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Starting a home gym...need advice.

ArnoldsProtege

ArnoldsProtege

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Alright i was just wondering what u guys think the best/most cost efficient setup for a home gym would be... i have a normal sized basement, but we dont use more than half of it, and my gym membership expried, so i figure why not work out at home! I already got 2 cardio machines(bike and eliptical) and i was wondering what route to go from there....i dont have dones of money, but id be willing to spend under a grand. Should i get that dumbell set with the 2 dumbells and u adjust the weight on the machine and it changes it? its called like, the block or something...bowlfex has one too. heres what i was thinking...

Eliptical and bike (done)
Adjustable Flat/Incline bench
Exercise ball
Floor mat (i wanna start stretching like mad)

Heres where im conflicted... im either going to get a 2 dumbells and a barbell, abd buy all the weight plates (not sure what denominations i should buy even if i did...) orrr im going to buy on of those 2 dumbell sets with the adjustable weightrs right on them (i think its called The Block or something) and just doo all free weight exerciees with the exercise ball as well. What do u guys think io should do? or what have u done?
 
They also have plate loading db's. Just like mini barbells. I think those would be cheaper than to buy some adjustable power blocks.
 
yea i was thinking that too... to get like, the db's that u just add the plates on... but id need weights up to like, 50-60 pounds for chest exercises... im thinking about buying 2 adjustable Dumbells an EZ bar and a Barbell (the bar to do bench press) with and buy a bunch of plates. i was thinking 2 2.5's,2 5's,2 10's,2 20's, 2 35's, 2 45's. Since the bar is generally 40, and i dont think ill be repping over 260 anytime soon, so i shouldnt need anymore weight. Then all i really need is the bar to hold the weight for chest press, and i think ill be pretty good... what do u guys think? about the numbers as well (what weights would be better, cost less,more exercises etc.)
 
If you're looking to prioritise, I would place getting a barbell + weights higher than getting a dumbbell set.

Plates can be used as dumbbells too. Ever done a hammer curl with a plate? Sheesh, that is TOUGH!
 
A bench press would be nice.

I would go with olympic barbells and dumbells, you have the right idea... i wouldn't go with the bowflex stuff just because it's made out of plastic, looks cumbersome, and i feel like it would break much sooner than real weights.

Get a pullup bar too, the kind you screw in to a door frame. Best 15 bucks you will ever spend.

If you have more money, get an adjustable power rack. You could spend less on the bench press and just get a plain adjustable bench, and do bench presses inside the rack instead.

As far as weights go, many stores just offer a 250 pound set or something like that... but if you have to buy them separately, then "2 2.5's,2 5's,2 10's,2 20's, 2 35's, 2 45's" would be fine for now.

If I had all that stuff, I'd be a happy camper. You could get an adjustable pulley machine if you had some more cash, but it's not really necessary... and I don't even know how much those cost.

Cliff notes version:
Adjustable bench
Power rack
Olympic barbell, 2 olympic dumbells, and 250 pounds of weights
Pullup bar to mount in a doorway
 
Dont forget a hyper bench, no workout is complete without em.
 
Thanks for the good advice squanto.. i think im gonna do that exact setup. thats what i was leaning towards anyways. the pullup bar would be of no use considering i can only MAYBE squeeze one out on a good day (im 235 lbs...but im working on that lol). so far its looking like

Cardio Machines (Exercise bike and Elliptical (just did a 40 minute workout on it... golden :)
Adjustable Flat/Incline bench
Olympic barbell, 2 Olympic dumbbells, and 250 pounds of weights
Power Rack
Exercise ball (abs / free weight Chest flys and presses)
Floor mat for stretching
EZ bar... i like it for curls sometimes, and for other exercises too that are alot harder with the barbell.

That SEEMs like everything i really need. if u guys notice anything missing or something u can improve id appreciate the insight. thanks again/.
 
What are your goals and how strong are you? can you do pull-ups? what do you squat/bench/deadlift?
 
I am in the process of building my home gym. I have a squat cage, free weight flat bench, curl bars, deadlift platform and about 400lbs in plates. Check out www.craigslist.com for cheap used equipment. People are always getting rid of this shit.
 
IML Gear Cream!
Again a hyper bench should be a good investment. Hell its only like 70-100 bucks. These really help with deads and squats and simply helping out with balance.
 
get a reverse hyper if you have the money.
 
Thanks for all the advice.. my main goal is weight loss. im 5'10 and about 235 and i have a muscular build. when i was working out most i could squeeze out a few pullups, but not more than 2-3. I used to be able to max bench 240 and i couldnt really do alot of leg exercises after i tore my mcl and acl from a football injury. its been awhile since the injury so im slowly integrating heavier weights and such. i dont need to build mass by any means. i need to lose fat and tone. id like to put on muscle obviously, but im dfeinitely not working out towards mass. my goal is to be around 180-190 and be lean. I think im gonna get
Adjustable flat incline bench
Hyper bench(reverse maybe, i gotta research everything)
250 lbs of plates
olympic bar and dumbells.
EZbar
adjustable power rack (thing u put the weight on when benching)
Floor Matt(stretching)
i wanna get a fullsize mirror too and put it up in the basement lol. for form, of course:roflmao:
 
ArnoldsProtege said:
Thanks for all the advice.. my main goal is weight loss. im 5'10 and about 235 and i have a muscular build. when i was working out most i could squeeze out a few pullups, but not more than 2-3. I used to be able to max bench 240 and i couldnt really do alot of leg exercises after i tore my mcl and acl from a football injury. its been awhile since the injury so im slowly integrating heavier weights and such. i dont need to build mass by any means. i need to lose fat and tone. id like to put on muscle obviously, but im dfeinitely not working out towards mass. my goal is to be around 180-190 and be lean. I think im gonna get
Adjustable flat incline bench
Hyper bench(reverse maybe, i gotta research everything)
250 lbs of plates
olympic bar and dumbells.
EZbar
adjustable power rack (thing u put the weight on when benching)
Floor Matt(stretching)
i wanna get a fullsize mirror too and put it up in the basement lol. for form, of course:roflmao:
Click to expand...

Adjustable Dbs (powerblock), bench, pull-up bar if you cant find a place to do pull-ups... thats it.

DB Military Press
Pull-ups
DB Bench
DB row
DB squats
DB RDLS
that is all you need, but there are thousands of other exercises you can do with just that equipment

... I don't think you need a hyper bench, just do DB RDLS, and you don't need a power rack if you are using DBS ;)
This will take alot less money and space
 
-Bench w/squat rack on back
-Two sawhorses to act as power rack (adjustable and about $20 each)
-Barbell
-Adjustable DBs (w/thread, not the expensive ones that go up to 55 pounds or something - waste of money)
-Chin bar
-Weights as needed

That's really all you need IMO. If you're into different things you might want bumper plates, CoC grips, etc.
 
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