The 'No Excuses Homemade Equipment Crew'

[Vermonter]

You can obtain the link location for the files in the screen where you add them as attachments. Right-click on the hyperlinks in that window once you have uploaded them (don't close the window before getting them).

*Edit* Or, make your post, with the files as attachments... and then just right-click on the attachments and get the link location to the images that way. Then, just use the [ img ] [ /img ] tags

[KBKB]

By way of trying out my new sig, here are a couple of other DIY or partial DIY projects...

The photo below shows my hangboard set up above the doorway and resistance band anchors off to the left.


Below is a close-up of the hangboards and mounting platform that I built for them. The top one is a So Ill Iron Palm Board and the bottom one is a Metolius Project Training Board. The bottom hangboard is mounted to a large sheet of 3/4" plywood. Above that, the Iron Palm board is mounted on top of another smaller piece of 3/4" plywood that's been glued and screwed to the large piece underneath. I wanted the top hangboard to stick out a bit so that the lower one would not interfere with its use - that's the reason for the extra layer of plywood between the top hangboard and the base layer of plywood.

The dowels on each side protrude five inches from the three layers of plywood into which they were inserted. So, there are two layers of plywood mounted onto the base layer. A 1.25" hole was drilled into the center of these blocks and then the 1.25" dowels were glued into place. I've placed vinyl tubing over the dowels. They can be used either for doing pull ups, or for band anchors for assisted work. Since the photo was taken, I've also added a large eye bolt centered at the top. When my daughter does assisted pull ups, she attaches the resistance band to a carabiner attached to that top eyebolt via a short length of cord and another 'biner. We found that it was easier to have the band anchor centered instead of off to one side or another.

Both hangboards are affixed to the base via 1/4" machine screws to T-nuts that I installed on the back side. This allows me to remove the hangboards should I want to clean them. (Apparently, you can wash climbing holds in the dishwasher. I'd guess the same is true for these.) The entire unit is attached to the wall above the doorway with twenty-two 1/4" lag screws of varying lengths to account for the different thicknesses in the mounting platform. It's been very, very solid so far.

I do pull ups on the big holds at the far left and right of the Metolius board. I occasionally use the higher board though. I'm able to campus from the pull up holds to the wide pinch grips on the Iron Palm board and then do pull ups off of that. I find it very difficult to even hang on the large slopers at the top. My son is able to campus up to those holds, however, and is able to do a pull up on those holds.


Below is a photo of my resistance band / cable anchors. It's a piece of oak measuring eight feet by 3.5 inches by 3/4 inches. There are nine eyebolts, each about 10.75 inches apart. An older Lifeline USA R5 cable is hanging from it.


The photo below shows a close-up of the midpoint of the R5 cable. You can also better see the eyebolt and the routing that I did on the edges of the board to make it look nicer.

The nylon utility cord has been formed into a loop tied with a double fisherman's knot. The loop of cord is then girth hitched to the resistance cable. The cable deforms enough that the girth hitch is able to hold it in place without slippage allowing you to use only one end of the cable if desired.

Note, too, that the ends of the cord have been melted with an old soldering iron. This prevents the nylon cord from fraying.


The last two photos, below, show the band anchors in use. These were originally posted to the Shoulder Horn Review thread.

[ProtienandIron]

Nice one KBKB. I've been thinking of getting one of those shoulder horns, are they worth the money? My shoulders have stopped me training upper body since christmas so I'm at the stage where I'll try anything to stop it getting worse/happening again. I'm seeing a chiro and physio to sort it out so hopefully not too long now.

[KBKB]

Nice one KBKB. I've been thinking of getting one of those shoulder horns, are they worth the money? My shoulders have stopped me training upper body since christmas so I'm at the stage where I'll try anything to stop it getting worse/happening again. I'm seeing a chiro and physio to sort it out so hopefully not too long now.

The Shoulder Horn is effective at keeping your form correct while performing external rotations. That said, I haven't been using mine much recently. Instead, I've been doing external rotations laterally with a resistance cable as shown in the penultimate photo (from my earlier post). As to why I'm not using it... I've said it in the past, the longer that it takes me to set something up, the less likely I am to use it. It doesn't take that long to set things up to use the Shoulder Horn, but I have to drag over the Ironmaster Spotting Stand and adjust it to make it easy to grab the DBs. And when I'm done, I have to put it away. It's easier to just do the lateral external rotations.

If you don't know about it yet, you should look into trigger point therapy. Trigger points are small knots in muscle which can refer pain to other locations, often joints. The site of the trigger point referring the pain can be some distance away from the location where you feel the pain. If you manage to break these knots up, the referred pain often goes away, sometimes almost immediately. The trick, sometimes, is finding them.

I was experiencing some wrist pain a month or so ago which was preventing me from picking up a kettlebell. I learned that trigger points in the forearm extensor muscles can refer pain to the area of wrist where I was feeling pain. I felt around on my forearm with my other hand and felt, in my arm, not with my fingers that were doing the probing, a sore spot at one particular point in my forearm. Using a LaCrosse ball, I massaged that area for a short time. When I was done, the pain in my wrist was gone and I was able to pick up the kettlebell and do my planned workout. It took a couple weeks of massage using the LaCrosse ball several times a day (for perhaps 30 seconds at a time) before I was no longer able to find the knot anymore. I can cite other examples involving my knee, foot, elbow, and back where this therapy has been effective too.

The resource that I find to be most helpful is The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief , by Clair Davies. The same author has also written a book about shoulders, The Frozen Shoulder Workbook: Trigger Point Therapy for Overcoming Pain and Regaining Range of Motion. I own this latter book too, but am using the first one more as I don't currently have too many problems with my shoulder. (My range of motion could be better, however.) The author, Clair Davies, tells his own story about his crippling shoulder pain in the first chapter of the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook. It's available online via that link in the previous sentence. It's a compelling story and is well worth reading.

The massage tool that I use most frequently alternates between the LaCrosse Ball and the Body Back Buddy. I've posted photos comparing the Body Back Buddy to the Thera Cane, which is a similar massage tool. The knobs on the Body Back Buddy are smaller than those on the Thera Cane and, for me at least, do a better job of penetrating deep into the muscle. There are some pointier knobs too which work well for working on trigger points just under the scapula.

I think the book mentioned above and a Body Back Buddy would be a better investment than a Shoulder Horn. The Shoulder Horn does have value, but you'll almost certainly get more bang for the buck (or English Pound) with the book and some suitable massage tools.

[ProtienandIron]

Wow, thanks for the really informative post. I have been meaning to buy the trigger point book for ages. My shoulder problems are unfortunatly worse then that right now though. My shoulders have pulled forward and down and caused a shoulder impingement. Years of thai boxing, very high rep bodyweight sessions, and bad posture (caused by old small ignored injuies) are the main causes. I may just pick up the shoulder workbook too and a trigger point tool. Anyway, I've got some good people working on it now (great female chiro with a heavy lifting and sports background), and i'm on rehab so hopefully it will be sorted soon as the break is killing me. Thanks again for your post, its given me lots to think about.

[KBKB]

My earlier post on trigger point therapy reminded me of something else that I've built.

It's a rolling pin. I was thinking about getting a Tiger Tail, but one of the Amazon reviews suggested that it'd be easy to build one. I bought the parts and, as I was building it, I realized that I was making a rolling pin. I might have saved money and time by purchasing one used to roll out pastries and pie crusts.

I've used it to massage my calf muscles. When I had really bad trigger points in them, rolling it up and down the calf muscle perhaps half a dozen times would elicit a lot of pain from certain parts of the calf. Those spots that hurt the worst were then candidates for massage with another tool, usually the middle knob on my Body Back Buddy. With that tool, I was able to press very hard and massage the Soleus through the Gastrocnemius. But the rolling pin helped me to first locate spots which needed attention.

Anyway, here it is:



The next two photos show my rolling pin next to a Knobble II and a LaCrosse ball. A LaCrosse ball is about the same size as a tennis ball, but is a lot harder. It's great for using body weight to work deep into certain muscles.





Here's the parts list:

2 ea. 3/4" x 5" PVC threaded nipple
1-1/2" x 12" PVC threaded nipple
3/4" x 48" aluminum tubing (obviously, I didn't need that entire length)
1ft of 1-1/4" x 1" clear vinyl tubing
2 flanged cartridge bearings 3/4" I.D. x 1-1/8" O.D. (1-1/2" O.D would have been better)
2 pieces of shim material for interfacing bearing to 1-1/2" I.D. PVC nipple

I cut the threaded portions off of the 12" Nipple and used a file to remove the rough edges from the ends. Total length of the PVC tube with the threaded portions removed is 9-3/8". (The reason for cutting the ends off is that I didn't want the threaded portion rolling over my skin.) The O.D. (outside diameter) of this tube is 1-7/8".

Whenever I change windshield wiper blades, I keep the spring steel from the blade as it's proved useful for a number of purposes. Using two of these from the last time I changed wiper blades, I coiled them into a cylindrical shape and inserted them into the ends of the 1-1/2" I.D. PVC tube (whose ends were cut off in the earlier step). This allowed me to obtain a good interference fit with the cartridge bearing inserted into the end. As noted in the parts list, it'd be better to have a 1-1/2" O.D. bearing, but my hardware store doesn't have this size. I don't see one at McMaster-Carr either.

Next, I cut the aluminum tubing to a suitable length, approx 19-1/2" long. After cleaning up the ends with a file, I inserted the aluminum tubing through the bearings in the large tube.

I then cut two 5" segments from the vinyl tubing. I sprayed the two 5" PVC nipples with silicone lube and then put the vinyl tubing over those nipples. It was a tight fit and I ended up using a rubber headed mallet to get them all the way on. These two 5" vinyl covered pieces are the handles.

I then put the handles over the aluminum tubing protruding from the PVC roller. It turned out that I needed to epoxy the handles in place.

Total cost of materials before tax is $27.65. The bearings alone account for a third of the cost and the aluminum tubing - of which I have more than I need - the other third.

[OhSoFocus]

You can obtain the link location for the files in the screen where you add them as attachments. Right-click on the hyperlinks in that window once you have uploaded them (don't close the window before getting them).

*Edit* Or, make your post, with the files as attachments... and then just right-click on the attachments and get the link location to the images that way. Then, just use the [ img ] [ /img ] tags

Thanks for the info

[sherman]

Here's a small DIY that might help around the gym. It's away of supporting a pipe that lets the pipe be easily removed. Could be used for dip and pullup setups, plate holders etc..

A 3/16" pilot hole should be drilled when using 3/8" lag bolts.

pipemountgroup.jpg
pipemountassy.jpg
pipemountparts.jpg

[hardNheavy2011]

This was my first project I made years ago. I still use it a little today, but now I just do dips. LOL I hadn't put the leg hold down on yet and I could have built a better frame with a heck of a lot less metal. But, live and learn. LOL

[ProtienandIron]

Nice! Don't worry about the metal content, the more the better IMO. lol I particularly like the 2 muscle cars in the background, are they yours?


...and did you build them from scratch out metal you had lying about?

[twodog]

This was my first project I made years ago. I still use it a little today, but now I just do dips. LOL I hadn't put the leg hold down on yet and I could have built a better frame with a heck of a lot less metal. But, live and learn. LOL

LOL, the frame is huge, but the good thing is that you've figured a way to repurpose it.

Btw, I love looking at some of the stuff that you've built. Keep 'em coming

[hardNheavy2011]

Nice! Don't worry about the metal content, the more the better IMO. lol I particularly like the 2 muscle cars in the background, are they yours?


...and did you build them from scratch out metal you had lying about?

I agree the more metal the better, but it ends up coming down to cost. Less metal, less money. LOL Plus, with a little engineering, I can make the same machine with half the metal and it will still be just as strong. I'm still learning after all these years.

I still have the blue car, but sold the red one awhile back. I wish I could figure out how to make fenders and such, then I could build something unique. LOL

[hardNheavy2011]

LOL, the frame is huge, but the good thing is that you've figured a way to repurpose it.

Btw, I love looking at some of the stuff that you've built. Keep 'em coming

Thanks. I've got quite a bit of equipment I've built over the years to share. Some is good, some isn't. lol

[hardNheavy2011]

Here's a low cable row. I will admit to making a lot of mistakes on this one. It took a few cuts and re-welds to figure out where to attach the cable to the lever. I wanted it to be hard enough to need some weight, but not too hard that there would be excessive pressure on the pulleys. I use this quite a bit, but never got around to painting it. LOL

[ProtienandIron]

Very inventive. I dont think I have ever seen a leverage cable row before like that. Good solid design as with all your stuff.

I wanted to ask you or anyone else here if they have any hamstring and calf orientated homemade setups? I've got a decent calf block but I would be interested to see how people load up besides holding a dumbbell. And for hamstrings it would be nice to see some compact inventive ways of isolating them.

What say you Homemade Crew??!!

[hardNheavy2011]

Very inventive. I dont think I have ever seen a leverage cable row before like that. Good solid design as with all your stuff.

I wanted to ask you or anyone else here if they have any hamstring and calf orientated homemade setups? I've got a decent calf block but I would be interested to see how people load up besides holding a dumbbell. And for hamstrings it would be nice to see some compact inventive ways of isolating them.

What say you Homemade Crew??!!

Hmmm, besides my GHR machine, I don't have any other equipment to isolate the hams that would be compact. My GHR takes up a lot of room!! lol For calves, I got in trade this really old standing calf raise/hack squat machine from sometime in the 60's. I'll have to take some pics of it. It's a space saving design for what it is. lol

[ProtienandIron]

It's a space saving design for what it is. lol

LMAO, I don't believe that for a second!

[rthawker]

Here's a low cable row. I will admit to making a lot of mistakes on this one. It took a few cuts and re-welds to figure out where to attach the cable to the lever. I wanted it to be hard enough to need some weight, but not too hard that there would be excessive pressure on the pulleys. I use this quite a bit, but never got around to painting it. LOL

If you added more attachment points for the cable heading closer to the pivot point you could add resistance without having to add additional plates.

[Vermonter]

If you added more attachment points for the cable heading closer to the pivot point you could add resistance without having to add additional plates.

But then he would have more cable and placement of the handle from the foot rests wouldn't be right.

Also need to consider range of motion.

[KBKB]

Here's a low cable row. I will admit to making a lot of mistakes on this one. It took a few cuts and re-welds to figure out where to attach the cable to the lever. I wanted it to be hard enough to need some weight, but not too hard that there would be excessive pressure on the pulleys. I use this quite a bit, but never got around to painting it. LOL

Cool machine. It's an interesting design.

I studied it at length earlier today trying to get an idea of what the resistance curve would look like. I think the angle of the cable with respect to the lever arm decreases as the end attached to the lever arm moves down. If this is true, this causes the resistance to increase throughout the possible range of motion.

You may, in fact, actually have a greater mechanical advantage at the start of the movement by moving the cable somewhat towards the pivot. I'm not certain of this though. Moving closer to the pivot whilst pulling at a fixed angle relative to the lever arm decreases the mechanical advantage. However, for your machine, as you move the attachment point closer to the lever arm, the pulling angle with respect to the lever arm becomes more favorable. (I'm probably too far removed from the math and physics courses that I took at one time to easily figure it out now.)

With regard to pressure on the pulley, I think you'll decrease the force placed on the pulley mount if you make the angle that the cable takes through the pulley more obtuse (or less acute).

[hardNheavy2011]

Cool machine. It's an interesting design.

I studied it at length earlier today trying to get an idea of what the resistance curve would look like. If you managed to keep the cable running to the lever vertical throughout the entire range of motion, I think you'd have a constant resistance. However, the angle of the cable with respect to the lever arm decreases (I think) as the end attached to the lever arm moves down. If my previous statement is correct, this causes the resistance to increase throughout the possible range of motion.

You may, in fact, actually have a greater mechanical advantage at the start of the movement by moving the cable somewhat towards the pivot. I'm not certain of this though. Moving closer to the pivot whilst pulling at a fixed angle relative to the lever arm decreases the mechanical advantage. However, for your machine, as you move the attachment point closer to the lever arm, the pulling angle with respect to the lever arm becomes more favorable. (I'm probably too far removed from the math and physics courses that I took at one time to easily figure it out now.)

With regard to pressure on the pulley, I think you'll decrease the force placed on the pulley mount if you make the angle that the cable takes through the pulley more obtuse (or less acute).

You bring up some interesting points. I just walked over and looked at the machine again and noticed that at some point, I made some additional changes that I didn't remember making. LOL I moved the pulleys again and moved them up on a 3" piece of square tubing. I now recall why. A guy I train with, who has 25 year of training experience, said the pulley was too low and he didn't feel that much of a back contraction. So, I think I must have cut and re-welded some things after hearing his advice. Let me see if I can get another picture in its current condition. Now I know why I never painted it. LOL It also appears that I moved the angle of the cable to line up with the lever attachment. It's funny that you mentioned all those things. I must have picked up on it somewhere along the way. LOL

Here's a decent pic of how it looks now. I've built so many things over the years that I guess it's all starting to run together. I generally don't paint things that I keep for myself. If it's for someone else, I do it up right. haha I'm almost embarrassed at how junky it looks....but it gives it more of a dungeon look. lol

[sherman]

Another way to hang plates for dips, pullups, and belt squats. Let's you go a bit heavier.

[KBKB]

Another way to hang plates for dips, pullups, and belt squats. Let's you go a bit heavier.

Nice!

What did you use for padding around the nylon webbing?

[twodog]

it more of a dungeon look. lol

I lifted in a cellar (not basement) for years. I love this picture. Long live "Cellar Dwellers", lol.

[pvsampson]

Had to copy this way so the attachment links work.All my weight was scrounged,and I got these stands that were not real safe to squat with........

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...#post837763021

[ProtienandIron]

Had to copy this way so the attachment links work.All my weight was scrounged,and I got these stands that were not real safe to squat with........

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...#post837763021

And that ^^^ sums up the 'No Excuses' part of the crew. Good work sampson.

[ProtienandIron]

No money for a rogue, ironmind, or spud inc dip belt? No problem.

Introducing my 3 tonne dip belt:







The belt is rated at 3 tonnes- £5
Stainless shackles- £6 each (can be found at half the price if not stainless, it was all the shop had)
Carabiner- £1.50
8mm short link chain (different chain in pic)- £5.00

An overkill dip belt for less then half the price. It can obviously be made a lot cheaper by buying thinner metal hardware, but wheres the fun in that.

[twodog]

No money for a rogue, ironmind, or spud inc dip belt? No problem.

Introducing my 3 tonne dip belt:



The belt is rated at 3 tonnes- £5
Stainless shackles- £6 each (can be found at half the price if not stainless, it was all the shop had)
Carabiner- £1.50
8mm short link chain (different chain in pic)- £5.00

An overkill dip belt for less then half the price. It can obviously be made a lot cheaper by buying thinner metal hardware, but wheres the fun in that.

Great idea, thinking out of the box. I already have a couple of slings around as well as most of the hardware.

Thanks.

[ProtienandIron]

Cheers twodog. Thats a good thing about this. Most people already have a piece of old bike chain and maybe the odd carabiner lying about. I just tested it to 50kg as a comfort test and it sits nicely. The dip belts I listed cost a fortune by the time they get shipped over here, so most people just make do with the leather ones instead.

Here are some fractional plates made out of speaker magnets. I ripped these out of a car about 12 years ago for this purpose but never bothered to paint them up. These ones are a kilo each but I have some smaller ones somewhere. Total cost for 6 fractionals; £5 and a bit of work breaking them away from the speaker cone. If the speakers are already damaged, then the scrap yard won't charge you hardly anything for them.



On a hex dumbbell.


An oly bar


Stored on my power rack

[Skidmarx]

This was my first project I made years ago. I still use it a little today, but now I just do dips. LOL I hadn't put the leg hold down on yet and I could have built a better frame with a heck of a lot less metal. But, live and learn. LOL

hold on a sec, did you used to be Turboboy on these forums?