Thread: Help me set up a home gym!

York weights with an Olympic (45#) bar. There are many good heavy duty benches. I have one made by "Biodyne" for 14 yrs, still good shape. Don't know if they are still in biz.

A good home gym is the Bowflex. I have had mine for two years, it really gives you a great workout and is great for in the home it takes up verry little space.

alright right now i have just bought a adjustable bench(also with adjustable height so i can do squats too) and which i can do leg curls and extensions, 150lbs of weights plates. A 6 foot long bar and 2 dumbbell handles all for US$350 and it made by a respectable local brand. Is this a good start?

Originally posted by dakkylmi
A good home gym is the Bowflex. I have had mine for two years, it really gives you a great workout and is great for in the home it takes up verry little space.

naw...the bowflex doesn't even compare to good old free weights...

Prince had a good site where u can buy sstuff from...search for it and check out the site

Sounds like a good start Melo...

As long as your bench is heavy duty (Olympic Style) it should be fine. You want to make sure you have something that will safely support 300-400lbs with a nice wide stance. Your bar should be Olympic quality as well with large collars weighing the standard 45lbs. Unless you have a very expensive bar, most can bend with heavy weights left on them. It is always good practice after lifting to leave no more than two 45lb plates on the bar. I've seen guys that leave their 300lbs on the bar and the bar bends eventually. (Just a helpful tip).

In any case a good bench is always a good start as well as the dumbells that you pointed out that you have already bought. As you define your exercises, you will map out what you need on your own pretty much. As time goes on, you should have a nice setup. One restricting factor is space though. You just have to do what you can with the space you have available to you. I was fortunate that I built a workout room in my backyard. It really helps during the rainy season. You definately have to protect your investment.

Originally posted by dakkylmi
A good home gym is the Bowflex. I have had mine for two years, it really gives you a great workout and is great for in the home it takes up verry little space.

Please tell us you're kidding.

not kidding!!!! It doesn't matter if you lift steel weights, cement blocks, or resistance bands, as long as long as you have resistance you will build muscle. The key here is resistance NOT WHAT you lift.

Originally posted by dakkylmi
not kidding!!!! It doesn't matter if you lift steel weights, cement blocks, or resistance bands, as long as long as you have resistance you will build muscle. The key here is resistance NOT WHAT you lift.

NO......there is a diferrence

Arthur

Originally posted by Arthur2004
Prince had a good site where u can buy sstuff from...search for it and check out the site

www.fitnessfactory.com

If you ever find the space, get yourself a cross over machine.
They are awsome. Besides the bench and dumbells, I have done more exercises on the cross over machine than anything else.
The cross over machine is the one that has pulleys on the top and bottom with a weight stack on both sides. You can't beat them for home use. I've seen the new ones that offer adjustable pulleys too. The pulleys can move up or down the rail.
This is nice so they don't have to be all the way to the top or bottom. They probably sell them at the fitnessfactory that Prince recommended as well.

There is no way the bowflex can compare to free weights, and there is a difference most definitely. However, I think the Bowflex's type of resistance can be useful. If it was possible to occasionaly include exercises from the bowflex, I think it could benefit a lot of people who do the majority of their lifting with free weights. I think the type of resistance the bowflex offers can help to shock muscles.

I'm not saying bowflex is any type of replacement for a routine of free weights, cause it's not. The majority of exercises should consist of free weights.

While I would never own a bowflex myself, I'm sure it could be useful to some people. I guess it all depends on your goal. If you just want to have something to keep tone, then it would probably help. But then again, why pay all the dam money for something like bowflex to do something that free weights can do?
Well I guess those that are not experienced can achieve a good exercise on a machine like the blow flex What gets me though is all these people marketing bogus exercise equipment. You see something new advertised on TV every few months. I look in the newspapers advertisements and still see people trying to sell their health riders ... They used to sell em for like 500-800 dollars I think.. You seem them for sale all the time in the paper for 50.00. People find that the garbage just ends up taking up space in their homes and nobody uses it. Then they have to give it away just to free up your space gain

No there is NOT A DIFFERANCE. Weight lifting is resistance!!! So you tell me what the differance is (this should be good) If you really thank that you can only build up lifting steel weights, then you have no clue what you are talking about!!

I stick with what I know works... Good old fashioned iron
I could never see the workouts that I do, being done on a blowflex. No offense.

But as I mentioned before, for the person who just wants to stay toned who does not know how to work out, it could offer them results.

Originally posted by dakkylmi
No there is NOT A DIFFERANCE. Weight lifting is resistance!!! So you tell me what the differance is (this should be good) If you really thank that you can only build up lifting steel weights, then you have no clue what you are talking about!!

dude u gotta be kidding me.. free wieghts is totally different from ur bowflex... i didn't say free weights are the only way but it is sure damn more affective

Originally posted by Arthur2004
dude u gotta be kidding me.. free wieghts is totally different from ur bowflex... i didn't say free weights are the only way but it is sure damn more affective

We seem to have got off track here. A man asked what would be a good home gym to buy since he doesn't have much space in his home. I had the same problem that is why I bought the bowflex, and why I told him about it. But for anyone to say that resistance is differant or works better with steel weights or that the bowflex doesn't work is stupid! Resistance builds muscle and it doesn't matter what the resistance is. And to say that the bowflex is ok for someone that doesn't know how to workout maybe just to tone the muscle is just another stupid remark. It does build muscle. For example my arms went from 12" cold relaxed to 16.5" cold relaxed. My workouts take 1 1/2 hours each. I was just trying to anwser the man's question and help him out. It is great that you have the room for the free weights. I just wanted to let the guy know that with limited space the bowflex is great and that it does work, I have had great results, I was just trying to be helpful. I didn't know this would open a can of worms full of stupid remarks. And to say that steel weights work a dam site better is just another way to show your ingnorance of bodybuilding and resistance.

"steel weights work a dam site better "

no they more then that...free weights is more effective because u use more stablizers....


"just another way to show your ingnorance of bodybuilding and resistance."

how many bodybuilders have used bowflex or simliar resistance training....they all use free weights for a reason.....

dakkylmi,

All I can say is that I'm glad that your happy with your blowflex.
You continue using it. Me, I will stick with the good ole iron. Maybe after a couple years, we can compare our body physique . Maybe since those blowflexes are so good, they may put them in the gym's someday too. I haven't seen any in any of the popular gym's here in California. I haven't seen any of the famous body builders recommending it either. Just those paid to market it I sure would be embarrased to try to say that a blowflex works your body as well as free weights and good old fashioned iron

Guess you will never get it!! So there is no reason to waste anymore time with you because everything that you say is so dam stupid!!!!!!!

Dakkylmi,

I think your the one that is clearly ignorant here.

Originally posted by Randy
Dakkylmi,

I think your the one that is clearly ignorant here.

Ditto

maybe he is just kidding...or is he really that ignorant?

free weights do work a hell of alot better
those guys on the commercerial probally only used the bowflex once in their life and that was to make the commercerial. AND yeah I have workout on a bowflex. bench press on the bowflex vs. bench press with free weights. Its free weights all the way. The bowflex is good for some things though like lat pulldown, rows, things like that.

I was trying to be nice, but when he tried to tell me my statement was stupid, then I thought I would unleash the facts.

The only reason I stated this was that if one knows how to workout and is experienced in body building, why would they ever buy a blowflex They would have to be inexperienced I would think to buy one to begin with.

And to say that the bowflex is ok for someone that doesn't know how to workout maybe just to tone the muscle is just another stupid remark

You guys are correct, I just do not think you're communicating effectively here!

The Bowflex is a machine, therefore it has all of the inherent shortcomings of any machine, such as the ineffectivenes in developing synergistic muscles, forcing the body to conform to an often unnatural and predetermined paths, difficulty achieving maximum velocity, etc.

In my opinion even more limitations with an "all-in-one" machine, such as simple boredom, having to change the machine for each exercise, limitation of resistance and number of exercises.

From a general fitness standpoint a Bowflex can be effective if it's used, but you will plateau at some point and need more euipment, as well as free weights. However, I think that most people will only use such a gadget for a short time, and the boredom will set in, as well as tiring of having to change up the machine for every exercise.

If you do not have the space, money or both, best bet is to join a gym.