Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Ever since I posted some photos of my
garage gym, I've been buried in emails
asking how I built my lifting platform.
The platform looks like this:
http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2015/09/take-peek-at-dino-headquarters.html
Here's a shot from a different angle:
http://dinosaurtraining.blogspot.com/2015/09/another-photo-of-dinosaur-dungeon.html
It was easy to build, but it's strong and
sturdy, and it gets the job done. It's also
lasted for over 12 years. Of course, I'm
pretty much the only person who uses
it, and I only use bumper plates on the
bar, and I try to lower the bar rather
than dropping it. But even so, 12 years
is a long time.
And -- good news -- it doesn't cost much
to make.
The platform is made with 3/4 inch sheets
of plywood. The plywood will come pre-
cut in 4 foot by 8 foot sheets. This is the
perfect size to make an 8 foot x 8 foot
platform.
I used six sheets of plywood to make a
platform that was three sheets thick. That
was probably more than is necessary. You
could get it done with four sheets and a
total thickness of two sheets.
I built the platform on top of some heavy
duty, 3/4 inch rubber mats. I used hard,
dense rubber -- not something soft or
spongy. This is probably over-kill, but
I was new to the game and did not want
to take any chances on cracking the
concrete floor of the garage.
To build the platform, lay two sheets of
plywood next to each other. The edges
should be touching as close as possible.
Then lay two more sheets on top of the
first two sheets and screw them the top
sheets to the bottom sheets.
And here are three tips to make it all
work:
1. The bottom layer of plywood sheets
should be lengthwise from left to right,
and the top sheets should be the reverse,
i.e., lengthwise from front to back.
In other words, if you are facing north
when you train, the bottom sheets a
run lengthwise east and west -- and the
top sheets run lengthwise north and
south.
2. The seam between the two sheets of
plywood on top of the platform should
run between your feet when you stand
on the platform.
In other words, if you stand on the
platform and face north when you lift,
the seam between the top sheets of
plywood should run north and south.
One foot will go to the left of the
seam -- and the other will go to
the right of the seam.
The barbell will run east and west --
so the plates will be to the left and
the right of the seam, not on top of
it.
The seam is the weak point in the
platform, and if you stand on it or
drop the bar on it, the platform will
not hold up for long.
3. All screws should be drilled just
below the top of the surface so you
don't catch your foot on a protruding
screw.
Note: Some people use wood glue to
attach the plywood sheets together.
That should work fine if you prefer to
do it that way.
I finished things off by laying two sheets
of two foot wide 3/4 inch rubber mat on
each side of the platform -- right where
the plates are. Again, this is probably
overkill, but who knows -- perhaps it
helped the platform last for as long
as it has.
There are plenty of other ways to make
a good platform, but that's how I did it.
And, as I said, it works pretty well.
One quick note: your platform is for
barbell training only. Dumbbell or
kettlebell training will break the
wood pretty quickly. Use 3/4 inch
rubber mats for dumbbell and
kettlebell work.
For some great stand-on-your feet
barbell workouts, try the Dinosaur
Training Military Press and Shoulder
Power Course:
Hard copy
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_course.html
Kindle e-book
http://www.brookskubik.com/militarypress_kindle.html
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. My other books and courses -- and my Dinosaur
Training DVD's -- are right here -- along with links
to all of my e-books on Kindle:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "There's something
special about standing on a wooden lifting platform
when you train." -- Brooks Kubik
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