[quote]JustDrag wrote:
Arioch wrote:
My dip station. It is much harder to use than a normal one since I have to keep my elbows tucked in tightly or else I just fall.
That’s an awesome set up for building mass and hitting all the equalizer muscles. Thanks!
BTW, are you able to use that for push ups? I’m getting some gym rings for a push up station after reading an article from Westside.
Finally, this has to be one of the top threads on the site. Let’s keep it rolling! [/quote]
The chains I have are too short for doing pushups. If I were to get a tall enough support, I could.
It is a difficult exercise. I went back to doing a lot less weight and then building back up.
The rings you are getting will work just the same. Originally, that was my plan. They kind of fell through and I just put need into action and came up with the chains.
Only takes a few seconds to set up so I can actually superset with chin ups if I choose. One minute of rest between the two works really well.
EDIT: Forgot to mention that I picked up the rubber grips at a hardware store. Something like $0.50 per foot. I used 6 inches each for the grips and then put some over the chin up bar as protection and something for the chains to grip.
[quote]!vic wrote:
GPP.[/quote]
I was just talking to our maintenance supervisor at work about making a sled. It’s not that I can’t afford a nice one, but I’m new to it so I want to see how I feel about doing it before I drop $150 on a nice one with a harness, etc. I was thinking about making one of metal but yours is so much simpler and looks solid.
bumping this - its too good. The cash we could save each other is ridiculous. Ill be posting some stuff regarding making fat bars etc soon…
In the mean time i need to construct somewhere to hang my rings - i was thinking a large free standing pull up type thing - anyone have any ideas/plans?
[quote]medevac wrote:
!vic wrote:
GPP.
I was just talking to our maintenance supervisor at work about making a sled. It’s not that I can’t afford a nice one, but I’m new to it so I want to see how I feel about doing it before I drop $150 on a nice one with a harness, etc. I was thinking about making one of metal but yours is so much simpler and looks solid.
Mind if I ask you how much you pull on it? [/quote]
Sorry I missed this medevac. I regularly drag 90# and 180# but I don’t think there would be a problem with twice as much. I personally drag on asphalt for long distances (sets of 600-1200’) as a form of cardio because my knees can’t tolerate the impact of running.
The only potential problem may be the material. The 2 runners on mine are made from rough cut oak, so they don’t wear down very fast. Soft pine may wear much quicker. I’ve used mine for 2 years so far.
Don’t mean to be hijacking/taking from others’ threads, but I have seen that several DIY posts have been up lately. I thought this particular thread has some valuable advice.
in that case, I’ll repost the link that I posted in another thread today.
There’s plenty of awesome home made equipment on the site.
Currently I’ve just finished building myself a squat box and I’m going to start building a floor plate for a 45degree back raise. If I anchor it to my bench I should be able to use my preacher attachment as a leg support.
that’s awesome!!! Congrats on your construction. We don’t have GHR benches in my country. I might have to follow your steps.
[quote]rniel wrote:
Thought I’d share a pic of the homemade glute ham raise I made. It’s adjustable on the front and up and down on the toe plate. The cool thing was no welding involved and plumbing pipe used for the foot part. It works great I weigh 255 and use this regularly. It’s sturdier than it looks.
Hope this pic comes through first time I’ve tried it.[/quote]
You could always work out the Arnold Schwarzenegger way: using women on his back to do donkey calf raises; a cheap and fun way to exercise with more exercise in the latter half of the day to be sure.
This is a great thread. I’ve got a couple of ideas that won’t break the bank and nothing you would have to build either (although that is fun to do)
I have two workouts I like to use as “finishers.” The first is a sledgehammer smash into an old tire. All you need is a sledghammer, a tire and some space. I set a timer and smash away switching grips about every 10 swings or so. This is a great over all conditioner and you’ll really torches your forearms, biceps, upper back, low back, legs and core.
The second is very simple, I just refer to it as the bag carry and lift. You can use a sandbag, bags of soil or even large bags of dog food. I just started this finisher and since my sandbag is in storeage I had to rummage around the yard to find something. I ended up using a half frozen bag of soil. Set a timer and lift the bag. The object is not to set the bag down until the timer sounds. So you can curl the bag, bear hug and walk, clean and press, row, do squats with it, What even until the timer is up. I saw Randy Couture do a similiar routine using a barbell. He load the bar with 95lbs and did about 10 different lifts without setting the bar down.
For some reason I really like to do these two finishers outdoors in the elements. Especially the snow. The tire smash works outside better due to space restrctions. But for some reason its very invigorating to be outside when do this type of thing.
A pullup bar made from a wooden dowel covered in sports tape through which are screwed eyelet bolts. These bolts hang from carabiners which are attached to chain threaded through pre-existing holes in the floor joists. I use carabiners for easy changeout of various items.
Closeup of the ring. All knots are figure 8 knots. I’ve added a loop over each ring so the loop can be connected to the carabiner so I can do pullup-type exercises with the rings and not just dip-type exercises.
If Sgt. Bosco Albert “B.A.” Baracus was on T-Nation this would be his favourite thread. Awesome stuff. Get a load of junk, take it in the garage and turn it into a muscle building arsenal. Keep em coming.
Platforms for headstand pushups made from scrap 2x4 and leftover nails and screws. (The white stuff is chalk rubbed off my hands.) If doing headstand pushups with your hands on the floor are too easy, elevate your hands 1.5" with one piece of 2x4. As you get stronger and can do a greater ROM, attach additional 2x4 segments making the base wider as you go.
Note that this same idea can be used to create platforms for standing on to do elevated deadlifts.
Using nature could be the cheapest way, and trees are a great source of gaining strength. However, if you don’t live in the country, then it will be hard to do-but here are some ideas. I use one of my trees in my backyard as a pullup/chin-up bar.
The limb is way thicker than a normal pull-up bar, and it bends naturally, making it harder to pull-up.
I constantly see mimicks of woodchopping. Chop some real trees or, for an ever better workout, split some chunks of wood with a heavy splitting axe. I do this because one I need the wood for the fireplace, it’s a workout, and it’s cheap.
Before you split those chunks of wood, you could do front raises with them (make sure they’re heavy), throw them, do different grips (farmer’s walk), etc.
You could also take two or more 6.5 gallon buckets, put them on each end of a sturdy pole, and put rocks in them. Sadly, you’d probably have to buy those buckets if you don’t work on a farm or don’t know anyone that has any.
Once again, you could do farmer walks with those buckets, do different deltoid raises (the handles could make them into po’ man’s kettlebells if they’re tough enough to hold the weight).
Sandbags. 'Nuff said. Hay bails, animals, concrete blocks, bricks, there’s all types of stuff that you can use. Just get creative.
An additional method for hanging items, like rings, from the ceiling. If floor joints are not exposed but you can get into an attic, drill some holes in the attic joists and hang some eyelet bolts from them using very strong washers and nuts.
A closeup of the eyelet bolt going through the attic joist. Note that you can also attach carabiners to these eyelet bolts for easy changeover of other items.
I’d recommend you use carabiners (and strap/rope) from a rock climbing store as those are made to withstand enormous strain but are quite easy to use with one hand. I don’t trust the safety of similar-sized carabiners from a hardware store.
If you’re looking to salvage older equipment… I made a pair of thick-handled dumbells by taking the sleeves off an old barbell (has to be the kind that mounts the sleeves w/ a screw & washer setup). Just load the weights for one side and throw on a collar, then leave enough space for your hand. Another collar, the rest of the weight, and finally a third collar. No better than a pipe, but it works in a pinch. I got the idea from the barbell sleeve shrugs in John Sullivan’s excellent grip article. http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1411503
with my power rack I put the safety bars about shoulder height and put my two barbells lying across the safety bars to make dip racks. its roughly a little more then shoulder width apart which is perfect
I saw this in the national archives in Guatmala. The bench is the seat back form a car, and they cast the weights out of concrete onto old bars they can find.
