Expensive gym membership draining your bank account? Home gym equipment isn't cheap either. But, wait! There is a DIY alternative. Some creative fitness enthusiasts are making their own strength training equipment ... and saving big bucks in the process. Coming up: three examples that demonstrate how easy budget home workouts can be!

1. DIY Ab Bench. A step-by-step guide tells you how to make a simple abdominal strengthening bench. This one requires just a sturdy plank and PVC pipe screwed to the rail of someone's deck. – Fitness Training at Home

2. Bulgarian Training Bag. An inner tube filled with sand makes a versatile – and cheap! – half-moon shaped training bag. It's a fraction of the cost of dumbbells but can be used in just as many different ways. – DIY Strength Gear

3. DIY Medicine Ball. Stab a basketball, fill with sand then glue it up with Liquid Nails and tape with duct tape. It ain't pretty, but it does the job of a real medicine ball ... without the expense. – Washington Post

Tandem biking has grown in popularity over the last few years. Far from being the quaint "bicycle built for two" of the past, tandem biking is all about serious fitness these days. The larger, stronger person sits in the front, steering the bike and controlling it, while the "stoker" is the person who powers from behind.

Tandem biking has several benefits. It's a great activity for two people with different fitness levels. It also offers a mental challenge along with the physical workout -- partners must team up to find a rhythm that works for them. But most of all, it's just a whole lot of fun.

The drawback, of course, is the price. Low-end models go for about $500, while top of the line bikes can reach around $2500.

You can make your own tandem for a lot less than that, however. Find a couple of used bicycles, then make your way over to Instructables, where they'll teach you how to build your own tandem bike. You'll need to be at least a little knowledgeable about the parts of a bicycle and how they work, but if you are, this is a fairly simple hack.

[via Make.]

Stop looking for that perfect piece of art: convert that big empty wall into a rock climbing training wall!

OK, you probably wouldn't choose to build this in your living room, but a basement or garage might be the perfect place for a climbing wall.

Building your own rock climbing wall is a great way get exercise and improve your climbing skills, but this project isn't for the faint of heart. First, you'll want to carefully design the wall, taking into consideration your space constraints, your skill level, and your skill goals.

Essortment has a full list of tools and materials, along with detailed construction instructions. This project isn't for amateur builders, but if you have the experience to take it on, you'll have the coolest garage on the block.

Well, just about everyone across the country is limp and wilted from the excessive heat we've been having, and Halloween marks the beginning of the stressful year end holiday crush. It's no wonder so many people begin to feel truly flattened and wrung out this time of year. This situation is the precursor to the flu season, with colds and sinus infections beginning to raise their ugly heads as well. If you're like me though, you have one of those iron-plated immune systems which seem to rarely let any of the nasty stuff get through. However, if you're like most people, some time within the next 90 days a little unseen bug is going to make a serious mess out of you.

There are, however, several defense strategies you can employ which will help raise your body's defenses prior to any of the attacks from these annual health marauders. Please follow with me as I outline a seasonal battle strategy of health for you. These are low cost and no cost ways that you can easily take better care of yourself and make your body a little less likely to suffer the ravages of colds and the flu.