IOL Strength and Conditioning

For some folk, the Minimalist Approach just won’t work…they need (or more likely want) more. This article will address these folks, as well as provide some equipment hints and considerations that I’ve gleaned from 30 plus years experience. Let’s assume that you have the necessary space available and that money really doesn’t limit you.

Unless you are blessed with sufficient coin of the realm to purchase everything you want at once, you may have to view the equipping of a home gym as a long term project. Consider this: Rather than join a commercial gym, save the money you would annually pay and purchase (or build, if so inclined) one good piece of equipment every year. In a few short years, you’ll have a well-equipped home gym that didn’t require an enormous one-time payment.

The one most essential piece of home gym equipment is the power rack. First and foremost, it is a safety device, allowing you to bench press and squat heavily, without requiring a spotter. There are many types available…here’s what I consider important when considering which power rack to buy:

• It should be constructed sturdily. This means at least 2 inch square stock tubing and either well bolted together or welded.
• It should have at least twenty four inches between the front and rear uprights, to avoid interfering with free movement. More space is better.
• It should have a wide range of adjustment holes, the more the better. Two inches between adjustments is a good figure. (If you don’t have a lot of adjustment…don’t despair. You can build up your platform to match your available adjustments, by adding boards…but this is inconvenient, to say the least.)
• You should have at least two bar yokes or “J” hook saddles…these will be heavily used when bench pressing and squatting. They should have fairly large endplates (to prevent the bar from rolling off) and they should have a “safety pin,” to prevent them from pulling out of the selected hole position. By using these yokes, you eliminate the need for bench uprights for bench pressing and squat stands for squatting. This is very space efficient. They may be used inside the rack for bench pressing and squatting, or they may be used on the outside of the front uprights, if more space is required, such as overhead presses or jerks. Make sure the rack is securely bolted to the floor, a wood platform or is heavily loaded down with extra plates…to prevent tipping.
• You may wish to consider if your rack allows the attachment of a lat pulley. Again, this is efficient and doesn’t require the purchase of an additional machine. This works well if you’re of average height or shorter. Some tall folks will find that an integral lat machine won’t allow them to fully straighten their arms. Try before you buy.

The next piece is the bench. In addition to what was written in the Minimalist Approach, look for these things:

• If you contemplate doing steep incline presses, you’ll need an adjustable bench. (Rather than propping a flat bench on a block) Look for one that is solid…with heavy “catches” for the adjustment points. A seat that “tilts” is nice but not absolutely essential.
• If you really, really want an “all in one” type bench…try before you buy. Making a preacher curl attachment and leg extension/curl attachment, etc. etc. that have a range of adjustment or that fit…is something that eludes most manufacturers. It’s like trying to make a pair of shoes that fits everyone. I find that these accessories normally just get in the way and are inconvenient enough to set up so that most people won’t use them once the novelty wears off. I prefer a heavily built flat bench, or at the most, an adjustable bench.

Next item to be considered is the lat machine. If you attach a lat machine to your power rack and this arrangement fits you physically…you’ll save floor space by doing so. The disadvantage is that it will intrude slightly on the space available inside your cage…weigh your options and decide. The lat machine is particularly useful, not only for pulldowns and the many garden varieties…but for pressdowns and various types of cable movements. Look for a lat machine that has a floor pulley or low pulley attachment. This will allow the addition of low rows, pull throughs and chest cross overs. It is very convenient if some type of “hold down” device is available…such as a padded “T” bar. Needless to say, it should operate smoothly. I also prefer a machine that is plate loaded, rather than having its own weight stack. Plate loading allows small increments, whereas most weight stacks require special attachments for anything under a ten pound change. If you choose plate loading…get a 1 inch pin rather than a two inch for Olympic style plates. A one inch pin may be used with both types of plates…the opposite isn’t true. Dig?

A Roman chair/hyperextension bench is another “multipurpose” piece of equipment. With it, one can perform roman chair sit ups, oblique raises (tough!) and hyperextensions. Some machines will also allow the performance of the glute/hamstring raise. Your choice here. The advantages and disadvantages follow:

• The simple 45 degree hyperextension bench is probably the most comfortable to use. It is also the easiest. It allows the hyperextension and oblique raise…roman chair sit ups aren’t comfortable or safe on this piece of equipment, nor can you do the glute/ham raise.
• The conventional 90 degree bench is harder than the 45 degree bench. It allows the performance of everything but the glute/ham raise. In order to do these, the padded surface needs to be a half round shape (rather than flat) and you need a foot plate in additional the the conventional padded ankle brace.
• Bodycraft makes a nifty adjustable bench…that allows you to do both the 45 and 90 degree movements.
• A glute/ham raise bench is usually the most expensive but allows the greatest amount of movements to be performed. Quite often, (due to the extra padding) it is the most comfortable to use, also.
• With any bench that you choose…look for dense, firm padding at the platform and foot restraints. Adjustability for torso length and height of foot restraint are pluses worth paying a little extra to obtain.

Chinning and dipping bars are great if you have the space for them…meaning both floor space and the overhead space. Most power racks have a chinning bar that holds the two sets of uprights together. Dipping bars are a little harder to come by. Conventional dipping bars are also known as parallel bars (because they are parallel to each other) and are more common. They can be bolted to the wall or part of a free standing dipping unit…however, they can be “cobbled together” in your power rack, also. By using two bars or lengths of galvanized pipe, you can span the spotting bars in your rack and make parallel bars. You’ll need to concoct some way to prevent them from rolling while using them…such as using a notched length of 2×4. V bars are exactly what they sound like…bars that are arranged in a “vee” pattern, to allowing varying widths of grip. These may also be created in your power rack or you may wish to consider purchasing attachments, such as these. The advantage of using your power rack is conservation of floor space and easy adjustability…you can control how deeply you dip by selecting the appropriate adjustment hole that allows your feet to touch the floor at the bottom of the movement. You can also “customize” the width of your bars.

Let’s head south, now. A good leg extension/leg curl bench is next. Finding a “good” bench is getting increasingly hard to do. By “good” I mean basically a high, flat, padded bench with the pivoting, plate loaded leg attachment. More modern units have a slanted top or have you seated upright with a back piece…these actually limit the unit’s effectiveness. Many also have you start the movement with the ankles back of the line of the knees, and that can be bad for your knee health. Ideally, you should start from a 90 degree flexion. Things to look for in a good leg extension/curl bench are:

• Adjustable arms for the leg attachment. This allows you to accommodate differing limb lengths.
• The pivot point for the leg attachment needs to be as close to the centerpoint of the knees as possible. It should also smoothly operate…the pivot axis needs to use either bushings or bearings. (Bushings are much more common…and cheaper) Don’t despair if the leg attachment merely pivots on a bolt…some lithium or graphite grease will slick it up.
• Along with this, there should be some extra padding at the end of the bench. This is much kinder to your legs, especially when the going gets heavy. Again, as with the lat machine, I prefer plate loading. However, don’t pass up a cable and stack machine if one presents itself cheaply enough. The cable and stack machine actually has a smoother, more even resistance but that comes with a much more expensive price tag.
• If you can find an old style, flat bench model…by utilizing an old automotive seat belt or sturdy nylon strapping, you can use your leg curl/extension bench as a hyperextension bench. Again, this is efficient and makes your bench a multi-purpose piece of equipment. Make sure it is securely anchored to the floor, should you desire to use the bench in that fashion.

Part Three addresses additional pieces of equipment and also list some accessories.