Gallons and Bags Are the New Bowflex
Cheap, accessible, and effective
The pandemic has forced many to work out at home, but home workouts don’t have to be exclusive to pandemics. They can be useful for many reasons, from sneaking in a quickie on a busy day to saving money on gym memberships and equipment.
Some home workouts can be even more effective than gym workouts if you do them right. For example, you might be too fixated on upping the weights at the gym when doing leg exercises like squats and lunges, but if you do them in a row with purely bodyweight, your mind muscle connection may improve.
You end up hitting your legs harder than you would with heavy weights that make you try to balance a barbell on your shoulders and use all other muscles rather than truly isolating your quads.
At one point, your bodyweight may no longer be sufficient, and while Bowflex may be appealing, it does cost money, so you can go with fairly effective alternatives for dumbbells and barbells, which are water gallons and travel bags respectively.
Sure, you’ll probably drink the water in those gallons eventually, but you can still fill them up with tap water depending on how heavy you want them. As for your bag, you can pack it with as many heavy things as you want. A backpack will suffice as well, but it may not go as heavy as you’d like.
Without further ado, let’s delve into summaries of workouts you can do utilizing your new tools.
Gallon and Bag Workouts
Chest, triceps, biceps, and forearms
You can use gallons to simulate variations of the dumbbell bench press. This would be especially more comfortable if you find gallons with side grips.
While your triceps are stimulated from doing chest, do some bodyweight dips followed by kickbacks using the gallons again. This time, comfortable handles up top could help a lot, so try to find gallons with ergonomic handles.
It’s time to hit biceps. Warm up with dumbbell-like curls using the gallons and then head straight into barbell-like curls with the bag using it’s top handle, assuming it’s the upright suitcase type.
Aim for 10 reps with the bag and then do 10 reps with the gallons. Repeat the previous cycle while deloading the bag until it’s light. You can then switch to reverse grip for one last superset of bag and gallon curls.
Set a timer for five minutes to do forearms. You can twist and supinate your forearms in different ways while holding gallons, and you can even do wrist curls with the gallons.
Shoulders and traps
Set a timer for 10 minutes, and:
- Start by pressing two gallons for one minute.
- Press one gallon for one minute.
- Do upright rows with one gallon for one minute.
- Do lateral raises with both gallons for one minute.
- Spend the remaining time without weights doing movements like these.
Set another timer for five minutes to do shrug variations with the gallons, and you’re done!
Back
Set a timer for 10 minutes and choose any of these moves while laying on a floor or bed. Finish off by laying on your back, performing dumbbell pullovers with gallons, and focusing on your lats rather than your chest. You’ll likely fatigue before 10 minutes, so get up and do rows with the gallons.
Legs and abs
A correct bodyweight leg workout can be brutal on its own, but for added intensity, simply carry around gallons like kettlebells.
Using a gallon as a kettlebell for abs works too.
Gallons and bags are fantastic because you probably own some already, and they are things you’ll likely have access to even at hotels. You travel with your bag, and you can buy gallons near the hotel to both work out with and drink.
It’s not advisable to avoid the gym or real weights forever, but having more tricks up your sleeve can help avoid circumstantial workout droughts.
Remember:
Some workout is always better than no workout!
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