I have a power rack, bench etc. in my home. From some things on this board and from other sites I am giving functional exercises a try. Yesterday I got a bunch of rocks and made a sled with a tire. Not the prettiest thing but it works good. If I knew how to weld I would be in business. Just tgake me to a salvage yard and I would have all the material I need. What else do you all use if you do non traditional, or actually very traditional exercises?
I haven’t made anything yet, but I have bought a few things that come in handy: removable chin-up bar with various grips, jump rope, medicine ball, kettlebell, pushup bars and a french curl bar. Eventually, I’ll figure out how to make a sled for some dragging workouts!
Nate for a sled I just use my kids plastic snow sled that cost about $5 and tie a rope through the holes in front to drag with. It holds 100’s of pounds quite well.
Buster, great idea. Now I wonder if I can find a snow sled in Florida…hmm…I’ll have to look into that. Or have my relatives send me one! But that’s definitely a cheap and effective way to do it.
Ironman magazine’s bookstore sells a photocopied booklet on how to build equipment out of wood.
As for welding. A few years back Sears sold some contact welding rods. You just slowly dragged them across the joint.
Best O’Luck
I’ve made some bars & other implements, e.g.,
Thick handled bars & db bars - go to a scrap metal yard and get a 7’ long piece of 1.5" schedule 80 wall pipe. Get some short pieces of 2’ pipe for plate stops and drill & set to bar. OD of bar is 1.97". For a thicker bar get 2" wall pipe - OD is 2 3/8" approx. Do the same for thick hanled DB’s but cut to length you want. DB handles are freat for farmer’s walks if you cut them longer.
Sled - get an old wheelbarrow and take the wheels off.
Sand bags - go to an Army/Navy surplus store and buy some duffel bags & fill with sand.
I've also read about a guy who makes his own lifting stones by getting old plastic sink basins, putting them together and filling them with concrete. When they dry you have lifting stones...sounds interesting.
I made my own dip station from pipes. Works pretty well. I also use the safety pins from the squat rack set on top of the cage for neutral grip chins. Really works the grip good since you have to keep the bars from rotating as well as holding your weight.
I made my own squat rack out of Waffle blocks and duct tape. It is surprisingly sturdy and can hold hundreds of pounds.
Dawg on the porch:
I’m not 100% sure what a waffle block is, however your using duct tape to hold stuff together? I think this is a bad idea for something like a squat rack that will see repeated loading. The possibility of SUDDEN and catastrophic failure of you duct tape exists. Which in laymens terms is: the whole thing go boom and fall on your head, you have serious ouchie. I’m not saying this will happen but maybe you should have a look over your design?
Keago