The DIY Thread

[220Eric]

I got another welder. I’m having some DMOS in my welding muscles. My first project since the rack-

[Wilhelm]

I got another welder. I’m having some DMOS in my welding muscles. My first project since the rack-

Very nice.
Looks hella beefy.

[ryand]

I got another welder. I’m having some DMOS in my welding muscles. My first project since the rack-

Nice!

[Ragholmes]

My wife recently decided she wants to work out with me.
She does not like to Squat with the bar on her back (tried a pussy pad.) and felt like the lever squat I made pulls her forward.
We ended up settling on goblet squats with an 18 lb kettle bell that's been gathering dust since I bought it for her at her request a few years ago.
She's moved up to using my dumbbells, but not comfortably. Not wanting to buy a whole lot of kettle bells, and adjustable kettle bells cost hundreds and only go up to 40-50 lbs.

So I just made this for her from 3/4 inch black pipe nipples, T piece and flange for $21. And some athletic tape.
It weighs 3 lbs.



With 20 lbs on it.



And with 70 lbs...



If I need more weight I can just get a longer nipple for a few dollars, not too much longer though for ground clearance. I'm hoping by the time she gets up around that weight she'll retry the lever squat or even the SSB I just got.
I wouldn't put this overhead, I think it would be fine but I'm not gonna be the one to take that risk. It will do just fine for goblet squats though.

And most importantly, hopefully keep her working out.

[Allentown]

I'm hoping by the time she gets up around that weight she'll retry the lever squat or even the SSB I just got.

Front squats? Step ups?
I like your "adjustable KB" though, that's pretty similar to what I was going to do for weight for my DIY tricep pulley setup but the pipe I had was 1/2" instead of 3/4" like all the fittings I bought, so I just need to get a new piece of threaded pipe.
Well, that, or more chains, which I would actually use for a number of other things.

[TimK]

Much better than the landmine version:

[murphyreedus]

Much better than the landmine version:

Looks nice. I did a similar build with the Titan 70" crossmember, but after cutting I used the shorter end as the kickstand. I also used some Titan weight releasers (that they accidentally sent me and didn't want back) to make a handle that's attached to the crossmember. I have the Titan series weight holders, which come with rubber bumpers and angle up slightly so I don't need to use collars.

I honestly didn't like mine until I added the handle, because it felt like it was pulling on my knees oddly. With the handle, it feels great, and I really like how it hammers the quads.

[TimK]

Much better than the landmine version:

Looks nice. I did a similar build with the Titan 70" crossmember, but after cutting I used the shorter end as the kickstand. I also used some Titan weight releasers (that they accidentally sent me and didn't want back) to make a handle that's attached to the crossmember. I have the Titan series weight holders, which come with rubber bumpers and angle up slightly so I don't need to use collars.

I honestly didn't like mine until I added the handle, because it felt like it was pulling on my knees oddly. With the handle, it feels great, and I really like how it hammers the quads.

Yeah I remember seeing yours but at the time it didn't register that you used this longer, 70" crossmember. I have a normal sized one on my rack and I just looked at it and thought "that seems way too short". Fast forward to last week, I was scouring their website for something that I could use to do this and I came across the 70" crossmember... realized it was a separate listing and longer than the standard one and then it clicked. I went back to find your older posts but all the image links were broken...! If you still have the photos and could post them again I'd love to see your setup. My crude steel bar handle/arm retention device works ok, but could definitely be improved upon. I'm not actually sure if my girlfriend would be able to use it comfortably, not having long ape arms like I do.

[damufunman]

Much better than the landmine version:

After seeing this I'm trying to remember why I put my pivot on the front upright.... Looks great dude!

[murphyreedus]

Yeah I remember seeing yours but at the time it didn't register that you used this longer, 70" crossmember. I have a normal sized one on my rack and I just looked at it and thought "that seems way too short". Fast forward to last week, I was scouring their website for something that I could use to do this and I came across the 70" crossmember... realized it was a separate listing and longer than the standard one and then it clicked. I went back to find your older posts but all the image links were broken...! If you still have the photos and could post them again I'd love to see your setup. My crude steel bar handle/arm retention device works ok, but could definitely be improved upon. I'm not actually sure if my girlfriend would be able to use it comfortably, not having long ape arms like I do.

Pictures probably got nuked. Here's some grainy ones with a video:




I pretty much copied @damufunman for the kickstand design. I also have a drop-in rack, so my pivot point is just a 3/4" steel rod that drops into the slots. I changed up my design a few times mid-build and ended up with a longer kickstand, so I have some 2.5 plates pinned on the top so it still works via gravity. I tell myself I'll make it prettier one day, but probably never will.

[TimK]

After seeing this I'm trying to remember why I put my pivot on the front upright.... Looks great dude!

Thanks! One benefit of doing it all out front of the rack is that you have much more leeway in where you put the weight holders. There was really only one spot that worked for me here, any further back and the plates on the left side would be hitting the rack (they do actually bump into the rack at the very bottom of the lift, almost at the same time as the arm contacts the floor) and any closer to me and my knees would be hitting the plates. Of course, that's also due to the fixed length of the arm that I used, in relation to the size of my rack.

@murphyreedus Thanks for the pics and video! That's a great way to address the balancing issue. These DIY belt squats are like puzzles that are individualized to each person's space, current equipment, and parts available. It's cool to see how we all arrive at solutions that are similar but still slightly different in one way or another.

[Ragholmes]

That looks really good @TimK

I'm still loving mine. I built it purely for belt squats but it adds so many movements to a home gym set-up. Calf raises (both standing and seated), bent over rows, Viking presses etc, etc.
I'm actually about to make a change and mount it on the wall. Attaching it to the rack and taking it off is a minor hassle that I was ok with but since my wife has recently started working out with me I need to change things up a bit. I'd like to be able to use the rack for squats and bench press at the same time she's using the lever and vice versa. So I'm gonna get a strip and mount it to the wall and leave it attached.
Titan strips have been out of stock since I decided to do that though,for some reason I can buy two but not one?

[TimK]

Titan strips have been out of stock since I decided to do that though,for some reason I can buy two but not one?

I see your game here, lol.

Wall mount would be great, but I can't figure out a way to make it work in my space. There's one potential spot that I could mount a strip to but I wouldn't be able to leave the arm attached anyway and the studs are kind of janky and I don't really trust them with that much weight.

[Ragholmes]

Lol. I actually wasn't playing that game. Just thought it was kinda weird to have pairs in stock but claim to be out of singles.
But now that you've mentioned it, if they don't put singles back in stock in the next few weeks I may well be looking for someone here who wants a 2x3 strip. I've tried, and can't find a reason for a second one yet.

[TimK]

Lol. I actually wasn't playing that game. Just thought it was kinda weird to have pairs in stock but claim to be out of singles.
But now that you've mentioned it, if they don't put singles back in stock in the next few weeks I may well be looking for someone here who wants a 2x3 strip. I've tried, and can't find a reason for a second one yet.

Permanently mounted dip arms? Attachment point for some kind of band thing? LOL I'm trying here...

[murphyreedus]

I'd really like to try out the strip for my dip attachment, but with how often I rearrange the gym I hate having anything limited to one location. Maybe the 2-pack is made for guys like me, so I can mount them both and use one if I put something in front of the other.

Also, it was actually @Ragholmes that I stole the kickstand design from, though his isn't cobbled together out of extra parts and looks nicer.

[Ragholmes]

Permanently mounted dip arms? Attachment point for some kind of band thing? LOL I'm trying here...

I appreciate your enabling effort. I'm really at a point with my setup that it has to be needs not wants, so I can't be stretching for excuses.
It's also really more of a space issue. It's gonna be tight as it is to put in one strip and have the lever running down one edge of my platform area.
And I don't need the full strip, I was already thinking of cutting it in half so would have some left over for any bright ideas down the track.

[damufunman]

Permanently mounted dip arms? Attachment point for some kind of band thing? LOL I'm trying here...

I appreciate your enabling effort. I'm really at a point with my setup that it has to be needs not wants, so I can't be stretching for excuses.
It's also really more of a space issue. It's gonna be tight as it is to put in one strip and have the lever running down one edge of my platform area.
And I don't need the full strip, I was already thinking of cutting it in half so would have some left over for any bright ideas down the track.

I know you hacked up some tubing for the lever, you have any of that left to make a wall mount? Keep in mind you probably want it supported by the floor, so it needs to be long enough to be at the right height.

[Ragholmes]

Permanently mounted dip arms? Attachment point for some kind of band thing? LOL I'm trying here...

I appreciate your enabling effort. I'm really at a point with my setup that it has to be needs not wants, so I can't be stretching for excuses.
It's also really more of a space issue. It's gonna be tight as it is to put in one strip and have the lever running down one edge of my platform area.
And I don't need the full strip, I was already thinking of cutting it in half so would have some left over for any bright ideas down the track.

I know you hacked up some tubing for the lever, you have any of that left to make a wall mount? Keep in mind you probably want it supported by the floor, so it needs to be long enough to be at the right height.

No, I used it all. If the strip doesn't come back in stock soon another option is to buy some more tube and make my own strip. I did already price that a week or so ago and it would be cheap.
But I'm not looking forward to doing all that drilling again, it really sucked with only a handheld drill. Plus without a drill press it will be hard to get the holes even on each side and the mounting bolt probably wouldn't be level which would bug me.
And re the height. There is a kinda step of concrete all the way around the base of the wall in my garage. It is 6 inches high and sticks out about 6 inches. So the base of my strip would be resting on that. I can't remember exactly but I think the hole on my rack I use is 22 or 23 inches. So less 6 means I'd only need something like 16 inches of the strip.
Only needing approx half a strip makes it hard to justify buying 2.

ETA: Now the pairs of 2x3 are out of stock!
No single 2x3, no pairs 2x3, no single 3x3. Only pairs of 3x3 still in stock.
I hope they haven't discontinued making them.
Rogues isn't that much more expensive, but shipping kills it.
Buying some tube might be in my future

[TimK]

More depth = more better