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Improvising equipment

Started by Jon Douglas, May 13, 2013 · 7 Replies · 203 Views

Jon Douglas

Hi all,

 

So I like to think I'm pretty creative when it comes to seeing the potential in random objects to perform GST elements. Here's one I'm quite proud of.

 

FL/PE11 & 12 are a little awkward, requiring a bar set quite low. The best two choices I had to hand were to perform it lying underneath a picnic table (hands against the cross-slats; did this for the negatives PE11) and a kid's slide in a nearby park with a bar at head height if you're, I dunno, two years old. However, Canadian weather has been a little inconsistent and there's been rain the past few days, putting both those choices out of comission. It left me a bit restless today, so in a brief study break I performed PE12 lying in a bedroom, with just my head and shoulders inside a walk-in warderobe, hands against the inside wall.

 

This was carpeted; you may need a matt if you try this on anything harder, but it's a useful little discovery on a rainy day. I'll post up a photo if I can later (awkward to self so I'll need to get someone to do it) to illustrate this one.

 

Please post other creative ideas you may have had, when you have not had access to purpose-made equipment! :)

Jon Douglas

Also, to perform FL/PE7-10, I linked my fingers beneath an open door for body levers. Found it harder on the arms than when I could use a standing post to pull up with.

Joshua Slocum
Charm said:

Also, to perform FL/PE7-10, I linked my fingers beneath an open door for body levers. Found it harder on the arms than when I could use a standing post to pull up with.

Be careful; depending on the door, it's liable to simply pop off of its hinges. 

Jon Douglas
Hari_Seldon said:

Be careful; depending on the door, it's liable to simply pop off of its hinges. 

Naturally I was careful; it's the same door I use with a sit-up bar to do NLC's.

B1214N

For the vertical straight arm body lever done under the pommel horse, you can instead do it on stall bars where you grip the top bar and your shoulders are against one of the bars which would resemble the body lever from Russian leg lifts. If you don't have stall bars either then you can get one of those chin-up bars where you drill them into the door frame and then with the door shut, grip the bar and have your shoulders against the door. Doing it this way would be harder than doing it on the ground because of the extra ROM and being able to go parallel with the floor, but you can just mimic the ROM of the pommel one by not going all the way down.

Jon Douglas

I just used a couple pillows; it worked really well. I'm happy with this substitution until I can arrange something better :)

 

But I was more hoping to have people post their weirder or funnier improvisations; this is just one example.

FritsMB
Charm said:

 

 

.......I performed PE12 lying in a bedroom, with just my head and shoulders inside a walk-in wardrobe, hands against the inside wall.

 

This was carpeted; you may need a matt if you try this on anything harder, but it's a useful little discovery on a rainy day. I'll post up a photo if I can later (awkward to self so I'll need to get someone to do it) to illustrate this one.

 

Please post other creative ideas you may have had, when you have not had access to purpose-made equipment! :)

 

 

I do the same (use a walk in closet), but use a piece of a carbon fiber oar (1.5" thick; a piece of pipe would work as well) to hold onto (bracing it against the doorposts with arms straight above my shoulders). I use a yoga mat to provide the necessary cushioning and friction. Allows you to have your hands at shoulder width.  

Finnbar

I made this video 2 years ago as a suggested improv for body levers from BtGB, but I think it much better suits FL/PE11/12: Vertical Body Lever.

Remembering I thought of this setup 2 years ago reminds me of how much more advanced I thought I was back then :P

 

The bar is the horizontal piece of my cantilever doorway pull up bar, but any strong pipe or stick will work, just maybe add a little padding to protect the door frames :)