By A Manly Guest Contributor
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Todd Kuslikis. Men strive for efficiency. We are creatures that look for ways of getting the maximum amount of benefit from the least amount of time invested. We look for the straightest path to achieve our goals. That's why I am always confused why so many men wake up hours before work to fight traffic to get to the gym, elbow people while looking for a locker, and wait for others to get off exercise machines…Ugh! No thank you. I prefer to stay at home and do a short and intense workout before heading off to work. But as I mentioned above, men care about efficiency AND results. We want the big biceps and chiseled chest and we know that doing a bunch of no-weight push ups and squats just ain't gonna cut it. We need to do exercises that challenge our muscles in new ways and force them to fatigue in low rep ranges (which is the key to muscle growth). If you don't have the resources to shell out $1,000 for a Bowflex or other home gym system I have the perfect solution for you. A complete home gym made out of PVC. There is nothing manlier than building your own piece of fitness equipment. I am going to lead you step-by-step through the process of creating your own PVC home gym. And it will cost you less than $150. Also at the end of the article I will give you a full 3-month routine that you can follow on your new PVC home gym. Stay tuned towards the bottom of the post as well for a video that shows how to do the various workouts, as well as vocal directions on building the gym. You might be thinking to yourself, "I could never build something like that. The last thing I built was a mangled bird house in high school shop class and even a freezing bird in a hail storm wouldn't step foot in it." Let me tell you that I am much more like Tim Taylor than Bob Vila. I have never built a deck, fixed a leaky faucet, or even assembled a model airplane. If I can do it you can too. What Equipment Do I Need?  This picture shows you everything you need. Bring the below list with you to Home Depot or your nearest hardware store and have them cut the PVC for you. Trust me when I say it will be a lot easier than doing it yourself and it won't cost you anything extra. Here is a full list of everything you need: PVC Fittings (everything below is 1.5 inches wide) - Eight elbow pieces (one end needs to be male and the other female)
- One connector piece
 - 25 “T” section pieces
PVC Pipes (everything is 1.5 inches wide; if you weigh more than 180lbs, I recommend getting 2-inch-wide PVC pipes)
- 10 1-foot PVC pipes
- 1 1-foot 1-inch PVC pipe
- 18 2-foot PVC pipes
- 2 2-foot 3.5-inch PVC pipes
- 6 4-foot PVC pipes
- 1 4-foot 3-inch pipe
- 2 4-foot 8.5-inch pipes
- 1 5-foot 3.5-inch pipe
Other Important Materials - Rope (you’ll use this for hanging rings)
- 2 1-inch-wide, 6-inch-long metal pipes (or you can use 6-inch PVC pipe pieces which is what I ended up using)
- PVC Cement and Primer (You use this to chemically bond the pieces together. In the video near the bottom of this post, I'll show you which pieces to bond together and which ones to keep separated so you can still transport the gym if you decide to put it in another room. Also, before you cement the pieces together make sure that you know how to put everything together properly.)
PVC Gym Blueprint Guide 
How to Build Your PVC Home Gym  Step 1: Attach your two-foot pipes into a T section and elbow as shown above. This will be one side of the base of the gym. Make sure the opening of your T section is pointed up.  Step 2: Attach a T sections and 1-foot pipe on the left end as shown. Also attach a 1-foot pipe into the T section you had already placed. You are creating your parallel bars now.  Step 3: Attach T sections to the top of the one-foot sections. Make sure to pay attention to how they are attached. One set will be horizontal (left side). The other set will be vertical (right side). Both should have openings toward each other.  Step 4: Insert your two 4-foot 3-inch sections as your cross bars.  Step 5: Insert two 1-foot pipes into the T sections on the right side.  Step 6: Insert two T sections and two 2-foot pipes on top of the 1-foot pipes you just attached.  Step 7: Insert two more T sections and two more 2-foot sections on top of what you just attached.  Step 8: Start building the base for right side of the gym. Insert two 2-foot pipes into your T section (pointed up) and elbow piece as shown. Do this twice.  Step 9: Insert 1-foot pipes into the T section openings.  Step 10: Insert two T sections so that the openings are facing each other.  Step 11: Insert 1-foot pipes into the top of the T sections.  Step 12: Insert a T section on top of the one-foot PVC pipe you just attached and make sure the opening is facing towards the other side of the gym. Then insert a 4-foot pipe as a cross beam for your gym.  Step 13: Insert a two-foot pipe into the top of the T section and another T section on top of that. Make sure it is pointed inward towards the other side of the gym.  Step 14: Place your next cross beam (4-foot pipe) into the ends of the open T sections.  Step 15: Place your last 2-foot pipes into your open T sections.  Step 16: Insert your elbow joints so that the smaller openings are facing inward and towards each other, perpendicular to the cross beams.  Step 17: Attach T sections so that the middle opening is facing horizontally from your elbow joints. This is critically important to get right, so before you cement everything in place make sure you have this correct.  Step 18: Insert your last 4-foot PVC pipe sections into the T section openings.  Step 19: Insert your 4-foot 3-inch section into the open T section holes above the parallel bars.  Step 20: Insert your 1-foot 1-inch PVC pipe into the cross section. Attach the connector piece at the other end.  Step 21: Insert your 2-foot 3.5-inch pipes on both sides of the cross section as shown.  Step 22: Insert your 2-foot sections on both sides of your last open T sections and put another T section facing downward in between the 2-foot pipes.  Step 23: Insert your 5-foot 3.5-inch pipe vertically into the open T sections as shown.  Step 24: Cement in place and attach rings and duct tape for grip. To see specifics of taping/cementing, jump to the 15-minute mark of the video below. Full Video On How To Build The PVC Home Gym and 27 Exercises To Do On It What Exercises Can I Do On The PVC Gym? To learn how to do the below exercises, watch the video above. Shoulder Exercises: - Handstands
- Handstand Push Ups
- Supported Iron Cross
- L Sit To Half Handstand on Parallel Bars
Bicep Exercises: - Traditional Chin Ups
- Close Grip Chin Ups
- Wide Chin Ups
- Pole Climbs
Tricep Exercises: - Dips
- Hanging Dips
- Parallel Bar Dips
- Half Muscle Up
Ab Exercises: - Hanging Dragon Flag
- L Sit
- Reverse Ab Crunches
- Oblique Crunches
- Sit Ups
Back Exercises: - Traditional Pull Up
- Wide Pull Up
- Front Lever
Chest Exercises: - Parallel Bar Push Ups
- Decline Push Up
- Stretch Push Up
Leg Exercises: - Squats
- Pistol Squats
- One Legged Hops
- Two Legged Hops
The 3-Month PVC Training Plan Month 1 – The PVC Prince This month will get you used to working out on PVC pipes. The exercises aren't too advanced but you'll see some major benefit when the week is over. Weeks 1-3 will be your active weeks and Week 4 will be an active recovery. This means that you will NOT do any type of weight training or bodyweight exercises. Use this week to jog, play tennis, swim, or any other activity you like to do. This is important! Don't break this rule. Your exercise sessions will be 3 X per week. For example: Mon/Wed/Fri or Tues/Thurs/Sat. Once you are done with Month 1, move on to Month 2. Exercise Schedule Week 1: 3 X Per Week
Week 2: 3 X Per Week
Week 3: 3 X Per Week
Week 4: Active Rest Period Exercise Routine Do each exercise until you reach full fatigue. Don't rest in between sets. Beginners will only go through the cycle once. If you are more advanced you can go through it two or three times. 5 Upper Body Exercises - Handstand Holds
- Decline Push Ups
- Traditional Pull Ups
- Traditional Chin Ups
- Dips
2 Lower Body Exercises - Hindu Squats
- Two Legged Hops
2 Core Exercises - Hanging Leg Lifts
- L Sits (tuck your knees if you can't get your legs out)
Month 2 – The PVC Conqueror
Month 2 is really intense. I hope you enjoyed your active recovery week; you will be glad you did it now that the plan is starting up again. You will be working out three times per week just like Month 1 but you will be adding some exercises to the plan. Again, this month you will get an active recovery week. Exercise Schedule Week 1: 3 X Per Week
Week 2: 3 X Per Week
Week 3: 3 X Per Week
Week 4: Active Rest Period Exercise Routine Do each exercise until you reach full fatigue. Don't rest in between sets. Beginners will only go through the cycle once. If you are more advanced you can go through it two or three times. 7 Upper Body Exercises - Handstand Holds
- Supported Iron Cross
- Parallel Bar Push Ups
- Decline Push Ups
- Traditional Pull Ups
- Traditional Chin Ups
- Dips
4 Lower Body Exercises - Hindu Squats
- Two Legged Hops
- Pistol Squats
- Falling Tower
3 Core Exercises - Hanging Leg Lifts
- L Sits (tuck your knees if you can't get your legs out)
- Sit Ups
Month 3 – The PVC Master This is where you become a PVC Master. You will be doing the below exercise routine 4 X per week. For example: Mon/Tues, Thurs/Fri. Make sure you get through all the exercises. Weeks 1-3 will again be the training weeks and Week 4 will be your active recovery. Exercise Schedule Week 1: 4 X Per Week
Week 2: 4 X Per Week
Week 3: 4 X Per Week
Week 4: Active Rest Period Exercise Routine Do each exercise until you reach full fatigue. Don't rest in between sets. Beginners will only go through the cycle once. If you are more advanced you can go through it two or three times. 9 Upper Body Exercises - Handstand Push Ups
- L Sit To Half Handstand on Parallel Bars
- Wide Chin Ups
- Pole Climbs
- Hanging Dips
- Half Muscle Up
- Front Lever
- Wide Pull Up
- Stretch Push Ups
4 Lower Body Exercises - Hindu Squats
- Pistol Squats
- Falling Tower
- One Legged Hops
4 Core Exercises - Dragon Flag
- L Sits (tuck your knees if you can't get your legs out)
- Reverse Ab Crunches
- Oblique Crunches
______________________________ Todd Kuslikis is the founder of a popular body weight exercise blog called AShotofAdrenaline.net. He is also the creator of the The Complete Bodyweight Training System which can be downloaded for free from the site. 
  
By A Manly Guest Contributor
Editor's note: This gallery is curated by Joe Weber from Dappered.com. March Madness is once again upon us. If you’re going out to watch the games at a sports bar or whatnot with your buddies, you obviously don’t have to spend too much time thinking about how to dress, but Joe’s got some solid tips on how to make small, simple improvements to your usual getup. You never know who you’re going to meet after all…maybe some Bracket Bustin’ Betty. How does Outfitted and Equipped work? The FAQ. 1. The Watch: Seiko Solar Chrono Compass. A tough, dependable, solar-powered 41mm watch that’s got a lot going for it, and a lot going on under Seiko’s own Hardlex crystal. It’s equipped with an alarm, chronograph, and you can rotate the interior bezel so it becomes a little easier to use your watch as a compass. Way too busy for those who shy away from the sporty stuff, and if that’s you, maybe consider the Techne Merlin. 2. The Shirt: Original Retro Brand Crew, long sleeve, or short sleeve T. This ain’t the time or place to show up in a 3-piece suit. You’re rooting on your team and keeping an eye on your bracket. The key is to avoid the massive, bulky, built-for-barrel-man fan gear that most teams push out into the marketplace. The Original Retro Brand makes NCAA-licensed apparel in a trimmer cut, for guys (and gals) who want to be comfortable while watching the game, yet not be swaddled in mountains of excess fabric. As a major bonus, they make their stuff in the United States. A bit of a splurge for just a t-shirt, but walk into any college bookstore and you’ll see that most stuff has a hefty markup. (You can also find plenty of their stuff on the NCAA website.) 3. The Jacket: MG Black Label Rainier Twill Mac via Jackthreads. The heavier wool overcoats are starting to go into storage, but it’s not windbreaker weather either. The solution is a simple, mid to lightweight trench or single breasted mac style coat. 4. The Gloves: Orvis Cashmere-lined Deerskin Driving Gloves. Marked way down thanks to a sale. Not a ventilated driving glove, but a slimmer profile deerskin glove that’ll keep your hands warm when March decides to act more like a lion instead of a lamb. Nice stitching along the index and pinkie. 5. The Bracket: For keeping track of all the fist-pumping wins, and heartbreaking losses. 6. The Belt: Ernest Alexander Rivington Chocolate Wax Belt. A total splurge, but Ernest Alexander has won a ton of awards, and for good reason. Their stuff isn’t flashy, but it’s handsome as all get out. Plus it’s made in New York City and it’s made to last. Wax canvas around the sides and back, rich leather up front, brass buckle and rivets. (Not one to spend that much on a belt? There’s always something like this from Levi’s. Or, Andrew at Primer shows you how easy it is to make your own!) 7. The Jeans: Goodale Straight Selvedge Denim via Jackthreads. Straight fit, dark wash…these aren’t stonewashed relaxed-fit dad jeans. 8. The Boots: J. Crew MacAlister Brickman in Suede. Heading out for a cold one in front of the games doesn’t mean you have to wear gym shoes. Plenty relaxed and comfortable, with none of that “I just got done with my morning mall walking” look. Made in Italy, re-soleable, and if you hold out for one of J. Crew’s many 30% off sale items codes, they’ll drop under $100. 9. The Wallet: Form Function Form Architect’s Wallet. Made in the USA by the small leather goods company FormFunctionForm, this wallet uses an “extra small Moleskine Volant notebook” on one side, and has a holster for a Fisher Space Pen. That way, you can keep track of your picks if you lose your bracket, as well as any side wagers that may or may not take place between you and your pals during the game. Plenty of room for cards and cash, as long as you’re not a serial wallet over-stuffer. Available in multiple leathers, including a pebbled football option. 10. Lucky Penny: Or the lucky charm of your choice. ___________________________________ Joe Weber is the Director and Editor of the affordable men's style website, www.Dappered.com. He believes that living right, living well, and looking good doesn't mean you should go broke in the process. 
  
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