Los Angeles » The current economic climate -- not to mention fears of the H1N1 flu -- might drive some fitness buffs to skip the gym for a while and stay home to sweat.

In that case, gear may be in order. We asked two personal trainers to recommend their favorite pieces of inexpensive exercise apparatus ($25 or less), plus workouts to go with them. One word of caution: Objects such as soup cans can be difficult to work with at first because they're not as evenly weighted as dumbbells and may be harder to grip. Move the weights slowly and practice with them before starting to exercise.

Daniel Saltos, assistant personal training manager at Crunch in West Hollywood

I use unconventional things like soup cans because a lot of my clients travel or they're stay-at-home moms and can't always get to the gym. This way they can exercise at home or on the road, and these exercises are also something people can do in conjunction with what they do at the gym.

If you have small hands, Campbell's soup cans are pretty small, and Progresso cans are larger. You can go down the soup aisle at the grocery store and find something that suits your needs. I like soup cans because the fluid moving inside adds a bit of instability that challenges your auxiliary muscle groups and your core a little more, unlike a dumbbell, which has a centered weight.

To do jumping jacks with the soup cans, start with your feet together and hold a can of soup in each hand at about shoulder level with arms bent. Jump into an inverted "V" position with the legs open, and press the arms up over the head with the elbows near the ears, as if doing a shoulder press. Don't swing the arms overhead. Jump back to the first position with feet together, and lower the arms to shoulder height. Repeat, and make this a timed exercise -- start with 30 seconds and add more time as you get stronger. This is a good cardiovascular exercise that targets the leg muscles and also the upper body, including the shoulders, triceps and back.

A good full-body exercise is the squat-curl-press. Start with feet hip-width apart, toes pointed slightly outward. Hold a can of soup in each hand down by your side. Squat, and as you come up, do a bicep curl. Then press the arms up over the head into a shoulder press. Keep the knees slightly soft -- you don't ever want to lock them. As you drop back down to a squat bring the arms down, do a reverse curl, and then place the arms down by your sides.

Do two to three sets of 12 to 15 reps. This targets the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps and the core, as well as the biceps, shoulders and triceps. You can incorporate both of these exercises into a circuit, which will increase the heart rate.

Mike Donavanik, trainer and owner of West Coast Strength & Conditioning in West Hollywood

I like the exercise ball because of the versatility it offers. You can literally work every muscle group on it.

One of my favorite exercises to do is a push-up, and there are many variations you can do. Start by planting your hands on the ground in a typical push-up position, with hands below the shoulders. Keep your dominant foot on the ground for support and bring the other leg on top of the ball. Once you're stable, bring the other leg onto the ball.

The more you roll your legs back onto the ball, the easier the push-up is going to be, so beginners can start with their thighs on the ball or adjust accordingly. Bend the arms and do a push-up, making sure the hips don't drop down, which will put an additional strain on the back. Do three sets of 20 to 25 reps. As you improve, you can roll forward, so you're not as supported by the ball. This targets the chest, shoulders, triceps, lats and core.

If these start to get easy, try a more advanced move: Put your hands between the top and the side of the ball, not directly on top, and your feet on the floor in push-up position, about shoulder-width apart. Instead of the legs trying to stabilize you, all the work is in the torso. If that move is too difficult, try placing the ball against a wall or in a corner which will make the ball more stable and give you foundation for doing the exercise correctly.

You can also use plastic water bottles to do strength training.

My favorite exercise to do with the water bottle is a wood chop. Stand with legs hip-width apart, and hold the water bottle like a baseball bat. Bend the legs and lean your body toward the left, bringing the water bottle down toward the feet and adding a little pivot in the right leg. Stand and twist toward the right, bringing the water bottle up over the head, pivoting on the left toe. Do three sets of 15 repetitions on each side. In this exercise, everything should come from the core.