Homemade fat grip for Powerblocks

I wanted to do some thick bar work, but I have Powerblocks, so fat gripz or grip4orce seem like they wouldn't fit very well. So I decided to make my own. This turned out to be WAY easier than I thought it would.

First off, the Powerblock handle is held together by 2 5mm bolts. All you need to take the handle apart is an alan wrench. Pop off one of the bolts, I chose the side without the adder weight lock. It's impossible to put them back together wrong unless you are really trying, or are just amazingly dumb. Anyway, I wrapped the handle (1.25" diameter btw) in pipe insulation (1.25" ID 1.9" OD). I then cut 1.5" (1.9" OD, 1.5" ID) pvc sch40 into 4.75" lengths. Then simply twist and turn the pvc over the foam pipe insulation until it hits the bottom. Reassemble the handle, and there you have it.

The 3 attached images show the end result. The PVC is bare right now, which doesn't seem to slip at all, but to be safe, I have a can of 3M spray on rubber that I'm going to apply tomorrow. I figure 2 coats will suffice.

Looks like a good solution. Repped. It should be much cheaper than Fat Gripz too. The only downside in my opinion is that it requires disassembly. Does that void the warranty?

[QUOTE=melvin2345;990545963]I wanted to do some thick bar work, but I have Powerblocks, so fat gripz or grip4orce seem like they wouldn't fit very well. So I decided to make my own. This turned out to be WAY easier than I thought it would.

First off, the Powerblock handle is held together by 2 5mm bolts. All you need to take the handle apart is an alan wrench. Pop off one of the bolts, I chose the side without the adder weight lock. It's impossible to put them back together wrong unless you are really trying, or are just amazingly dumb. Anyway, I wrapped the handle (1.25" diameter btw) in pipe insulation (1.25" ID 1.9" OD). I then cut 1.5" (1.9" OD, 1.5" ID) pvc sch40 into 4.75" lengths. Then simply twist and turn the pvc over the foam pipe insulation until it hits the bottom. Reassemble the handle, and there you have it.

The 3 attached images show the end result. The PVC is bare right now, which doesn't seem to slip at all, but to be safe, I have a can of 3M spray on rubber that I'm going to apply tomorrow. I figure 2 coats will suffice.

[img]http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5158293&d=1354928858[/img]

[img]http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5158303&d=1354928865[/img]

[img]http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5158313&d=1354928870[/img]

[/QUOTE]

Embedded pics for you.

Thanks for embedding the pics jetigen!

The mod turned out very nicely melvin! Thanks for sharing your results. Reps coming your way.

Looks awesome!! I might need to try this myself.

[QUOTE=morebarbell;990550073]Looks like a good solution. Repped. It should be much cheaper than Fat Gripz too. The only downside in my opinion is that it requires disassembly. Does that void the warranty?[/QUOTE]

Total cost was just shy of $25, but i bought enough material to do the powerblocks, 4 dumbbell handles and my ez-bar.

As far as the warranty, no idea. Im not to worried though. As long as you don't make the pvc too long (it should be able to move back and forth about 1/8"), the handle still maintains structural integrity.

[QUOTE=morebarbell;990550073]Does that void the warranty?[/QUOTE]PB warranty is not transferable. So, if you bought them secondhand do whatever you want.

According to PB website, the warranty would be void if you try to alter or repair the dumbbells by yourself. Here is a screenshot with the link:

[img]http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5160273&stc=1&d=1354997987[/img]

[url]http://www.powerblock.com/Manuals/ClassicManual.pdf[/url]

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[QUOTE=jtaliani;990570153]Thanks for embedding the pics jetigen![/QUOTE] No problems

Could be wrong, but I don't think this would void the warranty. I cannot see where the product has been altered (cut, bent, glued, etc.). Putting the PVC on the handle seems more akin to using a squat pad on a barbell when doing squats. You can put it on and take it off and the underlying product isn't changed.

I know its an old thread but hopefully the OP is still around.

This looks like such a great idea I tried it with my powerblock classic 50 plus. I bought sch 40 abs pipe with inner diameter of 1.5inch so that that outer diameter is close to 2inchs. The pipe insulation I have is inner diamater 1.25inch to match the diameter of the powerblock handle (outer diameter is close to 2inches as well). So it looks like I got the same materials as melvin2345 but I was unable to get the abs pipe over the pipe insulation. The pipe insulation compresses but after an inch or less, my experience is that it's pointless to twist and force the abs pipe over the insulation as the pipe insulation underneath tears as I twists with the abs pipe on top or the abs pipe just won't move any further. Any tips to get the abs pipe over the pipe insulation?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[QUOTE=tytw00;1383198533]I know its an old thread but hopefully the OP is still around.

This looks like such a great idea I tried it with my powerblock classic 50 plus. I bought sch 40 abs pipe with inner diameter of 1.5inch so that that outer diameter is close to 2inchs. The pipe insulation I have is inner diamater 1.25inch to match the diameter of the powerblock handle (outer diameter is close to 2inches as well). So it looks like I got the same materials as melvin2345 but I was unable to get the abs pipe over the pipe insulation. The pipe insulation compresses but after an inch or less, my experience is that it's pointless to twist and force the abs pipe over the insulation as the pipe insulation underneath tears as I twists with the abs pipe on top or the abs pipe just won't move any further. Any tips to get the abs pipe over the pipe insulation?

Thanks in advance for any replies.[/QUOTE]
Some lubrication might help. Dishwashing liquid is worth a try for this situation.

Just an update. I never did get it to fit. However, I tried this on my pull-up tower which has standard 1inch handles. It works but the problem is that the pipe insulation compresses when you workout such that the handle is not the most stable.

I don't have PB's, but why wouldn't fat gripz fit on them? If they need to be cut, just buy some cheap fat gripz knockoffs.

[QUOTE=Ramcharger310;1398482363]I don't have PB's, but why wouldn't fat gripz fit on them? If they need to be cut, just buy some cheap fat gripz knockoffs.[/QUOTE]

I ended up buying alpha grips 2 inch diameter version. The issue is the outer diameter of the Powerblock handle is greater than the inner diameter of the alpha grips so there is a gap which I find annoying when gripping the handle. Also the gap makes the diameter of the handle closer to 2.25 inches which starts to be a tight fit inside the Powerblock. 2 inch diameter with no gap would have been ideal as achieved by the original poster. Oh well.

I did have to saw off 1/4 inch off one end of the alpha grips.