Everything You CAN Do with Minimal Equipment

Bigger Stronger Leaner
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I thought I’d try and flip all the “I’m stuck at home with no equipment HELP” threads on their heads, hopefully creating a database of sorts. Any MacGuyver’d gear or set-ups would be perfect to include here.

Loose constraints for things that I think should be included in here

  • Equipment should be widely available, or easily built/assembled
  • Try and keep the cost of equipment, if applicable, under ~100USD
  • Feel free to list workouts, exercises, set-rep schemes and maybe how-tos if you’re building your own gear

To start us off, we have:

  • Push-up
  • Pull-up
  • Chin-up
  • Walking Lunge
  • Band Pull-Aparts
  • Face Pulls
  • Inverted Rows

We can “build” a heavy sandbag by taking a camping pack, suitcase, or large duffel, and filling it with small sandbags (which for Aussies are freely provided by the council)

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One can do quite a bit with a sturdy piece of rope.

And jumping up and down, either short and quickly or big single hops, jumps, compressions, etc. :joy:

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Ima grab someone to sit on my back and do push ups.

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Any specific set-ups or suggestions?

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Who knew my gf would be useful :man_shrugging:

I kid

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Yes.

This is 11 mm arborist rope, but not necessary. Any decent piece of cordage will do. I’m using an aluminum tube on black background for illustrative purposes, but a tree branch will work just as well.

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Simple handle.

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Wrap it in upon itself about 5 times and snug up.

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Put them together.

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This configuration is pretty sturdy and can be scooched around so the hand holds are even. Probably costs a few bucks for a 20 foot piece at any home improvement store.

With a little practice can be done, undone, and redone in less than a couple minutes.

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Here’s a C-clamp over a beam with a piece of wood to sturdy it up a little.

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Thats a 6 inch clamp with a 4 inch throat, very common, probably less than $10.00 at any hardware or home store.

You might want 2.

They can be affixed to anything that they’ll fit on, easily adjusted and removed.

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Here’s a big piece of wood.

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It’s oak, and probably weighs about 150 lbs.

And a splitting maul, for swinging and hitting stuff really hard.

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Some people like tires or dirt to smack, but I just use other pieces of wood. :relaxed:

And later when the wife gets home I can put together some pics of how to do reverse hypers using a milk crate and a pillow (for comfort) if people want.

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A really juicy / awful quad circuit

  1. Sissy Squats: 10-15
  2. Reverse Nordics: 10-15
  3. Bulgarian Split Squats: 10-15
  4. Bodyweight Squats: 10-15

If you’ve got a band, replacing bulgarians with Spanish Squats works great

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I don’t have the flexibility for normal pistols but if I do them to a box I get a pretty good stimulus to my quads and glutes. My box is a foot stool :slight_smile:

Another exercise I like are bent knee back extensions. Just lock your feet underneath something sturdy. I use a dresser. Start kneeling tall, hinge at your hips and then use your glutes/hams to pull yourself back up.

Of course, from the same starting position you can N-ghr. I use a broom stick for assistance.

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I also really like slider leg curls for hammies, those are rough

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I was thinking of improvising with paper plates. I’ll go ahead and post my review on it.

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If you have tiles or wooden floors a towel works great!

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Figured out today I can do sled rows and presses with my kettlebell and a couple of moderate bands. Going to head out tomorrow and try rear delt flyes, forward Raises and resisted sprints. Hopefully it works okay

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Also a really great sprint warm-up I’ve been using from Pat Davidson:

1: Zombie March (Back against wall, arms out in front of you)
2: Practice arm swing in long-sit position
3: March with back against wall
4: March with band around hips
5. Forward March: 10-15m
6: Skip with band around hips
7: Skip 10-15m
8: A-Run with band around hips
9: A-Run 10-15m

Just use each exercise until it “feels right” and move up

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I already had a limited amount of plates (140 lbs or so), a curl bar and some dumbbell handles but ordered a dip station, pull up bar and a set of resistance bands. You can find all 3 of those for $100. To make up for the lack of plates I took the suggestion of a couple people on here and started doing pre-exhaust for each body part (the bands work great for that) and then pauses at the bottom of bench and overhead presses, plus higher reps. Works pretty nicely.

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Constant tension and sets for time also really helps with a burnout. 5-0-5-0 without locking out for 6 reps (1 minute) is rough

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Hamstring Hell: 2 rounds

  • Nordics: 4-8
  • Slider Leg Curls: 10-15
  • Seated Leg Curl w Band: 20-30
  • Band Pull-Through: 20-30

If you can’t set-up nordics:

  • Single-Leg Elevated Hamstring Bridge: 10-15
  • Slider Leg Curls: 10-15
  • Seated Leg Curls w Band: 20-30
  • Band Pull-Through: 20-30

If you don’t have a band:

  • Nordics: 4-8
  • Slider Leg Curls: 10-15
  • Single-Leg Hamstring Bridge: 10-15
  • Double-Leg Hamstring Bridge: 10-15

If you can’t set up Nordics AND don’t have a band

  • Single-Leg Elevated Leg Curls: 10-15
  • Slider Leg Curls: 10-15
  • Single-Leg Hamstring Bridge: 10-15
  • Double-Leg Hamstring Bridge: 10-15
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I can confirm that paper plates work great for sliding leg curls! I tried to do them one leg at a time and after just 2 reps nearly gave myself a hamstring cramp haha.

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20 Leg Blasters.

1 leg blaster:

20 squats
20 lunges (10 each leg)
20 jumping squats
20 jumping lunges (switching legs midair)

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