Cheap Workouts: How to Get a Great Workout Done on a Budget
Working out can get expensive quickly. Either you’re paying for a costly gym membership every month or you’re spending hundreds (possibly thousands!) on home workout equipment. Thankfully, there are many ways you can cut down on these expenses. Whether you have a tight budget or are just hesitant to spend that much money, you can still get a good, cheap workout and save along the way!
Written by Lucas Collins
Edited by Pavlína Marek
All of the above-mentioned expenses aren’t even the complete inventory. There is an almost never-ending list of other things you might need; clothes, shoes, water bottles, a duffel bag, earbuds, joint braces,… the list goes on and on. It often feels hard enough just to stick to a workout routine; adding all these expenses can easily dissuade one from lacing up and starting to train.
Bringing Down the Cost of a Gym
From local offerings to nationwide chains, there’s a huge range of prices that different gyms offer. Nerdwallet says that the average gym membership is anywhere from $10 to $100 a month. As you can see, this already offers us quite a bit of hope when it comes to looking at gym options. It then just depends on what amenities you’re looking for and what you’re willing and able to spend.
If you feel like you need the options and amenities of a more expensive gym (on-site showers, classes, or more specialized equipment), all is not lost. Some places will offer family plan or group plan discounts, bringing down the cost for each individual using the plan.
Setting Up a Cheap Home Gym
If a gym membership is out of the question for any reason, you can set up a workout area at home. You may be thinking, “How can a home gym be a cheap workout option when the ads I see for stationary bikes and weight machines price them in the thousands?” I will admit that the upfront cost of setting up a home gym will be higher than a monthly gym membership fee, but it doesn’t have to be nearly the price of those high-end machines.
Searching for used equipment can save you hundreds of dollars. Sites like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist can net you deeply discounted workout machines. Sometimes you might even be able to find these things for free, too. I think we all know someone who bought a treadmill or a set of dumbbells that were used for a few months and then unceremoniously left to collect dust and take up space in their house. Often people just want these things gone, and so as long as you can go and pick it up, you can save yourself a good chunk of money and be the new owner of the equipment that you need.
Spending a weekend or two hunting through garage sales in your neighborhood can often net you the same results. And while a vast majority of what you find will be old and outdated, it’s still a very good way to get what you need and save money in the long run.
When Both are Out of the Question
If both a gym membership and home equipment are out of the question, that still leaves you with plenty of options. With nothing but a pair of gym shoes and good clothes to move around in, you can get a cheap workout that rivals those machines. (As an Instagram user who goes by Balkan Dad said, “You don’t need a gym membership, bre… everything that you need is right in front of you. That floor that you’re walking on all your life is actually the best tool…”
Your Legs and a Pair of Shoes
It should come as no surprise that the first, simplest, and favorite cheap workout of choice around here is running. Using just your phone to map a route and track your pace, you can run anywhere and everywhere to get your workout in. And the variety is astounding, both visually and how the terrain affects you. Running on a track, road, or sidewalk will be a world of difference than running a trail in the woods, or through the sand on a beach. Any time things feel stale you can completely change where you’re running altogether and still get the same workout. If you’re just beginning and running feels like a lot to start with, walking is a fantastic way to increase stamina until you can do full runs.
Jump Your Way through Cardio
Countless exercises can also be done using just your body or a very simple (and cheap!) piece of equipment. In my opinion, one of the best exercises you can do for this is jumping rope. It’s an intense, time-efficient, and space-conscious exercise that you can do anywhere outdoors and in most places indoors as well. Bonus point; you can have loads of fun with your workouts, too!
Most of the jump ropes I’ve seen in sporting stores range in the $10-20 range on average, making it an extremely accessible workout too.
Good Old (Body) Weight Training
Beyond that, there are the classic exercises most everyone will know (and many will loathe), like push-ups, sit-ups, planks, lunges, and so on. You can even do things like pull-ups and hanging leg lifts if you can find level railings or tree branches.
It’s also possible to add weight into the mix; large stones or logs can be lifted and held while doing squats, lunges, or running short distances. They could also be flipped like you see football players do tractor tires if they’re large enough.
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Make Your Workout Work
That isn’t all though, because you can take it further and turn some old-school chores into workouts. Manual labor is considered work for a reason, so along with the lifting you might be doing with logs or rocks, you can take an axe and split wood logs or branches. If you do any landscaping or gardening, it’s easy to alter some things to get a good cheap workout in by hauling buckets of water, bags of dirt, and all the supplies that go with it instead of using wheelbarrows or vehicles. There are a million more ways to turn other chores into exercise, you just need to get a little creative and a bit old-school along the way.
When it comes to working out, it can get pricey quickly if you follow the traditional routes of building a home gym or getting a gym membership. But if you’re smart about it you can still do those things while keeping your workouts cheap. Or you can toss all of that to the side and do your own thing using just your body and simple gear. Because once you start seeing the world as your gym, you’ll see workout equipment everywhere. However you go about it, choose the one that works best for you and that will help you consistently work towards your goals.
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