What would you put in your home gym?

[CouchPotato]

If you had a 10x10 room, what home gym would you put together for... you can decide your own budget.

Using fitness depot and fitness source prices, I came up with this for myself as a bare minimum:

- Flat/Incline/Decline Bench $330
- Power Rack $700
- 300lb Olympic weight set (includes plates, bar and clips) $200
- dumbbells (2 bars, collars, plates 4X5, 4X7.5, 8X10) $85

total: $1315

If I had more money I'd get

- dip station $300
- Leg Extension Attachment $110
- Lat Attachment $270

total: $680

And if I had even more money... then I'd start thinking about treadmills which have a huge range, but I'd probably be looking at $2k for that.


and for the total budget home "gym", I'd get
- chin up bar $30
- bodylastics resistance bands $60

[poedua]

If you had a 10x10 room, what home gym would you put together for... you can decide your own budget.

Using fitness depot and fitness source prices, I came up with this for myself as a bare minimum:

- Flat/Incline/Decline Bench $330
- Power Rack $700
- 300lb Olympic weight set (includes plates, bar and clips) $200
- dumbbells (2 bars, collars, plates 4X5, 4X7.5, 8X10) $85

total: $1315

In the beginning, the power rack is more of a ' nice to have ' not a ' bare minimum ' by any stretch IMO.

If it were me, I'd hold on the power rack for awhile until you're sure you're going to stick with your training - i.e for more than a year or so.

After that - by all means. A power rack is THE way to go.

If I had more money I'd get

- dip station $300
- Leg Extension Attachment $110
- Lat Attachment $270

total: $680

For dips, at $300 I wouldn't bother getting a station. You could easily rig something for dips using your power rack.

Leg extension - again, I don't think it is necessary. I'd opt for squats, lunges, deadlifts etc. ...but that's just me.

Instead, take the $400 you save and buy something like one or more of the following.......

- a small basic bench
- racks for your plates / dumbbells
- other accessories ( i.e handles, rope, EZ curl & other bars etc. )
- mirrors
- medicine ball(s)
- ab straps
- a box step
- mats .....etc. etc.

And if I had even more money... then I'd start thinking about treadmills which have a huge range, but I'd probably be looking at $2k for that.

and for the total budget home "gym", I'd get
- chin up bar $30
- bodylastics resistance bands $60

if you have a power rack, you have no need for a chin up bar.

With the barbells and dumbbells...I see no need for bands....I'd put the $60 toward a Swiss / stability ball instead.

[bdckr]

If you had a 10x10 room, what home gym would you put together for... you can decide your own budget.

Using fitness depot and fitness source prices, I came up with this for myself as a bare minimum:

- Flat/Incline/Decline Bench $330
- Power Rack $700
- 300lb Olympic weight set (includes plates, bar and clips) $200
- dumbbells (2 bars, collars, plates 4X5, 4X7.5, 8X10) $85

total: $1315

Not a bad set up for someone with a bit of experience.

For someone starting out, I would go for a cheaper bench, drop the power rack, and lose the barbell. Once you get some experience and stick with it, add the barbell and rack. Definitely consider some horse stall mats for the floors.

If I had more money I'd get

- dip station $300
- Leg Extension Attachment $110
- Lat Attachment $270

total: $680

Totally disagree with this part.

A dip station doesn't really offer much benefit over what you can do in a rack; you do them if you like them, but there are lots of alternatives that don't cost an extra $300.

Unless you're rehabbing an injury, a leg extension is a waste of money.

And a lat attachment is unnecessary if you can do chinups/pullups. If you can't, save the money and just work progressions to be able to do chinups/pullups on your power rack.

In fact, you can do muscleups on your power rack to incorporate dips without spending any more money.

If you've got a few bucks lying around after you've got your power rack and barbell, a weighted vest ($200 for a good one) and kettlebells ($50 for a 1 pood/16 kg) would be a better way to spend it.

A weighted vest can be used for your cardio and to make bodyweight exercises (dips/chins/pistols) more challenging, while kettlebells are a good way to do some olympic lifting safely without spending a fortune on bumper plates (and building a lifting platform) that you would need if you were using a barbell. Kettlebells can be more challenging at a given weight than the equivalent dumbbell because of the greater power you need to generate to clean or snatch a KB (and flip it to the back of your arm). For me, KB swings have been great for targetting my hip extensors as a weak point to help with my squats.
And if I had even more money... then I'd start thinking about treadmills which have a huge range, but I'd probably be looking at $2k for that.
I guess that would be fine if you already know you like running and need an alternative to running outdoors when the weather is bad... but if you haven't tried it yet, skipping rope is good for cardio, much cheaper, and takes up a lot less space.

I used to run outdoors, but I could never bring myself to spend the money on such a big, bulky expensive piece of equipment. The idea of ever needing to spend a few hundred bucks on repairs didn't appeal to me, never mind if you ever needed to move. I would much rather throw out a rope that snaps and spend $7 to buy a new one.

and for the total budget home "gym", I'd get
- chin up bar $30
- bodylastics resistance bands $60 If you mean the cheapest bare bones home gym... I would get that same chinup bar, but add a rope, and do bodyweight exercises for everything else.

[poedua]

And a lat attachment is unnecessary if you can do chinups/pullups. If you can't, save the money and just work progressions to be able to do chinups/pullups on your power rack.

Excellent post you made bdckr.

btw - when he said " lat attachment " I took that to mean a multi-purpose ' cable pulley attachment ' with which - as you know - you can do a ton of cable exercises with a simple bench for virtually all body parts...simply for variety sake if nothing else.

Again, cable is only a " nice to have ' option...but if i was going to commit to a power rack..I'd probably throw in the cable as well...again, that's just me.:)

[sexi_ahmed_45]

chin ups
pull ups
bench
squat
deadlift

some isolation exercises (with dumbellls)

and your set

you can slowly add lat pullldown machines, etc..............

[d0fuz]

If I were to buy equipments for my gym, I would defitnetly go 2nd hand. Retail is ridiculously expensive.

[Capt.]

for my home gym, I'd have a wall mounted speed bag platform & bag, heavy bag, and maybe even a double end bag.

[CouchPotato]

Yeah, this was a what would you put in *your* home gym, not necessarily, what would be a good beginner's home gym. I'm not a newbie lifter, so for me, a rack is an essential. I wouldn't even bother with the free weights and such if i couldn't at least get the rack, FID bench, olympic weights and DBs. So, for me, the cost of entry for a home gym seems to be about $1300.

I do enjoy using a dip station, although yeah, I suppose I could do without it for $300. Ditto for the leg attachment.

I do think a lat attachment for the bench is a good purchase. I can do chins but I do want some sort of cable pulley to be available. All sorts of stuff to do with a cable. If I had the money and space, I'd love to get a dual cable machine. But would be infeasible probably.

I also suppose I could go without the $2k treadmill since I already run outside anyway. For a cardio winter workout, I'd probably be better off buying a bike (probably a hybrid) and getting a trainer for it. That way, at least I have a bike I can ride for the summer.

And the "budget" gym is what I'd get if I had just a few bucks to spend (and had absolutely nothing else at home) but wanted to work out at home anyway. The bands are cheap, but yet, you can do so much with them. And if you are travelling, you can take them with you. Definitely good bang for the buck in my opinion.

[bdckr]

If I were to buy equipments for my gym, I would defitnetly go 2nd hand. Retail is ridiculously expensive.
I don't know about that. If you look around, buying used isn't that much cheaper, and probably not worth the aggravation of finding the person who has exactly what you want.

The only time I've seen olympic weight plates for cheaper than the current $0.48/lb at Fitness Depot is when plates were selling for $0.38/lb ... at Fitness Depot. Take a look at craigslist, and the only thing cheaper than that would be the concrete filled plastic weights.

Lots of standard (1") bars come up used, not as many olympic (2"). Play It Again Sports in the U.S. seems to do a better job with used stuff than in Canada, and I know of a few guys who have found some high end bars (rated 700 lbs) cheap in the U.S., but I never see that in the PIAS near me. In fact, most of their stuff is new. I've been looking for a used olympic bar for a 2nd bar for a while, and the only time I've seen those on craigslist is as a package with overpriced weight plates.

Most of the benches you see people getting rid of are the crappy low end benches that shake when you lie down on them. Every once in a while a good bench will show up ... but you don't need to spend more than $200 on a good solid bench new, so potential savings are limited.

Power racks come up rarely -- most people who know enough to get a power rack typically know that they will use it. I waited for a sale and got my rack for about $400.

I've never seen a used weight vest come up, and even if I did, I wouldn't buy it. If you've seen how much I put my weight vest through ... let's just say that buying a used weight vest would be like buying used underwear.

Ditto used kettlebells. Never saw a 16 kg KB cheaper than $50, new or used.

Most used equipment that comes up for sale is stuff that I wouldn't want anyway -- exercise bikes, treadmills, steppers, universal machines, crappy benches ...

Probably the biggest and best potential savings would be buying a good treadmill/machine for cardio, especially when a commercial gym goes out of business. Otherwise, you can often do just as well buying new.Yeah, this was a what would you put in *your* home gym, not necessarily, what would be a good beginner's home gym. I'm not a newbie lifter, so for me, a rack is an essential. I wouldn't even bother with the free weights and such if i couldn't at least get the rack, FID bench, olympic weights and DBs. So, for me, the cost of entry for a home gym seems to be about $1300.

I do enjoy using a dip station, although yeah, I suppose I could do without it for $300. Ditto for the leg attachment.

I do think a lat attachment for the bench is a good purchase. I can do chins but I do want some sort of cable pulley to be available. All sorts of stuff to do with a cable. If I had the money and space, I'd love to get a dual cable machine. But would be infeasible probably.

I also suppose I could go without the $2k treadmill since I already run outside anyway. For a cardio winter workout, I'd probably be better off buying a bike (probably a hybrid) and getting a trainer for it. That way, at least I have a bike I can ride for the summer.

And the "budget" gym is what I'd get if I had just a few bucks to spend (and had absolutely nothing else at home) but wanted to work out at home anyway. The bands are cheap, but yet, you can do so much with them. And if you are travelling, you can take them with you. Definitely good bang for the buck in my opinion.

You should take a look at Dan John's From the Ground Up (http://danjohn.org/bp.pdf).

[CouchPotato]

Yes, I realize there's still a good workout to be had from just plates and a bar. I'd probably do a variety of barbell complexes.

I guess what I'm saying is that for me, if that's all I had available, I'd rather not spend the $$, make the extra time and go the gym, even if it's less convenient. If I really didn't have time, I'd just do a bodyweight workout, since it's cheap and you can do it just about anywhere.

[azn_dan]

If i could build a home gym and keep it simple i would get:

1) A power rack
2) Adjustable bench
3) Olympics weights up to about 300lbs
4) Assortment of barbells( straight bar, ez bar and etc )
5) A weight tree

[Kujo]

If you had a 10x10 room, what home gym would you put together for... you can decide your own budget.

Using fitness depot and fitness source prices, I came up with this for myself as a bare minimum:

- Flat/Incline/Decline Bench $330
- Power Rack $700
- 300lb Olympic weight set (includes plates, bar and clips) $200
- dumbbells (2 bars, collars, plates 4X5, 4X7.5, 8X10) $85

total: $1315

If I had more money I'd get

- dip station $300
- Leg Extension Attachment $110
- Lat Attachment $270

total: $680

And if I had even more money... then I'd start thinking about treadmills which have a huge range, but I'd probably be looking at $2k for that.


and for the total budget home "gym", I'd get
- chin up bar $30
- bodylastics resistance bands $60

I currently have dumb bells (100 lbs), stability ball, treadmill, power gym (a versatile push-up/sit-up/chin-up bar), and a curl bar that I just bought over the weekend. Unfortunately, the Power-Gym won't fit on any the doors in my house, so I can't do pull ups/chin ups with it. I still use it all the time.

I know I need a bench, and barbells. There's supposedly an unopened, still in the box weight bench somewhere in my house that my sister bought 5-6 years ago, but I can't find it. I'll probably have to buy one. Any recommendations?

I'm thinking of getting the bodylastic resistance bands. I've heard good things about them (check out iwantsixpackabs.com). It appears they can only be ordered online from the equipment maker (shipping is $29), which is a turn off. From what I've researched, they are no local sellers of the bands.

[nwmrkt]

You have a EXCELLENT list of stuff here...imo a power rack for home IS a essential. You can perform all lifts safely by yourself ie. squat, bench. Stick with your original plan. Don't listen to all these guys going, dont need the rack, drop the barbell...what are you going to use? Stick with your original plan.


If you had a 10x10 room, what home gym would you put together for... you can decide your own budget.

Using fitness depot and fitness source prices, I came up with this for myself as a bare minimum:

- Flat/Incline/Decline Bench $330
- Power Rack $700
- 300lb Olympic weight set (includes plates, bar and clips) $200
- dumbbells (2 bars, collars, plates 4X5, 4X7.5, 8X10) $85

total: $1315

If I had more money I'd get

- dip station $300
- Leg Extension Attachment $110
- Lat Attachment $270

total: $680

And if I had even more money... then I'd start thinking about treadmills which have a huge range, but I'd probably be looking at $2k for that.


and for the total budget home "gym", I'd get
- chin up bar $30
- bodylastics resistance bands $60

[w4x]

i currently got in mysetup

power rack (http://www.bodysolid.com/Item.aspx?ItemID=489&ItemLabel=GPR378%3a+Body-Solid+Pro+Power+Rack) - $300ish new (i got it on a stock clearing sale at fitnesssource)
FID bench (http://bodysolid.com/Item.aspx?ItemID=499&ItemLabel=GFID71%3a+Body-Solid+Commercial+Flat%2fIncline%2fDecline+Bench) - $200ish new (also on clearance sale at fitnesssource)
olympic bar - $65 new
345lbs in olympic weights - $0.30/lb used $103.50 total
cheap dumbbells and about about 120lbs in standard weights - $40 used
some cheap treadmill - $150 new (i usually bike/run outside)

Total Spent $858.50

planning on getting a dip station, olympic EZ curl bar, preacher bench attachment - hopefully for all under $250 total if i can find a good deal

just to let u know that it is possible to get really good commercial quality stuff for pretty darn cheap if u wait and jump on clearance sales and search hard for used plates

[df329]

i'd get some dumbells for curls... probably like two 60s

then i want an ab machine to get chiseled

and some of those balls for balance activities

[CouchPotato]

I'm thinking of getting the bodylastic resistance bands. I've heard good things about them (check out iwantsixpackabs.com). It appears they can only be ordered online from the equipment maker (shipping is $29), which is a turn off. From what I've researched, they are no local sellers of the bands.

bodybuilding.com sells them with cheaper shipping. But currently OOS.

[df329]

for the record that website sixpackabs or whatever is pretty stupid and i wouldnt follow any advice from there. :lol:

[bdckr]

You have a EXCELLENT list of stuff here...imo a power rack for home IS a essential. You can perform all lifts safely by yourself ie. squat, bench. Stick with your original plan. Don't listen to all these guys going, dont need the rack, drop the barbell...what are you going to use? Stick with your original plan.
I'm guessing this is partly addressed to me, since no one else mentioned dropping the barbell.

I agree with you that the initial setup is a good one -- for someone who has been working out consistently.

For someone who is starting out, spending $1000+ on exercise equipment -- whatever it is -- will often be seen as a waste of money one year after it was bought.

It wasn't obvious from the OP's original post how experienced he was, so the initial response was a little more comprehensive than, "Unh-huh".

Here's the thing: a novice can spend maybe $300 on a good starter's setup that will still be useful when the novice lifter becomes an intermediate or even advanced lifter. And if someone doesn't stick with it, you're out less than a year's gym membership.

i currently got in mysetup

power rack (http://www.bodysolid.com/Item.aspx?ItemID=489&ItemLabel=GPR378%3a+Body-Solid+Pro+Power+Rack) - $300ish new (i got it on a stock clearing sale at fitnesssource)
FID bench (http://bodysolid.com/Item.aspx?ItemID=499&ItemLabel=GFID71%3a+Body-Solid+Commercial+Flat%2fIncline%2fDecline+Bench) - $200ish new (also on clearance sale at fitnesssource)
olympic bar - $65 new
345lbs in olympic weights - $0.30/lb used $103.50 total
cheap dumbbells and about about 120lbs in standard weights - $40 used
some cheap treadmill - $150 new (i usually bike/run outside)

Total Spent $858.50

planning on getting a dip station, olympic EZ curl bar, preacher bench attachment - hopefully for all under $250 total if i can find a good deal

just to let u know that it is possible to get really good commercial quality stuff for pretty darn cheap if u wait and jump on clearance sales and search hard for used plates
I have exactly the same power rack. Does that bench fit properly?

When I was at the Fitness Source store, they had the power rack on display, and I took every single bench they had, and none of them would fit on it so that the bench was far enough back to use the j-hooks as uprights. So I'm still using my old bench with narrow uprights, but I always need to row the bar (with a 45 on each side) to the uprights before I start adding weight -- otherwise it's unbalanced and tips over. I would love to find a bench that fits that rack properly. Benches with wider uprights tend to have the uprights too close to where I place my hands.

lol i pretty much have everything u guys stated right in my room if i where 2 sell it would u guys b interested 2 buy it
Do you have an olympic bar? How long is it and how much do you want for it?

If you've got a power rack, I'll buy the j-hooks off you if they fit on mine.

[df329]

my ideal setup would actually be

plain old flat bench
power rack
barbell
bunch of weight plates :!:

and i'd only do flat bench!

[w4x]

so would anybody be intersted in buying my gym????

what exactly do you have and are selling?

[w4x]

I have exactly the same power rack. Does that bench fit properly?

When I was at the Fitness Source store, they had the power rack on display, and I took every single bench they had, and none of them would fit on it so that the bench was far enough back to use the j-hooks as uprights. So I'm still using my old bench with narrow uprights, but I always need to row the bar (with a 45 on each side) to the uprights before I start adding weight -- otherwise it's unbalanced and tips over. I would love to find a bench that fits that rack properly. Benches with wider uprights tend to have the uprights too close to where I place my hands.



The bench i have is sort of tricky. Firstly it's very long, the picture on the bodysolid website is misleading. I'm about 5'10" and when i have it set 90 degree up-right, there is about 1 fotd clearance above my head.

But to answer your question, yes the bench does fit the j-hooks, although my j-hooks look more like the front of the safety bars rather than "j'. But i do have to put the leg of back end of the bench (where you head is) above and over the back crossbar on the bottom of the rack to get the proper placement. So it does require about 1-2 feet behind the rack to work properly.

From what i heard the GFID31 bench is a better fit. My bench doesn't have uprights, but i figure most utility benches w/o uprights would fit.