The DIY Thread

[Stenson]

Bells of Steel also has a belt squat belt for $47.

https://www.bellsofsteel.us/product/beltsquat-belt/

[tnumrych]

Bells of Steel also has a belt squat belt for $47.

https://www.bellsofsteel.us/product/beltsquat-belt/

Just got this from BoS last week, looks very sturdy and similar to the Spud belt. Only thing is they forgot to ship the chain, but they promised to send one out. Good buy for 47.

[Skander]

Bells of Steel also has a belt squat belt for $47.

https://www.bellsofsteel.us/product/beltsquat-belt/

Just got this from BoS last week, looks very sturdy and similar to the Spud belt. Only thing is they forgot to ship the chain, but they promised to send one out. Good buy for 47.

What makes this different from a dip belt, if at all?

[tnumrych]

Got some inspiration last week looking at Dane Miller's DIY GHR on Ross Enamait's site so I figured it try improving on it. No idea if I did but I just tried it and with the exception of version 1 being too short and feeling like I'm going to faceplant (I extended it with v2) it worked fairly well.



Next I need to make some pulling blocks with removable rubber toppers that can be dual used for sledgehammer swinging (just the toppers).

[TimK]

Bells of Steel also has a belt squat belt for $47.

https://www.bellsofsteel.us/product/beltsquat-belt/

Just got this from BoS last week, looks very sturdy and similar to the Spud belt. Only thing is they forgot to ship the chain, but they promised to send one out. Good buy for 47.

What makes this different from a dip belt, if at all?

I don't know about that specific belt, but if it's like the Spud belt I think it's mainly the length and width of the belt and maybe the thickness of the material as well.

Rogue carries the Spud belt, as well as a dip belt (also made by Spud):

https://www.roguefitness.com/belt-squat-belt

https://www.roguefitness.com/dip-belt

The belt squat belt is 57" long and 5.5" wide, whereas the dip belt is only 30.5" long and 4" wide. When you're doing dips, you're not flexing at the hips so it doesn't really matter if the weight is hanging from chains that are in contact with your body. Try to do belt squats like that with significant weight and it gets painful really quickly. The longer, wider belt spreads out the load and makes it tolerable.

[damufunman]

FWIW I was looking for a shorter belt since I didn't want to have to get block set up (still need the blocks...), and the Rip Toned dip belt on Amazon isn't terribly uncomfortable. Only had some slight bruising after my first heavy work with it, but nothing unbearable.

[Skander]

Bells of Steel also has a belt squat belt for $47.

https://www.bellsofsteel.us/product/beltsquat-belt/

Just got this from BoS last week, looks very sturdy and similar to the Spud belt. Only thing is they forgot to ship the chain, but they promised to send one out. Good buy for 47.

What makes this different from a dip belt, if at all?

I don't know about that specific belt, but if it's like the Spud belt I think it's mainly the length and width of the belt and maybe the thickness of the material as well.

Rogue carries the Spud belt, as well as a dip belt (also made by Spud):

https://www.roguefitness.com/belt-squat-belt

https://www.roguefitness.com/dip-belt

The belt squat belt is 57" long and 5.5" wide, whereas the dip belt is only 30.5" long and 4" wide. When you're doing dips, you're not flexing at the hips so it doesn't really matter if the weight is hanging from chains that are in contact with your body. Try to do belt squats like that with significant weight and it gets painful really quickly. The longer, wider belt spreads out the load and makes it tolerable.

Does it work ok as a dip belt still, maybe with some caribiners to shorten it?

[mouse]

I did a DIY...

It's a little wonky... but it's only for a few weeks and it does the trick.

[damufunman]

Bells of Steel also has a belt squat belt for $47.

https://www.bellsofsteel.us/product/beltsquat-belt/

Just got this from BoS last week, looks very sturdy and similar to the Spud belt. Only thing is they forgot to ship the chain, but they promised to send one out. Good buy for 47.

What makes this different from a dip belt, if at all?

I don't know about that specific belt, but if it's like the Spud belt I think it's mainly the length and width of the belt and maybe the thickness of the material as well.

Rogue carries the Spud belt, as well as a dip belt (also made by Spud):

https://www.roguefitness.com/belt-squat-belt

https://www.roguefitness.com/dip-belt

The belt squat belt is 57" long and 5.5" wide, whereas the dip belt is only 30.5" long and 4" wide. When you're doing dips, you're not flexing at the hips so it doesn't really matter if the weight is hanging from chains that are in contact with your body. Try to do belt squats like that with significant weight and it gets painful really quickly. The longer, wider belt spreads out the load and makes it tolerable.

Does it work ok as a dip belt still, maybe with some caribiners to shorten it?

So I ran into a slight problem with my belt yesterday. Doing Belt Squats, the ring on the end started digging into my crotch/leg where it was draped over. Not too bad, but noticeable. Also I'm getting up to 300 lbs plate load, which translates to 200 lbs belt load on my setup. On Amazon the seller said that the belt has been tested up to 200 lbs, so I'm considering getting the Bells of Steel belt. I'd highly recommend some sort of rig to help stabilize the weights, hanging that much weight freely is going to suck big time.

[damufunman]

I did a DIY...

It's a little wonky... but it's only for a few weeks and it does the trick.

That's pretty cool. How is the log different from a big-ass dumbbell though?

[theswede]

Most serious looking thing I did, modeled after the Buff Dudes bench but I used 90x90mm (~4x4) glued timber (there's one beam running under the plywood which you can't see from this angle):



Pulling blocks, 45x90x2 mm (~4x4) plus a 30mm mat so roughly 4.7":



Pulley, I used a rubber wheel and just removed the rubber. Mountain rope instead of a wire (the other end has a loading pin with weights):



This is a combined equipment for seal rows and GHR/Nordic Ham Curls/whatever you want to call them. Using a trap bar with high handles means you can get a full stretch without having to lift the weights off of a platform and it's a lot easier to initiate the lift by just putting the plank over two safety bars like shown. Having the GHR-thing at the other end is just for space efficiency.



A leg extension machine mounted to a work bench, I used pipe insulation for padding and hooks for hanging clothes to hold the bar. Worked fine but I rarely used it so I disassembled it and used the parts to make the GHR shown above, I might make a new one from a kitchen chair or something some time.

[mouse]

I did a DIY...

It's a little wonky... but it's only for a few weeks and it does the trick.

That's pretty cool. How is the log different from a big-ass dumbbell though?

(Hopefully) not much, but that's kinda the point.

I have a circus dumbbell coming up in a medley, and while I can drive an hour and a half to get some time on the actual implements I'll be using that doesn't really jive on a weekly basis for me, so my log CDB is just a stand in. Something that will feel sort of similar, that I can load to contest weight, and just get some extra practice on...

Also didn't cost me any money.

[damufunman]

I did a DIY...

It's a little wonky... but it's only for a few weeks and it does the trick.

That's pretty cool. How is the log different from a big-ass dumbbell though?

(Hopefully) not much, but that's kinda the point.

I have a circus dumbbell coming up in a medley, and while I can drive an hour and a half to get some time on the actual implements I'll be using that doesn't really jive on a weekly basis for me, so my log CDB is just a stand in. Something that will feel sort of similar, that I can load to contest weight, and just get some extra practice on...

Also didn't cost me any money.

Ah, I thought this was a fake-log, but seemed more like a dumbbell. That makes more sense now!

[mouse]

I did a DIY...

It's a little wonky... but it's only for a few weeks and it does the trick.

That's pretty cool. How is the log different from a big-ass dumbbell though?

(Hopefully) not much, but that's kinda the point.

I have a circus dumbbell coming up in a medley, and while I can drive an hour and a half to get some time on the actual implements I'll be using that doesn't really jive on a weekly basis for me, so my log CDB is just a stand in. Something that will feel sort of similar, that I can load to contest weight, and just get some extra practice on...

Also didn't cost me any money.

Ah, I thought this was a fake-log, but seemed more like a dumbbell. That makes more sense now!

Haha yeah no... this is just a circus dumbbell made from a log... an SS dumbbell if you will...

That's why I had to add pins to make it loadable, whole thing only weighs like 55lbs...

I do have a log... but that is steel and I didn't make it myself...

[Ragholmes]

Based on your dimensions the felt weight is 66.6% of the loaded weight, with the weight loaded at 4 ft. from the fulcrum and your lifting point 6 ft. from the fulcrum. That is similar to the Edge Fitness standard belt squat where they list 70-75% felt weight. The 6 foot bar seems like a good compromise to allow you to store it as well. If you had the space, an 8 ft. bar and the weight 6 ft. from the fulcrum would give you 75% felt load.

How would I factor in the weight of the lever?

[damufunman]

Based on your dimensions the felt weight is 66.6% of the loaded weight, with the weight loaded at 4 ft. from the fulcrum and your lifting point 6 ft. from the fulcrum. That is similar to the Edge Fitness standard belt squat where they list 70-75% felt weight. The 6 foot bar seems like a good compromise to allow you to store it as well. If you had the space, an 8 ft. bar and the weight 6 ft. from the fulcrum would give you 75% felt load.

How would I factor in the weight of the lever?

Moment arms.

Sorry couldn't help myself.

Same calculation as with the weights:
[math]m * g * \frac{L_{CG}}{L_l}[/math]
where [math]m[/math] is mass of lever
[math]g[/math] is gravity constant
([math]m*g[/math] is just the weight)
[math]L_{CG}[/math] is the distance from pivot to location of the CG of the lever
[math]L_l[/math] is the length of the lever (distance from pivot to belt attachement)

And do the same for plate holders.

[Ragholmes]

@damufunman CG is center of gravity? So I need to balance it across something to find the CG?
I had no problem with math when it was just numbers, once they added letters in I really started to struggle.
I'm thinking it might be easier to take my bathroom scale out to the garage and put the attachment end on the scale.

[damufunman]

It's safe to assume the CG is at the center of the lever. You can also call the location of the plate holder pin the CG of that. It'll be close enough, and the weight of those is small enough compared to the load you should be fine.

[Wilhelm]

Most serious looking thing I did, modeled after the Buff Dudes bench but I used 90x90mm (~4x4) glued timber (there's one beam running under the plywood which you can't see from this angle):



Pulling blocks, 45x90x2 mm (~4x4) plus a 30mm mat so roughly 4.7":



Pulley, I used a rubber wheel and just removed the rubber. Mountain rope instead of a wire (the other end has a loading pin with weights):



This is a combined equipment for seal rows and GHR/Nordic Ham Curls/whatever you want to call them. Using a trap bar with high handles means you can get a full stretch without having to lift the weights off of a platform and it's a lot easier to initiate the lift by just putting the plank over two safety bars like shown. Having the GHR-thing at the other end is just for space efficiency.



A leg extension machine mounted to a work bench, I used pipe insulation for padding and hooks for hanging clothes to hold the bar. Worked fine but I rarely used it so I disassembled it and used the parts to make the GHR shown above, I might make a new one from a kitchen chair or something some time.

Nice ideas here.

[tnumrych]

I've been thinking about DIYing a SquatMax, has anyone tried making something similar?

I was thinking of getting some flip down safety bars for my Titan T3, making a platform of sorts with plywood and 2x4s to put on top of the safeties, then cutting a hole in the middle of the platform that the weight would hand through like in the SquatMax. I'm no engineer so I'd like to know if anyone sees any glaring issues with that set up?