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Barbell Lifting Platform - DIY Questions

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Steve Freides

Steve Freides

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For years, I've had a "deadlift corner." 3/4" mats over an irregular surface of handmade, amateur-installed tiles. It's uneven enough that deadlifting on a flat floor feels different - I train in my socks and compete in DL slippers so I feel the irregularities.

The 3/4" rubber mats have protected the floor well for years here. A few layers of 3/4" plywood, as recommended by Building a Lifting Platform , worry me that I'd start breaking off the corners of the tiles where they stick up.

Question 1: OK to build a platform with a 3/4" rubber mat on the bottom, then plywood on top of that, essentially doing what the article suggests but with a rubber layer underneath it?

Question 2: For a top surface, how different is it to stand on plywood or to stand on a 3/4" rubber mat? This is sold as a lifting platform - Rogue 8' x 8' Oly Platform - but there's no wooden surface to stand on, just rubber.

Thanks.

-S-
 
My platform, that I built, is 2 4x8's cheap plywood on top of each other (I can't remember the thickness, 1/2 or 3/4 in). On top of the plywood is 4x4 oak (in the center) and 2x4 horse stall rubber mats from Tractor Supply. This third layer is 3/4 in thick.

I like lifting on the solid oak surface. If I was to lift on the rubber itself, it would have to be very hard. Check and see if it is a hard natural rubber or a soft synthetic rubber. My guess is it is the former. Does s the website have a Question and A.

Concerning your question about having a rubber mat on the bottom... my entire room floor is covered in a soft rubber mat. My lifting platform, described above, sits on this soft rubber. I think you will be OK. It feels very sturdy to me.
 
I just built my platform.

E2FCA110-BBBA-44A9-969A-A608EF6B440F.jpeg

I have rubber mats underneath my area and my platform on top of that. It is around 200lb and I can stand it up against the wall if I need that space.

I used:

2 x construction grade 3/4 x 4 x 8 T&G plywood, $40 each
1 x finished pine 3/4” x 4 x 8 plywood, find one that speaks to you, $60
1 x horse stall mat 3/4 x 4 x 6, $45
100 x 1 1/4” #8 deck screws, $8

Tools
- cordless drill, #2 square driver
- layout tools, framing square, tape measure, straight edge, paint marker
- 12” skill saw, you could use a hand saw
- utility knife

Cut bottom plywood to 6ft long. Lay face up and lock tongue and groove together. Take one 2ft long cut off and place on center on top. Lay finished pine plywood face up. Position with best finish and centered. Screw down about every 6” around 1-1 1/2” around edge of plywood.

Cut stall mat down middle of length with sharp utility knife. It will take a few passes breaking the blade occasionally to keep a sharp cutting edge. Position on each side of platform and screw only on the outside and ends about every 6”.

I have not finished mine yet. I’m not exactly what kind of sealer to use. You don’t want it to be slippery. You just want to seal it from water .

I have the 2ft section at the top for my half rack, but if you use stands or nothing just cut your finished plywood to 6ft long.
 
Last edited:
Geoff Chafe said:
I just built my platform.

View attachment 7682

I have rubber mats underneath my area and my platform on top of that. It is around 200lb and I can stand it up against the wall if I need that space.

I used:

2 x construction grade 3/4 x 4 x 8 T&G plywood, $40 each
1 x finished pine 3/4” x 4 x 8 plywood, find one that speaks to you, $60
1 x horse stall mat 3/4 x 4 x 6, $45
100 x 1 1/4” #8 deck screws, $8

Tools
- cordless drill, #2 square driver
- layout tools, framing square, tape measure, straight edge, paint marker
- 12” skill saw, you could use a hand saw
- utility knife

Cut bottom plywood to 6ft long. Lay face up and lock tongue and groove together. Take one 2ft long cut off and place on center on top. Lay finished pine plywood face up. Position with best finish and centered. Screw down about every 6” around 1-1 1/2” around edge of plywood.

Cut stall mat down middle of length with sharp utility knife. It will take a few passes breaking the blade occasionally to keep a sharp cutting edge. Position on each side of platform and screw only on the outside and ends about every 6”.

I have not finished mine yet. I’m not exactly what kind of sealer to use. You don’t want it to be slippery. You just want to seal it from water .

I have the 2ft section at the top for my half rack, but if you use stands or nothing just cut your finished plywood to 6ft long.
Click to expand...
Nice set-up!
 
Steve Freides said:
For years, I've had a "deadlift corner." 3/4" mats over an irregular surface of handmade, amateur-installed tiles. It's uneven enough that deadlifting on a flat floor feels different - I train in my socks and compete in DL slippers so I feel the irregularities.

The 3/4" rubber mats have protected the floor well for years here. A few layers of 3/4" plywood, as recommended by Building a Lifting Platform , worry me that I'd start breaking off the corners of the tiles where they stick up.

Question 1: OK to build a platform with a 3/4" rubber mat on the bottom, then plywood on top of that, essentially doing what the article suggests but with a rubber layer underneath it?

Question 2: For a top surface, how different is it to stand on plywood or to stand on a 3/4" rubber mat? This is sold as a lifting platform - Rogue 8' x 8' Oly Platform - but there's no wooden surface to stand on, just rubber.

Thanks.

-S-
Click to expand...

Q1 = Unlikely to be a problem. We have nearly identical set up on 5 platforms at our gym.

Q2 = This is individual, but deadlifting on wood for some folks is precarious. If someone pulls sumo and emphasizes spreading the floor the wood can feel more slick than rubber mats, which is no bueno. At our facility we have the option of doing deadlifts on either wood or rubber flooring, and always prefer rubber. Wood lifting surfaces are the preference of weightlifters (Olympic lifters) largely because the NEED to move their feet when they lift ... on a deadlift that would be a disaster if your feet moved.
 
I might be misunderstanding something, Steve, but I think you’re after an even surface to stand on, and also one that protects your flooring.

The basement floor in my former house was tile over concrete. I used two 25 pound bumper plates (same diameter as 45 pound plates, but only about an inch wide) and then used smaller diameter steel plates (mostly 35 and 25 pounders) to reach my desired weight. I stood on a small piece of plywood over a throw rug.

The bumper plates were the only ones that touched the floor, and I used folded throw rugs under them to help avoid chipping or scratching the tiles.

It gave me an even surface to stand on, and also did a good job of protecting the tile flooring.

Could a similar set up be useful for you?
 
H. Mac said:
I might be misunderstanding something, Steve, but I think you’re after an even surface to stand on, and also one that protects your flooring.

The basement floor in my former house was tile over concrete. I used two 25 pound bumper plates (same diameter as 45 pound plates, but only about an inch wide) and then used smaller diameter steel plates (mostly 35 and 25 pounders) to reach my desired weight. I stood on a small piece of plywood over a throw rug.

The bumper plates were the only ones that touched the floor, and I used folded throw rugs under them to help avoid chipping or scratching the tiles.

It gave me an even surface to stand on, and also did a good job of protecting the tile flooring.

Could a similar set up be useful for you?
Click to expand...
I am trying to duplicate competition conditions.

-S-
 
I had an 8' x 8' lifting platform like most of the DIY versions you see (4' x 8' plywood in the middle, horse mats on the sides, MDF underneath).

But my garage floor is not perfectly flat, so I kept having to shim it...and then the shims would shift out over time.

So I just went with 2 layers of 4' x 8' x 3/4" stall mats (4 pieces total), perpendicular to each other, then screwed together.

It's 1.5" thick, and full 8' x 8' of rubber, 400 lbs or so in weight. It doesn't move.

The only downside, is that if you're a split jerker who slides the feet, as opposed to jumping, the rubber is too grippy to do that move well.

But I'm a jumper, and alternate between split and power jerking, so not an issue for me.
 
Tony Gracia said:
Wood lifting surfaces are the preference of weightlifters (Olympic lifters) largely because the NEED to move their feet when they lift ...
Click to expand...

Definitely the preference of the sliding jerkers....but jumping jerkers (like me) do fine on rubber.
 
watchnerd said:
It's 1.5" thick, and full 8' x 8' of rubber, 400 lbs or so in weight. It doesn't move.
Click to expand...
I feel - a lot - the irregularities of my floor while standing on a single layer of 3/4" DL mat. In some spots, it feels like I standing over a small hole in the floor, not just an unlevel surface. The question in my mind is whether a second layer of rubber mat mitigates that well enough. My current thinking is that a layer of rubber mat then 2 layers of plywood then another rubber mat will feel flat and also continue to preserve the floor underneath my lifting area.

But it's easy enough for me to test out the second layer of mats, since I can take some from the other room.

-S-
 
Steve Freides said:
I feel - a lot - the irregularities of my floor while standing on a single layer of 3/4" DL mat. In some spots, it feels like I standing over a small hole in the floor, not just an unlevel surface. The question in my mind is whether a second layer of rubber mat mitigates that well enough. My current thinking is that a layer of rubber mat then 2 layers of plywood then another rubber mat will feel flat and also continue to preserve the floor underneath my lifting area.

But it's easy enough for me to test out the second layer of mats, since I can take some from the other room.

-S-
Click to expand...

What kind of mats are they?

I've found huge differences in compliance between different 3/4" mats. The 3/4" tiles sold at the gym stores were pretty squishy, whereas the horse mats are pretty hard to compress.
 
The Nail said:
Standing on plain rubber when you pull is great if you do not live in high humidity environment. Gives the best feel.
Click to expand...

I'm curious what high humidity does?

The mats I have are stall mats, so designed to be hosed down regularly.
 
Steve - I finally got some pictures pulled together for you, sorry for the late reply here...

We have 3/4" mat for most areas of the gym, and then 6 lifting platforms made out of 3/4" AC plywood (A side up, obviously). The concrete underneath isn't very good, and where they had to cut to put the plumbing in, you can still feel it under the mats (there are areas of the gym that all the veterans know where not to lift). But that same unevenness under the platforms is totally unnoticeable. Plywood will deform enough on the bottom to fit around the bad spots and still be level and smooth on the top. In fact, I wouldn't even worry about it chipping your tile, I bet it would deform around all of the corners easily.

Here's what it looked like new.

before.jpg

And after 4 years of heavy use. We didn't do any treatment or coating. The scrapes and grime (patina?) help make it not too slippery. Everyone prefers using the platforms for barbells, even shoe-less deadlifts.

IMG-1868.JPG

IMG-1869.JPG
 
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