DIY Pool Noodle Home Gym Hacks Under $5

I love me some pool noodles! I'm not even being sarcastic. They have limitless uses. 

Besides being great for playing Whack-A-Mole with kids in a pool and using as the most underrated packing/shipping material ever (especially for glass and bottles), I've also discovered 5 DIY pool noodle home gym hacks under $5.

So if you're in the market for some cool hacks to upgrade your home or garage gym read on. 

The only things you need are a couple of standard pool noodles (around 2 1/4" diameter more or less) and a length of 1" diameter PVC pipe. 

If you're lucky you might have a Dollar Tree by you, and you can buy a pool noodle for $1. Other dollar stores have them, but they're not always $1.

If you have problems finding pool noodles off-season, try looking at Lowe's or Home Depot. Sometimes they will have them. Don't buy them off Amazon unless you have to, as they can be pricey.

Go to your local hardware store, or if you're at Lowe's or Home Depot, pick up a nice length of PVC pipe too. This usually costs a couple bucks or so. 

Done right, between the pipe and pool noodle(s) you can do these 5 pool noodle home gym hacks under $5 total.

DIY Foam Roller

Here's my PVC pipe and pool noodle I started with.

I already cut the pool noodle in half to make it easier to measure. I measured the length of some of our foam rollers. They vary in length from 15" and up. I decided to make this one 16".

Use a knife, pocket or kitchen, to cut the pool noodle. A saw will work too. Then measure off the same length on the PVC pipe as the pool noodle. So I measured off 16" on the PVC pipe and cut it. 
When you're done cutting the PVC pipe, take it and simply push it into the pool noodle. The PVC pipe will fit nice and snug.

Voila! You have a homemade, DIY foam roller. It works great and quite similar to a store-bought foam roller. You might want to cut the PVC pipe a little bit short to not leave any sharp ends exposed. Or you can simply put some duct tape over the ends.

DIY Axle Bar/Fat Bar

Turning a standard barbell into an axle bar is super simple. For this one, I used a thicker/bigger than normal pool noodle, that looks like an industrial version. This one is about 3" in diameter, as opposed to 2" diameter normal noodles. 

Take note that a standard axle/fat bar is 2" in diameter. So you can duplicate that exactly with a regular pool noodle. Since this pool noodle is 3" in diameter, it turns out to be a SUPER fat bar.

The distance on a standard men's 25 kg barbell between the collars should be right around 51 1/2", give or take. Measure close to 51" on the noodle and cut it.

Then take a knife, and cut the noodle, lengthwise, until you cut through the hole, all the way from end to end. Make sure not to cut through to the other side of the noodle.

Don't worry about cutting it straight down the noodle. It's hard to do and you'll see I wasn't even close. But it doesn't matter. If you want a straight line cut, use a yardstick or a length of wood as a guide. Once the noodle is cut, simply squeeze your barbell into it.

Once you have it on all the way, it looks like this:
TAH-DAH! DIY axle bar/fat bar complete. I measured perfectly and it fits nice and flush up against the collars.

This thing is a beast to grip. Surprisingly you get very little movement on it while lifting and there's not much give for your fingers either. This is a great option for anyone thinking about getting an axle bar or dabbling in strongman lifts, before making the investment in a real axle bar.

DIY Glute Ham Raise & Bridge Cushion

Not so quick! Leave that pool noodle on your barbell. If you do glute ham raises and bridges, you have a perfect cushion for hips. No more roughing up your pelvis. 

DIY Barbell Insulator and Protector

Not so fast! I didn't say you could take that pool noodle off yet. There are another great couple of uses for it, aside from lifting.

If you have a garage gym up north or anywhere that gets cold, leave that pool noodle on your barbell whenever you're not lifting. 

And if you live in a humid climate, say Florida, you're advised to leave the noodle on your barbell as well. Here's why...

Pool noodles are made out of polyethylene foam. Polyethylene foam is awesome stuff and has a number of great characteristics. 

A roof over your head is to a pool noodle on a barbell. Pool noodles boast these traits: