#10 DIY: Deadlifting blocks

The largest plates (20 kg) for my barbell are about 35 cm diameter. That's about 4 cm less space between the bottom of the bar and the floor compared to a standard olympic bar. This can cause problems, especially when you are not very flexible. People usually suggest to put the bar on plates, i don't have enough plates for that.

I found my solution in the hardware store. It's very simple and cheap. Every block consists of three bricks, I used those in the picture.



Then I wrapped the bricks with duct tape:



That's it!

Every brick cost 15 cent, so that's 45 cent for one block. The duct tape ist the most expensive part, but you will probably spend only about 1 Euro per block altogether.

Benefits:

• match the heigth of an olympic bar
  
• protect the floor when the weight comes down to fast
• stable, can be carried around because of the duct tape
• can be used for other excersises ( e.g. Deadlifts from box, where you stand on the block)
• very cheap
  

#5 HowTo: Build a Foam Roller

For my version of the foam rollers you need:

• waste pipe
• insulation for water pipes with same diameter as the waste pipe
• duct tape
  

(note: the waste pipe is only smaller because I had no other one left for the HowTo)






Start putting the pipe into the insulation. This will work even if the diameter is the same because the foam is strechable. As you progress, it will get harder because of the friction. Some sunflower oil could help here, i just slammed the pipe to the ground while holding the foam.




When you are done, it looks like this:



The foam I used has some sort of cutting, like this:



To prevent ripping the foam I sealed the cutting with duct tape.

When you are done, the DIY foam roller is very robust, it does not bend at all when I step up:




Here is another one with a bigger diameter for doing thoracic extensions:




I used a bigger waste pipe with a mat we had left to protect the glas of an aquarium where it stands on the table. You can measure the perimeter with a measuring tape or calculate it. Then you cut the mat and adhere it to the waste pipe with duct tape. I recommend you use a little more mat than you measured or calculated so you completely cover the pipe.



Have fun!