A Build-It-Yourself Gym

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

I am a fitness equipment nut. But my husband has learned not to let me near sporting goods stores, and I know better than to let late-night TV purchases drain my wallet and clutter my closets . . . anymore. Instead, to maintain my habit and my marriage, I've conned Hubby into thinking that we're bonding over building projects when really I'm just using him to get gym equipment on the cheap. Hence, my homemade "crafty" gym.

Project 1: Sandbag

Talk about a versatile piece of equipment. You can hoist a sandbag to work the upper body, jump over it for cardio training, put it on the shoulders or hold it while walking, squatting or lunging for intense lower-body training. When I'm feeling hard-core, I attach the bag to my weight lifting belt and drag it around.

Cost:$22

Materials: One Army surplus (or other rugged) duffel bag, several one-gallon plastic zip-top bags, one contractor bag or thick garbage bag, duct tape, 50 pounds of sand

How to: Fill the zip-top bags three-quarters full with sand; press out air. Tape each bag lengthwise and then widthwise until you have what looks like a foot-square silver pillow.

Fill the contractor bag with the duct-taped sand packets to the weight you want. Gather the bag at the top, twist twice and fold the contractor bag down over itself to reinforce the shell. Completely cover the shell with duct tape. Put the taped shell into the duffel bag.

Sandbag thruster : Hold the bag against your chest, palms away from your body. Grip the bag from the top. Squat down (weight over your heels, to protect your knees), then stand up and lift the sandbag overhead in one motion. Do five reps. Repeat.

Project 2: Medicine Ball

The weighted ball has a long fitness pedigree: Even Hippocrates was a fan. Tossing the ball strengthens arms and shoulders, and it's a star for abdominal twists and weighted sit-ups. One challenging move is to hold the ball overhead and slowly bend side to side. My favorite exercise is called "Where's Fido?" I take the ball, hurl it, fetch it myself, and repeat until I fall down.

Cost: Free (using leftover sand and an old basketball)

Materials: Sand, drill with an eight-inch bit, funnel with a narrow nozzle, rubber/epoxy high-pressure tire-puncture plug, epoxy-resin-based high-pressure sealant, sandpaper, radial tire patch, basketball

How to: This project was fun because Hubby got to use his power drill. We took a basketball, drilled a hole in it and poured sand in through a funnel. Then we used the tire-puncture plug to fill the puncture. We smeared the sealant in and around the plug.

Once the sealant hardens, pump some air into the ball. Sand the area around the plug. Slather the area with more resin and cover with the radial tire patch and more resin. Dry overnight.

Medicine ball toe touch/twist: Lie back with the ball on your chest and feet to the sky. Lift the ball with straight arms, raising your back off the floor, stomach in, until you touch your toes with the ball. Then bring your back to the ground and, keeping arms straight and legs in the air, twist and touch the ball to the ground on each side. End with the ball back on your chest.

Project 3: Parallettes

My dream of becoming the next Mary Lou Retton died while I still believed in unicorns. But I still indulge in the delusion that I'm going for the gold when I use my homemade parallettes -- mock parallel bars. I'm good for only push-ups and dips so far, but gym-nastier folks can actually do handstands on them.

Cost:$16

Materials: Six feet of two-inch-diameter PVC pipe, four PVC T connectors, four PVC elbow joints, eight PVC end caps

How to: To a 1 1/2 -foot length of PVC pipe, attach the two elbow pieces. Attach two pieces of pipe four to six inches long into the other end of the elbow pieces. Attach two T joints. Attach four pieces of pipe three to five inches long to all the open ends of the T joint. This base will keep your parallettes from falling over. Add four end caps to all open holes.

Parallette dips: Sit with legs out in front. Raise and lower yourself on the bars by bending and straightening your elbows. Do five reps. Repeat.

Project 4: Jump Box

High jumps offer a cardio workout while building strength and endurance. As you're working those glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors, think about how great you'll look in jeans. I bought the materials to make a box strong enough for me to jump on it; then holiday preparations intervened. The box will stand 18 or so inches high. (A 12-inch box will do fine for starters.)

Cost: About $60

Materials: Five 18-by-18-inch squares of half-inch plywood, screws, good-quality rubber matting for traction on top

How to: Use screws to assemble box, leaving bottom open. (I drilled two-inch holes in two facing sides so I can slip wooden dowels through and raise the height when I get stronger.) Nail or glue rubber mat to top of box.

Box Leaps: Jump onto the box, landing with knees bent. Stand up. Step off the box. Repeat.

-- Jamila Bey

Jamila Bey is a freelance writer and a strength coach in Washington. Comments: move@washpost.com