In late 2020, it had been months without access to weightlifting equipment, and I was longing to return. My best friend, who had just begun his journey as a personal trainer, also felt the absence of a proper space to workout. I saved enough money for the redwood and assembly materials, he borrowed his dad’s buzzsaw, and we got to work.
I was inspired by the YouTube channel BuffDudes and their DIY build. We followed their design as accurately as we could.
This was exciting to see as we were closer to the end product, but I started having the most doubts when connecting all faces. It seemed like in all 4 directions, the structure was going to wobble and definitely not hold weight safely.
Thankfully, as soon as we connected the 45 degree braces at each corner, I had much more faith. Adding this small piece of wood kept the structure balanced and prevented the main 4×4 posts from tipping over and splitting.
The power rack has remained the center of the home gym setup and can reliably hold weight ( bar + plates = 300lbs) on the safety pins and the racking pins.
Projects like these are why I’m grateful I started woodworking in high school. Using my hands and skills to build something that will help for a long time is a great reward.
uri 
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