Recent times have made it difficult to stay physically fit. Gyms are becoming more difficult to go to due to the spread of COVID-19, and working out at home seems difficult and confusing. When people think of an at-home activity, they think of just push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. While all those exercises are amazing, they do not activate all muscle groups. One of the easiest things to work out at the gym happens to be biceps, and it seems like a daunting task to target this muscle group without any dumbbells or standard equipment. There are a few exercises that you can do at home that works out your biceps using everyday household items. As always, check with your physician before beginning any physical exercise.

Makeshift Weights

There are a few items that can be found in your home that can double as makeshift weights.

  • Canned Items
  • Heavy books (Preferably not from the Library)
  • Backpack
  • Gallon Jugs
  • Laundry Detergent Jugs

Heavy books and canned items can fill up a backpack. The beauty of the backpack weight is that you can alter the weight with different items to suit your own physical needs. If you need more weight for your backpack, you can add more. Keep in mind the type of backpack you own because standard backpacks are not designed to handle a vast amount of weight. The gallon jugs and laundry detergent jugs are also good items to make into weights by filling them in with water or sand. A gallon jug filled with sand weighs roughly around 13 to 14 lbs. A water gallon jug weighs about 8 lbs.

The Workouts

There are a few different lifts that we can do with our newly made weights.

  • Gallon Hammer Curls
  • Backpack Curls

GALLON HAMMER CURLS

  • Stand up straight with your gallon jug in your hand, holding it to your side. Your palm should be facing towards your body when gripping the jug. This change in grip is what makes a hammer curl different than a standard curl. Engage your core by stabilizing your body.
  • Keep your elbows close to your body at all times. Curl the gallon jug to your shoulders while only using your arms. Keep your elbows tight, and your body stabilized to prevent swinging the weight. Squeeze your biceps as you move the weight, as well as activate the muscles and hit muscle fatigue quicker.
  • Lower the weight by extending your arm while still maintaining your elbows tight and next to your body. Make sure that you always control the descent, as that is half the entire lift.
  • A single curl is a single repetition. A set is essentially a designated number of repetitions. Depending on physical fitness and comfort, tailor your sets and repetitions based on your needs. Most people try to aim for 12 repetitions and 3 sets, but if you feel comfortable doing more sets and more repetitions, you can do that. Likewise, if 12 repetitions and 3 sets are too much, you can tailor the workout so you do fewer repetitions or fewer sets. Make sure you do equal sets and repetitions for each arm.

BACKPACK CURLS

  • Stand up straight with your backpack in hand, holding it on your side. Your palm should be turned to face the same way you would be facing if you were standing still, looking forward. This is a key difference between hammer curls and standard curls.
  • Keep your elbows close to your body at all times. Curl the bookbag by its strap to your shoulders using only your arms. Keep your elbows tight and prevent swinging the weight. Squeeze your biceps as you move the weight as well to activate the muscles and hit muscle fatigue quicker.
  • Lower the weight by fully extending your arm while maintaining your elbows tight and next to your body. Make sure that you control the descent and don’t let gravity do all the work.
  • A single curl is a single repetition. A set is essentially a designated number of repetitions. Depending on physical fitness and comfort, tailor your sets and repetitions based on your needs. Most people try to aim for 12 repetitions and 3 sets, but if you feel comfortable doing more sets and more repetitions, you can do that. Likewise, if 12 repetitions and 3 sets are too much, you can tailor the workout so you do fewer repetitions or fewer sets. Make sure you do equal sets and repetitions for each arm.