If you have a home gym I'd be interested in knowing what kind of equipment you have and why you chose it.
I'm thinking about expanding a few things, particularly getting more plates since the blueprint has been working so well for me I need more plates!
Right now I have a home gym that consists of:
commercial quality treadmill
power rack (I forget the manufacturer, but was a semi-popular cheaper option)
Hoist FID bench
Ironmaster quick change dumbbells (up to 75 lbs each)
Right now I'd like to get input on barbells, mine is very old and I use it for everything but I know there are different barbells designed for different types of lifts.
I'm interested in bumper plates/expansion of my dumbbells to 150 lbs each/more large plates (45 lbs)
Also considering bands and maybe even ropes...I don't really have the room but am thinking of moving to a bigger place soon and or/workout out in my backyard (only available in spring/summer/fall).
Weight Lifting Gear/Hardware
What you can't workout outside in the winter in Wisconsin? Come on I use to live there, they weren't that bad...oh, wait yea they were. 
As for the equipment, I have a basic power rack where I can do squats, but its also a combo smith machine. I also have the lat attachment as well as butterfly. I have some dumbells only to 60 lbs, and lots of plates. I have procured most of my equipment from craigs list, nothing like slightly used equipment from people who are not motivated.
As for the equipment, I have a basic power rack where I can do squats, but its also a combo smith machine. I also have the lat attachment as well as butterfly. I have some dumbells only to 60 lbs, and lots of plates. I have procured most of my equipment from craigs list, nothing like slightly used equipment from people who are not motivated.
I hear you on the Craigslist buying. With the exception of the weights/barbell and rack I got everything else off of Craigslist too.ckeahey76 wrote:What you can't workout outside in the winter in Wisconsin? Come on I use to live there, they weren't that bad...oh, wait yea they were.
As for the equipment, I have a basic power rack where I can do squats, but its also a combo smith machine. I also have the lat attachment as well as butterfly. I have some dumbells only to 60 lbs, and lots of plates. I have procured most of my equipment from craigs list, nothing like slightly used equipment from people who are not motivated.
The only bad is I usually have to drive an hour to the nearest metro area to pick up any gear since hardly anything useful gets listed around here.
Hear ya on the driving an hour. Here in Tx, mostly due to traffic, you can drive an hour and still be in the same town. Tonight I will be driving 5 hours to go down to Houston to visit some friends, this is one of the only places I know where you can drive all day and still be in the same state. One of the good things about it is that its already grilling season here.
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beefcake66
- Posts: 594
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2010 8:51 am
I have my own home gym set up and have a few of the things you have mentioned yourself:
power rack (Bodysolid I think, cheaper/smaller than the usual but good)
(i think) Hoist FID (the D sucks though)
Hex Dumbbells (I have from 5 to 35 right now)
7ft Standard Bar (with ~300lbs plates)
7ft Olympic Bar (with ~300lbs plates including 2x 10lb bumper plates)
Standard EzCurl Bar
Commercial quality treadmill and exercise bike
and the crappiest rower you can imagine.
For your bar/plate situation, I would suggest getting an olympic bar starting kit... one of the home gym stores in my area was selling a 300lb kit (bar + 255lbs of plates) for about 300 dollars if I remember correctly.
If you want to do explosive lifts like Power Cleans and Snatches, and you want bumper plates, the bar that you would get in a kit like that would not be good enough - you'd need one of those super expensive barbells that bend (like 1000 or 1500lb tested?). My barbell is only a 500lb tested bar and its about $150 alone; one of the better ones are definitely over $500, probably closer to $1000.
Craigslist would probably be a good way to go but I highly doubt any of those resolutioners without motivation would've bought a bar that expensive if they weren't going to use it....
Since I'm just a chick, I don't forsee myself having more than 300lbs on my barbell anytime soon, and I definitely won't be doing explosive lifts of over 100lbs in the near future for various reasons... so I figured I could get away with 10lb bounce plates and the barbell I have now without too much issues - I won't be throwing it around. If you want to throw it around... invest in good equipment.
And btw... bumper plates are RETARDED expensive. My 10lber's were 79.00 a PIECE. Canadian... so US would probably be closer to $60, but that's still ridiculous!
For plates I wouldn't pay more than $1/lb (if used probably no more than $0.50/lb unless they were rubber coated), and dumbbells when you get into higher numbers you may have to pay more. I don't know anything about the interchangeable weight dumbbells.
Hope that helps!
power rack (Bodysolid I think, cheaper/smaller than the usual but good)
(i think) Hoist FID (the D sucks though)
Hex Dumbbells (I have from 5 to 35 right now)
7ft Standard Bar (with ~300lbs plates)
7ft Olympic Bar (with ~300lbs plates including 2x 10lb bumper plates)
Standard EzCurl Bar
Commercial quality treadmill and exercise bike
and the crappiest rower you can imagine.
For your bar/plate situation, I would suggest getting an olympic bar starting kit... one of the home gym stores in my area was selling a 300lb kit (bar + 255lbs of plates) for about 300 dollars if I remember correctly.
If you want to do explosive lifts like Power Cleans and Snatches, and you want bumper plates, the bar that you would get in a kit like that would not be good enough - you'd need one of those super expensive barbells that bend (like 1000 or 1500lb tested?). My barbell is only a 500lb tested bar and its about $150 alone; one of the better ones are definitely over $500, probably closer to $1000.
Craigslist would probably be a good way to go but I highly doubt any of those resolutioners without motivation would've bought a bar that expensive if they weren't going to use it....
Since I'm just a chick, I don't forsee myself having more than 300lbs on my barbell anytime soon, and I definitely won't be doing explosive lifts of over 100lbs in the near future for various reasons... so I figured I could get away with 10lb bounce plates and the barbell I have now without too much issues - I won't be throwing it around. If you want to throw it around... invest in good equipment.
And btw... bumper plates are RETARDED expensive. My 10lber's were 79.00 a PIECE. Canadian... so US would probably be closer to $60, but that's still ridiculous!
For plates I wouldn't pay more than $1/lb (if used probably no more than $0.50/lb unless they were rubber coated), and dumbbells when you get into higher numbers you may have to pay more. I don't know anything about the interchangeable weight dumbbells.
Hope that helps!
LOL, thanks for the insight beefcake. I haven't really started to look into pricing for bumper plates and had no idea they were so pricey. I have contemplated joining the university weight room but at $90 a semester it's pretty steep in price! Not to mention I heard after 3PM it's hard to get in there to do anything since there are so many ppl in there from 3-close. That and they're open odd hours during breaks/summer.
I was thinking of joining a regular traditional gym but around here they have no gyms with clean stations, the university has 1 clean station. So far I've just been using my barbell in a limited space to do cleans. It really hasn't inhibited me too much but I do have to hold onto the barbell and can't just drop it from shoulder height.
I've been looking on craigslist forever for decent barbells and weights. I don't want to buy the set from a store because I don't need more small plates, I just need more 45's. Ideally I'd like to have 4 more 45's.
I was thinking of joining a regular traditional gym but around here they have no gyms with clean stations, the university has 1 clean station. So far I've just been using my barbell in a limited space to do cleans. It really hasn't inhibited me too much but I do have to hold onto the barbell and can't just drop it from shoulder height.
I've been looking on craigslist forever for decent barbells and weights. I don't want to buy the set from a store because I don't need more small plates, I just need more 45's. Ideally I'd like to have 4 more 45's.