Thought we could start a equipment thread for some of us that are financially-challenged.

I'll start with Mike Robertson's poor man's shoulder horn:

"To start, sit on a flat bench and bring one leg up and place the foot flat on the bench. Take a light dumbbell in the same hand and press your elbow into the inside of your knee. From this position, you can go through full ROM external rotations."

The Poor man here - I got my bar from the trash. Someone left it out on the street. It had plastic coverer cement weights on it even.
I made a med ball from a basketball I found on the street that was torn open. Walked to playground, fill with sand, tape up! Bballs can be gotten cheap at discount dept stores often.

One of my favorite "poor man" tools - the sand bag. Here Zercher sand bag lunges.

Toss in another one here....
Picked up a tractor tire, free of course, and a chain from Lowe's. Attatched a chain to the tire and then to my weightbelt (which had been turned so the buckle is in the small of the back). Additional weight in the form of, well, anything in the tire well and....
PRESTO- Sled Work!!

Amen to the Sandbag.

Best all purpose utility strength tool around.

That's so weird, I've just done the med ball thing with a bball.

I've also made my own power cage. Cost me next to nothing as all the steel was salvaged. Been using it for a couple of years now and couldnt be happier, but I've never got round to painting it.

I had built a sled out of PVC following instructions I found on a post here. Tonight I broke it. Damn it!

Also,
Free tire
Free keg

Yeah i'm a poor man as well, my so called gym only consists of a 300lbs olympic barbell set which i was able to score for real cheap off ebay. I also have a pull up bar which is just the doorway to my backyard shadehouse and a dipping v-bar which is the hand rail on my backyard ramp. Thats about it. I am amazed tho at how much variety i can come up with using this limited equipment.

I took a PVC pipe, took some empty cranberry juice galloons, filled them up with sand, bought some rope from lowes, and tied each galloon to the PVC pipe. I curl them bitches. Fun, even though I hate curls.

Also, to work wrist extensors

Found a pipe, tied some rope to it and then tied a 10lbs plate to it. The rope is at least 2 feet I think, because i have to roll the rope over the bar alot before it snags and stays tight and keep the plate in place. Then I roll it all the way up to the top. Sorry if it sounds funny, i type how i think.

I also have a sand bag, but all i did was taken 50lb sand in plastic, tossed it in garbage bags, duct taped it, and then tossed them into a bigger blue bag.

Any tips on better sand bag making?

Also, to work wrist extensors

Found a pipe, tied some rope to it and then tied a 10lbs plate to it. The rope is at least 2 feet I think, because i have to roll the rope over the bar alot before it snags and stays tight and keep the plate in place. Then I roll it all the way up to the top.
Ive done the exact same thing, but Ill do a few sets for the extensors, and go right into some sets for the flexors. It turns you into Popeye(minus the stroke induced skwinty eye)

I made a glute hame raise by padding a sawhorse and putting a catch for my ankles on the wall of my garage.

Can you post a pic of that glute-ham?

Were the original GHR's used by the soviets? I think I remember hearing something about how they used a pommel horse and something else to do them??

Here is a pull up bar I made for the the floor joists in my basement. Check up my expert paint skills.lol

My list: -

sandbag,
wooden blocks and chain attachemts for pinch gripping,
jump rope,
pull up par attached to gate posts on back yard. Also has a low attachment for GHR's.
bball med ball, 20lb.

Hanley wrote:
Were the original GHR's used by the soviets? I think I remember hearing something about how they used a pommel horse and something else to do them??

It was a pommel horse that they placed near the wall, then they used a gymnastics ladder to support the ankles. I don't have any pictures of my ghr but this link should give you some ideas:

http://www.biggerfasterstronge...

Look in the section that says "from pommel horse to car seat"

The key is to have the pad positioned right above your knee so when you're in the top position your knee is below the pad.

if you can't view the link just search google for "glute ham raise american weightlifter" and it's the first thing that comes up

"It was a pommel horse that they placed near the wall, then they used a gymnastics ladder to support the ankles. I don't have any pictures of my ghr but this link should give you some ideas:"

www.biggerfasterstronge...




Thanks,
Appreciated!!

worker wrote:
"It was a pommel horse that they placed near the wall, then they used a gymnastics ladder to support the ankles. I don't have any pictures of my ghr but this link should give you some ideas:"

www.biggerfasterstronge...




Thanks,
Appreciated!!

BINGO!!!! that makes absolute perfect sense. Thanks you so much... I think I might have finally found a way to do GHR's at my gym (for some bizarre reason we have a pommel horse in our gym!)

Pushing cars for people?

WolBarret wrote:
Any tips on better sand bag making?

I don't know if it was here or somewhere else, but someone once told me to make several smaller sandbags in 10 and 20 pound weights..

then to use a bigger bag, that I can throw several of the smaller bags into to make a big "adjustable weight sandbag"

that's a great idea. i should do it.

hello guys,
i bought a set of plans off ebay for like five bucks. i think there great they show you how to make all kinds of home equipment out of lumber, diagrams measurements, parts list ,and all. it even can to my house printed up in easy to read pages.
you guys should look it up its worth it

ozzy

I'll have to get a pic of it, but my sled is simply a piece of plywood with two holes cut in it and pulled with those things people use to tie down big ass boxes and shit like that.

I've been using it for nearly 2 yrs now and never had a problem.

For weight, I use various huge rocks...all of which I "found" at local parks.

ozwingchun wrote:
hello guys,
i bought a set of plans off ebay for like five bucks. i think there great they show you how to make all kinds of home equipment out of lumber, diagrams measurements, parts list ,and all. it even can to my house printed up in easy to read pages.
you guys should look it up its worth it

ozzy

Ozzy,
do you remember who sold you the plans? I've been googling like crazy, and have only found 1 set of plans for 25$.

cheap fat bars !

cause i cant afford a set of fat bars i just take a 5 ft length of manilla rope to the gym and wrap it around the dumbells and barbells for fat bar work ! its cheap and gives my grip an awsome work out, its amazin how it improves your ability to lift more when you take the rope off !

Chiseller wrote:
cheap fat bars !

cause i cant afford a set of fat bars i just take a 5 ft length of manilla rope to the gym and wrap it around the dumbells and barbells for fat bar work ! its cheap and gives my grip an awsome work out, its amazin how it improves your ability to lift more when you take the rope off !


Go to a junkyard (bring an olympic plate with you to properly size), and find a good length of pipe. Cut to 7', and put collars at 1' and 6'. Then, add weight, apply outside collars. You now have a thickbar.