Written by: Kyle Divine
Intro
I made a DIY leg press machine in an attempt to copy Titan’s Stealth Leg Press. It costs way less and gets the job done. Below is a breakdown of the article with a video along with step-by-step instructions.
Looking for additional tips building out your home gym?
*If you decide to not DIY this project we are big fans of the Compact Leg Press from Force USA. It’s not quite as bulky and, while still an investment, much lower-priced than most leg press options currently available. In addition, it’s smooth, easy to operate, built solidly, and provides lower body strength exercises without much putting a ton of pressure on the spine.In addition, make sure to check out the Home Gym Guide for more tips!
Video Instructions
Cost & Time
The cost of materials will vary based on fluctuating lumber prices and your location, but it will still be much lower than the price of an item like this made by an equipment supplier.
This project only took a couple of hours and the materials were relatively inexpensive. There are lots of options on what tools and materials can be used to make this. The next few sections are my recommendations.
Recommended Tools
Recommended Materials
1 – 60” long 1” steel pipe pipe
Instructions
Step 1: Every good build starts with cuts, here is everything you’ll need to get started.
Step 2: You’ll want to drill a hole that is larger than the pipe. I used a 1 inch pipe and a 1 ⅜ inch forstner bit.
Step 3: Once you have these pieces cut and drilled, they go together easily. I add wood glue before securing the pieces together with screws.
Step 4: You’re making two of these arms, one for each side. They’re supporting a lot of weight so we’ll make sure they have plenty of reinforcements.
Step 5: I use a couple of 32” 2×6’s to attach them together. Again using wood glue and plenty of screws. I use a clamp to hold the pieces in place while fastening the 2×6.
Step 6: I add mending plates and L brackets in some key spots.
Step 7: I forgot about this piece in the cut list. It’s a 2×4 that is 32 inches long.
Step 8: This plywood piece is 32 by 13 ¾ inches. This is for the footplate.
Step 9: These large mending plates are great for adding a lot of additional support.
Step 10: I add L brackets to the 2×6 that will have the weight pins attached.
Step 11: The pipe goes in and I put caps on the ends
Step 12: Make sure to use thick screws for these flanges. They’re going to be holding the weight pins. I used 1 ½” #14 wood screws.
Step 13: You don’t have to paint, but I like how it looks. I painted it black to match my power rack.
Note: My footplate is a thin sheet of diamond plate aluminum. You can buy thicker stuff for this but it gets expensive. In my opinion, this is fine. It is easy to work with and looks great.
Final Notes
I’ll be honest, it is a little awkward putting this thing in place. I use a barbell as a stopper. Titan uses pins for this. I just figured a barbell would be safer and cheaper (anyone building a leg press for their rack likely has a barbell already).
You’ll need to strap the bench to the rack so it doesn’t slide back while you’re using the leg press. I used a single ratchet strap. The bench still moves a little but it doesn’t bother me too much. Adding a second strap would probably fix this.
Man, this thing is great. It adds a lot of variety to my leg day.
As an added bonus, it can also be flipped around and used for dips. This was brought to my attention after the build was complete. If I had planned for this, I would have fastened the weight pins slightly closer together.
Now the real question is: how does it stack up?
The price difference is huge. Titan’s is $599, my build is $125
My option is much lighter. Titan’s weighs 125 pounds, mine weighs 48 pounds.
Titan’s version can be used as a sled, while mine cannot.
