How to Build Muscle on a Low Budget

Everyone deserves to enjoy the best possible health, regardless of income. But just because you can't afford to join a health club at the moment doesn't mean you can't strengthen your muscles on your own. Use inexpensive exercise equipment, improvise with basic household materials or build your muscles while using no equipment at all to enjoy the benefits of strength training.

Things You'll Need

  • Free weights
  • Canned food
  • Milk containers or detergent bottles
  • Backpack
  • Sand
  • Step stool
  • Pullup bar
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Develop an exercise routine using free weights. A barbell with a variety of weight plates can offer a solid workout. Dumbbell and kettlebell sets are particularly versatile because you can perform single- and double-arm exercises. Shop at garage sales or used sporting goods stores for the best deals. Check the locking mechanisms of used barbells or dumbbells to make sure they're working and safe before you buy.

    • 2

      Warm up before doing any strength-training exercises. Jog or perform another cardio activity for at least five minutes.

    • 3

      Transform household items into free weights. Use canned foods or fill empty laundry detergent bottles and milk containers with water or sand. Fill backpacks or similar large items with sand for a more intense workout. Do squats and bent-over rows or simply walk for at least 30 seconds while carrying the sand bag overhead.

    • 4

      Work out at a local park. Many parks have exercise stations along walking paths where you can perform a variety of strength-training activities. You may also find pullup bars in kids' play areas.

    • 5

      Use your furniture as exercise tools. Do situps with your feet secured beneath a couch. Set your hands and feet on chairs to do elevated pushups. Turn your back to a sturdy chair and place your palms behind you, on the chair's edge, to do triceps dips. Lie face up below a heavy table, grasp the edge and pull your chest up to the table to perform inverted rows.

    • 6

      Perform step-ups using your stairs or a low step stool.

    • 7

      Install a pullup bar in your home. Adjustable bars that fit within a door frame are not expensive. Lower the bar to perform inverted rows. Raise it to do pullups.

    • 8

      Develop a bodyweight exercise routine. Warm up first with five to 10 minutes of aerobic exercise before each session. Perform upper-body exercises -- such as pushups, pullups and dips -- at least two days per week, but never on consecutive days. Do lower-body exercises -- such as step-ups, squats, lunges and calf raises -- at least twice per week, but again allow at least 48 hours between lower-body workouts. Do core exercises at least once each week, including crunches and lying leg raises. A weekly routine can feature upper-body workouts on Mondays and Thursdays, lower-body exercises on Tuesdays and Fridays, plus core work on Wednesdays. Perform two to three sets of eight to 12 reps per set for each exercise.