs are added to both sides to evenly distribute the weight.