The Fortress of Solitude

Well a 'human' 'interest' item for today:

In my back yard I have built a roof on legs over my exercise gear, because there is no room in the shed.

Free Weights in Tool Box

Shown here are my 2 x 10kg, 2 x 5kg, 4 x 2.5kg weights and two dumbells.  The toolbox is lockable but astonishingly non-waterproof.  If it rains, water gets in. I am buying weight from K-mart: 5kg = $13, 10kg = $25, 20kg = $39.  This is close to the floor price for weight, and they have nice handles inset.  They rust very readily, though.  I am hoping to add 2 x 20kg next.  I have a straight bar and the wiggly one (good for biceps and triceps) (the wiggly one was $25 from KMart).  With a collection of low-ish weight and not much safety equipment I am working in the higher rep range, primarily derived from a Pump-style circuit demo-ed by Simone R from Another Something.  I am starting to branch out - I added Hack Squats today, to try to balance a weak VMO (the quad muscle inside the knee).

A basic 'power tower'

This picture shows my 'Power Tower' and my bike, and you may be able to discern the shape of the Fortress - four pillars, a plastic roof, fence on one side, shed on another and open on the remaining sides.  The power tower lets you try to do a variety of chinups, whole body-weight dips, leg raises, and push-ups on handles, so that you can extend the range of motion by lowering your body between your hands.  I have some shoulder posture issues to work on that are still making a full wide-grip chinup a problem.

The bike I use almost exclusively for riding to work - about 16km, largely cycle path.  I recently broke the handle bars by pulling on them too hard trying to accelerate (weird eh?), but show here with the new ones.

I lack:  larger weights, and the ability to safely handle them.  If I ever want to squat anything like a 5-8RM squat, I need to work out how to get the bar on and off my shoulders safely.  I'm not going to be able to overhead press that.  But with VMO -> kneecap tracking problems, that'd be a nice problem to have.

How much has all this cost?

• $450 - the fortress itself (surprisingly much for a pretty flimsy bit of structure)
• $120 - via ebay, the power tower. There are better ones available - this is a little low and a little narrow for my size, I think.
• Weight ~ $105.
• Bars ~ $50
• Tool chest - $67
• Bike - $500 (but every time I ride I save probably $5 of petrol so it has probably paid for itself since I bought it in 2007)

So far, the cost for weights is well below a year's subscription to a local gym.  And the freedom to go out there and exercise as hard or as light as I feel like or as novelly as I wish is terrific.