Parents used bar?

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emorymom

Proud Parent
I am hoping to purchase a freestanding single home practice bar for my 5 year old Level 1, used. Is there anywhere besides craigslist that I should be looking? I don't think Ebay is likely because of the shipping. I'm basically looking on craigslist and exploring anything within a reasonable drive or in an area where I have relatives who could bring it down at some point.

It does seem silly to spend 25 hours online to save $200, but then again, it'll go over better with the spouse. LOL

Or is there a place that rents home equip?
 
If you are allowed to do so, post a notice on the bulletin board at your gym.
 
I spent months on craigslist. Everyone I contacted wanted over 300 for their used bar . . . got mine on ebay new & didn't have to drive for 280 + 40 ship. came 2 days later. good luck! BTW make sure you don't get a bar with a preschool diameter. She'll outgrow it really fast
 
We found DDs on Craigslist. I was against it, but DH was about to "make" her one and that was more terrifying than actually having a real bar. We found it for a good price, but it had a preschool bar (smaller diameter), so I ended up buying a regulation sized bar for it. Still got a really good deal on the one we have since it is actually one you buy to use for preschool/kindergym, extremely sturdy and safe. My friend got a new one on Craigslist that is not very well made at all and the bar is wood, not completely smooth.

I have to say that it isn't used much. My DD used it tons until she got her front hip circle and middle/mill circle. She did use it right before her last meet as she really wanted an 8 on bars, LOL. And now she is more into it because she is trying to get her kip. But it spends many days all by itself outside. LOL. My 3 year old loves it though and I am sure she will get lots of use out of it later, unless I can convince her to do something else.
 
Jess lives on her bar . . it's in the livingroom and she watches TV from it. She can't kip on it, which was hte reason I got it - go figure, but she practices squatting on it from a cast, from a FHC and then she stands on it . . . Favorite past time is how many hip cricles can ya do LOL. her friends love hanging from it . . .

I will say if I had to do it over . . I might have spent more and got the bar with the extensions to make it more stable.
 
Ours is outside and we anchored it to the ground with stakes and there is a mat under it. We don't have space for it to live in the house. I take the bar portion off and store it in the storage shed to keep the weather from ruining the bar as it is made from the same stuff that bars at the gym are made from and I doubt they should see much sun/rain. :D

We have firm rules that she is not allowed to do anything except what is in her level 4 routine, kip practice, conditioning, swings, baby giants and casts (no cast to handstand practice allowed either!!). She is specifically forbidden from doing cast to squat on, standing on it, etc. I have seen too many of those gone bad at the gym with mats/coach there and she knows the bar will be gone to Craigslist in an instant if she does those things. I would not miss it as I didn't want it in the first place, LOL, so she knows I am serious.
 
Several things to keep in mind if you buy this home bar(I'm guessing its a pre-school/kindergarten class type) is that it isn't designed for more than very basic bar skills such as back pullovers, leg lifts, front support with tiny cast. These bars are not made for girls who are doing any really swinging like casts, bhc. They are not designed to stand on. If you're not sure about what can be done safely on one, ask a coach at your gym what they use them to teach. Also if you're going to buy one, then invest in a mat---kids do fall. Keep in mind that your dd will rather quickly outgrow this type of bar both in her skill level and physically.

I don't agree with having bars at home for practice, but do think if you have one, Mariposa has great ideas with it being anchored and strict rules about what can be done on it or its gone. I remember when her Abby was all excited about her new bar and now she mentions that she rarely uses it. Well. Abby has grown a little and is now working kips which you really can't do on this bar.
 
Our experience was simiilar to that of maripsosmama. We had a bar but my dd, 4 yo at the time we got the bar, very quickly picked up the only skills she could do on it. These types of bars are not really suitable for kips or any sort of swinging skills and I would not let her try squat ons on it. She used it mainly for getting her shoot through and mill circle and then we wound up getting rid of it. I agree about getting a mat. A mat is actually a really good investment in home equipment, as is a floor beam. We still use those all the time.

Meg
 
Definitely true about the bar. Ours is anchored, has a regulation size/material bar, so she can do more with it, including kips. It was very expensive new, but I found it used for a good price, so I can't complain. I wouldn't have bought it though, I didn't think she needed it, but it was that or be concerned with what DH was going to come up with, LOL. Good thing he can't build a trampoline....
 
Agree with Meg on the floor beam and a mat. We have no areas with carpet big enough to do any skills really, but even carpet isn't good protection. You can find a mat on Craigslist, usually quicker than a bar, and a floor beam can be easily made if you have the tools, etc. We actually used tape to put a line on her mat and she used that quite a bit as well.
 
I agree. A mat is THE most important thing to own. And comes in handy for sleepovers and laying around on the floor LOL. These you can find on craigslist really cheap . . just make sure you check it for mold if your not buying it new

We also have a beam . . . we had a folding one that was great in the beginning but had to get a standard floor beam so she could practice skills holding on to it.

I'm a sucker for this stuff because I would have loved it as a kid.

We also have a trampoline the the entire family uses

I know . . . I'm crazy

:eek:
 
In my CL hunt, I found only one, and like you found, the sellers wanted 10% above list price.

Actually the one on Ebay isnt so bad. Santa brought ours. :) Not the Nasita L. one...as DD wanted, but the blue one. Chalk ball is also a good deal. Buy a few of them too. Its about as high as you'd ever want, has a regulation bar (important), and is wide enough (also important).

When the bar set to the lower-mid height positions, it's fine. But as your gymmie grows, and starts doing things like stride circles and dismounts it will need to be anchored, or support added as we did.

For ours, I purchased a couple of 3" wide x 1/4" thick x 55" steel plates from a metal fabricator supply house, and toggle bolted them to the undersides of the side mounts at the front and rear of the bar out towards the ends. Basically strapping the left and right supports together from under. Then the 2" x 60" x 10' mat (required!!) was set over of these cross supports. Now, it doesn't move at all... even during dismounts or kips. Of course, it's also less "portable" too. Meaning...it takes dad to heft it around when a move is required.

And yes to having rules. Up to L4 only. And she knows that I know that she knows what that means!
 
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sounds like the bar I have! DD got her bar instead of a birthday party . . hte bar was cheaper then a party at the gym!

Going to take your support instructions to hubby! Although the fact I can take it apart and put it against the wall makes life easier! LOL

I also want to add . . . thanks to the beam and bar DD doesn't try to use other things as gymnastics equipment . . for example the swing set or a fence. She has a safer outlet
 
Thanks, great advice. Really it would be great if I could just rent one while she's level 1. Once she gets super strong then really she can train just fine in the gym. But I think 2-6 months with a home bar would REALLY build her up on her own initiative.
 
I don't know what level 1 is . .but could you use a chin up bar? I had a chin up bar in a wide doorway for a while. toss a mat under it ans set it low?
 
Abby had a chin up bar and LOVED it. She would still probably use that, except I took it down because I kept hitting my head on it. It was installed in her bedroom doorway. Costs about $15 at Walmart or Target. Holds up to 300lbs.

Can't use it for much except chin ups, pulling up legs to the bar, L holds, basket holds and pullovers. No swinging on it either. A friend put hers low enough that her DD could do her shoot through on it. No circling elements should be done on it either. I had totally forgotten about that. LOL. Great for just strength stuff. Maybe that is your answer. :D
 
I'm a sucker for this stuff because I would have loved it as a kid.

:eek:

That is me too! You couldn't buy it when I was a kid (35 years ago - where did that time go!) and my parents probably wouldn't have anyway.

I used the top bar of my swing set to do front and back hip circles, shoot throughs, swings, knee swing dismounts and tumble turn dismounts (bit like straddle fly away) How competely insane is that! 7 foot up on a rusty metal bar with no mats. I don't think my parents had any idea!

My beam was a single brick wall with concrete either side. I didn't do BHS on it but I remember doing forwards and back walkovers, handstands, cartwheels and leaps.

I think children just invent don't they!
 
I would say a chin up bar may be what would work best. I doubt you'll find a place to rent you a kindergarten bar at a reasonable price. As others have said, put the chin up bar in a doorway and put it high enough that if she needs a little help getting her hands on it----that way an adult is watching her while she works on it. Really the biggie to improving and learning bar skills is developing upper body strength. She could do leg lifts, chin ups, tick/tocks on the chin up bar and that would help with her work on bars in the gym. I'm sure a coach could recommend some other exercises to do.

Make sure your dd is fine with this idea and that any time she spends on the bar is totally her idea. Home is home and the gym is gym.
 
Well she's almost (maybe is) 48" tall. A chin up bar is one option (we are renting, I'm not sure I want to screw it into a doorway but ...

I suspect she would drop conditioning pretty fast if I left it up to her. A bar that she can do pullovers, back hip circles on etc. is what we need I think. She'll do a pullup if she has to, to start a pullover. She might outgrow the doorway.

I suspect one reason she would benefit from more bar training is that she is such a fast grower. She's right around 48" and 49 pounds now. Been adding pounds as she added hours it seems. Muscle is heavy and all that.
 

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