DIY: How to Build an Olympic Weightlifting Platform

Scott Andrew Birdby Scott Andrew Bird | March 31, 2009
Filed in DIY , highlighted


Completed Olympic Weightlifting platform
Homemade Lifting Platform. Love it.
This is a guest post by bodybuilder, writer and weightlifting aficionado Kat 'The Mighty Kat' Ricker - DIY: How to Build an Olympic Weightlifting platform. Enjoy.

This is an easy design for an eight-foot square platform that will stand up to your heavy training for a long time to come. Protect your floor, your weights, and your knees by lifting at home on a proper training platform.

You’ll Need

Optional/optimal

Construction

  1. Lay two sheets of CDX plywood lengthwise side by side in the direction you will face to lift.
  2. Spread adhesive.
  3. Lay two sheets of CDX plywood crosswise on top of bottom sheets.
  4. Screw sheets together 2” from edges, 16” apart, around perimeter and along insides edges of top sheets.
  5. Measure and mark for center plywood sheet, running parallel with bottom sheets. (My camera crapped out on me for the next few steps. Grrrr!)
  6. Glue on higher-grade plywood sheet with better side facing up.
  7. Screw top sheet along 4’ edges ONLY.
  8. Cut stall mat in half lengthwise. How to: Lay two boards parallel with gap between them. Lay mat over boards. Draw chalk line down the center. Use reciprocating saw to cut mat into two 8’ x 2’ strips.
  9. Spread adhesive and lay down mat strips along both sides of top plywood.
platform325.jpg

Sources

My husband and I built my home platform this way, based on a design by Jim Schmitz, as explained in an article on Ironmind by Randy Strossen. We varied only on the adhesive and the mat. I’m contributing my version for some added detail, the technical writing format, and the suggestion of the horse stall mats - Thanks to Tom Hirtz for that idea.

Kat 'The Mighty Kat' Ricker is a bodybuilder, writer and lover of putting heavy things overhead. Find out more over on her site.

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