Workout Platform With Therapy Bands

Due to the recent turn of events all over the country/world, gyms have closed in our area. I've been running and doing cardio, but I missed going to the gym for weight training. I have been using bands off and on but really didn't like to use them because I would have to find somewhere to anchor them around the house in order to workout. So it came to me one day that a platform may be all that I need to anchor the bands to. So I went to my hardware store and started on this project. It took less than 15 minutes to assemble and now I have place to workout and it's not too big to take up space anywhere. Hopefully, you'll find this as easy as I did.

For materials, I used the following:

1 5/8 plywood (or any plywood thick enough that it won't bend/curve) wide enough for your exercise (I used a 2 ft. x 2 ft)

2 T-nuts (the one I used was 1/4-20 x 9/16)

2 Eye Bolt (1/4" x 2.5"

1 PVC pipe (3/4" or larger in diameter. Length is up to your specification)

Therapy band color(s) of your choice

Rope (optional) for PVC pipe

Tools needed:

drill with bits large enough to fit the T-nuts (not too big or the anchor of the T-nuts will not grab the plywood)

PVC cutter or saw (to cut PVC to desired length)

hammer (optional)

Rasp (optional, but recommended) for sharp edges on PVC pipe

Set the plywood down and figure out what exercise you want to do on the platform. I mainly wanted to do squats, so I made sure the holes were close to the edge so I would have room for my footing. Once you figure that out, go ahead and drill the holes all the way through the plywood. Make sure that the hole is not too big or the anchor points on the T-nuts will be ineffective. Also, make sure the holes are lined up straight across from each other for symmetry.

Once the holes are drilled, fit the eye bolt by screwing it through the T-nut. The T-nut will sink into the wood as the eye bolt is tightened, but if you want to use a hammer to secure the T-nut, it is also ok.

The PVC will serve as the bar for exercises like squats, bicep curls, etc.. Cut to your specifications. I cut mine about 28 inches. Once you cut the PVC, it will have sharp edges. Use the rasp or sand paper to smooth out the edges. Otherwise, the bands may break from the sharpness of the PVC edge. An alternative is to run a rope through the PVC so the bands do not rub against the sharp edge. Either way, I would suggest smoothing out the edge.

At this point, the project is complete from construction standpoint. All you need to do is attach everything with the bands to the length you need for exercises you will be doing.

Note: I didn't have the caribiners, but I will be using them in the future so I can remove/replace the bands easily. Knotting the bands on the eye bolt got old after a few sessions. The bands also bunched up when I removed the eye bolt without taking the bands out first.

There are a number of exercise that can be done with this platform. Here are some of them. You may think of others as well. Have fun and keep healthy....