Making my own weights
 

So, I'm getting back in the habit of working out at home. As I was browsing excercises online, someone suggested using gallon plastic bottles to work out. I tried it out, and the feel of the bottles is fine. However, the weight of the bottles was not. So, I went and filled a bottle with sand and that seemed to work out somewhat better. My last idea was to add water with the sand till the sand was saturated. This gave me a decent amount of weight (20lbs+).

Any other ideas for materials in the bottles that would be heavier (I was thinking of trying potting soil + water), or just any other ideas besides the gallon bottles.

Thanks.

I'd be worried I'd break a gallon bottle if I put 20+ pounds in it.

Weights aren't so expensive that you need to make your own, are they?

A good, comprehensive set of weights can be anywhere from $100 to $600+, and they take up a lot of room.

Just make sure your form is good when you're using homemade weights.

Heavy books might work- put a few of them in a bag and then lift the bag... I've seen a website that suggests using a child as a bench-press (just have them lie flat and stiff as a board)... heavy printer or piece of furniture held against your chest for squats...

Also, check out your local Goodwill or thrift stores for secondhand weights- you can get them cheap!

check out the two old standbys for peopel geting rid of stuff - generally free or dirt cheap.. www.freecycle.org or www.craigslist.com --

They're suprisingly durable, atleast for the month or so I had 2 filled up with sand and water. Unfortunately, for reasons too complicated to get into, I had to get rid of that set. I use them outside in my backyard, so if they were to break, its not really a problem. Just a bunch of wet mud that would not be that hard to clear away.

And as someone else mentioned, a good set is quite expensive. The adjustable ones I've found seem well suited for the full range of excercises I do, but the main problem is I'm only expecting to stay at my current location for another 2 months or so. I'm not expecting to drive up to my next location either, so moving them might be a problem.

I'll look around for cheap weights at the places you guys mentioned. Thx sage and mal.

Books in a bag seems less stable than the jugs, so I prolly wouldn't try that.

A set of adjustable dumb bells is very inexpensive. Bite the bullet and consider purchasing a set from the discount store. Walmart,Target, etc.

Yep. Less than $30 bucks in some cases.

Or look for a set of used Power Blocks. They are awesome and take up no room because they are all on one stand using about 2 square feet of floor space. A 90 lbs set might be arounf $600 new but less for used, and even less for the lower weight set.

www.powerblock.com/blocks.html