DIY Squat Wedges

by Garage Gym Experiment | Posted on

Project by Kaizen DIY

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Outline:

Video

Introduction

Hello everyone, welcome back. In this tutorial, I will show you how to make squat wedges.

There are many reasons to use squat wedges, but the most common is increased range of motion during squats. Having a slight heel elevation can help people with ankle mobility limitations achieve full squat depth. 

Before squat wedges existed, people would use plates, a 2×4, or whatever else they could find to elevate the ankle. 

Prime Fitness was the company to bring the original squat wedge to market back in 2017, and in 2018 they released the SOLOS, which is a pair of smaller wedges, one for each foot. In this article, I’ll show you how to make these two types of wedges. 

After watching all this, if you decide you’d instead buy, I recommend checking out Prime Fitness, Rogue Fitness, or XII:XI Fitness.

Variables

In this tutorial, I won’t be giving exact measurements. There are a few variables, such as foot size, foot width while squatting, and angle preference, which will be different for each person. What I will do is show you how to figure out your measurements. 

First off, you’ll want the top piece to be wide enough to fit your shoe, and a little extra won’t hurt either. The length of my shoe is about 11.5”, so I add two inches to that for my top piece.

The back piece will help to determine the angle of your wedge. The taller the back piece, the greater the angle. 

If you’re making a single wedge, you’ll want to measure the width of your feet while squatting. This will be the width of your top piece.

Recommended Tools and Materials

Materials:Link 1Link 2
WEN belt sanderAmazon
1/2″ inch 2’x4’ plywoodHome Depot
1.5” wood screwsHome Depot
4ft 2×4Home Depot
Titebond III wood glueAmazonHome Depot
Black spray paintAmazonHome Depot
Tools:
Rigid table sawAmazon
Dewalt cordless drillAmazonHome Depot
Dewalt impact driverAmazon
Countersink drill bitAmazonHome Depot
Dewalt 20v Max XR JigsawAmazon
Dewalt 20v random orbit sander sanderAmazon
Ryobi nail gunAmazon
WEN belt sander – (https://amzn.to/3OwHLQ8)Amazon

The Single Wedge

It took about 30 minutes to build, it was relatively easy, and the cost can be between $30-$40 depending on what plywood you use.

Side note, plywood usually comes in large sheets. You’ll likely be able to make multiple wedges from a single sheet of plywood which brings the overall cost of each wedge down.

I start with a 15.5’x24 piece of plywood. I use my table saw to crosscut a 3-inch strip. These will be the top and back pieces.

I add glue before using screws to attach these. 

Although I don’t always show it in the photos, I pre-drill every hole before putting a screw in. I highly recommend pre-drilling with a countersink drill bit to help prevent the plywood from splitting.

Once these two pieces are attached, we have the template for the side pieces. Lay this down on the plywood and trace your cut.

In case you’re wondering, this is a 15° angle.

There are many different ways to cut plywood. For these cuts, I’ll be using a jigsaw. In my opinion, the trickiest thing about using a jigsaw is making straight cuts. In this case, these pieces don’t have to be perfect. 

I add a 2×4 to give everything some extra stability. 

I add three screws from the backside and attach the side pieces to it. 

Then I secure the rest of the pieces with a plethora of screws. 

I peel off the sticker and sand it to prepare for the spray paint.

To match my other projects, I go with black on this one. 

After the paint dries, I add grip tape. This stuff is easy to cut and easy to apply. 

This thing is ready to use.

I love the increased range of motion that I can get with the wedge. 

Next, I’ll be making a pair of single-foot wedges. Time to build, difficulty, and cost are all the same as the wide wedge. 

In fact, if you have already made the wide wedge, you can probably make these with the leftover pieces of plywood.

I use my table saw to cut identical top pieces and back pieces. 

The measurements I use for these are 12×7.25 and 6.25 x 7.25

The assembly process is pretty similar to these. However, I bust out my nail gun to be more efficient. This helps to hold the pieces in place while adding screws. 

Again using the assembled pieces as my template, I trace my cut. 

Then use my jigsaw to cut these pieces. 

Because I am making a pair of wedges, I need to cut out four of these. 

I add the 2×4 and secure all pieces with a healthy amount of screws. 

On this one, because of the height, I add 2×4

Repeat for the other wedge

When I am finished assembling, I notice the side pieces slightly protruding from the bottom. This is a quick fix with my belt sander. 

I sand the rest with my random orbit sander.

And apply a few coats of black spray paint.

Once that is dry, I add grip tape, and these are officially done.

These are great for squats and calf raises, but my favorite is using these on my belt squat.

I even had enough material left over to make another pair. These are at a 12° angle.

Well, that’s it. Do you use squat wedges? What’s your preferred angle? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

We’d love to see if you make a wedge or pair of wedges, tag Garage Gym Experiment and Kaizen DIY Gym on Instagram, or post in the Facebook or Reddit group. 

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