Height adjustment

[caveman]

I just had my first session coaching my wife how to squat. The first thing I realized is that she is in between the bar holder selections of my crappy smith half cage that have ~4" between placements. I think the simplest and cheapest solution would be to throw down a couple of pieces of 3/4" plywood screwed together. It would be a large enough piece to be able to rack/unrack the bar and walk it out without stepping off the raised platform. Is there something about doing this that would be considered unsafe?

[Adam Skillin]

I just had my first session coaching my wife how to squat. The first thing I realized is that she is in between the bar holder selections of my crappy smith half cage that have ~4" between placements. I think the simplest and cheapest solution would be to throw down a couple of pieces of 3/4" plywood screwed together. It would be a large enough piece to be able to rack/unrack the bar and walk it out without stepping off the raised platform. Is there something about doing this that would be considered unsafe?

Only if it can slide or move. Or if it's too small to be sure she won't step on an edge.

[caveman]

I'm planning to make it wide enough that it fits reasonably tightly between the uprights of the rack. That will inhibit side to side motion. To minimize any chance of front to back sliding I was thinking about putting a little sandpaper on the bottom of the boosted platform. That trick usually works reasonably well for woodworking jigs/holders. I could fasten it directly to the rack but I want to make installation and removal a breeze.

[TheOneWhoLifts]

I think the simplest solution would be to just place the bar on the lower setting and go from there. Makes it easier to get into the low bar placement anyway.

[caveman]

Well, that is simplest and she is too new at this to know any better. But it's too low to be considered optimal.

[Adam Skillin]

Well, that is simplest and she is too new at this to know any better. But it's too low to be considered optimal.

What's your worry with the plywood? Sounds like a perfectly legit solution, unless I'm missing something, but I'm not the most mechanically competent person on the boards by a long shot.

[caveman]

Just wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing something obvious. The booster platform will have the added bonus of being used by me for deficit deadlifts. So it shall be.