Need a good home gym

[Pdog]

Hello everyone. I am a long time on/off weightlifter that has decided it is time to focus and stay on the right track for good now. I have a set of the powerblocks and am looking for a good home gym (I want to stay around $600 +/-). I would buy a typical bench that would allow the use of free weights (seems to be the best for muscle building) but I would like to have something with a lat bar. My wife just had knee surgery, so I would like something she can use from rehab to regular workouts after she is 100%. I will be using it in my basement, where the ceiling is around 86 inches high.

I saw Sears had a couple of Weider systems, but it seems that the weights they have stacked are too little (I am 6' 225 lbs and need some decent weight for now, and down the road as I develop).

Any suggestions/tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Arnold]

www.fitnessfactory.com

 

[Pdog]

I looked there. Most of their gyms are out of my price range. I am looking for some feedback from other users and what they have used or currently use that may be similar to what I am looking for.

 

[Arnold]

Stop looking at "gyms" per se. Go with a free weight rack, an adjustable bench and a barbell set.

 

[oaktownboy]

dawg i really know that u want to train at home, but a gym has so much more to offer! Besides, won't u ever need a spot? i just feel it would be more wise if u joined a gym...more equipment..plenty of spotters...of course if u really don't want to and are looking for a gym at home, try Gold's Gym home model..dunno what's it's called DON'T and i repeat DON'T get a Total Gym too limited

 

[Arnold]

there is nothing wrong with a home gym, I have one, in fact I am up to the $5,000 dollar mark with it. I also go to a gym, but on the nights that I do not feel like it, or cannot because it's a holiday, or bad weather my home gym is right there waiting!

 

[Pdog]

I have always used free weights, and figured you guys would recommend them. Since most of these benches don't use a pulley system, what kind of exercises do you guys do for lats? Or do you purchase another piece of equipment for that?

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Arnold]

I have a lat pull-down nachine, but you can always use a pull-up bar, and of course bent over barbell rows, and if you get some dumbbells, one arm dumbbell rows.

 

[oaktownboy]

man prince u must have some dough and space. do you have it in ur garage>?

 

[Pdog]

What do you guys think of this bench?
Fitness Factory

Does Fitness Factory have free shipping? If so, that bench and 300 lb weight set may be on its way to my house this week!

 

[Arnold]

I guess I do okay.

M gym is in the basement, the entire basement actually.

Yes, Fitness Factory has free shipping except for weights.

 

[Arnold]

that bench is okay, but you're better off getting a free weight rack which you can do flat bench, incline, military, squats, etc.

 

[Mudge]

http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/

 

[Mikes1]

I have a "cheap" total gym thing, which i wish i had never bought.
The ropes get loose or if you pull to hard the even break which is pretty dangerous.
I now only use it for leg extentions and sometimes for peck deck.
I've got a nice rack from body solid, you can get pulleys as extras for it but i don't have the money for it now.

Mike

 

[Sweep14]

I want to see that skinny guy bench that big set of weights. When you have that much weight on the thing you'd think they'd have a modle that at least looked liked he could lift it.

 

[W8lifterwanabie]

well heres wot im getting

i kno i kno ,im a complete newb when it comes to weight training and im also only 14 so this lil biznatch is what im geting

lil newb bench

heehee its good for me so i dont care

 

[Mudge]

I would really try to get one that is wider, but virtually any bench will do. I still have my old bench and it is so narrow, and I'm just a tad tall, that I have to scoot way down on the bench and its still very uncomfortable. Plus removing the weights just to make it incline or decline gets very tiring, but thats how the old benches are. Honestly IMO the butterly attachment is worthless.

Unfortunately browsing through that site all I see are the very narrow benches, but it will get you started at least.

 

[Mudge]

The bench I have (years old) is similar to that, including a lat pulldown which works by using the leg extention/curl mechanism. I dont like that peice either really, in part because you put over 100 pounds of plates on it, and the whole bench will tip over. On top of that, the force required to move it is so non-linear that it is near worthless. Second, my legs are long enough that I scrape my feet on the floor just trying to use it so it is one thing after another.

If you have enough weights, what you will end up doing is putting 25-50 pounds on the other end of the bench to keep it from tipping.

As for the fly units, I'd rather just do freeweight if at all. I just feel that the leg attachment is the only thing I'd be willing to live with and find a way to use, your free-weight squats are going to be tough because your going to have to delt press the weight over your back after you clean and press it, so your not going to be doign much in the way of squats. I suppose you will get to enjoy some nice 20-30 rep burner sets

I still toy with the idea of working out at home, for me this would mean a power rack, and a bench that I could slide into place.

http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/powerracks.html Unfortunately a tad expensive, there are benches that tie in the power rack in a cheaper fashion.

Here is sort of a compromise bench, I dont know how it would work out realistically for squats though, and of course rowing would probably be a bit "fun."

http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/2200.html

But $59 is alot less than what the benches were like when I was buying the stuff, my bench cost around $300 15 years ago, today it would go for half that, if even that, and probably still be a little better quality wise.