Wrist Wraps

Since we’re on a roll with the DIY workout gear this week, I might as well throw this one in too. Another simple DIY, but this one includes some sewing. Don’t be intimidated, it’s about as simple as sewing can get – straight line stitching.

We found this link for DIY wrist wraps by End of Three Fitness the other day when Joe’s wrist wraps broke and he wanted a new pair, but with some fun print on it instead of boring plain black. Of course he went to the store and found the perfect print for lifting – Marvel comics (think the Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Spiderman). I guess he wants to channel their super strength during his workouts… not a bad idea, really. Between you and me, I have no problem with him wanting Thor’s muscles :)

Here is how ours came out:

How awesome is this fabric? I need to find more fun projects to use it for!

I wonder if putting a little backing in the middle would be nice? Or maybe it would make them too bulky?

Thanks to End of Three Fitness for sharing their tutorial!

Happy DIYing and Happy Fitnessing y’all!

Thanks for Stopping By!
Cheers,
Bridget XOXO

DIY Floss Bands

Joe works out all the time and doesn’t limit himself to any particular form of workout; be it running, crossfit, weightlifting, endurance training, etc. He has run ultra marathons over the last four years and even completed a 100 mile, 24 hour race. Two weekends ago Joe participated in his first crossfit competition and came in second place. He also runs Spartan races all year. I think you get the point…he’s a fitness freak. However, with all this action comes sore and aching muscles and joints.

Floss bands help with compression of muscles to decrease swelling and improve healing time. But, they can get expensive. We found this tutorial online using a bike tire inner tube and it is so simple… and costs less than $5!

Very excited – tire tube in hand!

Cut out the valve

Cut down the inner seam, then cut your long strip in half

Wash the powder from the inside of the tube.

Done!

 

Disclaimer: please do not use these wraps without educating yourself on their use first! If used improperly, can lead to loss of circulation! We like Dr. Kelly Starrett and his book “Becoming a Supple Leopard”. He also has great videos on YouTube on proper use of these floss bands and ways to improve muscle movement and prevent injury. Check him out!

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers,
Bridget XOXO

Hose Battle Rope

Joe has been hunting for battle ropes to add to his workout gear collection and has completely lucked out on finding anything within a reasonable price range. Battle ropes range from $100 – $150 and as we save for a house and a wedding, that just wasn’t going to do. So we got to brainstorming and researching and we decided to make one.

What you will need:
50’ Garden Hose – $15
10-20lbs of play sand (the kind that goes in sandboxes) - $3
Duct tape
1. Duct tape one end of the hose closed.
2. Fill with sand. Be patient, it takes some time to shake the sand all the way down the hose as you go.
Tip: make sure the sand is dry – we left ours out in the sun for a few days first.
3. Duct take the second end closed
This battle rope ended up being 16lbs total – you could experiment with different fillers to change the weight. The total cost of this battle rope: $18 – a far cry from $100.
I hope we can inspire you to make some of your own workout equipment!

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers,
Bridget XOXO

Race Bib & Medal Display

      Joe has 304687209384193750879350918491735 race bibs and he insists on keeping every single one (like his t-shirts that date back to 1986). For a while he pinned them to a cork board in our spare bedroom, but they were an unruly mess and started taking over the room. He also has numerous medals from races that have been hanging on the door handle to our spare room, jangling and banging every time the door opened. Needless to say, we both knew something had to be done: find a solution  or the race menagerie goes.

      In an effort to preserve his legacy, Joe decided to make a display system. As many runners who will read this know, this is a sensitive subject and I respect that. SO, I’m posting this as a way to save households from race bib disasters, as well as runners from losing their trophy collection. If you want to read more about Joe's running adventures, he blogs at InstinctRunning where he writes about and reviews races.

      We strolled around Home Depot looking for a few supplies that I needed for another project I was doing and came across these round wood “plates” that honestly resemble lazy Susan rounds. AHA! Joe grabbed two and we headed to the hook section, grabbing two different sizes, as well as some stencils for lettering.

Race Bib & Medal Display

What you will need:

• Wood rounds (or other wooden plaque) ($4.88)
• Screw hooks (2 Lg at $1.18each, pack of 25 small 1 1/2inch hooks at $4.46)
• Stencils (2" set $2.98)
• Paint (we used acrylic paint)
• Stain of desired color (Dark Walnut $4.78)
• Paint brushes (2 at $0.77)
• Rag
• Drill and drill bits
• Drop cloth to protect surfaces
• Hole Punch

This is what we started with:

Step One: Using a damp rag, wipe down wood plaque. This will open the wood grain to help absorb stain more evenly.

Step Two: Stain plaque to desired color with sponge brush, wiping with cloth after applying stain. **apply stain as instructed on back of tin**

Step Three: Let stain dry. Lay out stencils (we spelled RACES and OCR’S [Obstacle Course Races]) and paint with acrylic paint. You may need a few coats to make them bold.

Step Four: Mark where you want your hooks – Joe lined the bottom half edge of the plaque with small hooks to hand his medals from. Then he had two large hooks for the middle to hang his bibs on. This is how we layed it out:

Step Five: Using drill and drill bits, make holes where you want your hooks, then hand screw the hooks in.

Step Six: Hole punch your race bibs to fit onto center two hooks.

Step Seven: Oops, almost forgot... apply picture hanging fixture to back ( we used the small metal strip with "teeth". NOW you are done. Display that bad boy with pride :)

That's my rockstar... check out those medals!

Want other workout related projects?: Agility Ladder | Sandbells

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers, Bridget

XOXO

Yoga Mat Strap

As my New Year resolution to get in shape continues, I have been using my yoga mat much more. I love yoga. It makes me feel relaxed, rejuvenated, and frankly I love the clothes. I’m just being honest. I’ve also started to notice the many accessories you can get – like awesome yoga mat bags and special mats, fancy blocks and of course the yoga pants. Last week I broke my yoga mat strap (a piece of string). I found some nice ones online but they are super expensive, so I made my own!

Yoga Mat Strap

What you will need:

• ½ yard of fabric
• interfacing
• Velcro
• The Usual Suspects: thread, sewing machine, iron

Step One: Cut your fabric.

• 2 pieces 36" long x 3" wide - handle
• 4 pieces 20" long x 4" wide - wraps
• 2 piece interfacing or batting 18" x 3 1/2 " - wraps
• *** measure the diameter of your yoga mat - it may be bigger or smaller than mine, but these measurements  should accomodate a variety of sizes

Step Two: Make the handle using the two longest strips of fabric.

Press long strip in half to make crease

Unfold and press each edge to middle crease

Repeat with second strip

Sandwich two strips and sew a seam on all edges

Step Three: Make the wraps.

Cut two pieces of Velcro, one small (2”) and one long (4”). Sew each onto two of the smaller pieces of fabric.

Take the two pieces of fabric and put together, right sides in with Velcro on opposing ends. Sew seam on three edges, leaving one end open. 

Turn right side out. Slide batting into pocket and sew end closed.

Press. Top stitch around all edges.

Repeat for second wrap.

Step Four:  Attach handle to wraps by sewing strap to underside of wraps

** Make sure you sew the handle to the underside of the straps - so the straps should have the long strip of velcro up, with handle sewn underneath.**

Done! Now get your stylish self some yoga classes so you can show this baby off!

Thanks for stopping by!
Comment are always appreciated and always read! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask, this tutorial was a bit more challenging than some of my past.

Cheers, Bridget
XOXO

Agility Ladder

          Joe has been thinking about making an agility ladder for a little while now. So we brainstormed some simple, cheap options for materials and I helped him come up with a plan for making it. He ordered some inexpensive nylon webbing ($27 for two 30ft rolls, found at countrybrookdesign.com), and it came in the mail yesterday!

          If you are into crossfit training, working out in your own backyard, or just love the idea of making your own equipment and saving a bunch of cash, read on! And take a trip to my DIY/Tutorials page for more workout equipment, or visit Instinctual Running for more ideas.

Agility Ladder

• 30 feet of one color Nylon Webbing ( this will be for the length of your ladder (totaling 15 feet  with one half on each side… feel free to make longer or shorter to your liking)
• 17 feet of another color Nylon Webbing ( we just bought two rolls of 30ft with extra to spare… this will be for the rungs on the ladder)
• The Usual Suspects: thread of color choice, sewing machine, pins, scissors

Step 1: Cut all of your pieces. Cut your 30ft  piece of nylon webbing in half to make the sides of the ladder. Cut 11 18inch strips of the other nylon webbing to make your ladder rungs.

                ** If you want to make a different length ladder, you can measure out how many rungs to make by dividing the total length of the ladder by 18inches, which is how far apart we spaced our rungs.**

Step 2: Pin your rungs onto the side strips by measuring 18inches apart. We chose to use a chalk and mark 18inches all the way down the strips first, but it is not necessary.

Step 3: Once your rungs are pinned onto both sides of the ladder, head to the sewing machine. I sewed two lines parallel to the length of the ladder by sewing, backsewing, and sewing forward again, making three passes. I did this to ensure a strong seam. I probably could have used a better stitch, but it came out very strong.

                **Tip: do your best to keep the rung perpendicular to the ladder side when sewing, to make sure the rung is straight when laid out. The easiest way to do this is to just line the bottom edge of the rung with the webbing. (see picture)

Step 4: Once all rungs are sewn on, lay out your agility ladder and admire your work!!

Thanks for stopping by! Please post any questions, I will be happy to answer them!