DIY Gym/Box Equipment: What have you built? What do you want to build? Show us your hardware.
giantrobot_powerlifting
Posts: 2,598 Member
Last few months I've been building a home gym in my garage, aka "The Giant Robot Gym" and I am trying to do it as cheaply as possible. I am in the process of constructing the platforms, but I've build a few things which are either gym standards, or gym novelties that I use in my training.
The second thing I built (after a calf raise block - not pictured) was some blocks out of scrap wood. They are not an exactly the standard block (4.5" x 18x18") but they do nest and are great for jumping up on and doing db steps. I wanted something wide.
Next I constructed a Bamboo Bar from 1.5" PVC and I love this thing. I measured where the rings were placed (by spray and mask with painter's tape) on a standard barbell so I would have a place to reliably place my hands from session to session. I found some basic plans online for this, but improved the build by adding the rings that you see on it, which are great for suspending the bands on. If you have any familiarity with the bamboo or earthquake bar, you know just how expensive they can be.
And here's a video it in use.
https://youtu.be/Lh4_8kHYC7A
What have you built? Show us your hardware.
The second thing I built (after a calf raise block - not pictured) was some blocks out of scrap wood. They are not an exactly the standard block (4.5" x 18x18") but they do nest and are great for jumping up on and doing db steps. I wanted something wide.
Next I constructed a Bamboo Bar from 1.5" PVC and I love this thing. I measured where the rings were placed (by spray and mask with painter's tape) on a standard barbell so I would have a place to reliably place my hands from session to session. I found some basic plans online for this, but improved the build by adding the rings that you see on it, which are great for suspending the bands on. If you have any familiarity with the bamboo or earthquake bar, you know just how expensive they can be.
And here's a video it in use.
https://youtu.be/Lh4_8kHYC7AWhat have you built? Show us your hardware.
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Replies
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suicide grip without catch-bars? looks like that weight was easy for you to handle, but if you do heavy benching on your bench I would suggest catch bars/safely rails as your next project, or better yet, a Power cage.
I have seen some people on MFP build their own racks/cages, hopefully they chime in.0 -
You see those spotter arms (a pair of which I paid $150.00 plus shipping USD) in the foreground?suicide grip without catch-bars? looks like that weight was easy for you to handle, but if you do heavy benching on your bench I would suggest catch bars/safely rails as your next project, or better yet, a Power cage.
This is not your standard barbell press with a standard powerbar.
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nakedraygun wrote: »
You see those spotter arms (a pair of which I paid $150.00 plus shipping USD) in the foreground?suicide grip without catch-bars? looks like that weight was easy for you to handle, but if you do heavy benching on your bench I would suggest catch bars/safely rails as your next project, or better yet, a Power cage.
This is not your standard barbell press with a standard powerbar.
I see them now, after a second look. I originally thought they were the top for bench and the other brackets was top for squats, as the pic makes it look like the are the starting point at the top, but the vid clearly shows that.
How much weight can the bamboo bar handle? Looks like a great challenge, the way it moves?0 -
In just to see what people have done. I've forgotten who, but someone here had built a wooden squat rack; it was awesome and could handle a surprising amount of weight..0
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I was hoping that you may have only taken a quick look at the picture. They are pretty dark photos... no fill light.nakedraygun wrote: »
You see those spotter arms (a pair of which I paid $150.00 plus shipping USD) in the foreground?suicide grip without catch-bars? looks like that weight was easy for you to handle, but if you do heavy benching on your bench I would suggest catch bars/safely rails as your next project, or better yet, a Power cage.
This is not your standard barbell press with a standard powerbar.
I see them now, after a second look. I originally thought they were the top for bench and the other brackets was top for squats, as the pic makes it look like the are the starting point at the top, but the vid clearly shows that.
How much weight can the bamboo bar handle? Looks like a great challenge, the way it moves?
How much? Well, depends on the bar. The bamboo bar can take far less loads than the Earthquake bar, which, if I recall can accept loads 200+ lbs. If I was going to go any heavier (this morning session was only up to 70 lbs on the bb bar) then I would just use my Ohio bar and the bands.
Oh, I rarely use suicide grip -- even on this lift.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Knet-jY89aU?list=PL90KVfuYF6iYNHmfEP0wut9xmYTheeCe00 -
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nakedraygun wrote: »
You see those spotter arms (a pair of which I paid $150.00 plus shipping USD) in the foreground?suicide grip without catch-bars? looks like that weight was easy for you to handle, but if you do heavy benching on your bench I would suggest catch bars/safely rails as your next project, or better yet, a Power cage.
This is not your standard barbell press with a standard powerbar.
I see them now, after a second look. I originally thought they were the top for bench and the other brackets was top for squats, as the pic makes it look like the are the starting point at the top, but the vid clearly shows that.
How much weight can the bamboo bar handle? Looks like a great challenge, the way it moves?
I was watching DLB and crew play with a bamboo bar- looked way tougher than I thought- something about the smoothness of the momentum really changed the mechanics- really challenging.
Can't see the pictures- but in to check back later!0 -
My dream build is a backyard obstacle course. I'm planning to build parallel bars and an outdoor cage and structure for rings and battle ropes. I'll store the big-azz wagon with all the goodies (ropes, rings, medicine balls...) in my garage.
I am thinking of constructing the parallel bars so they can be removable. Cement footings with PVC sleeves (did this for a hammock as well as a temporary fence--it worked out well). Also I could use a couple of the holes for putting (syn lawn surface).
I want it to blend in with the landscape. Right now I am using my decks and benches for step-ups and box jumps. I need to go higher so may use your box idea with some notches to secure between the deck boards.
Love the Bamboo bar idea. Looks very challenging.0 -
Have you planned any suspension training for your garage gym design?0
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I love your plan already. What about adding a climbing wall too? They are fairly easy to build.My dream build is a backyard obstacle course. I'm planning to build parallel bars and an outdoor cage and structure for rings and battle ropes. I'll store the big-azz wagon with all the goodies (ropes, rings, medicine balls...) in my garage.
I am thinking of constructing the parallel bars so they can be removable. Cement footings with PVC sleeves (did this for a hammock as well as a temporary fence--it worked out well). Also I could use a couple of the holes for putting (syn lawn surface).
I want it to blend in with the landscape. Right now I am using my decks and benches for step-ups and box jumps. I need to go higher so may use your box idea with some notches to secure between the deck boards.
Love the Bamboo bar idea. Looks very challenging.
I have a pull-up bar that I can use to hang a couple of Olympic rings which I bought the set off of CL for $30 bucks, but I haven't yet incorporated that into my training.Have you planned any suspension training for your garage gym design?
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Good idea. I'll have to research climbing walls. They are so massive. The engineering! We are designing a carport/garage so it would be possible to use it as a stabilizing structure for a climbing apparatus (could be rock on the garage wall or net extended out too).0
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Btw, I've not purchased those large washers that you recommended as micro plates.Good idea. I'll have to research climbing walls. They are so massive. The engineering! We are designing a carport/garage so it would be possible to use it as a stabilizing structure for a climbing apparatus (could be rock on the garage wall or net extended out too).
Do you happen to have a snapshot of them and how you finished them?0 -
nakedraygun wrote: »
Btw, I've not purchased those large washers that you recommended as micro plates.Good idea. I'll have to research climbing walls. They are so massive. The engineering! We are designing a carport/garage so it would be possible to use it as a stabilizing structure for a climbing apparatus (could be rock on the garage wall or net extended out too).
Do you happen to have a snapshot of them and how you finished them?
I did a quickie paint job after sanding off the rust. Not worthy of pics. I used some gloss paint I had from another project. If they begin to rust I'll strip them, spray primer then spray finish with a fancy color
. I bought mine from McMaster-Carr but I noticed someone else posted that they bought theirs from Grainger. 0 -
nakedraygun wrote: »
Btw, I've not purchased those large washers that you recommended as micro plates.Good idea. I'll have to research climbing walls. They are so massive. The engineering! We are designing a carport/garage so it would be possible to use it as a stabilizing structure for a climbing apparatus (could be rock on the garage wall or net extended out too).
Do you happen to have a snapshot of them and how you finished them?
I did a quickie paint job after sanding off the rust. Not worthy of pics. I used some gloss paint I had from another project. If they begin to rust I'll strip them, spray primer then spray finish with a fancy color . I bought mine from McMaster-Carr but I noticed someone else posted that they bought theirs from Grainger.
Fastenal also sells them.0 -
Homemade rack/cage. Permanent "safeties" just right for bench and a few inches below squatting below parallel. Since shoulder surgery last Dec. I added attachments for shoulder rehab band work.
Safeties in effect:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd28kXgGi5U
lol0 -
what's the concept behind the bamboo bar? is it to help break through strength plateau's? noticed on hard knocks that they were doing a lot of band work (at least in the one episode I saw).0
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My dream build is a backyard obstacle course. I'm planning to build parallel bars and an outdoor cage and structure for rings and battle ropes. I'll store the big-azz wagon with all the goodies (ropes, rings, medicine balls...) in my garage.
I am thinking of constructing the parallel bars so they can be removable. Cement footings with PVC sleeves (did this for a hammock as well as a temporary fence--it worked out well). Also I could use a couple of the holes for putting (syn lawn surface).
I want it to blend in with the landscape. Right now I am using my decks and benches for step-ups and box jumps. I need to go higher so may use your box idea with some notches to secure between the deck boards.
Love the Bamboo bar idea. Looks very challenging.
I like the idea of building your own gymnastics equipment, that stuff can be pretty expensive and probably pretty easy to make
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No_Finish_Line wrote: »what's the concept behind the bamboo bar? is it to help break through strength plateau's? noticed on hard knocks that they were doing a lot of band work (at least in the one episode I saw).
I'm curious also, but just watching that video, it's got to add serious work to stabilize the bar it seems.0 -
No_Finish_Line wrote: »what's the concept behind the bamboo bar? is it to help break through strength plateau's? noticed on hard knocks that they were doing a lot of band work (at least in the one episode I saw).
Yes stabilizers. You have to fight against the motion of the bar to maintain the position. If you've ever been unfortunate enough to see a physical therapist they will often give you exercises that place you in unstable positions.Stability Training Gone Bad
Besides looking like a geriatric circus act, most stability exercises do very little in terms of improving stability.
But not all stability exercises are worthless. One method that works is the Hanging Band Technique (HBT).
Simply hang plates or kettlebells from bands and attach them to the outside collars of the barbell. This produces numerous oscillations and perturbations (irregular deviations in movement) to the barbell, thus creating a very unstable environment for the lifter.
The benefits of this advanced training technique are numerous.
Source
I'm primarily using it for rehab, but, dang, it gives you quite the pump in the arms, chest, and shoulders when finished.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AHCpJecV2U 0 -
Good thread. I love that bamboo bar. I might have to make one. That looks like fun. I like your woodworking setup too, some nice equipment from what I can see. I've got my money invested more in metalworking but would love to get into wood as well.
Anyway, I've got some contributions, sorry for all the spam but here goes.
Seal row platforms (man I was using light weight back then). I eventually added "stops" at the ends to use them for very high block pulls as well (knee height). I also added handles because they are made out of 2x10s and weigh about 50lbs a piece. I don't really use them much anymore because I just made these:
Mimics a 3.5" block pull without the hassle of blocks. Still gotta grind/sand/paint these. Just finished them two days ago. Rogue wagon wheel ripoff.
Pretty self-explanatory, a deadlift platform. 3/4" cabinet grade plywood and 3/4" horse stall mats. Weighs about 400lbs at best guess, lulz.
Cut up an old slightly-bent barbell and made a macebell. ~3' and ~4' versions (the head swaps over). ShoulderRok rip-off.
Mid '80s cable machine that I rescued from my parents. Ended up being way too light (only 145lb weight stack). Now has room for a lot more. Currently at 285lbs.
Welded up wall-mounted bumper plate storage using the other collar from the above macebell project.
That's about it...for now.
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I was hoping to hear from you, I was looking at your home-gym and some of the others threads ago and what Lindsey's husband had built for, that helped inspire me to get moving on building my home gym -- currently in the garage.Good thread. I love that bamboo bar. I might have to make one. That looks like fun. I like your woodworking setup too, some nice equipment from what I can see. I've got my money invested more in metalworking but would love to get into wood as well.
Anyway, I've got some contributions, sorry for all the spam but here goes.
Oh and thanks for the compliment on the wood shop - its my dad's. I wish I did have some metal working skills though I want to build a prowler and some other things.
Very nice. I love the seal rows too, gonna have to cobble something up like that for my gym too.Seal row platforms (man I was using light weight back then). I eventually added "stops" at the ends to use them for very high block pulls as well (knee height). I also added handles because they are made out of 2x10s and weigh about 50lbs a piece. I don't really use them much anymore because I just made these:
Wow that's awesome. Nice job on those!Mimics a 3.5" block pull without the hassle of blocks. Still gotta grind/sand/paint these. Just finished them two days ago. Rogue wagon wheel ripoff.
I've thought about these. Do you find them effective? I have some rusty 20# 1" Barbells (with the screw collars) that I thought about retrofitting.Cut up an old slightly-bent barbell and made a macebell. ~3' and ~4' versions (the head swaps over). ShoulderRok rip-off.
Those are awesome. I could definitely use something like that in my home set-up. And how you retrofitted that cable machine - really great idea and good work on that!Welded up wall-mounted bumper plate storage using the other collar from the above macebell project.
I've been looking online for building Farmers Walk handles. I have a few ideas in mind, just need time to build them, but that will be after I build my platforms -- which I will post here.
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nakedraygun wrote: »
I was hoping to hear from you, I was looking at your home-gym and some of the others threads ago and what Lindsey's husband had built for, that helped inspire me to get moving on building my home gym -- currently in the garage.Good thread. I love that bamboo bar. I might have to make one. That looks like fun. I like your woodworking setup too, some nice equipment from what I can see. I've got my money invested more in metalworking but would love to get into wood as well.
Anyway, I've got some contributions, sorry for all the spam but here goes.
Oh and thanks for the compliment on the wood shop - its my dad's. I wish I did have some metal working skills though I want to build a prowler and some other things.
Very nice. I love the seal rows too, gonna have to cobble something up like that for my gym too.Seal row platforms (man I was using light weight back then). I eventually added "stops" at the ends to use them for very high block pulls as well (knee height). I also added handles because they are made out of 2x10s and weigh about 50lbs a piece. I don't really use them much anymore because I just made these:
Wow that's awesome. Nice job on those!Mimics a 3.5" block pull without the hassle of blocks. Still gotta grind/sand/paint these. Just finished them two days ago. Rogue wagon wheel ripoff.
I've thought about these. Do you find them effective? I have some rusty 20# 1" Barbells (with the screw collars) that I thought about retrofitting.Cut up an old slightly-bent barbell and made a macebell. ~3' and ~4' versions (the head swaps over). ShoulderRok rip-off.
Those are awesome. I could definitely use something like that in my home set-up. And how you retrofitted that cable machine - really great idea and good work on that!Welded up wall-mounted bumper plate storage using the other collar from the above macebell project.
I've been looking online for building Farmers Walk handles. I have a few ideas in mind, just need time to build them, but that will be after I build my platforms -- which I will post here.
Thanks for the kind words!
The ShoulderRok rip-off...I mainly built for shoulder rehab after I wrecked my shoulder badly working on my wife's car. I really don't use them anymore, but it's a matter of convenience. My basement has standard 7.5' ceilings and I can't use them due to that. I have to use them outside or in my garage (14.5' ceilings) which means...I don't end up bothering. If I had the height in my basement (or I was short enough) I'd use it at least for warm-up/prehab rotator cuff stuff.
Those 1" barbells would probably be perfect for making something like that, a screw-on collar above and below the weights would be an easy way to load it. The only other thing I did was weld a large washer at the base of the handle to prevent from flying out of my hands. Pretty simple really, you could probably just use a good 2-part epoxy or something along those lines versus welding.0 -
No problem!Thanks for the kind words!
Yeah I have pretty low clearance in the garage so when it came time to purchasing a rack, in my case a half rack, I had to account for ceiling height (88.0") and since I was going to place that rack on raised platforms (aprox another 6.") a 90" high rack would not have worked.The ShoulderRok rip-off...I mainly built for shoulder rehab after I wrecked my shoulder badly working on my wife's car. I really don't use them anymore, but it's a matter of convenience. My basement has standard 7.5' ceilings and I can't use them due to that. I have to use them outside or in my garage (14.5' ceilings) which means...I don't end up bothering. If I had the height in my basement (or I was short enough) I'd use it at least for warm-up/prehab rotator cuff stuff.
You should definitely build a bamboo bar. I really feel quite awesome after wards -- even though I do not have a rotator cuff injury, - I do have tendentious in my shoulders .
That's what I was thinking too.Those 1" barbells would probably be perfect for making something like that, a screw-on collar above and below the weights would be an easy way to load it. The only other thing I did was weld a large washer at the base of the handle to prevent from flying out of my hands. Pretty simple really, you could probably just use a good 2-part epoxy or something along those lines versus welding.0 -
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I'd take a header into that block wall in no time. No grace or coordination or balance found here.0
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nakedraygun wrote: »
Landmine corner too? I say it's a grapefruit tree.
@DopeItUp -- I always wanted to learn welding for architectural uses. Now I want to create more stuff. Very impressive.
Also found this on a search:
http://www.dutchtouchart.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/backyard-climbing-gym.jpg
@dlm7507 you could add a net for climbing too. Or just meet the dog next door for a more invigorating climb.0 -
nakedraygun wrote: »
Landmine corner too? I say it's a grapefruit tree.
@DopeItUp -- I always wanted to learn welding for architectural uses. Now I want to create more stuff. Very impressive.
Also found this on a search:
http://www.dutchtouchart.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/backyard-climbing-gym.jpg
@dlm7507 you could add a net for climbing too. Or just meet the dog next door for a more invigorating climb.
Thank you. Realistically, something like MIG welding is pretty easy to get started on. I actually welded for the first time in...May of this year? So what you're seeing is only months of practice. I just expended my first 80cf tank of shielding gas. So I'm no old pro at this. Some youtube videos and some practice is all I used.
Just in case you were thinking of jumping in. The only real downside is the money factor, it adds up fast in the beginning.0 -
Grapefruit tree. I use the bar for this, alternating workouts with kettlebells and sometimes sandbag. http://www.amazon.com/Rings-Power-Successful-Training-A-Sustainable-ebook/dp/B012EFDAAU0
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I thought I'd post-up a few more pictures of the jerk blocks I constructed.
This is where I got most of the material to build these blocks. They were the 2"x8" that were 128" long that were used to hold the loft up.
Here they are side-by-side.
I constructed them so I could nest them. They friction-lock on those rails really tight. Its really chore to pull them apart!
And here they are stacked up. I primarily use them for dumbbell step-ups, box jumps (which is why they are extra-wide to save my poor abused shins -- from skateboarding -- any further damage) and deficit deadlifts. I had enough material to build two blocks so I figured why the heck not. I'll probably build a much taller box later that will work with these 4" jerk blocks.
As a bonus I had some left over 2"x4" scrap to construct a calf raise block. Its still unfinished -- I'll paint it black and add some grip tape on the top after I putty up the screw holes.
If I get a chance later today, I'll post up the pictures of the prowler I am building from the remains of Gold's Gym bench press I got free off of Craigslists a few months ago.0
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