Workout From Home with Household Items: Total Body Circuit

We know your workout routine may look a little different these days. We are all anxious to get back to our regular fitness routine but we have a solution for you. If you find yourself doing more home workouts but you don’t have any dumbbells or kettlebells to use, try finding some household items to add some resistance to your workouts. You can be creative! Additionally, for this workout you will need a chair, socks on hardwood floors or paper plates to slide on carpet, a heavy jug or milk gallon and a heavy pot. 

Our favorite total body home workout with household items:

1. Squats with a dutch oven: Start holding your pot close to your body, stand with your feet hip width apart. Imagine you are trying to spread the floor apart with your feet to engage your outer hips. Always make sure you are breathing throughout this movement! You can go as low as it feels comfortable while maintaining good form. Try to complete 2 sets of 12 and if that feels easy, add a third set!

3. Split lunges using a chair or your couch: Start with one leg propped up on a chair or your couch. Additionally, adding weight is optional for this exercise. You can either hold a dutch oven close to your chest or hold a gallon jug in each hand (these are easy to save after you use them & fill with water for added weight). Furthermore, you can keep a chair close by for balance if you need! Try 15 on each leg, or if it’s hard to keep track, time yourself for 30 seconds on each side. Repeat 2-3 times.

4. Single arm row: Start by hinging at your waist with a split stance. Most importantly, keep your abdominal muscles active to support your low back. You can use your chair for support or stand without support. Holding the jug in one hand, engage your shoulder blades by pulling it back and down. Then row your arm back, keeping your elbow by your side. Repeat 10-15 times on each side. 

5. Plank from a chair: Place your chair somewhere so that it won’t slide away from you. You can start just holding a plank, keeping a long line from your head, shoulders and hips down to your feet.  Add on by slowly bringing one knee in towards your chest, staying strong in your upper body. Place it back down and repeat with the other leg.

6. Plank progression on the floor: You can do your planks on the ground and hold for a series of time (start with 10 seconds add on until you can hold for 30 seconds). Additionally, you can advance this exercise by bringing one knee to your chest maintaining good stability in the upper body and trunk. Then place it back down and repeat with the other leg. 

* For an added stability challenge, put your socks on if you have hardwood floors or place two paper plates underneath your feet on carpet. Slowly glide the foot up towards your hands as you pike your hips towards the ceiling- making an inverted “V” position. With control, return to your starting position.

7. Push ups: In a plank position, move your hands slightly wider than your shoulders, but keep them in line with your shoulders. While maintaining good trunk stability slowly lower down, staying in a straight line from your head to your heels. Make sure your elbows are going down and back about 45 degrees to keep good alignment in your shoulder. Exhale as you push yourself back to your starting position. 

If you find that you’re pushing yourself up more like a wave (head- chest- then hips), please elevate your hands, either back to the chair, a counter, or even the wall. This is more than just a chest workout, it also challenges the front side of your body. It is more beneficial for your body to scale back and perform the exercise correctly.

As always, our physical therapists are here to help at Atlanta PT. Leave a comment if you give this workout a try! If you are interested in other workout ideas, check out our Youtube Channel. Feel free to reach out with questions or comments. You can also schedule a complimentary 30 minute consultation by reaching out to [email protected].