DIY Bench and Squatter Catchers

I started lifting again this month and have been concerned with safety. So I built some spotter catchers out of wood. I would love to have a full size metal squat rack with 1" holes, but that's out of my budget.

Squat / Bench Stand with DIY Spotter Catchers - With Stain

Equipment that I use

I own the Body Champ Olympic Weight Bench with Leg Developer. It's an okay set for the price. The decline only goes down 10%, so I used a 7/16" cobalt drill bit and made a hole lower to get the back down to aprox 25/30% for decline bench press. The lowest position of the bar was just above my extended arm length, so I used the same drill bit to drill a couple of holes so I can lower it more (also had to move the drill in a circular motion to widen the holes as 7/16" for the screw in pins was too small). The bench is just a tad to high for my liking, so I built a stand (as can be seen in the picture above) so I could feel more connected to the "ground" when benching.

The Plan

 

I googled for DIY squat racks and stumbled on Garage Gym Guy's blog. He built some Squat Stands with DIY Spotter Bars. So I took that idea and mocked up a plan on my tablet. I wanted it a bit more sturdy. So I used metal brackets where I could, lag bolts, and carriage screws. Overall, probably around $50, but I didn't buy anything on sale and I had some of the wood and bolts from other work around the house. See the materials used at the end of this post.

A note when building,.. the rear uprights will need to have a cut made to fit over the bottom legs of the squat stand. In my case, they are round. So I used a 2" bore bit to drill a round hole and then cut the bottom of the legs off (I made the rear uprights longer as I took this into consideration when building). There is also a bolt that sticks up. So I drilled into the bottom of the upright leg so it would fit over the bolt. My advice, with whatever squat stand you have, is to work just spend some time thinking and working around any issues as they come up.

I also sanded all sharp corners and the top of the uprights. Predrill all holes for lag bolts so you do not split the wood.

Spotter Bars

 

To figure out how high your spotter bars should be, clamp on some 2x4's to the front and rear uprights, have the bench horizontal, and bring the olympic bar down to your chest on the 2x4's (and relax!). That should be the top of your bar. I also use this height as my squat catcher. When you bench, you typically arch your back and stick your chest out. If you fail a set, lower to chest, relax, and squirm out!

After you have figured out the height and have your 2x4's where they need to be, use a level to check  perpendicular, parallel, and diagonal on the 2x4's. Then use a square to mark where the top of your bars should be.. this all took me a couple of hours to figure out as I did it for decline as well.

Max Weight


I am just starting to lift again (after 18 years). So I am not squatting or benching a lot, less than 300 on the bar. My stands have a max of 300 lbs on the bar. To test the catchers, I loaded up the bar with 150 lbs and slammed it down a few times on the pipes. Other than marring my new pipe, it didn't do anything to the bars and nothing moved or slipped. But I didn't expect it to as I overbuilt.

Squat / Bench Stand with DIY Spotter Catchers
Without Stain, sanding, and extra diagonal supports

Materials used:

• Quart of Black Stain with Polyurethane
• 2x 1" pipe clamps so the spotter bars do not move/slide back out
• 2x 48" 3/4" galvanized pipe for drinking water (you can get them in 4 foot pieces)
• 1x 1.125" spade bore bit for making the holes (1" is too tight). 0.125 = 1/8"
• Long 3/8" drill bit for the carriage bolts.
• 6x 2"x4"x6's
• 4x 2"x6"x8's (I would have purchased two 2x6x10's instead for the base, didn't feel like driving to the back of Menards and trying to load them in the minivan)
• Around 18 Lag bolts
• 4x Carriage Bolts (8" x 3/8" diameter) - I cut the ends off as they stuck out. They didn't have any 7" bolts. 
• 3/8" standard washers
• 3/8" lock washers
• 3/8" nuts (probably could have gone with lock nuts)
• 4x Square U Bolts (3/8" x 4" x 7". They didn't have any 3 1/2" bolts, so I tilted the bolts at an angle and cranked them down)
• 2x Heavy duty L brackets for the front posts
• 6x 2x4 L brackets for front posts and back post (probably didn't need them on the back)
• Standard construction screws to help hol dstuff together while you build it.
• Wood glue for the upright posts

I may have missed something in there. Also note, I already had the washers, nuts, clamps, drill, level, miter saw, sander, jig saw, circular saw, 3/8" drill bit, other drill bits, L brackets, and screws.

6 Reasons for Why Your Workout Isn’t Working and Bariatric Surgery

Here are some news snippets that caught my eye today.

From Health.com Tina Haupert goes into 6 reasons as to why her scale did not move despite countless hours at the Gym. I can see this happening to some if you are doing Beachbody workouts. Insanity, P90X, and other Beachbody programs are too intense to allow texting on a phone or to watch T.V. while working out. Their programs are also varied and changing so you will not get stuck in a routine that doesn't promote growth.


From The Atlantic Magazine Marc Ambinder goes into a lengthy discussion about Beating Obesity.

By 2015, four out of 10 Americans may be obese. Until last year, the author was one of them. The way he lost one-third of his weight isn’t for everyone. But unless America stops cheering The Biggest Loser and starts getting serious about preventing obesity, the country risks being overwhelmed by chronic disease and ballooning health costs. Will first lady Michelle Obama’s new plan to fight childhood obesity work, or is it just another false start in the country’s long and so far unsuccessful war against fat?

He focuses on diets and exercise saying, "There is a way to beat obesity. But it is radical and expensive. No other diet or weight-loss approach is remotely as effective as bariatric surgery. Most people who seek it out have tried everything else. Many of them can pinpoint the moment they concluded that they had no other choice.".

$30,000 for surgery on something that can be cured by eating right and exercise. People are too comfortable today in our society and they believe they have the RIGHT to be. Your body was not designed to sit idle day-in and day-out. It took a millennia for our bodies to become the amazing machine that they are today. Get off your butt and get moving! Of course there are genetic defects that can prevent that level of activity, but for the majority of us we are lazy and are looking for the magic pill.

Take a look around this site. Find a program that works for you. Get moving, don't worry about your neighbors fitness level, and in the words of Tony Horton, "Do your best and forget the rest".

Arthritis

I have the “beginnings” of arthritis in my right knee due to my knee cap slipping from side to side which is causing the cartilage to wear away.

"What is Arthritis?"

Arthritis is a general term for many different medical conditions (100+). What we usually associate it with is the pain or stiffness we feel in our joints. It affects the musculoskeletal system. Inflammation is another issue. Arthritis means “joint” “inflammation” coming from the Greek and Latin languages. Walking, working out, just moving can be painful. My Mom has rheumatoid arthritis (inflammatory form) and her joints hurt all the time. She is only in her 50’s and takes medication to keep it in check. Damage to cartilage is also another form of Arthritis. There are other causes of arthritis as well, such as a lack of fluid, infection, or your immune system attacking your body (autoimmunity).

"How can I help reduce symptoms of Arthritis?"

So what can you do? There are drugs that can help with the symptoms of arthritis. There are also natural remedies that are supposed to help (works for me), and some physical activity/therapy that can help.

Most stop moving due to the pain. Depending on the severity you may need to see a physical therapist to regain joint mobility. I am going to speak of my progress and what works for me, but also my situation is somewhat unique. Please speak to a professional medical doctor before starting any workout program.

The knee doc gave me information on different quad related exercises as the quad muscles keep the knee cap in alignment. In my situation I was told to increase the strength of the muscles around the joint. This helps to stabilize the joint. I was at the point where I was limping on my leg and sucking down the Ibuprofen. It wasn’t until after P90 and P90x that the symptoms almost completely disappeared. I had to take it very slow at first. By the end of P90x only a few moves in Yoga X would put enough pressure on the joint to cause it to throb.

Insanity is another beast. I have felt it in my knee quite a bit. It’s lessening now during the second week. I thought P90x had strengthened my legs enough, but Insanity truly tests me.

Natural Remedies

Ice packs will help reduce the inflation. I had recently hurt my shoulder at work and placed a bag of peas on my shoulder every two hours during the first 48 hours. After that I switched between ice and heat for every 2 hour 20 minute application. It helped considerably. Also NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are quite common and prescribed for inflammation.

Eating a well-balanced diet is vital. You need nutrients to get those damaged cells healed. Not to mention eating healthy and having a healthy weight will help take off extra pressure from those joints. Just losing a few pounds will make you feel better. Avoid eating foods that are pro-inflammatory (junk foods, fast food, sugar, refined bread, soda, high-fat meats, saturated and trans fats… everything not on the Beachbody workout diet plans). Also get enough protein in your meals as that will aid with healthy muscle tissue growth if you exercise.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids have been known to relieve symptoms. I take an omega-3 supplement every night before bed. I do notice the days I forget to take it as my knee hurts more the next day.

Exercise is a part of arthritis treatment. My Mom goes to the YWCA every week and works out with weights in the pool. I am lucky in that I can do the Beachbody workouts with little to no pain (and the pain has lessened the more I get in shape). Weight control is probably one of the most mentioned forms of helping treat arthritis, but so is strengthening the muscles around the weakened joints. My doctor said I had to continue working out and working on those muscles or it would get worse. There’s nothing better to motivate you and get you to workout when you are prescribed by the doctor that working out is now a requirement for life. Talk to you doctor to see what exercises you should perform or search on the internet.

Stretching is also important and helps considerably. Consider adding stretching into your workout. A lot of the Beachbody workouts have stretching as part of the routine.

Some other remedies (try searching Google on these) are: MSM, Niacinamide (vitamin B3), Manganese, Glucosamine and Chondroitin, Turmeric and Ginger Extract, Fish Oils (Omega-3), Wild Celery, Green Tea, and Capsaicin (read my brief review on Cayenne Pepper here).

Pain

Just a note, if you have moderate to severe pain working out. STOP. Do not try to push through if it is painful. All of the Beachbody fitness trainers will tell you this as well. There is a difference between a good burn and a stabbing pain. You’ll know the difference. If you don't, if you can’t distinguish the two, just stop. Mild pain you can work around or through, severe pain you need to stop.

Beachbody Products

Try P90 to start. This is where I started and many others start as well. It's challenging but a lot of the moves can be modified.

Shakeology is a great choice as well with the protein, amino acids, prebiotics, antioxidants, vitamins, fruits, veggies, and minerals. You can't go wrong with it.