A person’s home is often their most valuable asset. If it can be destroyed, they are left with nothing. This is why people have to buy new equipment every few years. However, this process is expensive and time-consuming. The average American spends $10,000 on household goods over the course of their lifetime.
Resistance bands are a great way to get in shape. They’re also quite easy to make at home, and they don’t cost much. However, resistance bands can be used for more than just exercise.
It wasn’t in the cards for today’s blog post. I got a nasty email this morning from someone who questioned and attacked the durability of the handmade equipment I’ve shown in previous lessons. His email said, in a nutshell, that handmade equipment is prone to failure and should not be utilized by industry experts.
When I attempted to reply, I got an error message stating that the target email address was invalid and that my message could not be sent. Perhaps the email was sent by an equipment provider who sees my handmade gear as a threat. With his caustic tone and remarks, he may want to stay unknown. It’s unsurprising in today’s world of keyboard warriors.
In terms of my answer, I mentioned in the email that I have no financial ties to any hardware shops. I don’t have any Home Depot stock, and I don’t make any money marketing handmade equipment. And, contrary to popular belief, I despise the process of creating handmade equipment. I will not spend my time if the equipment does not provide specified advantages and/or cost reductions.
I exclusively build equipment that will serve a specific function for myself and the people I teach. I don’t create stuff on the spur of the moment with no rhyme or purpose. Furthermore, I’ve found that handmade gear frequently lasts longer than many commercial equivalents. When compared to an exercise equipment made as cheaply as possible by a big revenue-driven company, it’s not like hardware shops offer components that are more likely to fail.
Obviously, your results may vary depending on the quality of the workmanship, the components used, and other factors, but to imply that all handmade equipment is certain to fail prematurely is absurd. More than half of my gym is filled with custom-built equipment.
The photo below shows my handmade dip/chinning belt easily carrying 180 pounds, taken earlier today. This is the same dip/chinning belt that I showed in a video lesson over a year ago (see here). This belt has been used week after week and is still going strong. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t break the chain. You’ll be hard pushed to locate a commercially available dip belt with a chain as thick as this one.
I had a 150-pound dumbbell shatter on me about an hour after shooting the picture from above. Although I was disappointed since this dumbbell had served me well over the years, the timing could not have been better. Clearly, this was a one-off, but handmade gear has a 1-0 lead against its commercial equivalent for the day.
To summarize, don’t dismiss anything until you’ve given it a chance. There are a plethora of DIY alternatives that are just as sturdy as anything you can buy at the local sports goods shop.
Resistance bands are a great way to exercise without the need for expensive equipment. However, they can only last so long before they start to break down.
