Written by: Lauris Grorud (@garagegym_diy)
How it all Started in my Garage Gym
After a few years at commercial gyms, I decided to work out at home. It started with a cheap bench I bought secondhanded and a simple barbell with 25mm plates. After a few years, I lost my motivation and found out that I had to try something new. I tried CrossFit for some weeks, but this was nothing for me. After gaining an interest in squats, I decided to build my own squat rack. I was in the thinking box for a long time before I finally found a variant that I would try to build. I decided that it should have both squat and bench press possibilities, so I had to modify something from the pictures/variants I had seen.
When I was buying materials, I chose untreated 2 “× 4” (48 × 98cm). These are easy to build with and they are used in load-bearing constructions, so I knew that these were solid enough. I made a simple work drawing and calculated how many lengths I needed in the different sizes to avoid too much cessation. In addition, I had to buy screws (8 cm wood screws) for the simple assemblies and bolts (15 cm) for more bearing structures. I had the rest of tools such as a drill, wrench and saw, so when I got home from the store I started my project.
I started by sawing all the parts I needed for the two bearing posts in the squat rack. Here, I measured my own shoulder height and subtracted 10cm so that it would suit me. In addition, I measured my cohabitant’s shoulder height to make a height level for her too. In relation to the bench press, I measured the height out of the bench I had and made one height that suite us both. In addition to these, I chose that the feet of the rack should be 110cm to support it. To attach the bearing pillars to the foot, I used smaller pieces of 2 “× 4” that I had left over, so the height of these became slightly varying (55cm, 50cm and 10cm), but I thought it was nice to just use the rest materials. When I attached these I used bolts to make sure it was straight and stable. To attach the different height posts together I used nail plates of 15cm and wood screws. These fit perfectly between the squat height and the bench height and fastened all the different heights together, in addition, to stabilize them further. I used one near to the top and one at the bottom as well.
To make sure the bar would not fall off I used the saw and made a notch at the top of each height level.
Once both posts were completed it was time to put them together. Here I used two crossing 2 “× 4” (105cm). I screwed one of them into the foot and one on the lowest support blocks to make sure I could get my feet under it.
This rack has been tested with 165kg in squat and 125kg in bench press, but these materials can carry at least 500kg, so presumably, you can add much more weight to it. Now the motivation is on top and I have built many other training tools that have taken my home training to a whole new level.
*Thank you @garagegym_diy for taking the time to write this. Check out his Instagram account to find out more of what he’s been up to. If you have something to say to your fellow home gym owners, let us know! Simply message us on Instagram or send an email to jake@garagegymexperiment.com if you want to blog here.
