What to use instead of heavy weights for home fitness

The most practical alternative does not require spending a lot of extra money. Either transform existing heavy objects at home into temporary weights, or adjust the movement pattern to increase the training efficiency of your own weight. I have practiced home fitness for three years. Last year, during the two months of lockdown, I even sent 2kg dumbbells to a friend's house. According to the physical test, I have not lost any muscle mass.

The first thing I made do with was two 5L barrels of cooking oil, which were perfect for doing Romanian deadlifts. The non-slip handles on the barrels were easier to hold than dumbbells. If they were too light, I replaced them with 10L barrels of water. Each one weighed 10kg and could be used for shoulder presses and bent-over rowing. Later, when I ran out of gas, I took out the dusty backpack at home and stuffed it with old books and small dumbbell plates I had saved. If I wanted to add weight, I stuffed two more thick professional dictionaries. At most, I stuffed almost 18kg. I carried it on my back while doing squats. After squatting, my legs were shaking so hard that I had to drink water. The excitement was no worse than using an empty bar and small barbell plates in the gym. There are also many bloggers who say that this kind of special-shaped weight-bearing force is uneven and can easily injure joints. My own experience is that as long as you don't be too fast, your core is tight throughout the whole process, and the weight is gradually added, there is nothing wrong with it. If you are really afraid of your hands, I wrap two circles of towels as grips. I practiced deadlifting like this for the past two months, and by the way, I also improved my grip strength. I couldn't hold the bar when I pulled 80kg before, and now I don't use a booster belt when I pull 90kg.

If it happens that all the oil and water stored at home are used up, and there are no old books that can be stuffed, changing the action logic can tap out more potential of one's own weight. For example, if you feel uncomfortable doing standard push-ups, put your feet on the edge of the table and change to high-leg push-ups. The moment the center of gravity is pressed forward, the force on the chest muscles and triceps is doubled. If it is still too light, I just put the school bag on my back. I can do up to 12 weight-bearing high-leg push-ups at the time, and the pumping feeling is stronger than when I bench press with a 20kg barbell in the gym. There are also those who changed the two-legged movements to single-legged ones. For example, if ordinary squats are too light, they are replaced by Bulgarian split squats. One leg can carry the whole body weight, which is equivalent to doubling the weight of both legs. A friend of mine who plays bodybuilding was quarantined at home for three months last year. He relied on single-legged squats + weighted push-ups to prepare for the competition. His muscle mass increased by 1.2kg. In the final competition, he came third in the group without any delay.

Many people always think that they cannot build muscles at home without heavy weights. In fact, core muscle building depends on the duration of muscle tension and eccentric control, and it is not a competition to see who can lift the heavier iron. I have tested it with myoelectric test before, carrying a 15kg schoolbag and doing slow-paced squats. After squatting for 3 seconds and then slowly rising up, the electromyographic activity of the quadriceps is 30% higher than when I squatted with a 20kg empty bar. This is why many people who practice bodyweight street fitness all year round have no less muscle mass than those who often go to the gym. Of course, if you are an advanced athlete who has been training for three or four years and can deadlift to more than 1.5 times your body weight, then these alternatives cannot really meet your need to push the limit. At most, they can be used to maintain the existing muscle condition. If you really want to push the weight, you have to wait until you can go to the gym to practice. Don't force the weight to injure your joints and injure your joints.