I had an Ohio Power Bar in bare steel as my daily driver for several years with no rust in my basement gym. It is a great bar, with solid knurling and is more than good enough for 99% of people. Compared to a Texas Power Bar probably comes down to personal preference. I only got rid of mine because I won an American Barbell Stainless Steel Chewy Bar. The chewy bar is objectively better but I would never actually pay that much for that improvement.

My first deadlift platform was the classic 8x8 size made from two layers of 4x8” 3/4” thick OSB and 1 layer of horse stall mats for deadlifting and to mount my rack. Eventually I got a bigger rack and added another 2ft to the front of the platform to give myself more space to deadlift. My DIY tip (specifically for powerlifters and not Olympic weightlifter) is to either not do the center plywood at all or else just make it 2.5-3ft wide instead of 4. I had to added grip tape to prevent my feet from sliding out on sumo deadlifts and bench pressing. I also followed Alan Thrall’s DIY stencil method to make my logo on my platform

I made top loaded farmer walk handles using lumber and metal pipe. The main length is a thick 4x6. There are two 4x4 uprights with a 1.25” OD pipe as a handle between. The weight posts are 1.5” OD pipes. That is technically complete and usable but I also added 4x4 feet to the front and back to prevent side tipping and crushed toes. I also added vinyls fence post sleeves to protect the feet from catching a corner and splintering. They weigh 35lb each empty so I tend to keep a 5lb plate loaded on each post to make them 45lb and make for simple plate math. I’ve had them loaded up to about 250 lb each and they hold strong enough for me.

I made my own deadlift jack based on the KB Genesis Jack. Mine is just a 2x6 with a slot for the bar, a handle, and some 2x4 feet that act as the lever. I’ve jacked up an 800lb deadlift so about 400lb supported by the jack with clearance and no issues

Got these chains off FBMP, not sure their original use but I cut them into roughly 5foot segments that weigh about 15lb each. They’re fun to use even if only sparingly. And most importantly they look cool hanging on the wall.

I made a Rogue Rhino style belt squat that pairs with my lat pull down low row machine. I built a platform with a pulley in the middle and a channel for the cable that runs to the low row pulley. I also added a thick J bolt (also a DIY, just a U bolt with one leg partially cut off) that slides in and out of the lat pull down upright and catches the weight trolley in an elevated position. Using the J bolt I can start and finish the set in a standing position and getting a full ROM on depth without bottoming out.

You can go as simple or as boujie as you want with a DIY axle. Just a 1.5” pipe is technically all you need. You can spray paint or powder coat it. You can make collars out of duct tape, clamp on fittings, or welded rings. You can make the usual knurl mark spacing or leave it bare. It can be an easy little DIY but it’s also often nearly as cheap to buy an import from Titan or others on sale

These mats are thick but rugged, smooth (on one side) and not easy to grip, and vulcanized for durability and to look great in your gym. This is THE generation of American rubber, available at TSC