Home Gym Ideas for $100 or Less

You don't have to break you budget to get in shape. In fact, you don't even have to join a gym with their pricey membership fees.

Here are some great tips for making your open home gym for $100 or less.

1. Don't buy anything that's going to gather dust. Buy what you'll use. Determine what fitness goal you want to accomplish and buy the equipment that will help you accomplish it.
2. Look at what you already have. Chances are you already have all the equipment you need. Before you spend any money, look in that basement, garage, or closet. Items around the house can make for good substitutes: chairs for dips and push-ups, a towel for resistance training, Cans of food and jugs of milk or detergent for free weight exercises. You can even craft a homemade jump rope from cords or other ropes you have around the house.
3. DIY. Buy foam roller and you've got your own self-massage tool. Use tennis balls for a self-massage. Lie on you back and bend your knees, then put them under you butt and hips to work out those tight spots. Use One ball on each side of your spine to work out knots there. Use a hot-water bottle for your feet.
4. Buy the basics. Keep it simple. Usually a plain set of dumbbells is all you need. You can find dumbbells for just 50 cent per pound of weight. For women 5-12 pounds is sufficient, for men 12-25 pounds. Inflatable stability balls and medicine balls can be bought for $25 or less. An adjustable chin-up bar is also helpful.
5. Technology. There are many exercise DVD's and videos available for less than $10. Try Amazon.com. Your local dollar store might even carry some exercise DVD's or CD's.
6. Don't forget your shoes. A pair of good sneakers is essential for exercising. But that doesn't mean it has to be expensive. Just make sure the shoe fits you well and is appropriate for the activity you're doing.
7. Go outside. Alternatively, hit the park. Stand on rocks, this will challenge your balance, use rocks as weights. Hang from a tree branch for chin-ups. Do sprints across the grass.
   
    Remember, people have been exercising for thousands of years without any equipment. They used what was around them and you can too.