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Thread: Outdoor COVID19 home gym: Any advice?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
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    Default Outdoor COVID19 home gym: Any advice?

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    [Searched around and read some of the previous posts about this, but couldn't quite find what I was looking for.]

    OK, so it's come to this. I'm going to have to build an outdoor home gym--due to space limitations it can't be inside--on an outdoor patio area in my backyard. The patio area is concrete, but slopes downward slightly. In the attached picture, the gray concrete area slopes downward as it approaches the fence. This is especially noticeable if you compare it against the foundation of the house.

    It might rain, but if it does I'll have to put a tarp over my setup and hope for the best. Not sure what else I can do. I mean, it's not like I'm going to not train...

    A few questions:
    1. I assume squat stands are a bad idea, and an especially bad idea on a slightly unlevel surface. True? If so, is my best bet something like the Rogue S-1?
    2. Is it OK to use bumper plates on driveway-style concrete? I assume so.
    3. Is there anything specific I need to know about training outdoors or on slightly sloping surfaces?

    Any and all advice welcomed.
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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
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    You couldn’t give me a set of stands, buy a used power rack off Craigslist and a set of barbells off the same and be done with

    A piece of plywood with a stall mat cut in half will protect your concrete and the weights for deads

  3. #3
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    Mar 2016
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    I'm actually looking at the Rogue SML-1, not the S-1. Everyone seems to love it.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brahms View Post
    [Searched around and read some of the previous posts about this, but couldn't quite find what I was looking for.]

    OK, so it's come to this. I'm going to have to build an outdoor home gym--due to space limitations it can't be inside--on an outdoor patio area in my backyard. The patio area is concrete, but slopes downward slightly. In the attached picture, the gray concrete area slopes downward as it approaches the fence. This is especially noticeable if you compare it against the foundation of the house.

    It might rain, but if it does I'll have to put a tarp over my setup and hope for the best. Not sure what else I can do. I mean, it's not like I'm going to not train...

    A few questions:
    1. I assume squat stands are a bad idea, and an especially bad idea on a slightly unlevel surface. True? If so, is my best bet something like the Rogue S-1?
    2. Is it OK to use bumper plates on driveway-style concrete? I assume so.
    3. Is there anything specific I need to know about training outdoors or on slightly sloping surfaces?

    Any and all advice welcomed.
    If you build a lifting platform with plywood and mats, you can shim it up with varying diameter wood slats or dowels to level it out. Your rack can then sit on top of this, and there will be room to deadlift if you make the platform big enough.

    I lift in my garage, and the floor slopes gently toward the front for drainage purposes, I guess. Oddly, the slope seems more noticeable with my spirit level up on the rack than it does on the wood platform. So I have shimmed up one side of my rack so that the bar is truly horizontal. It's possible that the 1/4" difference in altitude between the bottoms of my left and right feet will lead to horrible asymmetries and cause my spinal column to explode at some point, but so far so good. I'm also lazy and don't want to disassemble and move the whole thing to shim it up. Maybe that's a summer project.

  5. #5
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    Thanks for the quick responses, guys.

    jfsully: How could does it get in your garage? Just curious.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brahms View Post
    Thanks for the quick responses, guys.

    jfsully: How could does it get in your garage? Just curious.
    My garage is attached to my house, but is not usually heated, so it gets down to probably 20-30F at the coldest (when it is below 0 outside). I have trained through the winter with the help of a propane heater. This throws off a lot of heat, and I think it would help quite a bit even outdoors. If you can bring your barbell inside when not in use, that will help a lot, as that cold bar hurts like a mofo some days.

  7. #7
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    Jul 2017
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    OP- I have a RML-690 in my garage. As with most garages there is a sloped floor. The slope equates to 1/8" drop over the length of my shoe. My lifting shoes have a 3/4" heel rise, which is 1/8" more than the SS recommendation. Facing uphill gets the effective heel rise to 5/8". It also keeps the bar from rolling away from me during deadlift. All I did was lay down stall mats in the area and did nothing to alter the existing slope. There's no side to side difference. The uprights are slightly out of level but not noticeable without a level (even with my OCD). Works out perfectly. I don't do olympic lifts & don't drop my deads. I do have a set of bumpers that are used for DL but really don't need them.

    With your available area getting a tarp or some other means of cover is a great idea. A little shade during the summer helps keep the heat down and protecting the metal as best you can from the elements will greatly prolong the life. Always take your bar inside when not in use and be sure to properly clean & maintain it. A couple questions- what is your budget, timeline & location?

  8. #8
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    Interesting. Never even thought about the cold barbell factor. Thanks for the tip.

    I don't think it'll get into 20-30s here--more like 30s-40s at the worst of the winter.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by danomite! View Post
    OP- I have a RML-690 in my garage. As with most garages there is a sloped floor. The slope equates to 1/8" drop over the length of my shoe. My lifting shoes have a 3/4" heel rise, which is 1/8" more than the SS recommendation. Facing uphill gets the effective heel rise to 5/8". It also keeps the bar from rolling away from me during deadlift. All I did was lay down stall mats in the area and did nothing to alter the existing slope. There's no side to side difference. The uprights are slightly out of level but not noticeable without a level (even with my OCD). Works out perfectly. I don't do olympic lifts & don't drop my deads. I do have a set of bumpers that are used for DL but really don't need them.

    With your available area getting a tarp or some other means of cover is a great idea. A little shade during the summer helps keep the heat down and protecting the metal as best you can from the elements will greatly prolong the life. Always take your bar inside when not in use and be sure to properly clean & maintain it. A couple questions- what is your budget, timeline & location?
    Thanks for this info. Answers to your questions below.

    I have decided to switch my order to the RML-390F "Flat Foot" rack. I've also decided to put it in a gazebo area on another patio--we don't need a damn patio set by the pool in trying times like these. The gazebo-covered area is about 7x7. It appears to be flatter, but it probably slopes a little. The gazebo just has horizontal beams and not a proper roof, so I'll need to figure out a roof solution. I figure I can also put heavy windproof/waterproof outdoor curtains on all four sides of the gazebo to make it a little more pleasant come winter. I'll see if I can get a picture taken of the gazebo today, just to get your feedback.

    Answers:
    1. Budget: Not really an issue, as training is very important to me. I'd probably not flinch unless costs started creeping above $10k.
    2. Timeline: ASAP for having a setup, but the deadline for improving the gazebo to make it winter-ready is probably around late September.
    3. Location: San Francisco Bay Area. (Yes, Taxifornia.) Weather is generally sunny, but winters tend to be rainy. Rare to drop below 40 during the day, or below freezing at night.

  10. #10
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    Jul 2017
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brahms View Post
    Thanks for this info. Answers to your questions below.

    I have decided to switch my order to the RML-390F "Flat Foot" rack. I've also decided to put it in a gazebo area on another patio--we don't need a damn patio set by the pool in trying times like these. The gazebo-covered area is about 7x7. It appears to be flatter, but it probably slopes a little. The gazebo just has horizontal beams and not a proper roof, so I'll need to figure out a roof solution. I figure I can also put heavy windproof/waterproof outdoor curtains on all four sides of the gazebo to make it a little more pleasant come winter. I'll see if I can get a picture taken of the gazebo today, just to get your feedback.

    Answers:
    1. Budget: Not really an issue, as training is very important to me. I'd probably not flinch unless costs started creeping above $10k.
    2. Timeline: ASAP for having a setup, but the deadline for improving the gazebo to make it winter-ready is probably around late September.
    3. Location: San Francisco Bay Area. (Yes, Taxifornia.) Weather is generally sunny, but winters tend to be rainy. Rare to drop below 40 during the day, or below freezing at night.
    Sweet, sounds like you will wind up with a nice set up. For reference I went with Rogue's calibrated steel plates for everything 25# & up and their change plates for 10# & under. I went with Vulcan Alpha bumpers for their low noise and snazzy color pattern. I got some PVC pipe to go over the pin & pipe safeties to help protect my bar. Pipe insulation may have been a better option.

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