No budget, no problem

Build your own gym — for free

You don't need a gym membership or fancy weights to get strong for sport. These are the exact pieces of equipment your training program refers to — all built from things you can find at home, at school, or at your local scrapyard/hardware shop for next to nothing.

Strength

🎒 DIY Sandbag

The single best piece of home-made strength equipment — use it for squats, carries, slams and shoulder work.

You'll need:
  • An old duffel bag, rugby kit bag, or 2–3 empty mielie-meal/rice bags
  • Sand, river sand, or rice (ask at a hardware shop or building site for a small bag of sand)
  • 2–3 heavy-duty plastic bags (for a waterproof inner liner)
  • Strong tape or cable ties

How to build it

  1. Fill a plastic bag with sand and squeeze out excess air, then seal it tightly with tape.
  2. Double-bag it — a second plastic bag over the first stops leaks if the inner one tears.
  3. Place the sealed sand bag inside your duffel bag or kit bag and zip it closed.
  4. Start at 5–10kg. Add more sand bags inside as you get stronger.

Used in: Sandbag Squats, Shoulder Carry, Slams, Tackle-Bag Technique.

Strength

🍾 Water-Bottle Weights

Perfect starter dumbbells for curls, presses and core work — and they're adjustable.

You'll need:
  • Two empty 500ml–2L plastic bottles with lids
  • Water or sand (sand is heavier for the same size bottle)
  • Tape (optional, to reinforce the cap)

How to build it

  1. Fill both bottles to the same level so your left and right weights match.
  2. Sand gives roughly double the weight of water for the same bottle — use it once bodyweight water bottles feel easy.
  3. Tape around the cap so it can't come loose mid-set.
  4. Grip by the neck for curls and presses, or hold two together for a heavier "kettlebell".

Used in: Curls, Overhead Press, Russian Twists, Bottle Roll Release.

Strength & Power

🛞 Old Tyre

Free from any tyre shop (ask nicely — they usually throw old ones away). Great for deadlifts, flips and resisted sprints.

You'll need:
  • One old car or bakkie tyre (a truck tyre if you're older/stronger)
  • A length of strong rope (2–3m) for pulling drills

How to use it

  1. Deadlift: stand the tyre up, grip the tread on both sides, lift by driving through your legs.
  2. Flip: squat down, drive the tyre up and over — great full-body power move (ask a friend to spot you the first few times).
  3. Resisted sprint: tie the rope around your waist and to the tyre, then sprint against the resistance.

Used in: Tyre Deadlift, Resisted Tyre Pulls.

Strength

🎒 Weighted Backpack

Your school bag doubles as a weighted vest for step-ups and lunges.

You'll need:
  • A sturdy backpack with padded straps
  • Books, bags of sand, or bottles of water/sand to fill it

How to build it

  1. Pack the weight close to your back and evenly side-to-side, so it doesn't shift while you move.
  2. Tighten both shoulder straps and the chest strap if it has one.
  3. Start light (a few textbooks) and add weight gradually over weeks, not days.

Used in: Backpack Weighted Step-ups.

Power

📦 Milk Crate / Sturdy Box

A stable step or box for step-ups and box jumps — the foundation of any plyometric session.

You'll need:
  • A plastic milk crate, a sturdy wooden box, or the bottom step of a solid staircase
  • A rubber mat or towel underneath if the surface is slippery

Safety check before you use it

  1. Stand on it first and make sure it doesn't wobble, crack or slide.
  2. Use a height you can step onto with control — knee height is plenty to start.
  3. Always step down after a box jump; never jump backwards off it.

Used in: Step-ups, Box Jumps.

Mobility & Strength

🚲 Inner-Tube Resistance Band

An old bicycle inner tube makes a surprisingly good resistance band for warm-ups, shoulders and rehab work.

You'll need:
  • An old bicycle inner tube (ask at a bike shop — they bin punctured ones daily)
  • Scissors

How to build it

  1. Cut the valve section out and discard it.
  2. Cut the tube into one continuous loop, or into 2–3 shorter bands of different widths (wider = stronger resistance).
  3. Use for shoulder rotations, banded lateral walks, or looped around a pole for rows.
Agility

🪜 Rope Agility Ladder

Footwork speed and coordination — the same tool pro academies use, made from string and tape.

You'll need:
  • Two long pieces of rope or washing line (about 6–8m each)
  • Strong tape, cable ties, or short offcuts of rope for the rungs
  • A patch of grass, driveway or court to lay it flat

How to build it

  1. Lay the two long ropes parallel, about 45–50cm apart.
  2. Tie or tape a short rung across them every 40–45cm, all the way down.
  3. Roll it up when you're done — it packs down small enough for a kit bag.

Used in: Ladder In-In-Out-Out and any footwork drill.

Agility

🥤 Bottle Cones

Free markers for weaving, shuttles and shooting/kicking targets.

You'll need:
  • 6–10 empty plastic bottles or cooldrink cans
  • A little sand or water in the bottom of each, so they don't blow away

How to use it

  1. Space them 1–2m apart for a weave, or wider for shuttle runs.
  2. Use different coloured bottles/labels to mark different drills.

Used in: Cone Weave, T-Drill, Cone Dribbling Course, Dribble Slalom.

Core & Strength

🌳 Pull-up Bar / Sturdy Branch

For hanging core work and, once you're ready, pull-ups.

You'll need:
  • A strong, low tree branch, a jungle gym bar, or a school playground frame
  • An adult to check it can safely hold your bodyweight before you use it

Safety check before you use it

  1. Test it holds your full bodyweight with a small hang before doing any dynamic movement.
  2. Check the ground underneath — soft grass is safer than concrete if you slip.
  3. Have a friend nearby the first few times.

Used in: Hanging Knee Raises.

⚠️ Safety first

Home-made equipment is a fantastic way to train on a budget, but it isn't factory-tested. Always inspect your gear before every session — check knots, tape and bag seams for wear. Start light, add weight slowly, and stop immediately if something feels sharp, unstable or painful.

If you're unsure whether an exercise or piece of equipment is right for your age or an existing injury, check with a coach, biokineticist, physio or doctor first.

Got your equipment sorted?

Head back to the program builder and generate a week that puts all of this to work.

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