Need some architectural/engineering advice
 

Hey guys. Been living in China for a long time now and I've decided to get a home gym. Although I'm sure it's not really an issue I think it's better to ask first and see what somebody with expertise has to say.

I'm a reasonably strong guy and I lift fairly heavy weights. My question is one concerning floor support.
As with all homes in China we're talking about concrete here. Fifth floor. I'm guessing the equipment itself will be in the range of about 200 kgs. Because I lift pretty heavy we're probably adding another 250 kgs of weights as well. So somewhere in the neighborhood of 450 kgs spread over about 6 square meters.

Not sure about reinforcement or concrete thickness but I've not read about any collapsing or anything so it must be reasonably thick.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.:cheers:

You should be fine. Maybe some of the structural engineers could provide some info on what loads might be used for designing that floor. But I would expect that China would have reasonable standards for building construction, in terms of loading design.

You're only talking 1000 pounds. That's a couple people. I've seen many apartments jammed with people, here in Winnipeg mind you. Think about some kids partying with there friends. Might have 30 people in one tiny apart. All sitting on the couch or in a big group.

Yes China has high standards:

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/...1_1432360i.jpg
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-collapse.html

I know 1000 lbs is "a couple of people" in Winnipeg but here in Regina it is more like 5-8 people! ;)

Lol, well with me and my buds, 1000lbs is 4-5 people. Anyways, i wouldn't worry too much about it. And I said loading design, not building tipping over design!! haha

I'm assuming that failure had to do with the river next door and a generic building design.

I seem to recall reading in another article about this collapse that someone on the non-river side of the building who lived on the top floor had set up some kind of a home gym...:D

hahah Tiiiiiimberrrr! One person died there though..

In reading the question it sounds as if the weights are part of the gym equipment. BUT, if you are using free weights I would be very concerned about impact loads and would check with a structural engineer.

K22

No idea what jurisdiction this document is from. Somewhere in the US.
https://www.huduser.gov/Publications/pdf/res2000_2.pdf

But it lists 300psf (pounds per square foot) concentrated load and 40psf uniform load for a timber framed house. You had roughly 1000 pounds of equipment spread over 6 square metres on a reinforced concrete floor. Should be fine.

You probably should get an olympic platform, at least of the sake of your neighbors when you deadlift.

Are people in Regina malnourished? :shrug:

You should be fine....I'm sure all an engineer would do is stick their head out the windown and look for collapsed buildings and check local papers for similar incidents...now that you have done the leg work, you can save your money.

Seriously? Highly unlikely you will have any problems but given you want some assurance (hence the question) you should check locally; someone in authority associated with your building. Answering your question would require at the very least some knowledge of codes in China or in the absence of that the exact thickness of the concrete, spacing of columns, rebar used, mpa of concrete used etc. etc. etc. for any sort of definitive advice.

if anything take wieghts and add those rubber bands for ressistance and that would work for dead lifts and such instead of havng all those 45 plates

No technical, archetectural or engineering expertise from me, but see if tenants are able to have, or already have an acoustic piano, as they can range from 250 to +315 kg in a footprint size that could be comparable to the footprint you described of your proposed fitness equipment. Less expensive, upright pianos tend to be lighter (but not necessarily), and even some of the mid-sized grand pianos are heavier than 500 kg, but they may be more expensive than the fitness equipment -- or your apartment!

Or you could consider tension/resistance equipment with a smaller amount of free weights for training. You may already know that intense machine training is a good way to isolate muscle groups, complementing with modest free weight training to develop coordination and overall strength.

Otherwise, you may need to develop gentle techniques to avoid repeatedly bouncing/dropping heavy weights on the floor in your apartment, which might have long term effects on the integrity of the concrete below you, even with floor mats -- not including any accidental dropping of any sized weights from a significant height!

Alternatively, obtaining a membership to a gym (if possible) will let you work out with heavy free weights and specialized heavy duty machines that may be more satisfactory for you!

Thanks guys. I guess I should have thought about it in terms of people moving around.

As for a gym membership, I have one. The problem is that in China everything closes absurdly early if they're open at all. During the New Year here everything was closed for 10 full days. It's a pain.

You should ask these guys for advice on demolishing your ceiling while maintaining your upstairs neighbor's floor integrity. You might need the space for overhead lifts.

Naw. That stuff is really bad for your back. What I really plan on doing is just drilling a hole in the floor and dropping heavy shit through it whenever the mood strikes me. Or strikes them as the case may be. I plan on working out at 3 in the morning.