DIY Weight Tree

September 20, 2011 8 Comments

I knew when we scored 490 pounds worth of iron plates that we couldn’t just throw them on the garage floor. Because if there’s anything worse than squeezing my feet into a pair of anatomically taxing stilettos, it would be squeezing a broken toe into an already anatomically taxing pair of stilettos. (And considering that I do, on occasion, literally walk into barbells, I wouldn’t put it past me to NOT stub my toe walking into haphazardly placed 45lb plates.)

The solution: A weight tree.

And because I’m a visual learner, I put together this visual shopping list of tools required and a lumber cut list. Click HERE to download the PDF because it’s easier to just print out and take to Home Depot – yay, shopping!

BUT (!) before I dive into explaining how to make a weight tree let me just take a moment to lay down this obligatory disclaimer. (Hey, I grew up in sue-happy Cali so I know the deal.)

Neither I, the author of posts on Girl Walks Into A Bar(bell), nor Ryan (the designer of this DIY weight tree) shall be held accountable for loss, damage, injury or death that may arise as a result of following these plans. It is your responsibility to know how to operate these tools and your responsibility to ensure the safety of the equipment that you make. DIY at your own risk.

Let’s get this party started!

STEP #1: CUT THE 2X4 LUMBER AND DOWELS INTO APPROPRIATE SIZES
Use the cut list on the PDF provided. Important: If you are making the cuts yourself, Make sure to measure each length AFTER you make a cut to account for blade thickness. Otherwise, each piece will end up being a little short.

Girl Walks Into A Bar(bell) Tip: If you do not have access to a saw, the employees at Lowe's and/or Home Depot can make the cuts for you. Sometimes they charge.

 

STEP #2: DRILL HOLES FOR THE DOWELS IN THE VERTICAL SUPPORTS
The (2) 37″ pieces will be the vertical supports.

In both 37″ pieces, drill a hole 7 1/2″ from the top and a second hole 22 1/2″ from the top using the 1 1/4″ spade bit/auger.

 

The 37″ pieces should now look like this:

STEP #3: ASSEMBLE TOP OF WEIGHT TREE.
Now take the 3 1/2″ square piece of 2×4. Using the auger, bore a hole approx 3/4″ deep (not all the way through!) in the center of this piece.

Insert the 8″ long dowel into the center.

Secure with a screw through the bottom.

Set this piece aside for later assembly. It will be the top of the weight tree where you can store small plates and spring collars. It should look like this:

STEP #4: ASSEMBLE THE BASE SUPPORTS
Mark the center of the (2) 24 1/2″ pieces where the (2) 6″ pieces will be connected (see picture below.)

Use the bar clamps to hold the 6″ piece to the 24 1/2″ piece and, with a 1/8″ drill bit, drill pilot holes through the 24 1/2″ piece and into the 6″ piece. (This is a pretty important step – failure to drill pilot holes may result in splitting the edge of the wood.)

Unclamp, add wood glue to the edge of the 6″ pieces, reclamp it to the 24 1/2″ piece, like it was before.

Drill (2) 2″ wood screws through pilot holes of the 24 1/2″ piece and into the 6″ piece.

Repeat for the other base support pieces.

STEP #5: ASSEMBLE VERTICAL SUPPORT STRUCTURE
Place the remaining 3 1/2″ square 2×4 piece between the two 37″ pieces.  The bottom of the 3 1/2″ piece should be 2 1/2″ from the bottom of the 37″ pieces.

Very important: Use a square to square up! You don’t want the vertical supports of a weight tree looking like the leaning tower of pisa.

Clamp these pieces with a bar clamp and drill (2) pilot holes with a 1/8″ drill bit through each 37″ piece and into the 3 1/2″ piece.

Unclamp, apply wood glue to each contact point, reclamp, and drill wood screws into the pilot holes of the 37″ pieces and into the 3 1/2″ piece.

Remember that other 3 1/2″ square piece with the 8″ dowel at the top? Attach it to top of these 37″ pieces such that the top of the 3 1/2″ square is flush with the tops of the 37″ pieces. Remember to clamp, drill pilot holes, unclamp, add glue, reclamp, and screw!

The last part of the vertical support assembly is to add the dowels. Tap the 17 1/2″ dowel through the top holes of the 37″ pieces and the 18 1/2″ dowel through the bottom holes.

(Kinda important: If the dowels won’t go in the holes (I’m going to pretend that doesn’t sound perverted), you’ll want to use the auger to widen the holes. Careful! Just bore through a little at a time because if you make the holes TOO big, the dowels will just slide through and that’s not very safe when it comes to big iron plates. But, let’s say you “accidentally” bored the holes too wide, drill a pilot hole through the the side of the 37″ vertical support and into the dowel so that it doesn’t slide around.

The vertical support should now look like this:

STEP #6: ATTACH VERTICAL SUPPORT TO BASE
Center the vertical support assembled in the previous step between the two horizontal base pieces.

Clamp and drill (2) pilot holes through each contact point of the base and into the vertical support. Make sure the structure is level at this point and that it does not rock or move excessively at this point.

Unclamp, add glue, reclamp, add screws!

And that’s it! Unclamp and admire your handiwork. Paint it up or stain it to your liking.

This weight tree was inspired by various people on the CrossFit.com forums and was designed by Ryan Decker. Total cost will be sub $20 (if you have all the tools) and around $35 if you buy drill bits, screws, and augers. Not too shabby.

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Snatch’z

August 23, 2010 7 Comments

Today was an Rx’d Rest Day so I took the “day off” to work on my Snatches.  Why would I do that??  Because SNATCHES  SCARE  THE  LIVING  SHIZIT  OUT  OF  ME.  (Yes, I’m cyber yelling in a freaked-out kind of way!)  I don’t blame myself for twitching uncontrollably whenever I see “Snatch” on a WOD.  I mean, really, I’m supposed to essentially deadlift into a jump and go airborne with a weighted bar and then drop down into a squat and catch the bar OVER MY HEAD?  (I obviously have confidence issues.)

But, after an hour and 15 minutes of practicing, filming, reviewing the tape, and practicing again I feel much more confident about the whole thing.  There is a lot of fine tuning that needs to be done but overall I’m cool with the progress, especially considering that I’m not with a box or affiliate. I’m CF’ing in a globo, and I don’t wod in a group with CF coaches so Ryan and I are learning these moves from various Burgener threads floating around the CF forums, by reading up on the technique, and by watching tons of vids (especially those of Olympian Eva Twardokens.)  Considering all that, I think we’re coming along just fine.  The more reps I did, the more comfortable and stable I got with the motion.  Ahh, makes sense.

Some of my progression footage:

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She Squats!

May 28, 2010 5 Comments

I finished reading the 63 page squat chapter of Mark Rippetoe’s “Starting Strength” book.  And since then I’ve been trying to mature my form.  One of these days I’ll show a video of my squat form before EVER reading that book.  It was absolutely HORRENDOUS.  Oh, but since we’re on the topic of “Mark Rippetoe” google “Rippetoe quotes.”

I just recently recovered from not only a hip strain but also a quad strain from sprinting so I was very pleased at being able to bump up my 85 lb 5-rep to 100 lbs!  The BEST news was that after 5 sets of 5 reps, I experienced neither hip pain NOR quad pain!  I guess he wasn’t kidding when Rip said, “Yes, if you squat wrong it f*cks things up. If you squat correctly, those same f*cked-up things will unf*ck themselves.”  (Sorry for the censorship but my Mom reads this, you know?)

I have a bad habit of allowing my weight to shift toward my toes so this squat session I made a concentrated effort to literally LIFT my toes up in my shoes, thus keeping the weighted bar between my heels and balls of my feet.  This is where my weightlifting shoes have come in really handy for me… I can feel EVERYTHING.

I’m also still exhibiting posterior rotation at the bottom of my squat but I think that will work itself out once I strengthen and develop hamstring flexibility.  That posterior rotation bothers me the MOST.  Ugh.

Another bad habit I have is allowing my knees (my right knee, in particular) to track inwards.  So, I’m working on pushing the knees out during the descent and ESPECIALLY during the ascent:

I’m seeing the most improvement in the development of my lumbar arch.  I think that’s the most important part for me:  PROTECT THE LUMBAR ARCH.  I’m 25 years old and I cannot afford to mess up my back.  I took a Squat Clinic with Phil Clark at The Training Station and he emphasized “Chest up!  Chest up!  Chest up!”  I’m still finding it difficult to balance with my chest up but it’s a work in progress.

Anyway, here’s a video of it all.  After my 4th rep, I looked at the rack because I wanted to rack the bar SO BADLY.  I didn’t know if I’d make it back up but my last rep ended up being my best rep.  I was concentrating SO hard on that one.

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