Ever see those attractive exercise equipment commercials on television, and wish you had enough cash to buy the biggest and meanest workout machine? I know I have plenty of times.

Unfortunately, sometimes that’s just not an option in your budget. So, how do you get your body toned, or even bulked up, without any costly fitness gear?

Today I’m going to pass on some alternative exercise tools which can be found around the house and used to your advantage, even if you don’t own that state of the art dumbbell set your gym just got.

Some great tools or equipment you may find around the house are:

• An empty milk carton (or something similar): The carton can be filled with water, sand, or even marbles if your kids have them. Cartons are great for those bicep and tricep curls as well as chest butterflies.
• A Backpack: Filled backpacks are great for walking and running to help provide a little more resistance during your workout. DO NOT use the backpack for any bending type exercises as this is very bad for your lower back.
• A Rubbermaid-like storage container: Storage containers would be utilized best for bench-press type exercises where your body lies flat and your hands can support the container uniformly. Another thing you are going to want to keep in mind; keep the container’s weight distributed evenly or else you are going to be working out one part of your body more than the other.
• A chair: The infernal household object which made you gain those pounds in the first place also can be a great exercise tool. Chairs are great for leg lifts, dips, inclined push-ups, or even front deltoid lifts so long as the chair folds up.

• A wall: Even a blank expanse of wall can be used for squats, sit-ups, and even standing push-ups.

Keep in mind, however, the list of equipment is not limited to what can be seen here; there are many other options around the house; don’t be afraid to try out new household items. In no time, you can be on your way to building nice, toned muscles just like those models in the exercise equipment commercials.