Belt squat construction

The fewer moving parts, the better.' Exactly. No truer words were ever spoken in the context of engineering.

Chris Cantrell

I loved the squatmax MD by Brian Henessy. But we don’t get the amazing device in India.

The basic idea is to take the load off the spine when you squat and put it entirely on the legs. The device does this by using a belt that attaches to a loading pin that travels along a guide rod.

The loading pin rests on two support rods. You release these support rods using handles. And the pin travels smoothly along the guide rod for a deep squat. It also has a seat for safety and comfortable loading.

The design is just so brilliant. I decided to make one for my personal use.

We took a giant 135 kg chequered stainless steel sheet. The texture makes it comfortable for grip. We then laser cut 16 holes and the shape out of the sheet. We then folded the sheet into a giant table shaped object. We fabricated a loading pin, support rods, handles and an adjustable seat post. We used a total of 30 parts including bolts, rods, pipes, engineered plastic. But the entire body is constructed from one single sheet of steel.

This really is testament to the amazing talent in Madras. I don’t think I could have made something like this ten years ago. And to make just one piece would have been unthinkable. It’s a terrific time to run a gym in Madras :)

Takeaway

Barbells are scalable, versatile and awesome. But people have constraints. A device like this drastically reduces the pressure on the spine when you squat. Not to mention it’s a terrific tool for athletes who have enough and more compressive load on their spine and joints from their training.

Having multiple options for squatting lets you find the best fit for your clients. Between hack squats, belt squats, barbell, t-bell, dumbbell, landmines and just a simple weight vest, there are at least 50 different ways to squat. And each variant has its pros and cons. Variety gives you options and helps you mix things up for fun too.