Sunday, May 29, 2011

Towels and Pullups

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Refreshers never hurt anyone, right? For anyone who has read my blog for any length of time knows that I'm a huge-BEYOND HUGE- fan of pull-ups. Since I'm also a fan of BW progressions beyond simplistic increases in repetitions, I don't regularly grab a normal pull-up bar. There's always a twist to make the pull-up harder.

Most often, that twist is a towel.

Regular readers also know that I use towels when doing pull-ups a lot too. In a way, using towels with pull-ups put my blog on a lot of people's radar. In the past 18 months, I've picked up a lot of new readers so I figured it wouldn't hurt to go over what to do with towels when executing pull-ups.

For most of the towel pull-up crew, the standard method of doing them looks something like what Ross Enemait's doing here:

Always a great way to get things started. I had a slightly different approach. Instead, I decided to use one towel and go with a close grip. I can't imagine why nobody ever thought to add a supination of the wrist into towel pull-ups but I had never heard of anyone doing it before me:

Three years fly by! I did this video around the time the Perfect Pull-up hit the market. By this point, I had been doing this pull-up regularly for a year and while I knew that the PP was a good idea, I thought it was madness to pay that much money to get that extra movement. A towel does the job well enough. These also lend themselves very well to added weight too!

The towel-pull-up relationship doesn't end there...

A while back, I started playing with what I ended up dubbing ladder pull ups. I saw the idea from Ross Enemait's book, "Never Gymless". It's presented as a progression towards the one arm pull up and it's bad-ass as hell!

Of course, you need to work both sides. A year ago, I used to do a ton of these, supersetting with one-arm push-ups. It's a brutal combination!

The fun doesn't stop there. There is the most basic way to take the towel and make the pull-up way harder: just wrap it around the bar. Simple, just not easy. This is my favorite pull up lately and I typically like to thicken my bar up to 3-3.5 inches thick.

Oh, if you're also looking at a way to make chin-ups harder than pull-ups, doing them on a 3+ inch-thick bar is actually harder than doing a pull-up!

That's the beauty of the pull-up: progressing with it is literally as simple as a modification of the grip. Just something that simple completely changes the level of difficulty, often times dropping the total reps by half! There are all kinds of ornate pull-up bars out there in McFitness centers, doing nothing more than pulling towel-hanger duty. Little does anyone realize that a whole other dimension of pulling and chinning up to a bar is waiting for them to try out. Don't make the same mistake.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Homemade Push Pull Mauler Sled

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Nice find via RossTraining


Awesome DIY Mauler Sled





No need for any detailed explanation here as The Fitt Warehouse has provided us with a superb very detailed PDF with full Instructions Check it out the manual here

Check out other DIY Prowler/Mauler Sleds

DIY Prowler

Push Pull Sled

DIY Prowler Plans

Friday, May 20, 2011

Homemade Dumbbell Spotting System

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Something new here and certainly something I've never seen or used before.
I don't really do a lot of dumbbell work but have been in some precarious positions before with heavy dumbbell bench press and found it really akward (if not dangerous) to shed the weight easily when there has been no spotter present.

Here are a couple of videos that will help you build your own Homemade Dumbbell Spotting System

Testing Homemade Dumbbell Power Hooks



and a good one from Home Gym BodyBuilding



This pretty much reminds me of the good old Smith Machine but with a whole lot more freedom.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Push-up Cocktails

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So, I'm still laying down with ice all over my left side and doped up on Vicodin in an attempt to control the pain from this bout of shingles. All the while, I'm thinking about all of the things I should be doing, such as planting all of the fruit bushes that came in the mail this week and installing my new hard water softener. I'm also thinking about the things that I could be doing, things that I enjoy, such as push-up cocktails.

That's a good name for them since I can't drink cocktails while on Vicodin (or, SHOULDN'T drink. The thought has crossed my mind!) and I can't do push-ups since holding an electric toothbrush can cause pain if I hold it too long. Plus, a well-made cocktail always takes a couple of simple ingredients and makes them into something really awesome, far more awesome than the individual ingredients could ever dream of being.

I don't claim to come up with a lot of the ideas that I write about here and I'm not going to claim credit for this one either. Matt Furey gave me this idea a long time ago. Yeah, Matt overcharges for the information that he provides but still, he does give out some sound advice. Taking similar push-ups and doing them in a single set was definitely one of them.

My favorite cocktail starts with the wide hand-stance, normal, and diamond push-ups, in that order. 10-20 reps is all that's needed. I just go from one to the next, without stopping. Or, I'll do one set, walk my with my hands three steps over while keeping my feet in place. The former works the shoulders a lot more. The latter, which I've dubbed clock push-ups, hits the abs more.

My second choice cocktail comes from all of the (pointless) arguments that pop up on forums. Every once in a while, the dive-bomber vs. hindu push-up is one of those sticking points. The reason why people debate which is better than the other eludes me and frankly, why not do both? Alternate between them in the same set, doing 10 hindus and then 10 dive bombers, working up to 40 to 60 push-ups. This is an awesome combination of mobility and strength all in one set of push-ups.

Now, how do you use these push-up cocktails? Well, I promised RJ in SAC that I'd plug kettlebells more often and here's a golden opportunity. When I drove to and from California, I was partial to doing some KB snatches followed immediately by a set of clock push-ups. 4 or 5 rounds of that was enough to shake off any lethargic feelings left in my body from being stuck behind the wheel of a truck for 11 hours. I've kept the kettlebell-push-up cocktail thing going by doing some heavy lateral swings(34 seconds in) followed by a dive-bomber/hindu push-up set. Once again, 4 or 5 rounds of that will get your attention.

I love them both. I'd be doing either of these workouts right now, if I only I had a healthy body that would cooperate...

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

One Goal Down For The Year...

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I really need something to do right about now. It's been three days since I broke out with the shingles and it's starting to really bother me. My pain meter often gets pegged in the 7-9 range if I so much as dare to lift a basket of laundry. I had to get unlucky enough to have the rash flare up on my left side of my body, my dominant side. I can't even crush a CoC Trainer without feeling some sort of discomfort. I'm sure this will pass, and I'll be able to get back to doing all the stuff I like doing...

...like doing my 100 rep, 1/2 BW squat set!

That was the news of the end of last week before this unholy virus decided to pop out of my nerve gaglions. I managed to make the jump from two sets of 70 & 30 up to one set of 100 with 88 lbs of sand on my back on Thursday. Just for the hell of it, I managed to do it again on Saturday. That was a good feeling for sure. I'd have to say that of the little goals that I throw up for myself to meet in training, this might have proven to be the most beneficial for me in the bigger picture.

After doing hundreds of squats per week, I feel much better acquainted with this exercise now than I ever have before. Alongside deadlifting, this might be one of the most basic, fundamental movement that the human being is capable of but in spite of the simplicity of it, there are still lots of questions.

A couple of people here and there questioned this goal, from a few perspectives. The issues of the knees, specifically the safety for them came from a couple of family members. That's not uncommon since there's always been questions about how safe the squat is for the knees. A lot of people claimed that they've hurt their knees doing squats, something that I have never experienced.

In my NON-EXPERT opinion, the sheer thought of the squat as a knee exercise is the root of the problem. Years ago, this exercise was called the deep knee bend. When I started doing this Steeve Reeve challenge, I made it a point to think of the squat as more of a hip movement that takes the knees along for the ride. I really think that this is a more accurate way to visualize how a squat is supposed to work.

Another, far more controversial question about the squat is how far down. Whenever I squatted, I did my damnest to get below parallel every, single time of those 100 squats. I tried, but that doesn't mean that I succeeded. An Ass To Grass (ATG) is a harder squat to perform since it's more distance to travel. I think that's why it's avoided by many. It's certainly the reason I would only go parallel. As long as I did the squat all the way down properly, I had no problems with pain anywhere going ATG.

I did a lot of this Steeve Reeve Challenge when I was down in Peru, under the watchful eye of my 2 year-old nephew. While he was fascinated with watching me exercise, I was equally intrigued by his squatting technique. Seriously, have you ever watched a 2 year-old squat? 9 times out of 10, IT'S PERFECT! Their feet are the right distance apart, they keep their chest and shoulders proud, and they ATG effortlessly! Watching him made me realize that squatting isn't something that we need to learn but re-learn! I think we lose the basics of this movement with our sedentary lives.

I think that's why I found this whole challenge so beneficial: I re-claimed a lot of movement lost to the chairs, sofas, and lazy-boys. Now, I find myself squatting down to pick up things far more often. My wife finds it amusing. My nephew would be proud though!

I started out doing this challenge by doing goblet squats, 5 sets of 20 reps. It turned out to be a great way to program myself to doing good quality (no-joint pain) squatting. We all know that this is the best way to teach squats, right? It's not right to forget about them once the squat meets the bar. Dan John confirmed what I figured was an awesome idea: use some triple-digit weight to goblet squat! He wrote a great article here. Should anyone feel inclined to try this challenge, I'd start with goblet squatting for sure.

Eventually, the shingles will go away and my body will return to normal. I've got my ropes back from California too. So, I can move onto climbing that cursed 3" thick rope. Patience is always a virtue, no matter if the suffering is self-induced or an act of nature. Patience is eventually rewarded.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

DIY Grip Strength Training - Pony Clamp

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Jedd Johnson provides us with a with a superb tutorial for increasing thumb strength using a 'Pony clamp'

Thumb strength is essential for 'all round grip strength', so take note and get yourself one of these great little devices.



Check out more grip related DIY Gear

Homemade Farmers Walk Bars

Homemade Grip Training Equipment

How to Make a Wrist Roller

Homemade Ball Grip Pullups

Jason Steeves Grip Tools

DIY Inch Dumbbell Trainer

Also, using this DIY Kettlebell you could try to Develop Grip Strength with Kettlebells

Sunday, May 8, 2011

DIY Farmers Walk Bars

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Farmers walk is one of the most functional exercises there is, there is nothing more natural than picking up a weight and walking with it.

The farmers walk also appears in nearly all Strongman competitions with the strongest men in the world now walking with over 440lb's in each hand (wow!).

Although I don't recommend trying to lift maximal weight with the farmers walk, I do think the movement will benefit most people and is also a fun exercise to do. There are some great ideas for making your own Farmers Walk Bars across the net. One of my favourites is this one from timmcbride00






This should be pretty straight forward to build, with some recycled wood (try to get this from a nearby wood skip, many businesses have them and would welcome you taking them as it saves them money), the only cash you'll need to spend is on some tubing and threaded bolts.

I also like this idea from Instructables















An alternative to this one is using some eye bolts and putting a 1" bar through so you can load your weights on rather than using a hook.

Ring eye bolt











Or using this method where the bolt actually goes through the tubing that you load your weights onto.














http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7152/01062008144jb3.jpg


Chris Beardsley from GarageGymOnline also did a great post on making your own farmers bars here here Chris uses straps instead of a solid handle - another great idea for saving cash providing you use sufficient padding.

Which ever bars you decide to make be safe and have fun

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Does the hardgainer exist?

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Since I became a fan of the CoC grippers, I figured it would be neat to join up at the Ironmind Forum. There was some good conversations going on there, included one semi-heated debate ignited by Dave Lemanczyk about the existence of "hardgainers." I really wanted to add my thoughts on the matter but my application hasn't been approved yet.

Then I realized that I have a blog. I can write about it whenever I feel like it.

So, I've talked about this in the past. As a wiry guy who struggled to get myself up to a weight and build that would qualify me as appearing to be somewhat strong, I absolutely believe that this exists. Anyone who has read or listened to anything that Dave L has said knows he's a stand-up guy who knows what he's talking about. He doesn't believe that hardgainers exist. It's just a person who doesn't train right, train hard enough, eat properly, and/or get the rest that they need to grow.

In a sense, he's right. In theory, there is should be no such thing as a hardgainer. If you get enough rest and eat enough of the right foods while doing some good, hard time in your respective gym, then the gains will come. I won't dispute that gains are a result of having the right programming, even the crazier levels of training.

The reason why I disagree with Dave, and many other strength athletes, and believe that the hardgainer definitely exists is that we don't all live the same lives. Dave was a pro basketball player who transitioned into a strength and conditioning coach. His opinion is probably based on his life experiences. He's lived his life, in one way or another, as a professional strength trainer. People like that live a life where being athletically strong as a job. If they have to train for hours a day, eat thousands of calories in a single meal, and sleep 12 hours a day, then that's what they do because it's their job! Physical growth and progress determines whether people like this have a living or not.

It's a different world than the rest of us where our strength training becomes a hybrid of a hobby and hygiene. We have jobs that don't involve the stuff we do in the gym. Since it's not probably not necessary to have the best, most heaviest squat in the world, we don't have the luxury to adjust our entire life to make that goal happen since it doesn't pay bills.

Tom Platz's leg training is a great example of what I'm talking about. I read somewhere that the training that build arguably the greatest legs in bodybuilding history required so much intensity and work that he would count out how many steps he'd have to take in his day-to-day life, taking care not to walk anymore than necessary so he wouldn't hinder his recovery. How many of us can intentionally cut back on how much we walk so we can recover from such a routine? I can't speak for everyone but for work, I often walk several miles every day. My leg training has to accommodate that part of my job.

Furthermore, there is no denying that some of us are more physically blessed than others. Some people are born with the ability to do crazy strength training for long periods of time far easier than others. There's certainly a genetic factor. Then there's also evidence to support that environment and diet as a youth greatly affect how strong a body becomes later in life.

The belief or denial of the hardgainer phenomenon reminds me of the whole labratory/school vs. real life arguments that happen in so many other facets of life. I hate to degrade the brave efforts of our subculture's gym rats by comparing them to book-smart-street stupid places of learning but there are a lot of things that they do that are inaccessible to the average trainer who doesn't have the luxury of molding their life completely around the efforts in the gym. In a sense, their strength training rituals are a completely different animal than what most of us end up doing. In their lives, hardgaining doesn't...no, CAN'T exist. For the rest us, we need a more measured approach.

Now, can someone kindly approve my application already?

Friday, May 6, 2011

Grip Raffle for the Arni Trust

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Unfortunately this is not a DIY build (more of that to follow)

(Note:Please Tweet and Add this to Facebook to spread the word)

I'd like to make you aware that there is a great Grip Raffle going on here in the UK for the ARNI Trust (Action for Rehabilitation from Neurological Injury)

Being a grip fanatic myslef and I'm sure some of you folks who visit this blog also are, I'd like to suggest you support the ARNI trust by taking a look at the superb range of devices and products on offer for a small fee
Check out the products for the ARNI Trust by clicking the link.


I've got my eye on the 53kg Baby Inch Dumbbell, some of Jedd Johnson's DVD's.

It's not often you get to enter a raffle with gear like this in it, so please consider buying some tickets

Well done to Mark Robinson for this superb idea and cause

ARNI Raffle

If you're still not tempted to tak a look then here is a list of some of the great things on offer (AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WHO DONATED)

1-10. Nuttipetz range (Donated by Kevin Buckett)

11. 53KG Cast Iron Circus Dumbbell with 60mm grip

(Donated by Brian at Strength Shop)

12. Weider Pro Bench

(Donated by Mark Richard at Icon Fitness)

13 & 14.

Two Weider 40lb Powerbells

(Donated by Mark Richard at Icon Fitness)

15. Olympic Micro Disc set/fractional plate set

(Donated by Simon Watson at Watson's Gym)

16. 2" thick revolving handle heavy duty swing bar

(Donated by Simon Watson at Watson's Gym)

17 & 18. Two 2" thick Thor Hammers lever bars

(Donated by Simon Watson at Watson's Gym)

19. Cast Iron 16kg Kettlebell

(Donated by Brian at Strength Shop)

20. Z-Trainer Suspension Training System

(plus carry-case, door anchor and instructions booklet)

(Donated by Zita Alves at Z-trainer)

21. Rare unused Viking standard EZ Bar from 1970s

(see Gold's spinlock below it for comparison)

(Donated by Dr Tom Balchin at ARNI)

22. Ironmind Tug3 gripper
(Donated by Dr Randall Strossen at Ironmind)

23. RB 130 Gripper

(Donated by Andy at Pullum Sports)

24. RB 210 Gripper

(Donated by Mark Robinson)

25. CoC Gripper No. 1

(Donated by Dr Randall Strossen at Ironmind)

26. CoC Key Miles to Millimeters

(Donated by Dr Randall Strossen at Ironmind)

27. 24ct Gold Mirror Finished Atomgripz

(Donated by Daniel Evans at GripTraining.co.uk)

28. Single Band Atomgripz PLUS a coloured Atomgripz key ring

(Donated by Lloyd Kelley at GripTraining.co.uk

29. Double Band Atomgripz PLUS a coloured Atomgripz key ring

(Donated by Lloyd Kelley at GripTraining.co.uk)

30. Triple Band Atomgripz PLUS a coloured Atomgripz key ring

(Donated by Lloyd Kelley at GripTraining.co.uk

31. Thick grip Olympic Stubby Bar

(either 2. 2.5 or 3 inch can be chosen)

(Donated by Simon Watson at Watson's Gym)

32. Wrist Developer (comes with white spring)

(Donated by David Horne at World of Grip)

33. Heavy Duty Ab Slings

(Donated by Andy at Pullum Sports

34. 40mm Thick pinch block

(Donated by Andy at Pullum Sports)

35. 1950s James Grose vintage weights display set for your gym

(Donated by Dr Tom at ARNI)

36. Home Made Strength I DVD

(Donated by Jedd
Johnson at Diesel Crew)

37. Home Made Strength II DVD

(Donated by Jedd
Johnson at Diesel Crew)

38. Nail Bending DVD

(Donated by Jedd
Johnson at Diesel Crew)

39. Road to the Record DVD

(Donated by Jedd Johnson at Diesel Crew)

40. Captains of Crush Grippers: What are they and how to close them.

by Dr. Randall Strossen (signed)

(Donated by Dr Randall Strossen at Ironmind)

41. Legacy of Iron

by Brooks Kubik, 1st ed, (signed)

(Donated by Dr Tom Balchin at ARNI)

42,43 and 44. Understanding Stroke (3 copies)

by Rosemary Sassoon

(Donated by Dr Tom Balchin at ARNI)

45. The Successful Stroke Survivor.

by Dr Tom Balchin, 1st ed, (signed)

(Donated by Dr Tom Balchin at ARNI)

46. Kettlebell Juggling DVD

(Donated by Logan Christopher at Legendary Strength)

47. Kettlebell Snatch Domination DVD

(Donated by Logan Christopher at Legendary Strength)

48. Radiant Health DVD

(Donated by Logan Christopher at Legendary Strength)

49. The Evolution of Milo Barbells

by Reuben Weaver (signed).

(Donated by Reuben Weaver)

50. T-shirt ('There is no Cannot')

(Donated by David Horne at World of Grip)

51. Iron History Long Sleeve T-Shirt

(Donated by Joe Roark at Iron History)

52. Kettlebell T-shirt

(Donated by Mark Robinson)

53. 4kg Ankle/Wrist weight

(Donated by Dr Tom Balchin at ARNI)

54 & 55. Two Rotators

(Donated by Chris Melton at Therotator.com)

56. Forgotten Secrets of the Old Time Strongmen by Dave Yarnell

(Donated by Dr Tom Balchin at ARNI)

57. Tribulus, Whey Isolate Protein, Amino Acids, Creatine & Vytal Nutrition sweatshirt

(Donated by Sacha Clarke at Vytal Nutrition)

58. Titan Red Devil 12" Wrist Wraps

(Donated by Mark Robinson)

59. Growth Hormone Release, Whey Isolate Protein, Recovery Fuel, Creatine & Vytal Nutrition sweatshirt

(Donated by Sacha Clarke at Vytal Nutrition)

60. Ironmind Hub

(Donated by Mark Martin-Dye)

Thursday, May 5, 2011

The Pink Floyd Path

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His name fails me but in the third Kettlebell workshop that I attended at Bodytribe, I ended up chatting with one of the other, fellow KB-lifters, discussing what we did for training. Like I've commented earlier, I'm "the Bodyweight Guy", in those parts. He said something that struck me as kind of interesting. For a long time, BW was the most reliably-available method of strength training that I could do. I had to make it work. Since I had so little contact with anyone else, in this guys words, "I wasn't told it couldn't work so I made it work"... or something to that effect.

That sort of reminds me of Pink Floyd. I watched a super-rare interview and documentary about them. According to David Gilmore (I think it was he who mentioned this), they were a bunch of guys who wanted to start a band but they had one problem: they didn't really know how to play any musical instruments. Obviously they learned. Gilmore said it wasn't easy but it did have a distinct advantage: when someone else teaches you to play an instrument, you'll always sound like someone else. It was a totally out-of-order way to become one of the greatest rock bands of all-time but they made it work. In a sense, they didn't know any other way to do it, so they did it the only way they knew how.

It's too common to omit the fact that strength is the same way these days. There are a multitude of instruments that can be used in very different ways to create great amounts of force. Furthermore, we all tailor it just a little bit differently to suit our needs and wants. I don't think that strength can be fully understood if this isn't accepted. There aren't as many unmovable rules to strength training as people out there (who really want your money at all costs) would have you believe.

It was bad enough that I decided to get strong without using the traditional strength training apparatus (as of the this draft of this entry, I have worked out with a barbell twice in my life). I also didn't organize my movements properly. I didn't even use weights for a while. There was a time when I didn't know the meaning of circuit training, even though that was basically what I was doing. I was never told that I couldn't get strong training like that. I never heard that it was just for beginners or it was only good for endurance. Still, I made it work well, presumably moving past what could be considered, "a beginner."

Sure, there are better ways than others to arrive at strong than others. It's obvious that it's way easier to learn how to play a musical instrument than on your own. Improvising as you go usually means that you'll make more mistakes before you get it right. A teacher is, in part, someone who has screwed it up before and can effectively tell you where the mistakes happen. Still, if you're smart about things, you'll find a way to make it work even if someone isn't showing you the way. Too often, teachers are people who benefit from you doing it THEIR way. Forcing you down that way while telling you that's the only way to do it should always raise red flags. Ultimately, it's your body and your strength. The journey and the destintion should suit you.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

2011 Rogue Do-Win Review

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There are many options when it comes to weightlifting footwear. You can buy any one of numerous shoes made specifically for weightlifting. You could also buy common shoes that have a hard sole, like Chuck Taylors. Or you could outright go barefoot, though most commercial gyms will frown on that. While I'm no shoe expert, this is my review of the 2011 Rogue Do-Win lifting shoes.

A little background before I start. I built a home gym and started lifting from home the very first day I got under the bar. I never used a commercial gym. As such, I lifted barefoot from the very beginning. I have never lifted in any type of shoe other than the new 2011 Rogue Do-Wins. I went from barefoot to these. So I cannot compare them to any other shoe, such as other lifting shoes or Chuck Taylors. I have been using the Rogues for near 6 months now.


In my view, one of the better looking shoes available.

The first thing you'll notice about the new Rogue Do-Wins is that they look quite nice. Rather than describe them, simply see the above picture. Though it shouldn't matter, I know many lifters do seem to care. There are other shoes out there that look just plain pug fugly. Not the case with the Rogues. They are not the prettiest shoes out there, nor are they the cheapest but they are still a very nice shoe.

Do-Wins have had a bit of a reputation of being of cheap quality. This has apparently changed with the 2011 Rogue model. They are well put together. I haven't noticed any quality issues whatsoever. The heel is made of wood, as most lifting shoes are, so you know it will not compress. There are other cheaper shoes out there that look pretty but don't have a wood heel. I cannot comment on their quality or function since I have not used them. All I can do is tell you that the Rogue is solid and stable and won't ever compress when lifting a heavy barbell.

The Rogues have a heel of .75 inches. This is slightly more than what coach Mark Rippetoe recommended. Rippetoe also has a shoe available from Rogue with a .5 inch heel. However, the difference is minimal and will not be an issue. Some lifting shoes have heels up to and exceeding 1 inch which is good for Olympic lifting. I am not an Oly lifter and right now I don't really do those lifts so I needed something with a lower heel. The bulk of what I do in the gym is the major compound barbell lifts. Low bar back squats, bench press, overhead press, deadlifts, chin ups, dips, and power cleans, etc.

Immediately, from the very first session, I noticed the difference between lifting barefoot and with the Rogues. The shoe offers far more stabilization. The hard sole provides no compression whatsoever. This is ideal. It feels much more solid than lifting barefoot.

They say it can take a little time to get used to lifting with a heeled shoe. I didn't notice any "learning curve" at all.  The shoes have helped my squat and deadlift. Some people don't like to pull from the floor with a heel but I like it. One big issue I have with pulling from the floor is I tend to let the bar get away from my legs. Lifting in a slightly heeled shoe helps with this. The raised heel encourages a forward lean, which, at the very least, acts a reminder to get the shins touching the bar and keep it that way throughout the lift. I do all the major lifts with these shoes. I haven't noticed any negatives to pressing or pulling in a heeled shoe, quite the opposite. Remember, the Rogues have only a .75 inch heel so it's not as extreme as the standard weightlifting shoes which are over an inch.

I have to highly recommend these shoes to anybody who's interested in them.Rogue initially said to size down 1/2 from your normal shoe size. Now it seems they are saying to order your normal shoe size (probably after customer feedback). I wear a 10.5 to 11 size shoe normally, depending on the type of shoe. I ordered size 10.5 Rogue Do-Wins and they fit nicely. They do have straps, like all Do-Wins. So you can tighten them that way as well.

I will say this, just to have something to "criticize," the laces seemed excessively long. When tightened, both the loops and ends run the entire length of the shoe. It makes no difference in function as they can be held down under the straps. Still, why so long Rogue? Am I supposed to loop them through weight plates, thus turning the mere act of walking into a strength building exercise?

Kidding aside, they look nice, they function well, they are well put together, and they are not expensive, as far as weightlifting shoes go. At around $120 they are on the cheaper side of the weightlifting shoe price range. Rather than give it a score out of 10 or 5 stars, I'll simply end by saying I can't think of anything that needs improvement with the 2011 Rogue Do-Wins. I don't have much experience with different shoes but I have no complaints and I'm glad I decided to buy them rather than continue to lift barefoot.

Oh, and by the way you can get them, or the current model if it's not 2011 anymore, at RogueFitness.com.

- Carl

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

The strongest bench you'll never buy

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Pulling off DIY projects like this is what makes everything worth it. When you can produce something that is so dirt cheap and yet so effective at its purpose, it just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. In this project, I'll show you how to make a weight bench that is strong and incredibly cheap. This is what DIY is all about.



Cost: less than $50
Project Time: 1 day
Difficulty: You have to cut 2x4s and plywood. You have to operate a drill. For the pad you have to cut fabric and use a manual powered staple gun. In other words, not hard at all.

Tools Needed:
  • Drill
  • Saw (for cutting wood) - miter saw is best for cutting 2x4s, but you need something for long straight cuts in plywood as well (I used a normal handsaw)
  • Staple Gun - just a manual powered one, you don't need an air compressor or anything fancy like that.

Materials Needed:
  • 2x4 Studs - at 8 feet long each, you'll need 5
  • 4 Elevator Bolts (at least 1 1/2 inches long) - click here for picture
  • 4 Wingnuts to fit the elevator bolts.
  • Foam padding
  • Fabric of your choice (vinyl, leather, auto or furniture upholstery)
  • 2 1/2 inch decking screws (T-25 star head is my favorite)
  • Wood glue
  • Gorilla glue, or other similar metal/wood adhesive
  • Staples for your staple gun (check your gun for proper size)

The only person this won't be strong enough for is Bruce Banner.

Shopping for a weight bench can be difficult. And by difficult I mean expensive. And just to be clear, whenever I use the phrase "weight bench" I mean a strong one that can be used to Bench Press. The problem you'll run into when buying these is that the reasonably priced ones are not rated to hold much weight. You'll see figures like "300 lbs." But when you consider that the bench has to hold your body as well, 300 lbs. is not much. If you weigh a measly 150 lbs. when you start, and bench press 150 lbs. That's your 300 lbs. right there. This is novice level lifting.

Once you turn into a real lifter after a few years of training, you'll probably weigh closer to 200 lbs. yourself and be benching near 300 lbs. Now that's 500 lbs. and all those affordable weight benches are now too weak for your purposes. But when you start pricing quality benches that are rated for this type of serious lifting, you are going to have to pay hundreds of dollars for them. This is unacceptable by Homemade Strength standards.

The fact of the matter is you can build your own weight bench that can support a ton of weight, I literally mean a ton, that's not slang. You'll never be able to bench press even half a ton so basically what I'm telling you is that you can build a bench that will be many times stronger than you need it to be. And you can do it for less than $50.

A proper weight bench is 17 inches tall, pad included. This bench will have a plywood base that is 3/8 inch thick. It will also have a plywood top, and the removable padding has a plywood base. The total thickness of all the plywood will add up to just over an inch. The pad itself is going to be about 1/2 inch when compressed. If your pad differs from this then adjust accordingly. However, it's better to make your bench too tall rather than too short. So we're going to cut our 2x4s into 15 1/2 inch segments. To start, we will cut sixteen pieces of 2x4, each being 15 and 1/2 inches long. If you have a miter saw or at least a power saw that can handle the job (circular saw, etc.) you will enjoy the process. If you do not, this will be the first wave of a lot of hard labor cutting by hand. Thankfully, I have a miter saw.

 With sixteen boards cut to the length of 15 and 1/2 inches, we're ready to start assembling the top legs. These legs are like miniature I-beams made of three 2x4s each. It's important that you follow my directions of assembly. First step is to make a "T" out of two pieces (see diagram #1).
Mark and drill three holes through the top of the T (Board A). These three holes should be towards the middle of that 2x4, not towards the ends (see diagram #2). Read ahead if you have to, to gain more understanding of what we're doing and why. Drill all the way through Board A so that your bit goes into Board B. Then deepen the holes on Board B to prevent splitting when you put your screws in.



 Slather some wood glue along the face where the boards will touch each other. Now drive three screws into the pre drilled holes. Wipe the excess glue off and you now have one "T" piece. Repeat this procedure and make a second "T" piece.

Now we will cut the 2x4 runners that span the length of the bench. We need two. I made mine 43 inches long. I'm 5 feet 10 inches tall and this gives me plenty of room on the bench. Just make sure your bench is long enough to accommodate you from the bottom of your ass to the top of your head. If you have at least that much room, you're good to go. Whatever measurement you choose, cut two 2x4 studs to this length.


Before we attach these, we have to make holes in our top legs (T pieces) to fasten them to the runners (see diagram #3). We will drill four holes in our "T" piece; two on top, two on bottom. I recommend that you drill from the top of the T downward, as shown in diagram #3. If you drill from the bottom up, Board B will get in the way. This is how we will have to drive our screws (unavoidable) but in order to make straight holes drill from the top.

Aren't diagrams helpful?

But before we drill, we have to measure. Take one of your T pieces and measure 2 inches from the end of Board A and mark a line. Now measure 4 inches from the same end and mark a line. Now repeat these steps for the other end of Board A. You have divided the ends of your board into two sections. We'll call them "top box" and "bottom box." For this T piece choose a box, it doesn't matter which so I'll just pick "top box." Drill two holes in the top box. One centered on each side of Board B. (diagram #3). Do the same for the other end of your T piece. So this is your "top box" T piece.

Now take your other T piece and do the same thing. But this time, drill your holes in the "bottom box". The reason this is important is because these T peices will both be screwing into the same middle board and we need to make sure that you get all four screws into a small space without hitting each other. In other words, the screws on the top box board will be higher than the ones from the low box board. Marking is key to avoiding conflict when it's time to put it all together.

With four holes drilled in your T pieces, we can now attach our long runners. We're going to start with the bottom runner. The best way to mark this runner is to drive screws into your predrilled holes on the bottom of your T piece. Have them sticking out the back of the T piece just a little bit. Now, line up the T piece with the bottom runner as shown in diagram #4. The left side of your runner board should be in line with the left side of your T piece.


Use a level to ensure you're T, which is a leg of the bench, is straight up and down. Now just press the T and the runner together. Since the screw tips were slightly through the T piece they will poke into the runner board and mark it. Now you can drill on those marks, just a bit (not all the way through. Predrilling like this ensures that everything goes in the way you want it and the wood will not split. Slather the point where the boards will contact each other with wood glue. Drive in your two screws. At this point you should have one long runner on the bottom, attached to one T piece.

THE IMPORTANT BOARD STEP

This is a significant step, we're going to label this "The Important Board Step" so that you can repeat it later when I tell you to. Grab two 15 1/2 inch boards. Just like you did with the T piece, measure 2 inches from the end of the board and mark a line, then measure 4 inches and mark a line. Do that on both ends of the board. And do that for both boards. Designate one board as "top box" the other as "bottom box". Drill two holes within the proper "box" on each end of the board. Again repeat that for both boards. So each board should have four holes in it, two at one end and two at the other. And one board should have said holes in the top boxes and the other in the bottom boxes.


Take one of these boards and, just like you did with the T piece, glue it and screw it to the other end (foot end) of the bottom riser, which is already attached to one T piece at the head end.

Now repeat the procedure with the top runner. Secure it to the top of the T piece at one end and the single 2x4 at the bottom. Again use your level to make sure your legs are straight and your runner is straight as well. We're building a flat bench, not an incline or decline bench, after all. Now you should have a frame that looks as it does in diagram # 4-B



To complete this side we need two more of those 15 1/2 inch studs. We're going to cap off our T and make it an I. Just like we did when making the T, put three holes  along the length of the board, in the center as shown. Slather the contact point with wood glue and drive your three screws. Do the same exact thing with your single 2x4 at the foot, now making it a double 2x4 (in essence a 4x4). This is shown in diagram #5.
Not to scale.
From here, go back up the page, to the start, and read the directions again, this time doing it on the other side of the runners. Take the T piece that you've already made and attach it to the other side of the runners. Then take the single board you've already made for the foot of the bench and attach that to the other side of the runners. Then turn the T to an I and the single board to a double at the foot. You've now used up ten of our sixteen lengths of wood. The next step is to overkill reinforce this sucka.

The following picture will do more than words can to instruct you. It's quite straightforward, now that you've got some experience, we're not doing anything different than we've already done. We're putting three boards on each side, towards the head of the bench, where the weight and force will be when you bench press. This is where "The Important Board Step" comes in. We need 3 more pairs of boards. They have to match each other. Meaning 3 have to be "top box" and 3 have to be "bottom box". Basically just repeat the "Important Board Step" three times and you'll have three matching pairs. Secure them as the picture shows, three on each side, covering the top half of the bench (near the head).

Two is better than one, and Twelve is better than two.
No less than 12 supporting beams would have to utterly fail under the load in order for this bench to break. The rating for each beam is more than a ton. Since the average human would be absolutely ecstatic if they could manage even 1/4 that amount, I think we can safely say this bench is well beyond the strength of what you or I would ever need.

The frame of this thing is now complete. The next step is to put plywood on the bottom. The easiest way to do it is to simply put the frame onto your piece of plywood and trace around the frame. As you can see from the picture, I put a piece of plywood under the four 2x4s at the foot of the bench. I then put another piece under the six supports in the middle of the bench. Then another larger piece around the "I beam" legs at the head of the bench.

You can click these pictures to enlarge them, didn't you know?
This larger piece isn't a precise measurement. It is simply wide enough to fit the I beams, and long enough to provide support so that the bench doesn't rock side to side. It's roughly  7 inches longer than where the I-beams stop on each side. Make these measurements / tracings and then cut your plywood. Now drill and screw the plywood onto the frame, no wood glue needed. Do you best to put your screws in spots that don't already have screws in them. I trust you can use your eyes to figure that out.

For the top piece we are putting another layer of plywood. The shape of it is just an outline of the shape of the frame from the top. It's a T shape. The width of the bench is something you could vary depending on your preferences. Standard dimensions for powerlifting benches tends to be around 12 inches. I know some bigger lifters that like a much wider bench. I originally had mine wide like this, but it interfered with arms in the bottom position. My body type/size requires a smaller width, and since I'm not a competitive powerlifter, nobody will care if I make mine suited to my needs. But if you need/like a wider one than adjust accordingly.

As such, the trunk of the "T" on my bench is 9 1/2 inches wide. The top of the T is 15 1/2  by 5 inches (see picture). Cut this shape out of ply wood and screw it into the frame, again choosing places that don't already have screws in them. Also notice that i rounded the corners of this piece. I recommend you do the same to avoid potential injuries. Simply chop off the corner with a saw and then use sandpaper to round it out.

Can also be used as a diving board.
Before we upholster it, we have one last thing to do. We have to make the actual pad that you will lay on. This is composed of three parts, a plywood base, foam, and fabric. Start with the plywood base. I made mine roughly 10 inches wide. Some bigger guys like a wider pad. I'm a small guy, by my standards, and I originally had my pad wider but it was interfering with my arms at the low point of the lift. 10 inches works well for me. I can't say it will be the right size for you.

After you decide on a pad size, cut a rectangle of plywood measuring the width that you've decided on and a length that is about 2 inches longer than the top plywood piece of your frame. Measure, mark, and cut this piece out. Again, round the corners so that they don't rip the fabric you will cover it with.

Now we need to drill holes through both this newly cut plywood and the top plywood part of the frame. Center your plywood pad base on top of the plywood board on the frame so that it hands over an equal amount on all sides. Drill four holes, two towards the head of the bench and two towards the foot. The size of your holes should be just big enough to fit the shaft of your elevator bolts. The exact location of these is up to you to discover. You need the holes  go through both pieces of plywood. You need them to be  in open areas so that the frame doesn't interfere. These holes are where your elevator bolts and wignuts will be going so you need enough open space for your wingnut to thread on to the bolt.

Notice how there's plenty of room to turn the wingnuts. Choose such places when drilling your holes.

The next step is to secure your elevator bolts to the pad's plywood base. With the plywood base still centered on the frame, put your bolts into the holes. If you made your holes small enough the bolts won't sit all the way down. Elevator bolts have a slightly bigger square section towards the head. Put some Gorilla glue around the top of your bolt and hole. Now hammer the bolt into the hole. Repeat for all the bolts. Your elevator bolts need to be a minimum of 1 1/2 inches. They have to go through two pieces of 3/8" thick plywood, and have enough left over for a wingnut, which is like 1/4" at least. I personally got by with the absolute minimum bolt, it just barely fits. Apparently when I did this I miscalculated. I suggest you don't do the same. Get a longer bolt, if you can manage it, better too long than too short.

These bolts are barely long enough to work. Do as I say, not as I do.

The reason why we are doing all this is so that the pad section is removable. If you ever want to reupholster it, now you can. And we also don't want to fasten the pad by screwing up from the bottom because then we'd be getting stabbed by screws when we lie on it. You can also see why we choose something unorthodox like elevator bolts. They have a completely flat head, like a nail. So they won't create an uncomfortable bump in your pad like a rounded or hex bolt may.

The final step is to upholster this baby. You can choose whatever foam and fabric you want. Ideally heavy duty foam made for furniture or auto seats would be best. It's probably pretty expensive. I simply used a basic roll of foam that you can get at Walmart for like $15. For fabric, again upholstery fabric intended for furniture or auto seats will be of the  highest quality but is more expensive. I used cheap vinyl from Walmart. It's holding up perfectly fine after six months of training. If it ever wears out I'll upgrade to better stuff. Depending on the width of your chosen fabric, you will either need one or two yards.

First we need to put the foam onto the plywood. If you are using thin and / or soft foam you should double or triple layer it.  The foam should be just a bit larger than the dimensions of your plywood. Cut down your foam to match the size of your plywood. Lay your fabric out on the floor, so that the good side is facing down. Now lay your plywood with foam piece foam side down. So on the floor you will have your fabric, then foam layers, then plywood on top.

Look at this quality craftsmanship. Good thing you can't see the it when it's on the bench.

To secure the fabric to your plywood, we're going to use staples. I used T-50 size staples. Start with one of the long ends of your bench. Fold the edge of the fabric back over on itself about one inch. So that the edge of your fabric is now double thickness. This is the area we're going to staple into, the double thickness ensuring that it won't rip. Put the edge of this fabric onto the top of your plywood. Now begin stapling this edge. Press down hard with your staple gun and start from the middle and work outward. Doing this will allow you to smooth any wrinkles as you go. For the first edge it's not too important because none of the other edges are secured down yet. Staple all along this edge, leave the corners for later, we'll do them at the end.

Ideally, we don't want our pad to be to cushy. We want it to be firm. If you have cushy foam (as most cheap foam is, then we want to compress it by making the fabric sit tight around it. In order to do this, we have to compress the foam by standing on it as you staple. The second side you staple should be the long edge opposite the first side. You don't work around right to left or left to right. When you upholster something like this you work one side, then opposite side. This is the best way to ensure you can keep wrinkles out of the material.

Pull the material as tight as you can. Now trim it down to a size that will fit your bench. Don't trim too much off or it won't fit, but you likely have feet of excess because this bench is not very wide. After you trim it, fold the excess back on itself, just like you did with the first side. Stand on the plywood to compress the foam. Pull everything as tight as you can and begin stapling this edge, again starting from the middle and working out.

Repeat the procedure for the remaining two short ends. Now for the corners. There's no science to this, as far as I know. It's like wrapping a present. It comes out different every time you do it, And it usually looks kinda sloppy. But in the end it gets the job done. That pretty much describes my experience with both gift wrapping and upholstering corners. You'll have to trim some excess material off and probably fold some material in and tuck some things under. Just get it flat enough to put some staples in and it'll be fine.

By my standards, I did quite a sloppy job with the upholstery on this project. But luckily, when it's bolted to the frame the underside is completely hidden. So don't stress out trying to get things perfect, it really doesn't matter. What's important is that your pad is nice and tight and firm.

With the pad done, all that is left is to secure the pad to the frame. Line up your elevator bolts with the holes on your frame and drop it in. Take your wingnuts and hand tighten them onto your bolts. If you choose to paint your bench, do so without the padding on.

Everything you see here for less than $150. I'm assuming you can't see the bar, weights, shoes, and everything else in the back corner.

Now you have a bench that is stronger than you'll ever need it to be. You have the strength and function of an expensive bench and you paid only $50 or less for it. What would you get for $50 if you tried to buy a commercial bench? Something that could barely handle the weight that even a total noob will bench press in a few weeks time. This is the kind of project that makes you love DIY. It's definitely a better way to spend a Saturday than watching TV. Or you could put a TV in the garage and watch while you work.

This was another massive post. If you are unclear about anything please leave a comment and I'll do my best to help you out.

- Carl

Monday, May 2, 2011

Micro-Loading

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This would seem to be the perfect DIY project candidate. There are numerous ways to micro-load. Today we're going to take a look at some of the popular options to see if it's really worth it. You can buy fractional plate sets for $50 online, plus shipping. This is going to be our price point. We not only have to get cheaper than $50, we have to get much cheaper. Otherwise, it's just not worth it. Can we do it? Let's find out.


If you buy plates online, for your money you get (2 of each) 1/4 lb., 1/2 lb., 3/4 lb., and 1 lb. plates.  We're not going to be able to make plates that function better than commercial ones because there is no room for improvement here. Our only hope is if we can make something that functions as well but is much much cheaper.

I'm assuming you work out from home. If you go to a commercial gym and plan to take your plates in your gym bag, I highly suggest you consider just buying them. Commercial fractional plates are clean, weigh the right amount, and are small and portable. Homemade solutions are typically not as good, at least in the size/appearance category.

WASHERS

The most attractive way is to use large industrial washers. No I don't mean washing machines, I mean the metal discs that one uses to fasten things in conjunction with a bolt or screw. You can buy such washers at stores like Fastenal. You can also order them online. These end up looking and functioning great, because they are essentially shaped just like little plates. At first thought they seem perfect, but the problem is, they get expensive quickly.

In order to make the same set as Iron Woody sells you have to buy two types of washers. There's a 2" flat washer for $3 that weighs just over 1/2 lb. And there is a 2" bushing that costs about $1.50 and weighs a bit more than 1/8 lb. With a bit of modification, combing two bushings gives you your 1/4 lb. plate. Two flat washers gives you your 1 lb. plate. 1 flat washer and 2 bushings gives you your 3/4 lb. plate. And of course 1 flat washer is your 1/2 lb. plate. When you total it all up,  you have to spend around $37 plus shipping.


This means all the work you're going to have to do to get these washers weighing exactly what you want them will be done in order to save you $13. That's not a great deal in my book. Especially since the commercial plates will look better and take no time or effort on your part. Now, there are certainly other places besides Fastenal to buy such things, but the story ends up the same, more or less. You don't end up saving all that much money.

However, before I throw this option out I must mention that if you can buy these washers in a local store (no shipping cost) AND you only want a few increments (not the full set) then it may be worth it to simply buy a few 2" washers and use them to microload 1 lb. on to the bar. But if you want the 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1 lb. set these washers just become too expensive in my view. Not to mention that if you want your washers the perfect weight you'll have to be able to weigh small increments at home. Since they don't naturally weigh 1/4 and 1/2 lbs. you'll have to trim off (drill holes) to lighten them.

There are other options though. None of them will look as nice as commercial plates or washers. But if you are training from home (not taking them to the gym in a bag) and don't care how they look, you can get the same effect (adding weight to the bar) for much less money.

CHAINS

The second most popular idea with micro-loading is using metal chain. Doing this will require that you have the ability to weigh small amounts (like a kitchen scale). If you lack this ability you'll have to buy a kitchen scale. This then brings up the idea of how accurate this scale is. If you buy an inexpensive one powered by a spring one has to wonder if it's even accurate. If you buy an expensive one you've just destroyed your budget. Saving money is the only reason to make your own fractional plates.

The concept with metal chain is to measure out a length of chain that weighs what you want it, be that 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, or 1 lb. If the chain is a small link you may be able to make it long enough to completely wrap around the bar. If not, you'll have to complete the loop with string so that you can hang it on the bar. You'll also have to put some kind of tag on it to mark what weight it is. This will no doubt be much cheaper than $50. But it doesn't look as good. You'll have to be able to cut links off the chain. A pile of chain is not as neat as a stack of plates. You have to be able to precisely weigh small amounts.


ENDLESS COLLARS

A third popular idea is to stack collars onto the bar. I'm not a big fan of this idea. Sure, in a pinch it would work but stacking many collars onto your barbell isn't practical.

If you go to a commercial gym, where you have an abundance of free collars to use then I won't criticize. But if you lift from home, obtaining that many collars would not be cost effective, nor is it neat and easy to load up the right amount.



CREATIVE RECYCLING

Since I've done it in the past, I figured I should mention this. The picture to the right shows "screw on" collars which some cheaper standard 1 inch bars use. I had some from my old adjustable dumbbells. I used the dumbbell bars to make my dip station handles. These collars weigh roughly 1/2 lb. each. By looping some twine through them you can make weights that slip over your bar. By putting two collars on one rope you make a 1 lb. weight. I had enough collars to make two 1/2 pounders, and two 1 pounders.

I never use these.  I prefer the wooden plates (see below). But these are very compact. If you already have such collars lying around you could convert them to micro-weights that would easily fit in your gym bag (if you go to a commercial gym).

THE PLYWOOD METHOD

You can also make fractional plates out of wood. They won't be nearly as durable as metal, but how often do you use fractional plates? I think you can discipline yourself to treat them gently enough to not break them. We're talking about wood here, not glass. As long as you're not an idiot you should never have durability issues. You'll still need the ability to weigh small amounts to do this project. You'll also need the tools to accurately cut wood, particularly the center hole. This basically means a hand saw (or power saw of your choice) and hole saw. The concept is exactly the same as the Spacer Plates project. The difference is you'll be cutting a smaller plate out of the plywood.

This is my favorite option. It produces a quality plate that looks pretty nice. It's easy to mark the weight on it. It's durable enough as long as you treat it properly. It won't be as small and neat as commercial plates or washers. I certainly wouldn't load them up into a gym back to take with me. But if you train from home, you can make them for dirt cheap. If you have scrap materials you could even make it for free, like I did. It will, however, take the longest out of all the options. You're looking at about half a day when you add in the calculations, measuring, cutting, and painting. If saving time is your goal I think the chain is probably the middle ground between making something and buying commercial plates. Now, I'm going to show you how to make your own set of fractional wooden plates.

Not the prettiest girl at the party (and also not the ugliest), but she gets the job done and is easy to use.
You certainly don't have to use "plywood". Any thin wood material, such as MDF (medium density fiberboard) will also work. I chose plywood because there always seems to be scrap leftover in my garage, thus making the entire project completely free.

The key to this project is math. You can't simply weigh a chunk of plywood and then trim it down until it's 1/4 lb. Well you can but that's the most unsophisticated, sloppy, and time consuming thing I've ever heard of in the history of homemade fractional plates. Let's do it the proper way instead. First we need to know how much our plywood material weighs per square inch. If we know this, then we know exactly how many square inches of material we need to make each plate.

The simple way to determine this is to cut out a 1" by 1" square of plywood and weigh it. This of course requires that you have a scale that can accurately weigh small amounts. If you don't have a small scale that can weigh small amounts then making your own micro-loading plates becomes much harder. You have to find an option where the manufacturer tells you how much the item weighs (such as with the washers) and then you just have to trust them. I have said scale in my kitchen which I bought strictly for culinary reasons, to weigh cuts of meat when I get fussy enough to actually count my calories when bulking.

Once you determine how much 1 square inch of your plywood weighs, we can move on. For what it's worth, I'm using standard 3/8 inch plywood from any major hardware store, like Home Depot or Lowe's and it seems to weigh about 0.011078 lbs.  per square inch by my measurements. Yes that's a small number but it adds up quickly. Remember we're trying to make plates that weigh as light as 0.25 lbs. Having this information is vital in determining how much surface area our plates need to be to make weight. Like I said, you'll want to measure this yourself at home. If you simply take my figures, you are trusting to my math (not the worst idea) but you're also trusting that your wood is exactly the same as mine. I certainly don't guarantee anything. All I can do is tell you what I did and what it produced, as told to me by my scale.

Disclaimer out of the way, you've got two options when shaping your plates, circle or square. Square is easier to cut, no doubt, but circular looks more like a weight plate. Circular plates also have to be bigger than their square counterparts of the same weight due to the nature of the shape missing corners. It's also slightly more complex determining the surface area of a circle than a square. A square is simply length times width. But since you have to cut out a circle hole in the center to fit on the bar we have to learn and run these calculations anyway.

The equation for calculating the area of a circle is Pi times the radius squared. Pi being 3.14 for our purposes. The radius being half the diameter. This is high school math but if you don't remember it, don't worry I'll walk you through it.

As I said, the material I'm using weighs roughly 0.011078 lbs. per square inch. So if I want a piece of this plywood to weigh 1/4 lb. (0.25) How many square inches does it have to be? To figure this out we take the desired weight (0.25) and divide it by the weight per square inch. So 0.25 / 0.011078 =  22.567 square inches of material needed.

Regardless of whether you choose to make square plates or round plates, before we can determine the outer size of the shape we need to cut, we have to take into account that there will be a hole in the center of this plate. I recommend that you use a hole saw to cut this. I used a 2 1/8"  hole saw designed for cutting the hole for a doorknob. Using the area of a circle equation (3.14 x radius squared) we can deduce that such a hole has an area of 3.545 inches. We have to add this to our desired surface area of 22.567. This gives us a total area of 26.112. We need to measure and cut a plate with this surface area, so that when we drill out the center hole it will then be 22.567 square inches, which weighs 1/4 lb.

SQUARE PLATES

Though they don't look as official as round plates they are far easier to calculate, mark, and cut. It is for this reason that I chose to make square plates. All you have to do is calculate the square root of your desired area (26.112 in my case). This would be 5.11 inches. This means if you cut a peice of wood that is 5.11 inches by 5.11inches (a square) you'll end up with something that weighs 1/4 lb. after you cut the 2 1/8 inch hole out of the center.

For the heavier plates you take your base area measurement (22.567). Since we know this amount weighs 1/4 lb. we multiply it by 2 for 1/2 lb., 3 for 3/4 lb., and 4 for 1 lb. You then add 3.545 to this figure (to account for the center hole), and take the square root of that. So for a 1/2 lb. plate it would be 22.567 x 2 =  45.134. Then 45.134 + 3.545 = 48.679. The square root of that is 6.977. Round that to the nearest sixteenth of an inch and you get a measurement of 7 inches. This is both the outer width and length of your square for your 1/2 lb. plate.

Repeat the procedure for the rest of the plates. For me the 1/4 lb. plate has sides of 5 and 1/8 inches. A 1/2 lb. plate has sides of 7 inches. A 3/4 lb. plate has sides of 8 and 7/16 inches. And a 1 lb. plate has sides of 9 and 11/16 inches. It's worth noting that even the largest 1 lb. plate, measured on a diagonal from corner to corner, is a bit less than inches long. This is smaller than the diameter of a standard iron 45 lb. plate. So if you did need to micro-load a pull from the floor, for some reason, the fact that there are square will not interfere.

Now the easy part. All you have to do is measure your squares on your plywood, mark it, and cut it. Use any saw that you please. To ensure precision and no chipping I used a simple wood hand saw. A hole saw is the best way to cut out the perfect center hole.

CIRCLES, HARDER AND PRETTIER

There is no functional reason for your plates to be circular. But if you just have to have circles then you have a bit more calculations to do.  You have to plug your desired area into the Pi x R squared equation. We've already calculated that 22.567 square inches of the material I'm using weighs 1/4 lb. This is number we start with.

The area of a circle = Pi x R squared. So 22.567 = 3.14 x R squared. Now we need to isolate the unknown variable. In this case it's the radius "R". Isolate means to get it on one side of the equal sign "=" all by itself.  So the first thing we're going to do is divide by 3.14.  Whatever you do to one side of the equal sign you have to do to the other. So 22.567 divided by 3.14 is 7.187. "3.14 x R squared" divided by 3.14 is "R squared". Now our equation looks like this "7.2338 = R squared".

To cancel out the "squared" part of the equation we use the square root function on our calculators. Now we see that "R = the square root of 7.187" or" R = 2.681". That gives us the radius of the circle we need to cut. Multiply it by two to get the diameter. 5.362 inches is effectively the size of the circle we need to cut in this plywood to make a plate that weighs 1/4 lb.

To calculate the size needed for 1/2, 3/4, and 1 lb. plates we repeat the procedure. Starting with our figure of 22.567 square inches (which weighs 1/4 lb). We simple multiply it by two for 1/2 lb, by 3 for 3/4 lb, and by 4 for 1 lb. For each plate we then add 3.545 to the figures we get (to account for the hole we're going to put in the center). Then we repeat the Pi x R squared calculations in the above paragraph.

Using these calculations I find out that, rounded to the nearest sixteenth of an inch, to make a round 1/4 lb. plate I need to cut a circle with the diameter of 5 and 6/16 inches. And as shown above I could figure out what size circle I need for each of the other weights. Of course I won't be making these because I chose to take the easy route and made square plates instead.

Now the challenge is to draw your perfect circle and then cut it out as perfect as possible.  If you don't have a compass or circle tracing tool this becomes much harder. Tying a string to a pencil is a technique that would work if you aren't trying to be dead on balls accurate, which we ideally are. We know we'll be off somewhere during the process but we want to do our best to minimize it. It is this reason why I just pussed out and decided to make square plates for myself. Easy to mark, and easier to cut; because it's all just straight lines. If you want circles, you'll have to find a way to mark them as perfect as possible.

After you mark them, use whatever saw you choose to cut them out. It will either need to be a jigsaw, a Rotozip style saw, or a coping saw. If you use a coping saw you'll have to rough out the shape with a normal hand saw first. Just like we did in our Spacer Plate project. Using a hole saw is the best and easiest way to cut the center hole perfectly.


FINISHING TOUCHES

If you do have a scale sensitive enough to weigh your new plates, do so now to ensure they are close enough to your liking.  If they are significantly off, then something within the system has malfunctioned. Hopefully they are too heavy so that you can remedy it by sanding down the edges.

Now we need to mark them so we know how much they weigh. You could simply use a marker, pen, or paintbrush to write the weight on them. That's certainly the fastest. If you want it to look fancy, print out the weights from your computer. Use an X-acto Knife to cut out the numbers. Now you have a stencil that you can give a quick spray paint over your plates. If you have it, using a glue stick on the back of your stencil will ensure that it stays stuck to the wood and completely flat. The paint won't get anywhere it shouldn't if you do this. If you don't do this, the stencil is likely going to be blurry. I did not use a glue stick in this project because I didn't have one and you can see that  my marks are indeed blurry as a result. I have done stencil work on guitars that I've made using the glue stick technique and it comes out very nicely. But as long as you can make out the lbs. who really cares, right?

If you want to take it one step further. Give your plates a single light coat of lacquer or other clear based finished. As long as you don't go crazy the paint / lacquer shouldn't add any significant weight to the plates.


As I said, if you wait until you have scraps to use for this project it can end up being free. Yes, it does take time, longer than any other micro-loading options, but it's by far the cheapest. If you're bored and have the scrap materials to make this for free, and a scale to make sure you're weights are right, then it can be a fun project. But I like math so my definition of it being fun may not apply to you. If you simply can't be arsed to do any of this then buying your fractional plates is not a bad choice. All cheaper DIY options will require you to have the ability to weigh your finished product.

- Carl
 

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