Payton's Lifting, Cardio, and Food Journal

[ElrondHubbard]

Some strong-ass people in this thread!

[HomeGymChains]

HGC,

I'm a fan of homemade gym equipment too. I actually have a squat rack made from 4x4's (the vertical members) and 2x6's (the horizontal members). I've made gym rings from pvc pipe heated in an oven and bent around a paint can before it cooled, and I made 70# dumbbells out of cinder blocks for farmer's carries

Keep up the great work!

Very great home gym projects!

I would greatly appreciate seeing pictures of the homemade squat rack.

(You've probably posted them there already, but in case you haven't,) these home-made ideas would be great to post in these three threads:

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=124231231
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=175136471
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=143816731

[Payton1221]

I would greatly appreciate seeing pictures of the homemade squat rack.

Here you go (ignore the lighter color 2x6 behind the 4x4 on the right as this was an add on to make a vertical leg press and isn't really a part of the rack):



Notice how the 4x4's are notched at the top and the lag screwed into the joists in the ceiling. The 2x4's on the floor are held in place with concrete screws.

[Payton1221]

Here's my homemade dumbbell rack. And notice the hooks on the larger ones. I hang them from a barbell and then just "unhook" to lift where they're already in position and then rehook when the set is over. Also notice the circular weights on the end of the two big dumbbells on the floor. I tapped a 5/16" coarse bolt thread in the ends of the bigger dumbbells and I have 2.5 and 5 pound plates with 5/16" bolts in them so I can adjust the weight of the dumbbell in increments of 2.5 lbs so I can convert my 70's to 72.5, 75, 77.5, and 80's (which is what you see with the 5# plates on each end). The rack can support the 80# dumbbells but my son removed them from the barbell the other night before he lifted and he just layed them on the floor.

[Payton1221]

I have another rack too. This is a Nautilus rack that I bought off Craigslist. It's a beast and I got a great deal on it. The barbell is the one that I hang the heavy dumbbells on (ignore its position. I pushed it back so that it wouldn't interfere with the previous photo of my homemade rack), but look at the colored bands. I bought these real cheap off eBay and I use them for my Crossover Symmetry shoulder warm-up exercises which I think have benefited my shoulder health.

[Payton1221]

Last one Nothing earth-shattering here, but here's what I use for my step-ups. It's two cinder blocks stacked with a 2x4 underneath that makes about an 18" step which is perfect for my 5'10" frame. You only need 4 cinder blocks (two stacks of two which gives you a 16x16 platform. I have more shown but they're unnecessary. You can also see the hooks for the dumbbells too. It was an eye bolt that I opened up by holding the end of it in a vice and then opening it up.



Edit: I just noticed that you can see the homemade pvc gym rings in the background next to my blue golf bag

[bamazav]

Last one Nothing earth-shattering here, but here's what I use for my step-ups. It's two cinder blocks stacked with a 2x4 underneath that makes about an 18" step which is perfect for my 5'10" frame. You only need 4 cinder blocks (two stacks of two which gives you a 16x16 platform. I have more shown but they're unnecessary. You can also see the hooks for the dumbbells too. It was an eye bolt that I opened up by holding the end of it in a vice and then opening it up.



Edit: I just noticed that you can see the homemade pvc gym rings in the background next to my blue golf bag

If you have a dip belt, you can use the same cinder blocks for belt squats. That is what I do for mine. I was given a dip belt a few years back and purchased a "Loading Pin' from Titan, I have also made one from a heavy duty strap I found on Amazon.. I can load up about 250 lbs on the loading pin, to squat with but currently using about half that. The belt allows you take weight off of back, but changes the whole feel. A great alternative to back squats. Hadn't thought of using them for step ups. I love to see the DIY stuff.

[HomeGymChains]

Great home-built equipment!
Fantastic home gym!
Very nice lifting videos in your gallery.

Thanks!

[Payton1221]

If you have a dip belt, you can use the same cinder blocks for belt squats. That is what I do for mine. I was given a dip belt a few years back and purchased a "Loading Pin' from Titan, I have also made one from a heavy duty strap I found on Amazon.. I can load up about 250 lbs on the loading pin, to squat with but currently using about half that. The belt allows you take weight off of back, but changes the whole feel. A great alternative to back squats. Hadn't thought of using them for step ups. I love to see the DIY stuff.

I used to do belt squats, and I had some homemade (of course I did ) contraption, but I forget how it was set up to start/stop the movement. How do you start/stop your sets? Is the loaded pin on the floor and you squat to connect to it before standing up or is it supported on a cinder block to when you connect to it?

I also know that you can use a barbell placed in a corner (a' la landmine) for hip belt squats too. But either way, you've mentioned a great exercise for your quads IMO.

And if you've never tried Step-Ups, give them a try. It's another great quad/glute exercise that's also back friendly due to the lower weight that you're handling. I don't know doing bodyweight would build muscle or not, but doing 40 reps with bodyweight only wipe me out!

Great home-built equipment!
Fantastic home gym!
Very nice lifting videos in your gallery.

Thanks brother from another mother who also makes his own gym equipment

[bamazav]

I used to do belt squats, and I had some homemade (of course I did ) contraption, but I forget how it was set up to start/stop the movement. How do you start/stop your sets? Is the loaded pin on the floor and you squat to connect to it before standing up or is it supported on a cinder block to when you connect to it?

I also know that you can use a barbell placed in a corner (a' la landmine) for hip belt squats too. But either way, you've mentioned a great exercise for your quads IMO.

And if you've never tried Step-Ups, give them a try. It's another great quad/glute exercise that's also back friendly due to the lower weight that you're handling. I don't know doing bodyweight would build muscle or not, but doing 40 reps with bodyweight only wipe me out!


Thanks brother from another mother who also makes his own gym equipment

When I redid my gym this summer, I started building a belt squat specific set up. I realized I had all these cinder blocks in the back yard that would be a lot easier than building a set up. I then built a small bench that I use to set the loading pin on. I hook up while standing on floor, so no squatting, then step up onto the blocks. So far it has worked. As things get heavier, I will have to rethink this setup. Here is a picture of my current set up. IMG_3338.jpg . Sorry for the side view, upload somehow rotated the pic.

Next project is to rebuild my reverse hyperextension table.

[Payton1221]

Attachment 9015101 .

Next project is to rebuild my reverse hyperextension table.

Great idea on how to locate the weight relative to your cinder blocks.

Regarding a reverse hyper, I made one from a roman chair that I bought. I have it elevated on cinder blocks (of course ) and I lay on the seat facing where my legs should go.

[Payton1221]

I bought one of those pull-up bar devices that go in a doorway, and I'm trying a single set every morning and every night for something like 5 days in a row with a couple days break. I'm going to replace the pull-ups that I've been doing during my actual workouts with either an ab or a trap exercise. Anyway, I should have expected my pull-up number to be somewhat greater since I have always done them as the second set in a superset really just to minimize my time in the gym. I usually will do incline bench immediately followed by pull-ups, and I normally get ~14 pull-ups.

So imagine my surprise when this morning--immediately after waking up--I was able to get 18 (and 3/4) pull-ups! Unless I lose 5 lbs or so (which currently isn't on my radar as I look decent at 171-173-ish), I don't see this number rising but I was blown away by this.

[TM79]

I bought one of those pull-up bar devices that go in a doorway, and I'm trying a single set every morning and every night for something like 5 days in a row with a couple days break. I'm going to replace the pull-ups that I've been doing during my actual workouts with either an ab or a trap exercise. Anyway, I should have expected my pull-up number to be somewhat greater since I have always done them as the second set in a superset really just to minimize my time in the gym. I usually will do incline bench immediately followed by pull-ups, and I normally get ~14 pull-ups.

So imagine my surprise when this morning--immediately after waking up--I was able to get 18 (and 3/4) pull-ups! Unless I lose 5 lbs or so (which currently isn't on my radar as I look decent at 171-173-ish), I don't see this number rising but I was blown away by this.

Well, put my name in the hat of people who aren't at all surprised by that. For someone of your weight and strength I would imagine you can get that many pull-ups just about any day. I've been using one of those for years to do pull-ups in my hotel rooms and the wide commercial doorways add an extra element of danger to it when only 1" or so is resting on either side of the doorway. A few years ago I did a routine similar to what you're talking about, where I did pull-ups 4 or 5 days per week. This resulted in two things.

1. My arms got enormous.
2. My back and shoulders had some pretty severe over use pain.

I ended up throwing in the towel and just going back to putting them in my program.

[ElrondHubbard]

Catching up, saw the pictures and I'm past impressed, well into inspired. That's a very nice and sturdy setup, beautifully designed.

[Payton1221]

I'm like a lot of you on here in that I'm somewhat serious with my lifting and nutrition. My 18 year old son, on the other hand, not so much, but he has done a spartan workout consisting of just benching and pull-ups every third day for several years now. He naturally has strong (and big) legs and glutes so he never does squats. And his diet consists mostly of chicken tenders, spaghetti, and fries So he naturally has a larger frame than me with wrists at least 3/8" larger than mine.

Since he has nearly quit growing, his strength has somewhat plateaued, but he's constantly doing the same 3-4 week cycle where he resets then slowly works back up to his top incline bench weight of 195 lbs to try and beat his previous rep record. So today I thought I'd compare myself to him. I've always had a nice, albeit short, strength increase immediately following a day of a huuuuge excess . . . like the day after Thanksgiving So here's how we compare:

Mark Jr (yes, his name is the same as mine): 5'9', 185#, and probably 18% BF, and NINE(9) incline bench reps with 195#
Mark Sr: 5'10, 173#, and probably 15% BF, and EIGHT(8) incline bench reps with 195#


P.S. The strength increase after the surplus was definitely in effect (affect?) today, because the 195x8 calculates to a 1RM of 235# with the chart that I use. The last incline bench workout six days ago for me netted a calculated 1RM of just 225.

[Cantplankwell]

I'm like a lot of you on here in that I'm somewhat serious with my lifting and nutrition. My 18 year old son, on the other hand, not so much, but he has done a spartan workout consisting of just benching and pull-ups every third day for several years now. He naturally has strong (and big) legs and glutes so he never does squats. And his diet consists mostly of chicken tenders, spaghetti, and fries So he naturally has a larger frame than me with wrists at least 3/8" larger than mine.

Since he has nearly quit growing, his strength has somewhat plateaued, but he's constantly doing the same 3-4 week cycle where he resets then slowly works back up to his top incline bench weight of 195 lbs to try and beat his previous rep record. So today I thought I'd compare myself to him. I've always had a nice, albeit short, strength increase immediately following a day of a huuuuge excess . . . like the day after Thanksgiving So here's how we compare:

Mark Jr (yes, his name is the same as mine): 5'9', 185#, and probably 18% BF, and NINE(9) incline bench reps with 195#
Mark Sr: 5'10, 173#, and probably 15% BF, and EIGHT(8) incline bench reps with 195#


P.S. The strength increase after the surplus was definitely in effect (affect?) today, because the 195x8 calculates to a 1RM of 235# with the chart that I use. The last incline bench workout six days ago for me netted a calculated 1RM of just 225.

Hey Mark

Hoping your are enjoying some down time with family!

I absolutely cant compare myself with my one son who is into lifting.

He is 6'-2" and probably 140 lbs

He can eat whatever he wants. not gaining a pound.

he can do a sub 19 minute 5k

Can snatch his own bodyweight + , and can clean 90kg+ (not sure about jerk),

He even rowed at university for a season!

Not sure where he got this from...I dont remember what the postman looked like 21 years ago, Ill have to ask around.


I would love to have something near those incline #s, but I am nowhere close.

make sure you lock in those turkey gains!

[Filmbuff81]

The DIY stuff is pretty awesome, and nothing like lifting young.

I remember the good old days when I knew nothing and didn’t have the internet to tel me otherwise and Just lifting and doing whatever lol.

[ElrondHubbard]

I'm like a lot of you on here in that I'm somewhat serious with my lifting and nutrition. My 18 year old son, on the other hand, not so much, but he has done a spartan workout consisting of just benching and pull-ups every third day for several years now. He naturally has strong (and big) legs and glutes so he never does squats. And his diet consists mostly of chicken tenders, spaghetti, and fries So he naturally has a larger frame than me with wrists at least 3/8" larger than mine.

Since he has nearly quit growing, his strength has somewhat plateaued, but he's constantly doing the same 3-4 week cycle where he resets then slowly works back up to his top incline bench weight of 195 lbs to try and beat his previous rep record. So today I thought I'd compare myself to him. I've always had a nice, albeit short, strength increase immediately following a day of a huuuuge excess . . . like the day after Thanksgiving So here's how we compare:

Mark Jr (yes, his name is the same as mine): 5'9', 185#, and probably 18% BF, and NINE(9) incline bench reps with 195#
Mark Sr: 5'10, 173#, and probably 15% BF, and EIGHT(8) incline bench reps with 195#


P.S. The strength increase after the surplus was definitely in effect (affect?) today, because the 195x8 calculates to a 1RM of 235# with the chart that I use. The last incline bench workout six days ago for me netted a calculated 1RM of just 225.

I think you're keeping up just fine, and Junior will have to step up his game pretty soon if he doesn't want to fall behind the old man!

[Payton1221]

I'm 52 on Friday, so I figured why not snap a progress pic; although, when you've been at it as long as I have, you're not really expecting "progress." You're really just hoping for the "absence of regress"




Oh, check out that white beard ;-)

[Cantplankwell]

Looking good there Payton!!

Your setting the bar their just a little too high for me though



White beard....probably the only way I can match you at something

[bamazav]

Will be 55 on Friday. Not ready to post a progress picture, still have my powerlifter body going on. Wish I knew what color my beard would be but wife has me shave when I get to two days growth, so I never really know. I am pretty sure not white, but more salt and pepper like.

Have a Happy Birthday and a Merry Christmas.

[ElrondHubbard]

I'm 52 on Friday, so I figured why not snap a progress pic; although, when you've been at it as long as I have, you're not really expecting "progress." You're really just hoping for the "absence of regress"


Oh, check out that white beard ;-)

Looking good, man! Geezer women want you, and geezer men want to be you. You’ll cause quite the commotion at the beach!

[Samraiwise]

In my humble opinion, a 52-year-old geezer should not look this gooooooooooooooooooood!!!

Ahem, I think I'm just jealous.

[Payton1221]

Looking good there Payton!!

Have a Happy Birthday and a Merry Christmas.

Looking good, man! Geezer women want you, and geezer men want to be you. You’ll cause quite the commotion at the beach!

In my humble opinion, a 52-year-old geezer should not look this gooooooooooooooooooood!!!

Thanks gents! If you've never taken a progress pic, it's humbling. So many times I'd think to myself: "looking lean," but the progress pic would make me think "ewww. Fat!" It just gives me greater respect for those who actually appear lean in a photo! The old comment about the camera adding 10 lbs definitely applies to shirtless people and it's all fat

[Payton1221]

. . . wife and I have a lot of kids

Welcome aboard. My input is a little less regular because I'm fairly certain that my gains are behind me and it's boring to essentially post the same weight and reps over and over and . . .

Regarding your comment above, we have a salesman who has lots of kids so one day I asked him "Rich, you do know what causes that (kids), don't you?" And he replied "yes, TWO BOTTLES OF WINE!"

[TM79]

Good looking progress photo my friend! I'm 13 years younger but it's funny, we seem to share the same workout goals... And hold on! Your birthday is tomorrow??? Same here. Looks like we share more than just great looks and charming personalities... No way I'm taking a progress photo right now though as I tend to "pause the diet" around this time each year and have put on some pounds. If I don't hear from you, I hope you have a great birthday. I'm planning to get a training session in tomorrow morning and hopefully put some ribs on the Green Egg tomorrow afternoon. Cheers my friend.

[Payton1221]

Good looking progress photo my friend! I'm 13 years younger but it's funny, we seem to share the same workout goals... And hold on! Your birthday is tomorrow??? Same here. Looks like we share more than just great looks and charming personalities... No way I'm taking a progress photo right now though as I tend to "pause the diet" around this time each year and have put on some pounds. If I don't hear from you, I hope you have a great birthday. I'm planning to get a training session in tomorrow morning and hopefully put some ribs on the Green Egg tomorrow afternoon. Cheers my friend.

Thanks. Let me guess, many of your "birthday gifts" were wrapped with candy canes too JK.

Actually, I type this from home as I have been a bit under the weather and woke up with a low grade fever. Missing only my second day of work all year, but I usually have perfect attendance. I'm also missing our company Christmas party too, but oh well, I'll pretend I'm there and overeat at home instead I did manage a workout last night in spite of what was then just a scratchy throat.

OHP
105 x 15
105 x 15
105 x 14

Landmine Rows (Plateauplower suggested this one to me) w/100# plate weight added to the end of the bar
100 PWO x 15
100 PWO x 15
100 PWO x 15

95# Leg Extensions superset with body weight bulgarian squats
15, 15L & 15R
15, 15L & 15R

Due to wrist mobility issues, I haven't done a front or back squat in quite some time, so I've been doing leg extensions, bulgarian squats, weighted step-ups, and of course, (bike) riding the many hills around me for quads and glutes.

I added a pull-up bar in the doorway to our walk-in closet and I've been using it for leg lifts. I've been wrong about "no direct ab work," because when I started with the leg lifts my abs were KILLING ME! I'm trying to do one set every morning and every night every weekday. That's 10 sets/week and still allows 2-1/2 days to recover between Friday night and Monday morning. It's an experiment I suppose, but I'd really have to lose another 8 pounds or more before I could see them better and I'm just not interested in that ATM

[TM79]

Thanks. Let me guess, many of your "birthday gifts" were wrapped with candy canes too JK.

Actually, I type this from home as I have been a bit under the weather and woke up with a low grade fever. Missing only my second day of work all year, but I usually have perfect attendance. I'm also missing our company Christmas party too, but oh well, I'll pretend I'm there and overeat at home instead I did manage a workout last night in spite of what was then just a scratchy throat.

OHP
105 x 15
105 x 15
105 x 14

Landmine Rows (Plateauplower suggested this one to me) w/100# plate weight added to the end of the bar
100 PWO x 15
100 PWO x 15
100 PWO x 15

95# Leg Extensions superset with body weight bulgarian squats
15, 15L & 15R
15, 15L & 15R

Due to wrist mobility issues, I haven't done a front or back squat in quite some time, so I've been doing leg extensions, bulgarian squats, weighted step-ups, and of course, (bike) riding the many hills around me for quads and glutes.

I added a pull-up bar in the doorway to our walk-in closet and I've been using it for leg lifts. I've been wrong about "no direct ab work," because when I started with the leg lifts my abs were KILLING ME! I'm trying to do one set every morning and every night every weekday. That's 10 sets/week and still allows 2-1/2 days to recover between Friday night and Monday morning. It's an experiment I suppose, but I'd really have to lose another 8 pounds or more before I could see them better and I'm just not interested in that ATM

Yes sir. More like Christmas/Birthday "combo" presents. Good looking workout today. Very jealous of those numbers. I've been doing Landmine Rows myself as of late because they don't aggravate the lower back. The doorway pull-up bar sounds good too. Those leg raises will get you. Hope you enjoy your/our birthday tomorrow my friend.

[bamazav]

Sure are a lot of us 21sters around, though I was "late December back in '63." (How often do you get a Frankie Valli quote in your log?) Happy Birthday Brothers.

[Payton1221]

Sure are a lot of us 21sters around

For real? Your birthday is tomorrow (12/21) too?