Tight abs for students on a tight budget
Bikini season is fast-approaching and panic might have started to set in among those of us who cannot afford to join a gym. Here’s what you can do at home with what you have at hand.
According to collectivelychristine.com, the essentials for a home gym include:
Yoga mat
Jump rope
High step
Medicine ball
Foam roller
Sliders
Stability ball
Resistance bands
Kettlebells and dumbbells
However, it’s not always practical to purchase all these “essentials” on a student budget. Popsugar.com suggests some budget-friendly substitutes:
Medicine Ball
Make your own medicine ball by drilling a small hole in an old basketball or netball. Ensure that you drill the hole on one of the lines and make it big enough for a funnel. Use the funnel to fill the ball with sand and then use a tyre-patch kit or a few layers of heavy-duty duct tape to seal the opening.
Sandbag
Fill an old duffel bag or large backpack with sand and use as a weight. The material should preferably be canvas to ensure that it doesn’t tear too easily.
Hand weights
Refill plastic water bottles with water or even sand. These eco-friendly hand weights work just as well as store-bought ones.
Yoga mat
Yoga and pilates mats can be very expensive. No-slip kitchen shelf liners are available at any home improvement store and these are the perfect substitute as long as the roll is at least 1.5m long and 2cm thick to support your body.
Battling ropes
According to greatist.com, an old ragged garden hose can easily be used as battle ropes. If you are new to this multi-functional exercise, start with empty hoses. As you become more comfortable with the ropes, fill the hoses with sand and plug both ends.
Here are some battle rope exercises:
https://greatist.com/move/effective-battle-rope-exercises
Foam roller
A tennis ball or a baseball ball can be used as an alternative. If you have an odd piece of PVC pipe available, simply use a leftover piece of the kitchen shelf liner you used to make a yoga mat and secure it around the pipe.
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