How to Build Workout Machines

Joining a gym can be very expensive and time consuming, depending on your income and schedule. Making a home gym can seem like a lot of work, but it can be very simple to build your own workout equipment right at home. You may even have the things you need already. There a a few different ways to do this.

1. Make your own dumbbells by using an empty plastic milk container. Clean the container and fill it with sand or rocks. Make sure you fill it completely full so that the sand or rocks do not shift during your workout. Choose a container that is smaller or larger, depending on the weight limit you wish to have.


2. Clean out an area in your home for a pull-up bench. Usually a garage, basement or any unused room works the best. Find a sturdy support, such as a cement wall or a part of the wall that has studs. Find a comfortable height on the wall for your body and mark it with a pencil. Using a 5-by-4 inch piece of wood, attach the wood to the spot you have already marked by using bolts. Make sure you secure these bolts into the studs or the concrete. Use a steel pipe and cut it about four feet long; make sure to sand off any rough edges. Attach a block of wood on the outer side of the wood that is already installed. Repeat this for the other side. Secure with bolts. Place the pipe on top of the wood, making sure that the pipe is even. Drill holes into the wood to fit the pipe and secure them with bolts.


3. Create your own ab bench by using a sanded, ten-inch piece of wood. Make sure that the wood is 2-by-11 inches and 5 feet. Using PVC pipe, cut it at 18 inches long. Punch a hole through the pipe directly in the center. Attach the pipe to the wood. Place the board at a 45 degree angle against something sturdy.