Poor Man's Dumbbells
When I was first getting into lifting weights, I scoured the craigslist ads and garage sales for deals. While there were some great prices...I'm pretty cheap and I've always had that DIY spirit. So I thought I'd make my own!
This is set of dumbbells I made from materials that cost less than $8 and makes two 35 lb dumbbells. I only had to buy the concrete since I saved the milk jugs from the recycling bin and had some leftover PVC pipe from another project. This tutorial is best if you follow along with the FULL BUILD VIDEO HERE
MATERIALS:
- 4 milkjugs (or 4 equal sized containers).
- 5' of 1-1/4" PVC pipe (this was a good size for my hands).
- 80 lb bag of cement.
- Duct tape (optional).
- Small cup.
TOOLS USED:
- 5 gallon bucket (or something to mix the concrete in).
- Drill and drill bit (optional).
- Measuring tape or ruler.
- Knife or razor blade.
STEP 1.
Take the knife and cut off the tops of the milk jugs. The PVC pipe I had was too big to fit through the opening of the milk jug so I needed to make it a little bigger. This was also helpful when I was pouring the concrete in the jugs.
STEP 2.
Take the PVC pipe, slide the milk jugs on each end, and measure how much room you need for your handle. Cut accordingly. I cut my PVC to about 30" ea. That means that the handle area would be about 6" and the PVC pipe will go into the jugs about 12" on each end.
STEP 3.
I took a drill and 1/2" drill bit. Drilled several holes in each end of the PVC pipe. Only on the part that will be encased in concrete. The idea behind this is that, it will give the concrete something to grip onto once it dries. If you do not have access to these tools, you can take a file or very rough sandpaper and scratch up the ends of the PVC pipe. The concrete needs something to grip onto or the pipes will eventually slide out of the concrete.
STEP 4.
I mixed up the concrete according to the instructions on the bag. ONLY USED HALF OF THE BAG at this time. Save the other half for a later step. After the concrete is mixed up, I took the small cup and started to fill 2 of the milk jugs almost all the way up, about an inch from the top.
STEP 5.
Insert the PVC pipe into the concrete filled milk jug about 12 inches. I also filled the rest of the pipe up with the little bit of leftover concrete. I thought it would make the handle stronger and prevent from bending. Make sure the pipe is standing straight up and not leaning over. Let these dry 24 to 48 hrs.
STEP 6.
After the concrete is dry in the first 2 milk jugs, mix up the other half of the bag and fill the remaining 2 milk jugs. Now you can insert the jug with the PVC pipe into the milk jug with the wet concrete. This is a little unstable since it is so top heavy. It needs to be secured to something while it dries upright. I took some clamps and secured it to something while it cured. Do not lay it on its side or the concrete will spill out.
STEP 7.
This step is optional and not included in the video. I took the duct tape and wrapped it around the opening of the milk jugs. After a while the concrete will chip off a little. The duct tape seals the jugs so you don't lose any concrete.
These things are ugly as hell....but they work. We aren't trying to win any beauty contests here, we are trying get get stronger! FULL BUILD VIDEO HERE
Let me know how they work out for ya.....yes that was my attempt at a fitness pun.
This is set of dumbbells I made from materials that cost less than $8 and makes two 35 lb dumbbells. I only had to buy the concrete since I saved the milk jugs from the recycling bin and had some leftover PVC pipe from another project. This tutorial is best if you follow along with the FULL BUILD VIDEO HERE
MATERIALS:
- 4 milkjugs (or 4 equal sized containers).
- 5' of 1-1/4" PVC pipe (this was a good size for my hands).
- 80 lb bag of cement.
- Duct tape (optional).
- Small cup.
TOOLS USED:
- 5 gallon bucket (or something to mix the concrete in).
- Drill and drill bit (optional).
- Measuring tape or ruler.
- Knife or razor blade.
STEP 1.
Take the knife and cut off the tops of the milk jugs. The PVC pipe I had was too big to fit through the opening of the milk jug so I needed to make it a little bigger. This was also helpful when I was pouring the concrete in the jugs.
STEP 2.
Take the PVC pipe, slide the milk jugs on each end, and measure how much room you need for your handle. Cut accordingly. I cut my PVC to about 30" ea. That means that the handle area would be about 6" and the PVC pipe will go into the jugs about 12" on each end.
STEP 3.
I took a drill and 1/2" drill bit. Drilled several holes in each end of the PVC pipe. Only on the part that will be encased in concrete. The idea behind this is that, it will give the concrete something to grip onto once it dries. If you do not have access to these tools, you can take a file or very rough sandpaper and scratch up the ends of the PVC pipe. The concrete needs something to grip onto or the pipes will eventually slide out of the concrete.
STEP 4.
I mixed up the concrete according to the instructions on the bag. ONLY USED HALF OF THE BAG at this time. Save the other half for a later step. After the concrete is mixed up, I took the small cup and started to fill 2 of the milk jugs almost all the way up, about an inch from the top.
STEP 5.
Insert the PVC pipe into the concrete filled milk jug about 12 inches. I also filled the rest of the pipe up with the little bit of leftover concrete. I thought it would make the handle stronger and prevent from bending. Make sure the pipe is standing straight up and not leaning over. Let these dry 24 to 48 hrs.
STEP 6.
After the concrete is dry in the first 2 milk jugs, mix up the other half of the bag and fill the remaining 2 milk jugs. Now you can insert the jug with the PVC pipe into the milk jug with the wet concrete. This is a little unstable since it is so top heavy. It needs to be secured to something while it dries upright. I took some clamps and secured it to something while it cured. Do not lay it on its side or the concrete will spill out.
STEP 7.
This step is optional and not included in the video. I took the duct tape and wrapped it around the opening of the milk jugs. After a while the concrete will chip off a little. The duct tape seals the jugs so you don't lose any concrete.
These things are ugly as hell....but they work. We aren't trying to win any beauty contests here, we are trying get get stronger! FULL BUILD VIDEO HERE
Let me know how they work out for ya.....yes that was my attempt at a fitness pun.
Comments
Post a Comment