When Lifters Built Their Own Gyms: The DIY Squat Rack of the 1940s

In the 1940s, long before the commercial gym became a ubiquitous feature of modern fitness culture, lifters often had to rely on their own ingenuity and craftsmanship to equip their training spaces. Purpose-built apparatus was expensive, difficult to source, and frequently beyond the reach of ordinary enthusiasts. Within the physical culture movement, the ethic of self-reliance extended beyond the training platform: men and women not only built their bodies, they also built the very tools with which those bodies were forged.

Magazines like Iron Man provided practical instruction for this do-it-yourself ethos. In the excerpt reproduced here, editor Peary Rader outlines the construction of a squat rack observed at the Yacos Gym during the 1946 Senior Nationals in Detroit. Rather than the gleaming chrome fixtures we associate with gyms today, these racks were sturdy wooden frames, bolted together from standard lumber and braced to withstand the pounding of heavy lifts. Such devices embodied the improvisational spirit of mid-century strength culture, functional, economical, and a far cry from the commercialized fitness equipment that would dominate the later twentieth century.

It’s striking that during the Covid pandemic many of us revived this same DIY spirit, cobbling together squat racks, benches, and even full leg press machines out of wood. What felt like an improvisation in lockdown was, in truth, part of a much older tradition within physical culture. Lifters have long turned to timber, bolts, and ingenuity when commercial equipment was out of reach.

What follows is Peary Rader’s original guide from Iron Man, showing readers in the 1940s how to build a squat rack that was sturdy, functional, and above all, homemade. First published in 1936 by Rader, Iron Man became the lifter’s magazine for more than fifty years. Unlike the glossy publications backed by York Barbell or the Weider empire, it was produced on a shoestring and spoke directly to ordinary strength enthusiasts. The magazine offered practical training routines, diet advice, and detailed instructions on how to build your own equipment when money or access were limited.

Rader’s pages gave space to Olympic weightlifting, bodybuilding, and the emerging powerlifting scene, often highlighting lifters who were ignored by the larger commercial magazines. This gave Iron Man a sense of authenticity. It was remembered not as a sales catalogue but as a community hub, a place where the DIY spirit of physical culture could thrive.

As always… Happy Lifting!

We have decided to continue with our series of articles describing the construction of valuable exercise and lifting equipment that will improve your strength and development but which ordinarily costs considerable.

Many fellows fail to use sufficient poundage in their squats because they have no method by which they can place a heavy bar on the shoulders. We present the following solution to this problem.

While attending the 1946 Senior Nationals in Detroit, we visited the Yacos Gym several times and noticed the very efficient squat bar rack they had constructed and asked if we might present its structural details to readers of Iron Man that others might benefit by it. George Yacos obligingly sent us the accompanying drawing.

This is the most efficient and safest type of squat rack you can build. Those nice chrome plated upright bars are nice in that they can be moved around, but they lack the stability of these large sturdy racks with their three height supports. They are particularly good for gyms where heavy lifting and strong man stuff is practiced and heavy weights used. You will find that they are useful for other exercises and lifts besides the squats.

The drawing shows the construction of the side frame. Two of these are made of good grade 2 by 4 lumber. They are bolted together as shown. No measurements are given because this will be a matter of personal preference. The support “A” should be somewhat lower than shoulder height of the man who will use it. The second one lower as shown for heavy quarter squats and the other one just a little lower than the bar will be when you are down in squat. It is a safety support where the bar can be placed if you get down and can’t get back up. It can also be used for hand dead lifts. Also one fourth supine presses and many others.

After you have constructed the two side pieces you fasten them with cross pieces of 2 by 4’s. Your side pieces should be far apart as possible and still have about 3 in. inside the inside collars on the bar. This gives you plenty of room to step between them for your squats. You won’t be so crowded in. Be sure to put plenty of cross bracing across the back of the side pieces because these racks take a beating. Other cross pieces can be put across the floor but we prefer to put a complete floor in the rack from front to back. This gives a heavy strong squat rack that will stand up under punishment.

It is also possible to construct this type of squat rack from 1¼ inch pipe though it might cost a little more. Some fellows in making them of pipe construct only the highest support and have it screwed to the wall and the floor. We like both types of these racks because after a heavy session of squats or jerks you do not have to worry about placing the bar on a small surface. You just step ahead and set-her-down.

PHYSIQUE PHOTOS BY KEN RYAN
are available from Chester O. Teegarden, 1115 Potomac, Lafayette, Ind. at 35¢ each.

Source Iron Man, volume 7 (1947), p. 28.