Homemade Power Rack - 1

Strength training at home without alot of fancy equipment makes using free weights obvious. To do this safely without a spotter made getting a power rack a priority.

I made this power rack. It has some features I couldn't find on the market, at least for a reasonable price.

I wanted it to be strong so I used a much thicker guage steel tube than that used on the commercially available versions. I judged that the difference in material cost would not be significant. Using a thicker steel made the machining harder but that was something I was willing to tolerate.

I also had an idea for a crossbeam design allowing better control of vertical positioning. By selecting combinations of upright holes and crossbeam holes I can adjust the crossbeam height with a resolution of one inch.

I plan to publish the design details for the power rack sometime in the future. It has performed its function well and made training very efficient and satisfying.

A great cardio machine

I love my Nordic Track ski machine. I bought it 12 years ago on eBay for $80. I've seen many advertised there and I've also seen them in local garage sales. They are almost always in close to perfect condition.

It is comfortable to use, doesn't hurt my knees and I can control my heartrate by either varying my "walking" speed or adjusting the load level.

I don't bother using the computer on the machine any more. I control the exercise intensity by adjusting my walking speed and the load level until I am comfortable and get the heart rate I want.

Like most cardio equipment it is difficult to accurately measure your real energy expenditure. I tried to do this using some some tables I got from the Nordic Track company showing energy used at various speeds and load levels. I then wrote an excel function that interpolated through the table. This was interesting and I kept track of it for several years. Then as time went by I found that all I really needed was heart rate to calibrate my own comfort level and to insure that I was sufficiently stressing my cardiovascular system without doing any damage.

First time users are often put off by the slippery skis at very low load settings. I have to admit that I expected problems learning to use it but they never appeared. The way to avoid the problem is just to avoid the very low load settings. Actually the muscle control needed to balance on the skis is a very beneficial characteristic that other types of machines don't have. That control is used in walking every day! After a very few sessions (1 -2) the balance issue is nothing but a positive. I never need to hold on to either the cable grips or to the stationary handles to maintain my balance. I often just "walk" with my hands swinging freely at my side.

I'm considering removing the arm cables and the front support for them for several reasons: 1) I don't need them to get my desired heart rate; 2) I don't think the arm muscle development is important and 3) I think the horizontal force puts extra strain on my back. If space was a problem I would have done it already. Then again, sometimes I just enjoy using the arm cables.

Summarizing: It's cheap, available and an excellent machine. While on business travel, I occasionally use steppers and elliptic trainers and I'm always happy to get home to my good old Nordic Track.

I'll say it again. I love my Nordic Track ski machine!