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I'm about to move into a new place.
The good news: it has an attached garage (a gym)
The bad news: like any garage, it has a bit of a slope
I expect that space constraints will mean that I have to orient the bar such that my right leg is on ever-so-slightly lower ground than my left leg.
Is this a big deal? Am I navel gazing? Should I level things out with a plywood platform?
TIA
My garage gym has a slight slant to it as well and I never notice it while working out. Though I may be favorably lopsided enough to balance it out, so YMMV.
If you can, orient the set-up so that you're looking either up- or down-slope. Otherwise, alternate directions so as to not always be lifting with one side lower.
How much is "ever so slightly"? 5mm over the length of an olympic bar (7'2")?
Will the bar roll if you set it on the ground?
FWIW, I don't think I've ever been in a gym where the floor is actually level. The best gyms had a platform for lifting. I imagine they were shimmed in some way.
If your bar rolls when it's on the floor (e.g. deadlifts) just stick 2.5lb plates in front/back. I have to do this at my gym -- the left plate rolls forward, the right one rolls backward.
Or squat alternately from both sides of the rack for balanced workouts...
If It's really an issue, build a platform that's level and put your squat rack and deadlift jack on that.
I agree on the platform. If you go to the equipment forum on bodybuilding.com, you'll see endless threads about making inexpensive platforms from plywood and stall mats. They're better for your weights and your garage floor anyway, give you better traction, and you can shim them up if you need to.
As others have said, gyms often are converted spaces with ripples or slopes or other irregularities in the floor. Just try not to lift sideways to the slope without a shimmed platform.
Thanks for weighing in, everyone.
I think I can probably get away with leveling things out with a few layers of 0.25" fiberboard or plywood. Throw a rubber mat on top and I'm all set.
also, maybe single-led dead lifts and romanian dead lifts with dumbells (or plates). I do these for about half the year, when the riding goes up and the lifting goes down. You only pedal with one leg at a time, after all -- and these are also good for balance.