The bow bar issue was a bit of a trial. I ended up getting a refund from Catch Fitness through PayPal after Catch tried some things that reflected very poorly on that business. I was lucky enough to be able to buy a used one from a friend. It's an Aussie Strength one, and so far I'm very happy with it. I've had just over 200 kilos on it and there were absolutely no issues. It's not quite as nice as the Goliath bow bar I've used before, but given the price difference of around 500 dollars that's no surprise. I would also say that the Goliath bar is not 500 dollars worth nicer. If I happened to be regularly loading the bar up over 300 kilos I would definitely want the Goliath, but it's going to be a while before I do that.
While I was sorting out the bow bar issue I did buy the Spud Inc safety squat strap, which is meant to turn any barbell into a safety bar. At 120 dollars or so, it's a lot cheaper than an actual safety bar and it absolutely works. Somehow it makes a power bar as soul crushing as a safety bar. Currently it's on loan to the same friend I bought the bow bar off, but I'm glad I bought it as effectively it gives me three bars.
I ended up opting to build my own back raise instead of buying one. Firstly, space is an issue. A back raise would take up room I don't really have at this time. Secondly, the back raise I want is not cheap at around 500 dollars and I can't justify that expense for doing just one exercise even though it's one that is pivotal to my training. My original setup used a saw stool in my rack for me to bend over with my feet hooked under a safety bar, and it actually produces a phenomal contraction and pump in my lower back, glutes and hamstrings. The only problem is that saw stools are generally around 750 mm high, and I have a long torso so I couldn't quite go all the way down without hitting my head. So I built a sturdier, taller saw stool at just over 900 mm high and presto! Problem solved. Serendipitously, I can also use it to do seal rows if I pack the barbell up on 10 kilo bumpers. It isn't particularly comfortable on my sternum, but I can fix that quite easily. That works out as a major win for me, because otherwise I'm a bit limited in row options that don't place any strain on my lower back.
A quick note on the plate situation, I will definitely be phasing out the bumper plates simply because I need the room on the barbell. Both the bow bar and power bar let me load up to 227.5 kilos with what I have (currently all I have) but that's about it. I'll get a little more room once the Loaded Lifting steel plates get here, but over the next few months I will absolutely phase out the bumpers completely with Rogue steel plates. I'm going with Rogue because the shipping is around one third of what it costs from Loaded Lifting and their plates are very nice. No matter which way I do it, Loaded are just that far away that shipping makes anything heavier from them not worth it now their pricing is back to normal.
The Loaded Lifting bar continues to impress for the price. It's now had a little over 200 kilos on it a couple of times and it definitely is as stiff as a Rogue power bar and very close to a Texas or Eleiko. The knurling is fine so far. I got as close as I ever have to pulling 180 kilos double overhand on it than I ever have on a power bar, so I'm extremely hesitant to say that the knurling could in any way be an issue with heavier weights at least for lower reps. Once I get to the point where I load it up with closer to 250 kilos I'll get an even better idea.
The squat squat box worked great which I expected. Height adjustment is obviously harder, until I get a floor mat and cut it into quarters but I'm hesitant to bother because I think I'm going to be better served by box squatting low exclusively for the time being anyway. I also ended up building a barbell holder out of scrap plywood and it's good apart from a design flaw in that I built it too tall so unless I tilt it to load and upload the barbells I damage the ceiling. Not a huge deal, but if I were to remake it something to remedy.
I don't think there will be any point to do a part five in this series, because right now I can't think of any item that I need to get to round out my gym. I would like a gym banner, but that's vanity. I have absolutely given up on the idea of adjustable dumbbells or a cable system like the one Spud Inc makes. There is nothing they would let me do I can't somehow do with what I already have that would justify the expense. A squat and deadlift bar would only make sense if I were to peak at home, and currently that's not on the radar. I took my Spud Inc band set back from the gym I was training at, so I now have a pair of mini, light and medium bands that let me replicate a large number of cable exercises which is the main reason I won't be getting a cable setup. I also managed to rig up a way to use plates for things like lateral raises using lifting straps and cable handles, which largely negates my need for dumbbells.
So that's it. How I built my gym. Welcome to K-O's Gym.
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