TacticalBarbell.com

Just to add onto the other good suggestions here. Adjustable dumbbells and a DIY t handle from Ross Enamaits home made tools has been handy for me over the years, the t handle is great for swings and it can be loaded up to 100kg depending on pipe length, and for me it saved money as I already had a lot of second hand dumbbell plates. Canvas bags for sandbags are great for both strength and conditioning too. So x2 on Ross's DIY page, a good majority of things I've built over the years has come from that very page.
A purchase I made that has been worth it for deadlifts was a pair of 50kg plates, as for racks etc, I would brows sites and look for some good deals, I managed to get a few bits and pieces this way, (squat cage, dip bars etc). All the best.

Adski wrote:Just to add onto the other good suggestions here. Adjustable dumbbells and a DIY t handle from Ross Enamaits home made tools has been handy for me over the years, the t handle is great for swings and it can be loaded up to 100kg depending on pipe length, and for me it saved money as I already had a lot of second hand dumbbell plates.

Can a T-handle, home-made or otherwise, really replace a need for a kettlebell? I've been using KBs at the gym since starting Continuation, and have used a dumbbell at home when I needed to but I've been giving serious thought to buying a kettlebell. I thought I'd read that trying to cobble a bell-like deal out of your other weights was a bad idea, but I'd love to hear if you can do fine with a T-handle. Maybe what I read was that buying a pre-made one is useless since you can just buy a kettlebell instead, but building one yourself to use weights you already have is a lot cheaper? Being adjustable is a big bonus if you're trying to save space/money.

On the other hand, a kettlebell is obviously the perfect thing to use for kettlebell swings.

Caleddin wrote:

Adski wrote:Just to add onto the other good suggestions here. Adjustable dumbbells and a DIY t handle from Ross Enamaits home made tools has been handy for me over the years, the t handle is great for swings and it can be loaded up to 100kg depending on pipe length, and for me it saved money as I already had a lot of second hand dumbbell plates.

Can a T-handle, home-made or otherwise, really replace a need for a kettlebell? I've been using KBs at the gym since starting Continuation, and have used a dumbbell at home when I needed to but I've been giving serious thought to buying a kettlebell. I thought I'd read that trying to cobble a bell-like deal out of your other weights was a bad idea, but I'd love to hear if you can do fine with a T-handle. Maybe what I read was that buying a pre-made one is useless since you can just buy a kettlebell instead, but building one yourself to use weights you already have is a lot cheaper? Being adjustable is a big bonus if you're trying to save space/money.

On the other hand, a kettlebell is obviously the perfect thing to use for kettlebell swings.

As far as I can see, the only major drawback on the t-handle is that you can't do 1-hand swings, snatches, or C&P. Like Adski, I would love to spend time doing some super heavy swings, so I am tempted to try building a massive t-handle!

J-Madd wrote:I would love to spend time doing some super heavy swings, so I am tempted to try building a massive t-handle!

Or just a Kettle-Strap..Weight Capacity: 175LB

http://www.roguefitness.com/spud-inc-he ... ettlestrap

Caleddin wrote:

Adski wrote:Just to add onto the other good suggestions here. Adjustable dumbbells and a DIY t handle from Ross Enamaits home made tools has been handy for me over the years, the t handle is great for swings and it can be loaded up to 100kg depending on pipe length, and for me it saved money as I already had a lot of second hand dumbbell plates.

Can a T-handle, home-made or otherwise, really replace a need for a kettlebell? I've been using KBs at the gym since starting Continuation, and have used a dumbbell at home when I needed to but I've been giving serious thought to buying a kettlebell. I thought I'd read that trying to cobble a bell-like deal out of your other weights was a bad idea, but I'd love to hear if you can do fine with a T-handle. Maybe what I read was that buying a pre-made one is useless since you can just buy a kettlebell instead, but building one yourself to use weights you already have is a lot cheaper? Being adjustable is a big bonus if you're trying to save space/money.

On the other hand, a kettlebell is obviously the perfect thing to use for kettlebell swings.

Personally I prefer dumbbells for swings, snatches and alike, mainly for the fact that I can incrementally increase the weight (which was very handy a few years back when I was working on a goal of increasing the one arm snatch to a certain weight) bit by bit where as kettelbells have larger jumps and can require having to purchase various sizes. This being said I have plenty of friends that have their own kettelbells and it suits them just fine.
My T handle costed around $10 to put together and hasn't failed me yet, I find it perfect for swings as mentioned earlier, being able to go up in small increments (and use heavier loads) with plates I already have, for me has well and truly been worth it, while being kinder on the hip pocket. Hope that helps.

Caleddin wrote:

Adski wrote:Just to add onto the other good suggestions here. Adjustable dumbbells and a DIY t handle from Ross Enamaits home made tools has been handy for me over the years, the t handle is great for swings and it can be loaded up to 100kg depending on pipe length, and for me it saved money as I already had a lot of second hand dumbbell plates.

Can a T-handle, home-made or otherwise, really replace a need for a kettlebell? I've been using KBs at the gym since starting Continuation, and have used a dumbbell at home when I needed to but I've been giving serious thought to buying a kettlebell. I thought I'd read that trying to cobble a bell-like deal out of your other weights was a bad idea, but I'd love to hear if you can do fine with a T-handle. Maybe what I read was that buying a pre-made one is useless since you can just buy a kettlebell instead, but building one yourself to use weights you already have is a lot cheaper? Being adjustable is a big bonus if you're trying to save space/money.

On the other hand, a kettlebell is obviously the perfect thing to use for kettlebell swings.

Just my personal experience, but I find that a kettlebell is more comfortable to use than a T-handle. However, my problem is that I'm short and squat. So I find that the edges of the T-handle and if the weights are large around that I have to bow my legs a bit to make it work. The "cannonball" and rounded handle of the kettlebell seems to work better for me.

mikhou wrote:

Caleddin wrote:

Adski wrote:Just to add onto the other good suggestions here. Adjustable dumbbells and a DIY t handle from Ross Enamaits home made tools has been handy for me over the years, the t handle is great for swings and it can be loaded up to 100kg depending on pipe length, and for me it saved money as I already had a lot of second hand dumbbell plates.

Can a T-handle, home-made or otherwise, really replace a need for a kettlebell? I've been using KBs at the gym since starting Continuation, and have used a dumbbell at home when I needed to but I've been giving serious thought to buying a kettlebell. I thought I'd read that trying to cobble a bell-like deal out of your other weights was a bad idea, but I'd love to hear if you can do fine with a T-handle. Maybe what I read was that buying a pre-made one is useless since you can just buy a kettlebell instead, but building one yourself to use weights you already have is a lot cheaper? Being adjustable is a big bonus if you're trying to save space/money.

On the other hand, a kettlebell is obviously the perfect thing to use for kettlebell swings.

Just my personal experience, but I find that a kettlebell is more comfortable to use than a T-handle. However, my problem is that I'm short and squat. So I find that the edges of the T-handle and if the weights are large around that I have to bow my legs a bit to make it work. The "cannonball" and rounded handle of the kettlebell seems to work better for me.

Funny you should mention the width of the handles. I did at first have that same problem...then I got the angle grinder out and that solved it pretty quickly The plates can be an issue, but small 10kg plates can be pretty easy to find new or second hand. Again, different strokes for different folks, one isn't necessarily better than the other.

Adski wrote:

mikhou wrote:

Caleddin wrote:
Can a T-handle, home-made or otherwise, really replace a need for a kettlebell? I've been using KBs at the gym since starting Continuation, and have used a dumbbell at home when I needed to but I've been giving serious thought to buying a kettlebell. I thought I'd read that trying to cobble a bell-like deal out of your other weights was a bad idea, but I'd love to hear if you can do fine with a T-handle. Maybe what I read was that buying a pre-made one is useless since you can just buy a kettlebell instead, but building one yourself to use weights you already have is a lot cheaper? Being adjustable is a big bonus if you're trying to save space/money.

On the other hand, a kettlebell is obviously the perfect thing to use for kettlebell swings.

Just my personal experience, but I find that a kettlebell is more comfortable to use than a T-handle. However, my problem is that I'm short and squat. So I find that the edges of the T-handle and if the weights are large around that I have to bow my legs a bit to make it work. The "cannonball" and rounded handle of the kettlebell seems to work better for me.

Funny you should mention the width of the handles. I did at first have that same problem...then I got the angle grinder out and that solved it pretty quickly The plates can be an issue, but small 10kg plates can be pretty easy to find new or second hand. Again, different strokes for different folks, one isn't necessarily better than the other.

I couldn't agree more. Some people use a T-handle and it works great for them. For me personally, not so much. I'd say that if anybody has weights at home that building a T-handle is so cheap that it's worth a shot to see if it works for you.

I don't think I need much else. Here's what I have and what I think about it.

Onefitwonder half squat rack - Half racks actually have a larger footprint than a squat rack. I could have just bought a low-end squat rack and saved $150.

Cap OB86 bar - can't imagine needing anything else or paying more for a bar.

York milled plates - Craigslist find. There are old school semi-collectors items. Really cool. They look like this.

Adjustable bench - Craigslist. I could upgrade.

dumbbell handles - I bought these because I was rehabbing my shoulder after surgery and wanted to do dumbbell raises and do dumbell presses rather than bench press with a bar. They are a pain in the ass to change weights.

Horse stall mats from Tractor Supply Co.

24kg competition kettlebell A competition bell wasn't necessary. Could have saved a few bucks with a generic bell. Good weight for me for swings. Too heavy for Turkish getups. I should get a 16kg bell for TGUs.

Concept 2 Rower - Most expensive item I have. Bought new because the gently used rowers on Craigslist sell close to retail.

I'd like some attachment that lets me use different hand positions for the pullup. Right now I do pullups on the half rack. I think a more neutral grip is easier on the shoulders.

I'd like a heavy bag.

Lovely plates Tirofijo!

Here's an old gem if you guys like DIY training equipment: http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah ... rip_1.html