Anybody build a ring sled/trolley?

[Joseph Blazuk]

Pretty much the title... if so, pointers on how to do this?

[Joshua Naterman]

I would use skateboard wheels (or garage pulleys, since they also have bearings), and build a simple wooden skateboard like thing that doesn't have the ability to turn. Then I'd make the slideboard base, and use hardwood for the side barrier (thus making an effective track for the skateboard-like bench to roll on) on the base, and probably polished sheet metal on the guide part of the bench.

 

Then just pad the bench, attach pulleys  to the base, make it to hook onto stall bars, and attach rings + cables.

 

Cheap skateboard wheels + bearings will probably cost you 20 bucks, and the rest of the materials will probably cost close to 100 dollars.

 

I would make your rolling bench first, and then use it to size the slideboard base.

[Coach Sommer]

Or you could buy an old total gym.  I picked up my $1,100 therapy model 20 years ago at a used sporting goods shop for $50.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Daniel Burnham]

We have the total gym at the facility I go to.  I found it to be too short for me and couldn't do some of the exercises I wanted to do.  It works pretty well for the kids though.  We have a pretty short model.  There may be longer ones that I haven't seen.

 

The idea of hooking onto stall bars is good unless you plan on doing inverted exercises on it like ring swing drills or inverted cross drills.  Then your feel may go off the end and hit the stall bars.  Just make sure it is long enough and maybe put the pulley a few feet down to avoid this problem.

[Joshua Naterman]

I definitely recommend Coach's suggestion.

 

I assumed the OP had dismissed that option already, but that's definitely the best way to go. You can get all kinds of things like that for cheap online now, and it's not much work to modify them so that you can use them stand-alone OR on the stall bars (for higher elevation and more resistance).

[Coach Sommer]

- there are longer models available, although you may need to hunt for them.

- while laying on the back, tucking the legs will help to alleviate the bench being too short.

- adding hooks to place the total gym on stall bars is a great way to go. Some european versions are available for this (jansen fritsen), but they are very expensive and only available in europe.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Joseph Blazuk]

Yes, great suggestion Coach.  Seems like it's the cheapest/most portable/simplest way to go.  I've thought about the length issue as well.  If my old science serves me correctly, I think I can hook a pulley to the sliding portion and double the effective length of the Total Gym (though this halves my body weight)... in which case I can raise the incline and/or add weight to the sliding portion.

 

I'll post pictures if I actually get hold to a total gym and modify it.