MY GYM EQUIPMENT



This is the entire inventory of my 240 square foot (22.3 square meter) mini-barn gym out in the middle of the boonies, and where I sourced everything.



BARS


Pendlay HD 35lb bar – No longer manufactured. The best substitution for this bar would be the Rogue Women’s 25mm training bar ($295). A cheaper substitution could be the Synergee Cerakote bar ($230), it has the same snap ring retention and uses needle bearings for rotation. If you take care of equipment like I do, then either bar should last for years. If you drop barbells asymmetrically and often then you are not taking care of your bar or bumpers. I use the 25mm bar because I’m a small human and its super comfortable to lift on (it was also cheaper than the men’s bar).


Rogue Beater bar – No longer manufactured. The best substitution for the bar would be the Rogue Ohio Power bar ($350) or the Texas Strength Systems G2 Power bar ($299). A cheaper substitution could be the Titan Elite Power bar ($260). My Rogue bar was manufactured to be really stiff and is used for everything Powerlifting and everything done out of the racks (even Jerks). That saves the knurling on the Weightlifting bar. Super cheap bars (cheaper than these) and people who lift more than I are not good combinations. Bottom dollar bars bend permanently under big loads, sometimes with moderate loads, and always when dropped asymmetrically.



WEIGHTS


Bumper Plates – I have both Pendlay and Rogue budget bumpers. Mine are coming up on being a decade old and they are in near new condition because of the same reasons my bars last, I take care of them. Rogue’s Mil-spec line is close to what I have and is what I would probably buy now (45lb pair $160, 35lb $120, 25lb $90, 15lb $60, 10lb $45). My inventory is 2-45s, 2-35s, 4-25s, 6-15s, 6-10s so I can load up well over 400bs without issue. I'm getting another pair of 15s soon, to add another 30lb added weight interval as I work up to my work sets (the ultimate in loading laziness). You can find similar bumpers online and even in your local department mega-store. These can work for you IF you are careful with them. If you let go of and drop barbells from overhead or shoulder height, or you spike them, you aren’t taking care of the equipment. You are also never training in my gym.

Metal Plates – I only have small denomination Pendlay plates – 10-5-2.5-1.25lb – and those are no longer available. A good substitution would be Rogue’s metal plates (10lb pair $35, 5lb $23, 2.5lb $14, 1.25 lbs $12). Because I can fit all of the weight I need for Powerlifting onto the bar using bumpers I don’t have metal 35s, 45s, or 55s. I don’t duplicate without need or purpose. You can find used metal plates or discount metal plates online, or even in your local department mega-store, and they should be fine as change plates break on very rare occasion as they do not contact the floor even if you drop the bar.

Fractional Metal Plates – I have Ader brand fractional plates ($51 for a set) – 1lb, 0.75lb, 0.5lb, 0.25lb pairs – that allow me to load pound denominations to near exact kilogram denominations (math is fun?) AND I can add tiny progressions in work sets and attempted PRs (5.0lb versus 0.5lb, a PR is a PR). Rogue carries a very precise set ($70) and you can find cheaper versions ($23) too.

Collars – I have Oso collars ($50)(bought from Rogue) in the gym. You can find very similar and cheaper versions online ($23). Spring clamps are even cheaper and work OK but Oso collars are easier to use (for me) and more secure.



RACKS & BENCH


Squat/Jerk Stands – I use stands – these precise ones (550lb capacity, $56) – rather than connected racks due to ease in transport (when moving them on and off the platform, and when moving house) and because they can be stored in a small area in the gym when not being used. I covered the inside surface of the J-hooks with thick leather to reduce wear on bar knurling. These racks have worked for every purpose – all types of squatting, benching, pressing, jerks, etc. – for many years. However, as soon as budget allows I will be getting a Texas Strength Systems levered combo-rack ($1495). It will support both my Powerlifting and Weightlifting training for competition, it will fit in my space, and it’s easy to use.

Flat Bench – I chose to use an inexpensive flat bench {17”) with a combined (bodyweight and barbell) capacity of 600lbs from Marcy ($108). The manufactured fake leather upholstery cracked and began flaking in the third year. I recovered it with leather, over the existing pad, and now over five years later it is still a structurally solid bench.



OTHER EQUIPMENT


Platform (6’x8’) – 3 layers of 1/2” plywood and one layer of 4’x6’ stall mats ($50). Two layers plywood, one layer stall mat (two mats side by side), one top layer plywood. All screwed together then into sub-floor.

Jump Box – A staple assistance exercise from the very beginning of my athletic career. Initially it was just jumping to try to get my head to touch the ceiling, then came the group silliness of stacking two metal milk crates on top of each other, then stacking bumper plates on top of that. Now I’m a bit smarter and use this nice foam jump box ($100) that accommodates 20, 24, and 30 inch jumps. Unlike solid wood or metal jump boxes, it doesn’t hurt on fails. That makes commitment to jumping higher easier. I add more height increments by setting the block on the floor, or on the platform, to go up or down 2 inches (block on floor, jump off platform to subtract block on platform, jump off floor to add). When I need over 32”, a rarity, I put three equal thickness bumper plates under the block on the platform to add inches stably.

Climbing Rope – I hated the rope climb in junior high. Now they are sort of fun and challenging. I have a 15 foot rope ($61) anchored to the truss of my barn gym (11 feet). Take particular care to make sure you rig your rope according to manufacturer recommendations (and that those recommendations make structural sense), you do not want to have the rope attachment fail when you are at any height above the floor.

Kettlebell – I have one, a 35lb one that I play around with and use when I’m doing CrossFit to claw back work capacity after layoffs.

Dumbbells – I have two 25lb solid hex dumbbells and two Olympic plate loaded dumbbell handles that I use in the same way and for the same purpose as the kettlebell.

Gymnastic Rings – I used to do dips on chairs at home. Now I do them on gymnastic rings ($40) suspended from a steel support spanning two arms of my gym’s roof truss. Doing some other child level ring skills is occasionally fun, just to see if I can still do them.

Jump Rope – I use an inexpensive cable jump rope ($8.99) periodically for conditioning, mostly single under intervals as fast as I can go for one to five minutes (repeated). I do double unders as part of a workout only if I do a CrossFit event, as they are always included. I do practice them a tiny bit since I suck at them so badly. I think I’m adding about 1.33 successful reps per year. In 3 more years I’ll hit 10 in a row.

Rower – I started rowing on a Concept 2 ($1390) when I was rehabbing my back post spinal tumor removal and was contemplating giving rowing a go for KSU Crew in 1992. It’s the best rowing tool, other than being on the water, bar none. However, a C2 is pricey and since I use the rower only for basic conditioning, I don’t need a bunch of computer settings or connectivity strokes per minute and total time are all I need. To save dollars and space, I use a smaller footprint and much cheaper rower ($400, it was $100 cheaper when I bought mine) and have used the same rower for the past eight years. This rower will not be great for taller people.

Pull-up Bar – I put a stud mounted Pull-up bar (the system I used is no longer available) under the mini-barn-gym’s loft. For anyone else but me it would be too low. Mounting a pull-up bar to deal with the forces applied by kipping pull-ups needs consideration as to how the bar is mounted and as to whether the structure the bar is mounted to can deal with those forces without failing. While my mount is stated to be suitable for wall mounting, I chose ceiling mounted to provide a larger available space for my feet to swing, and to not place a bunch of torque on my walls. I used to use the Iron Gym door jamb bar ($26), it was OK for strict pull-ups or chin-ups, but after two years in the same place the door trim on both sides of the door had moderately deep indentation damage from it's crossbar (an inexpensive fix with a visit to Lowes or Home Depot). It went out in the trash when I moved out to the boonies.

Medicine Ball – An innocuous and fun little torture device. Mine is a 20lb reboundless ($29).

Shot Put – Used outside for explosive power work, occasional competition, and fun. I have a 5kg shot ($24.95) appropriate for my age group.

Yoga Mat – Do I, as a lifter, do Yoga? Of course and I really think it’s a useful gym teaching skill for any trainer or coach. If you stretch, you are essentially doing Yoga. My thick Yoga mat ($39) makes seated, prone, or supine postures more comfortable, and with proper selection of mat, more stable. Thinner ones are cheaper and they are available at virtually any department store or sporting goods store. If you are tall and wide, or just like more space to roll around, you can find wider than standard Yoga mats ($36, this one is 3 feet wide but thinner than mine, there are even wider ones available).

Clock/Timer – For timed workouts and just knowing what time it is. The big bright display ($38) on mine makes counting down the seconds before being done easy to see, and it shows up on videos I submit for scoring.

Stopwatch – For outdoor intervals on the driveway’s 60 meter runway. Super cheap stopwatches ($6.99 or less) can be found everywhere.



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