This is a quick tour of my gym. The only thing missing is a view of my rings set up, which is outside. Unfortunately, it was dark outside at the time of filming so I did not try to capture that.
I have homemade parallel bars, a power rack with several items attached to it, and parallettes.
The attachments to the power rack are a homemade 3″ thick barbell attached to truck straps, rated at 433lbs each safe working load. They are rated at 1333 lbs. More than strong enough to be a safe spotting system! There is a second set of straps for the squats, and I talk about the advantages of my set up.
I start at the bottom on all my lifts. Why? Because in real life that’s where you start. If you have to lift something off of you, it is probably pinning you down. That means you’re lifting dead weight off of your chest. If you have to lift something off of someone, you generally have to start at the bottom of a squat and start lifting from there. So, bottom position work prepares you for real situations better than starting off of a rack near the top of the movement.
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To make sure your …
To make sure your bit is the right size, hold it next to the 1.4″ axle. Just buy a 2 foot piece to be safe, you’ll have leftovers. That will keep the bar in place and keep it from spinning. You could also drill holes through the metal JUST OUTSIDE the supports and put the bolts there, then use heavy nail-in staples to attach the bolt firmly into the wood. Do that on both sides and you won’t even have to worry about a tiny wiggle!
For what you want …
For what you want to do, talk to the guys at the hardware store and have them show you the best way to keep the pieces together. I can’t afford to buy the tools and materials to show you, if I could I would. It would make a great video!
To keep the bar in place, once you’ve made your stand the bar’s in the uprights, take a small metal bit, 3/8″ size, drill a hole on each side, measure carefully to make it perfect. Then you put a 1/4″ axle through, nut it, and that’s it!
… outside and …
It is really important to be able to envision how the support pieces are stressed, so that you can properly attach them. You don’t want this thing falling apart on you. If you do it right, there won’t be any problems. You could also build it out of all 4×6′s, which will be more expensive but somewhat simpler.
… outside and screw it onto the cut end of the 2×4 support piece. If you can’t envision that you shouldn’t really be building!
… ripping right …
… ripping right off of the horizontal stability pieces( the 2×6′s at the bottom).
Use a miter saw to cut a 45 degree angle into the end of a 2×4. Set this on the ground and have it come up at least 2/3 of the height of the uprights. With the cut end flat on the ground, mark where you’re going to cut the top end. Literally draw the line with a pencil on the wood. Make your cut and then put two screws through the angle part into the upright. Pre-drill holes. Now put a 2×4 piece on the…
Nail these 2×6′s …
Nail these 2×6′s centered on the bottom of the 4×6, flush with the bottom. This is why a flat floor is so important. If you REALLY want to be safe, also put a 2×6 on the inside of each 4×6. The 2×6′s are for stability on the ground. Use at least six 4 inch nails or screws. If using screws, pre-drill holes. Do one, screw the first screw in and then drill all the others. This makes it easy. Now you want four 8 foot long 2x4s, just to be safe, for the support pieces. These keep the uprights from…
Use two 4×6 pieces …
Use two 4×6 pieces as your uprights. First off, build this on as level a floor as possible. The garage would be perfect if it’s clear enough to work in.
Choose what size pipe you want and buy a wood-boring bit big enough to drill a hole it will fit through. Drill one hole into the same height of the 4×6, leaving at least 3 inches of wood above the top of the hole, and center it on the wider side of the wood. After this is done, nail one 8 foot long 2×6 to the outside of each upright.
I think I will try …
I think I will try to make one now, thanks!! If you wouldn’t mind, can you explain how exactly I should do it? I am slightly confused on how you attached all of the pieces together and how the bar is attached so it won’t move.
You COULD lol! If …
You COULD lol! If you did do that, I’d cast the base into concrete. You know, build the pipe structure and then cast it. Your other option would be making a wooden frame with 4x4s and carriage bolts or something equally strong. Not that hard, and much sturdier. Possibly cheaper too!
Would you think it …
Would you think it would be possible to make a womens gymnastics low bar? I saw the parralel bars and got an idea but it probably wouldn’t be sturdy…
It was pretty …
It was pretty terrible huh
Yea, I just mean that when you try to start off the safety bars at the bottom position, it’s hard to slide the bar into the position you want, and during the beginning of the lift the bar can “jump” forward or backward a little. It’s irritating. You don’t get that problem with the straps.
Your attempt to …
Your attempt to explain activation energy really made me laugh.
It’s harder to start from the bottom because when you start from the top your muscles store elastic energy on the way down.
Wikipedia has good articles on physics man.