Overview
Background
Admist the COVID-19 pandemic and the quarrantine, all the local gyms were closed and weight training was impossible unless you had a home gym. Living a healthy lifestyle is something I always strive for and so it makes sense that I find an alternative to working out at fitness facilities. Power racks and other equipment are quite expensive off the market and the prices are also inflated due to high demand. So I decided to work on this project and make my own equipment out of wood and concrete.
Mechanical
After designing, planning and sourcing the components of the rack, I utilized power tools in order to cut and assembly the final product. One of the main problems about my backyard is that it is not flat. This increased the complexity of the problem as power racks require a flat surface to stand on. One solution for this is to dig out some excess dirt to flatten an area or elevate the platform and have it raised on one end to even the floor. I decided the latter and decided to create a stiff wooden floor on top of the slanted yard.
The wooden floor was constructed with a wooden board supported by a grid like structure with 2"x6" wood planks. It is important to minimize flexion under high loading areas since this increase energy loss in the lifts during exercise.
The rack included 4 main legs (4"x4"), 2"x6" planks to connect each of these legs, and gussets in order to minimize deflection. As the rack is tall, I added extra support at the base which ensures the rack doesn't sway when swinging on pull up bar or if the weather is windy. Lastly, I added galvanized steel pipes and elbows to act as the safety bar and the barbell holder.
Pictures
