How to make a barbell from disks and pipes. How to make home gym equipment with your own hands. What to make a fingerboard from

Everyone wants to have a beautiful and pumped up body. To achieve the desired effect, you need to train long and hard and go to the gym. Often, a person living a modern life simply does not have enough time to go to the gym at least several times a week. A person who really wants to achieve a goal can study at home. The first question that immediately arises is: where can I get the sports equipment needed for sports?

Where can I get sports equipment?

If the decision has already been made that you need to study at home, then the first step is to purchase all the equipment. Let's start with the simplest thing - dumbbells. It’s strange, but in all sports stores these pieces of ordinary iron are so expensive that not every athlete can afford to spend that amount. It will cost you a pretty penny to buy dismountable dumbbells with a set of discs. Such luxury is certainly not available to everyone. What to do? Shouldn't you give up all training? You can make dumbbells with your own hands - this is a way out of this situation. This simple homemade inventory will help you save money.

Where to begin

From the very beginning, you need to decide on the material of the handle, the dumbbells themselves, and make sure that you can make dumbbells with your own hands. Drawings and drawings are not needed for this. Everything depends only on imagination, which will be the main assistant. We choose the material - you can make dumbbells with your own hands from metal, concrete, plastic bottles and much more. After preparing all the materials, you can start working.

DIY dumbbells from plastic bottles

Oddly enough, most often homemade dumbbells are made from ordinary plastic bottles. There is more than enough material to create them. There are several two-liter bottles in each apartment.

Before making dumbbells with your own hands, you need to decide on the filler. For the laziest, there is a simple way - just pour water. These DIY dumbbells are made from bottles very quickly and easily. Pouring water into bottles is very simple, but ineffective. The dumbbells will be too light. Sand is another matter. One liter of sand weighs two kilograms - still more than water. If you need heavier dumbbells, then you can safely send all sorts of nails, small fittings, nuts, bearing balls and any other metal rubbish inside.

How to make dumbbells from eggplants

The manufacturing technology is very simple. Just to do this you need to stock up on adhesive tape or insulating tape. Let's start manufacturing. To do this, you will need two plastic two-liter bottles, a stationery knife, wire, tape and filler (sand, cement or something similar).

First, use a utility knife to cut off the top and bottom of the bottle. It is important to cut carefully so that the edges are even. This way it is deleted middle part. Bottom part and the top are glued back together using a large number of turns of tape. It should be noted that the smaller the middle part is cut, the heavier the dumbbell will be. The same must be done with the second bottle.

After this, pre-prepared filler is poured into each half of the dumbbell through the neck hole. Then the lid is screwed on. Once the two halves are ready, they can be joined. Having placed the neck against the neck, you need to wrap these parts with tape so that they are connected. After several fixing turns, we begin to make a handle. To make the handle strong, it needs to be well wrapped with wire, which will also add weight. You need to make something like a wire winding. Thus, these two parts will be firmly connected. By adding a couple more layers of tape and insulation tape, you can start training.

Do-it-yourself dumbbells made of concrete: what you need

You can make concrete dumbbells with your own hands from the category of inexpensive and simple sports equipment. Here it will be more difficult to do them, since there are several nuances. First you need to prepare everything necessary tools and materials.

In order to make concrete dumbbells with your own hands, you will need concrete or cement itself, two half-meter iron pipes, a drill, nails or screws and plastic mayonnaise buckets. All this will be needed to make dumbbells.

How to make dumbbells from concrete

The first step is to drill four holes in each pipe on both sides at the ends with a drill from all sides. Nails or screws are inserted into these holes. They should stick out like a cross. Nails perform the same function as when creating reinforced concrete. They will hold the concrete weight so that it does not move during training. When all the manipulations have been done on both sides, you can start making a dumbbell.

You need to make a dumbbell in parts - first one side, and then the other. After the cement or concrete has been mixed, it must be poured into a bucket. After this, simply insert the iron pipe with nails at one end into the solution. The load must dry for several days, only then can it be removed.

The next step is more difficult: you need to do the same with the second side. But what if there is a load hanging there? To do this, you need to tie a load to something so that the stick stands vertically. After this side has dried, you need to keep the concrete in water for a couple of days. This is done to make it durable. After all this, the dumbbell can be considered ready. The larger the bucket, the heavier the dumbbell itself will be.

How to make a homemade barbell

A good addition to dumbbells would be a homemade barbell. Making a barbell with your own hands is also very simple. As a rule, a barbell involves heavy weight, so you need a lot of eggplants to create it.

To create a homemade rod you will need a piece of reinforcement or iron pipe, tape and myself plastic container. You should immediately choose for yourself what weight you need to exercise with. The structure will consist of two blocks placed at different ends of the reinforcement. Each of them consists of four eggplants tightly connected to each other. If you choose two-liter bottles, then the weight of the entire barbell (without the bar) will be only eighteen kilograms. For a heavy barbell, it is best to take five liter bottles. Then the weight of the barbell will be at least forty kilograms, and this is already a normal weight.

To make such a block, you just need to pour water into the bottles and secure them all with a good roll of tape. After the two blocks are ready, you can place them on a bar made of reinforcement or pipe. You can place pieces of reinforcement between the bottles, gradually adding weight to the bar.

Do with my own hands a barbell or dumbbells is very simple. You just need to apply a little perseverance and imagination when creating this sports equipment.

You can make a barbell from ordinary household supplies to improve physical fitness and doing exercises. Milk bottles, canned goods and other everyday items will help you stay in shape. This way you'll save money and stay in good shape!

Steps

Make easy homemade barbells

Use a milk bottle. Fill a clean plastic three liter bottle water, sand, stones or concrete. The bottle must have a handle; you will need it to perform the exercises. Use the handles to lift and lower the bottle like a hand barbell or dumbbell.

Using hand barbells made from milk bottles, you can work out your biceps, triceps, and shoulders.

Pick up cans. Canning jars that fit in your hand are a great substitute for hand dumbbells. This is especially good if you are just starting to build muscles. Use large tin cans as heavy weights or medicine balls.

Make dumbbells from plastic water bottles. Instead of recycling water or soda bottles, fill them with water or add sand or pebbles. When filling, you should make sure that they weigh the same. Lift bottles like dumbbells.

Make hand bars from water bottles. Instead of using water bottles to make hand weights, you can attach several bottles to your arms as hand weights. Before attaching the bottles to your arms, fill them with sand. If you want to increase the weight, add water after filling them with sand.
- Filled plastic bottles should be taped to your forearm. Do not wrap the tape around your skin; it must hold the bottles together to keep them together. You can also use duct tape, just don't stick it to your skin. Place the bottles closer to each other so that they do not slip off your hands.
Make a weighted medicine ball (medicine ball) from a basketball. Take an old basketball and drill a hole in one of the black strips. The hole should be large enough to allow weighted material to be placed inside through the funnel. Place a funnel over the hole and add sand or pebbles until the desired weight is reached. Use the patch to repair bicycle tires to close the hole. If you don't have a tire vulcanizing patch kit, you can also use duct tape. The modified ball can now be used as a medicine ball.

Make hand weights from socks. Fill a clean sock with dry beans. Pebbles or small stones are also suitable for adding weight. Sew or tape the open end of the sock. Then sew the ends together or add Velcro to them to make it easier to lift the sock up.
- Use a scale to adjust your weight. Fill the sock based on your desired weight and then cut off the excess fabric. If you want to make the dumbbells heavier but the material won't fit inside, use a larger sock.
- When choosing a sock, you should make sure that it is long enough to fit around your wrist. If the sock is too long, fill it until it goes around your wrist, then cut off the excess fabric before sewing the end closed.
Use packages of rice or beans. Packages like these are perfect as mini barbells if you are a beginner. You can start using them now to perform biceps curls and other light weight exercises.

Cut bicycle tire tubes into hand dumbbells. Take inner chamber tires and cut it into equal parts. Secure one end of the chamber with duct tape, then fill the chamber with sand. Cover the other end with duct tape. You can leave them flat or bend them and tape both ends together.
- This is a great way to make barbells of various sizes. Start with 500 grams - 1.5 kilograms. You can also try making barbells that weigh 2.5 or even 3.5 kilograms. Weigh the rods before taping them.
Make a weight vest. Get a fishing vest or one with lots of small pockets. Fill plastic bags with sand or concrete and place them in your pockets. Run, do pull-ups, do push-ups, or walk while wearing a weight vest.

Use cans of paint. Hold the paint cans in your hands by the handles. Most paint cans are a little heavier than plastic bottles or food cans, so you can use them to build muscles. Since they have handles, cans are virtually no different from dumbbells.
- You can also try using paint cans instead of weights.
Do water pipe. Water pipes are long plastic pipes, filled with water in a volume of about 10 liters. The benefit of training is the squish and flow of water, and by trying to maintain balance as the water passes from one end of the pipe to the other, you use muscles. You can also make your own water pipe using resin pipe. The pipe should be about 10 centimeters in diameter and 2.5-3 meters long. Place the cap on one end and fill the pipe halfway with water. Place the cap on the other end.

Use a duffel bag to make a sandbag. Sandbags are similar to water tubes in that they are unstable and will shift weight, requiring you to use more muscles. To make a sandbag, fill 18-20 quart freezer bags with sand. Your bag should weigh approximately 20-30 kilograms. Use two bags at a time to prevent them from tearing, then seal the end. Place the bags in the duffel bag. Zip up your duffel bag and get to work!

Make homemade weights

Use a milk or juice can. Fill a clean, plastic 4 liter jar or 2 liter bottle with water or sand. Make sure the jar has a handle; it is needed to perform exercises with a kettlebell.

Use rope weights. Another method for making weights at home is to tie a string at each end of the dumbbell handle. The thicker the rope, the easier it will be for you to hold on to. Grasp the rope in the middle so that the dumbbell hangs evenly at a level below your hands. Now you can do swings and presses, and the weight will be practically the same as a kettlebell. If you need to adjust the weight, simply use a different size dumbbell.
- Be careful when performing dumbbell swings. It swings and flies further than a regular weight. Try not to hit yourself with the dumbbell.
Make a weight from a bag of potatoes. Buy a bag of potatoes, rice or sugar, which can be found in almost all grocery stores. Fill the bag with sand until the desired weight is reached. Tie a loop at the top of the bag for gripping. Use string or duct tape to secure the loop so it doesn't fall off. You can reinforce the bottom and sides of the bag with duct tape.
- You can use this method to make many different sized weights. Use a scale to measure how many pounds you put in the bags before you tie them.
Use resin pipe and old basketballs to make weights. Buy a 2.5/61 centimeter polymer pipe, cover one end with duct tape and fill it with sand. Seal the other end of the pipe. Place the resin pipe in an oven heated to 450 degrees for 10 minutes. The plastic should become soft and not melt. Now you need to shape the plastic into the shape of a kettlebell handle. Watch the pipe carefully.
- Remove the pipe from the oven and thread it through the handle, connecting both ends. Secure the ends with duct tape. Immerse the pipe in cold water so that it does not lose its shape.
- Cut a slot with two holes for the handles in the basketball. Place the handle on the ball to ensure that the holes for the handle are the correct width and will be at the correct height.
- Quickly mix the concrete in a separate container, then scoop it out and fill the basketball with it. Attach handles. Allow the concrete to cure for two or three days before use.

Bench press– a productive and most common exercise that develops the chest muscles. For home use Not everyone can afford to buy a trainer in a specialized store. Then try making it yourself. Who doesn’t know how to make a homemade barbell. You can use the tips given in the article. It turns out that this is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. In addition, in terms of finances, making a homemade barbell is much more profitable. There is no need to purchase expensive equipment to practice at home.

Outwardly reliable homemade design will look aesthetically pleasing. In addition to tips on how to make a homemade barbell, you will find answers to making a DIY bench press, which is necessary for performing the exercises of this strength training.

The appearance of the future simulator is as in the figure below:

Note that this option is not the simplest. You can make a homemade barbell from bottles, wheels, or concrete pancakes. But, for regular exercise, it is better to try once, making a homemade barbell that looks attractive, so working out with it will be a pleasure.

How to make a homemade exercise machine for training at home

Materials that will be needed to assemble the simulator: standard steel pipes (preferably square section).

Tools. You can find them at home, and buy the missing ones in the store: an electric drill (but a hand drill will do), a hacksaw or grinder, screws and a screwdriver.

Of course, to make a homemade simulator, you need basic knowledge of metal cutting and welding basics(at least, help from friends).

In principle, you can do without welding if you replace it with fastening using screws.

You can’t train without a bench press, so let’s start with making one.

Making a bench press

The figure below shows the designations: The top number in the circle indicates the part number, the bottom tells you which part to attach it to.

Materials for assembling the bench:

Square pipe 50x50x4: 50 millimeters is the size of the sides, 4 is the wall thickness. With a reserve you need to buy 8.2 meters. This amount should be enough, provided that everything is done carefully and strictly according to the drawing. The cost of a meter of pipe is 5-6 dollars, and total amount will be about 45 dollars. If you are planning classes with light weights, you can save money by replacing it with bars made of strong wood.
Board size 1.3x0.3 meters, on which they lie when performing the exercise. For convenience and beauty, it is upholstered with leatherette, leatherette or thick fabric, under which foam rubber is placed. But don't make the bench too soft.
Holders (10) – 2 pieces. They are made from steel strip. Arcs of the “Y” or “U” type are suitable. Stags are also made from reinforcing rods. The main thing is that they hold the barbell securely.
Plugs(11)– metal plates 50x50 millimeters (any thickness). But you can do without them, since the covers serve a purely aesthetic function. If you use them, you need 6 pieces.
Fastening(see picture). These are parts welded from triangular and rectangular plates. You can't make them without welding. But this is the only place where it cannot be replaced if you follow the recommendations. You can do without this if you use 3 plates of wood or metal measuring 90x40 mm (or other). The main thing is that they protrude a couple of centimeters on both sides of the pipe to which the board is attached. The plates are attached to the pipe with screws: holes are drilled into them and a board is screwed on top.
Grovers(spring washers), nuts, screws - 12 pieces each. They are needed to hold the bench together.

After the bench press is assembled, it’s time for the homemade barbell

How to make a barbell

Materials:

Pipe with a diameter of 32 millimeters and a wall thickness of at least 6 millimeters. You need 1.6-1.8 meters. The steel magazine bar weighs 20 kg and is 2.2 meters long. Such characteristics (weight and strength) are not provided by available materials. Even if you take out a pipe with a metal thickness of 8 mm, you cannot reach the specified parameters of a standard neck. Considering that the most common are pipes with a wall of 6 mm, it is possible to achieve a weight of 7 kg by taking a length of 1.8 m. (Why is it not recommended to have a longer length to make a homemade rod? Because of its low strength, it simply will not withstand such a weight , like a factory bar. A homemade barbell will be stronger if you take a larger thickness of metal, but even this will not add significant weight. Here, this must be taken into account, and focus on the cost. An expensive option is round steel, of course, more reliable and efficient. Next, a thread is cut at the ends of the selected pipe - 20 centimeters on each side.)
Pancake dividers are needed so that they do not cross the “line” allotted to them. A simple and reliable option that prevents pancakes from doing this would be welding in in the right places pieces of steel. If there is no welding, use electrical tape or wire, which is wound in the right places, after making holes in them. If appearance is not so important for you, drill two through holes in those places, insert screws and nuts into them. The distance to the separator is 20 cm.
Pancakes added to total weight 51 kg. But when making a homemade barbell, it is difficult to determine the exact weight. In addition, remembering that the weight of the bar is 7 kg, plus 51 kg (what the barbell weighs), it will not be enough. You also can’t overdo it, given the strength of the homemade rod pipe. For pancakes, the recommended steel thickness is 3 cm. You won’t be able to buy such a sheet cheaply. You can look for them at scrap metal collection points, keeping in mind that symmetry is necessary, i.e. so that the number of kilograms at both ends is the same.
To fix the pancakes you need 2 nuts: for a diameter of 32 - a nut for 32, respectively. The next option is to drill through holes at a short distance, insert screws into those of them that are closer to the pancakes. Another aesthetic way is special spring clips (2 pcs.). They are practical and inexpensive.

When everything is prepared, they begin assembly and are proud of themselves. There are downsides to a homemade barbell, and it’s a bit expensive. However, it is much more economical than buying it in a store, and it brings just as many benefits. Having made a homemade barbell, you get powerful motivation: after spending so much effort, you cannot stop training.

Video: How to make a barbell with your own hands

In stores, sports equipment is quite expensive, so not everyone can afford it. You can achieve the same results as with real dumbbells by making simple power equipment yourself. The main thing is consistency in doing the exercises - and the result is guaranteed.

The most affordable and easy way To make dumbbells yourself is to take two plastic bottles and fill them with water. For more weight, you can fill the bottles with sand. This method more suitable for girls due to ease of execution and low weight. This method is not suitable for guys, so some craftsmen have developed unique methods that will help everyone make dumbbells in home conditions, spending a minimum of costs on them.

Making cement dumbbells

A fairly common type of homemade dumbbells are cement ones, which are heavy. If desired, you can make dumbbells up to 15 kg each. To do this, you need to take a metal or plastic pipe, cement mortar and suitable containers. Any paint bucket, mayonnaise bucket, or just the bottom of a cut bottle can serve as a mold for the solution. Moreover, the larger the container, the heavier the dumbbell will be, so you can even cut off a five-liter bottle.

Then we dilute the solution and fill the selected container. We insert metal pipe into the center of the container and wait for the solution to completely harden. Half of the dumbbell is ready. The next day he does the same with the other half, only with a load frozen at the other end. To further secure the tube in the solution, you can screw self-tapping screws into its ends so that part of them protrudes for greater adhesion.

Complete drying of the cement mortar occurs only after four days; before that it is not recommended to use them. To give homemade dumbbells aesthetically pleasing, they can be cleaned and painted regular paint, or just wrap it with colored tape. The barbell is made using exactly the same method, only the containers must be larger diameter. The main thing is not to throw cement dumbbells onto a hard surface, because they can break.

Dumbbells from DVDs

The next way to make dumbbells at home is even more interesting. Unnecessary DVD discs are taken, and the more, the better, and metal tube with a diameter like the hole in the disks. In order to make such dumbbells, you need limiters for the disks, so it is advisable to have a thread at the ends of the pipe onto which nuts are screwed on both sides of the stack of disks.

When using 100 discs per dumbbell, that is, 50 pieces on each side of one dumbbell, we get a weight of 2 kg. For convenience, wrap the handle with either a rubber band or other thick material to increase the diameter.

If you don’t know how to make dumbbells with your own hands, or the listed methods are not suitable for some reason, you can turn to a turner who will turn all the parts out of metal. Such dumbbells will be most similar to professional ones, and their cost will be several times lower.

Types of dumbbells

For many who want to play sports, the question of visiting the gym is closed due to lack of time, and their own sports equipment for exercising at home is not so cheap. Despite the ease of manufacture, the sporting goods industry is simply not interested in selling pieces of metal for cheap.

Before you make them yourself at home, let’s figure out what they are and what their varieties are. All dumbbells are divided into cast And collapsible. The first ones have constant mass, it can only be changed by destroying the dumbbell. Most often they are used in gyms, since there should always be access to equipment of the required weight and no one wants to waste time assembling and disassembling it.

The second ones consist of a bar and plates or other types of weights. They can often be found in home gyms, since this option is cheaper - buying two dumbbells weighing 20 kg with the possibility of reducing the weight is much cheaper than purchasing 2, 4, 6...20 kg separately.

Dumbbells are also made from different materials– concrete, cast iron, steel coated with rubber, etc. The material and coating create ease of use and affect the durability of the product.

There are also differences in the form of the pancakes that are hung on the bar. It can be round, hexagonal and other designs. Available with self-regulating weight. Every day new options appear that can be called high-tech, but the price of such equipment is not commensurate with their benefits - there is no point in overpaying.

We create inventory from plastic

You can assemble dumbbells quickly and very cheaply by using plastic bottles. Due to the simplicity of the design, you can practice with such projectiles immediately after production. We need one dumbbell: plastic bottles 2 pieces; filler; insulating tape/adhesive tape.

Manufacturing

The middle part of the bottles needs to be cut out, and then the top and bottom parts must be reattached with adhesive tape.
Then you need to fill the resulting containers with filler. Sand and cement are excellent fillers, but if you need more weight, then feel free to add nails, scrap metal, balls from bearings, in general, let your imagination run wild.
After filling, you need to insert a wooden or metal shelf or pipe into both necks. Cover the areas with tape or duct tape. You will get a very comfortable, soft and non-slip handle.

Assembling the barbell

You can also assemble a barbell from plastic. Since it itself implies a lot of weight, you need a lot more bottles. For the bar you will need: plastic bottles, at least 8 pieces; filler; fingerboard; tape/duct tape.

Manufacturing

As a neck we use a pipe and fittings that are comfortable for the hand.
We fill the bottles in the same way as in dumbbells.
Place the finished weight around both ends of the bar and wrap it with tape. We get four bottles on each side, between which the bar passes. Tape the weight securely to the bar so that it does not move or cause play.
For a more impressive weight, we take another load and place it in the spaces between the existing bottles, like logs. We recommend wrapping each new layer with new tape - this way you can increase the weight of the bar up to 100 kg.

To make it easier for you to determine the size, number of bottles and their filler, we provide the following data:

Making concrete shells

Dumbbells on cement based come out much heavier than bottled ones. Large and heavy, solid weight plates for dumbbells and barbells are obtained from a solution hardened in a certain form with a neck inside. The main disadvantage of such equipment is the inability to optimize for a constant increase in loads or for another person.

That is, if you need a dumbbell with a different weight, you will have to make a new one. Another disadvantage of cement is its fragility and friability. To strengthen the mixture, glue (PVA) is added to the solution, and if you do not like, like a powerlifter, throwing the barbell to the floor with a victorious cry, then it is unlikely that it will quickly become unusable.

So, we will need: metal pipes of suitable length; drill, screws or bolts; cement mortar, PVA glue; cargo form.

Manufacturing

To begin, take a pipe and use a drill to drill holes for screws at its ends in four directions. Screw in the screws so that they are held as tightly as possible at the ends and stick out in the shape of a cross. This is necessary to hold the cement.
Next, take a form (a flat bucket of paint, mayonnaise or anything. It is important that the size suits your weight), and mix the solution with glue or oil paint for hardness.
Insert the pipe into the solution and wait four days until it dries completely.
Then you need to do the same on the other side. Support, tie or hang the structure for another four days.
After complete drying you need next week Soak the dumbbell in water a couple of times to make the cement stronger.

Help: if you prepare concrete in a 2-liter form, the weight of the projectile can reach 5 k g (depending on the composition of the mixture).

Of course, for an exercise like the “farmer’s walk,” two canisters hung on a stick are also suitable; you can also weigh down a metal bar with car wheels, tires filled with sand, and much more. But only these cement dumbbells will allow you to fully engage in sports.

On the other hand, they will be useful only in the first stages. If your passion for sports goes further, then you will understand that it is time to make dumbbells from metal.

Metal dumbbells

Metal plates and bars are analogues of factory ones, but they will only cost you less. If you make a dumbbell bar and a barbell from the same tube, you can use the same weights, saving you time, money and space in your room.

In order to make such dumbbells, you will need: a mechanic's workshop; metal rod - future neck; thin-walled pipe with a diameter slightly larger than the neck; Sheet steel; locking locks.

Manufacturing

First we make the neck. A crowbar about 3 cm in diameter works well as a base. We saw off a neck 35-40 cm long from it. Then we take a thin-walled pipe and cut 15 cm from it. It needs to be put on the neck to protect the place for the hand, in other words, it will be a handle. After making the dumbbell itself, it can be wrapped with electrical tape or covered with relief.
We cut out disks (future pancakes) from sheet steel using an autogenous machine. Do not doubt their weight - with a sheet thickness of 1 cm, a disk with a diameter of 18 cm will weigh 2 kilograms. Hang 10 cm on each side of your dumbbell - and you will gain 40 kg! If desired, vary the size of the discs to randomly change the weight from the lightest to the heaviest when training different muscle groups. It would be a good idea to cut a whole set based on the prototype of factory dumbbells so that the total weight of one dumbbell could reach 25-30 kg - it is unlikely that you will need more.
We produce locking locks. We find a pipe with a diameter slightly larger than our neck and cut off rings 3 cm wide from it. We need them to move freely along the neck, but not slide off by themselves. In each ring you need to drill a fairly wide hole (about 1-1.2 cm) for screws. After screwing in the screw, the ring will press against the bar and hold the plates. Just remember to press it close to the disks so that there is no play.
Let's start assembling the dumbbell: there should already be a tube in the middle from step 1, then we hang the disks and secure them with locking locks.

Tips for making and using homemade projectiles

The best, of course, are metal dumbbells and barbells. But when making them, you need to be as careful as possible so that the width of the disks and the quality of the locks correspond to your calculations. It is better not to use discs that are too wide - it is better to increase their diameter, or make 2-4 very heavy discs and the rest smaller.

Take the time to clean and polish every part of your new dumbbell or barbell to make it look presentable - paint the weights like sporting goods manufacturers do. In the end, it will still cost you less than purchased equipment, and the pleasure of exercising with such equipment and the effort expended on it will motivate you to train regularly, which will certainly benefit you.

There are photographs online of craftsmen hanging about 100 kg on their dumbbells, demonstrating the quality of workmanship. Don’t even think about wasting your energy on such antics, it’s better to make a barbell and hang 200-300 kg on it for a deadlift - that’s impressive.

Depending on your capabilities, you can buy handles and a neck in a store, and make the pancakes yourself or order them from a workshop. Then high quality form and the convenience of the branded handle will help you hold your grip better, and the rest will cost much less.

Record sizes and weights

Modern gyms have long rows of dumbbells of varying weights. Most often, their maximum weight is up to 50 kg. But there are iron monsters in the world that exceed this figure. For example, there is a popular video on Youtube where Rich Piana and his colleagues are trying to lift a dumbbell weighing 170 kg!!!

And in gym, where Ronnie Coleman worked out, there are his personalized dumbbells, each of which weighs 113 kg. Yes, the 8x Mr. Olympia used them in his training. Anyone who can pick them up will receive a free annual subscription to visit this gym. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find information on the Internet whether such lucky people exist.

If you have made dumbbells yourself or know other ways to make them, write in the comments, other readers will be interested!

Sports doctor, nutritionist, rehabilitation specialist

Provides general consultations on nutrition, selection of a diet for pregnant women, weight correction, selection of nutrition for exhaustion, selection of nutrition for obesity, selection of an individual diet and therapeutic nutrition. Also specializes in modern methods of functional testing in sports; athlete recovery. Other authors