Home-Built Exerciser Ideal For Seniors

Home-Built Exerciser Ideal For Seniors FARM HOME Health 22-3-37 "I used to go to the health club every day and use seven or eight different exercise ma-chines, but I can get as much good out of this right at home," says Wallace A. Johnson about a five-in-one exercise machine he built. It's ideal for senior citizens because it's easy to get on and off because you sit only about 2 ft. off the ground, he notes. Johnson, 77, used a wheel off a conventional exercise bike he bought at an auction and mounted it in a 26-in. wide by 5 1/2-ft. frame built out of 2 by 4's. He built a seat for the machine out of bolted-together 2 by 4's and mounted it, recumbent-style, on the frame. Handles and cylinders off a rowing ma-chine that he bought at a garage sale mount on each side of the frame near the front. The rear of the frame telescopes 3 ft. on 1 1/2-in. steel pipe fitted inside 2-in. dia. PVC pipe. One weight per side, made of four 10-lb. bricks covered with vinyl and suspended from a pulley, help the frame telescope. An electric massage pad can be added to the seat and a chin-up bar can be attached to the frame for a five-way workout - legs, arms, neck, back and abdomen. "I've used it every day since I built it last June and have actually lost 20 lbs.," says Johnson. Out-of-pocket expense was about $80. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Wallace A. Johnson, 901 12th St. N., New Ulm, Minn. 56073 (ph 507 354-1601).

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