Vicki
Total Posts: 8196
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04-26-04 05:50 PM - Post#2983
We haven't discussed home gym equipment in some time so I hope no one will be upset about another go around.
What I remember from the past is to get a good cage and bench. My questions, at this time, are the following.
1. Which brand has a good cage for someone who will never be doing any real heavy weight? I would like to have a lat pull down and cable row attachment.
2. Is there such a thing as a good bench for flat, incline & leg extensions & leg curls?
3. What do I put on the hardwood floor to protect it? (Giving up the living room.)
All comments and suggestions are very welcome. Thanks
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meateater
Total Posts: 149
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I personaly have started aquireing parabody home equipment because it is such nice quality. its expensive though. nearly 3 times as much as cheaper brands. it is very high quality and I figured that if i was gonna have it for a lifetime I might as well have high quality. if cars lasted forever u probly wouldnt buy a ford tempo. u would get a porsche. anything will work though. one thing I do recomend is that if u get a cable pully like u said u wanted u should go with one that has a weight stack instead of plate loaded. I have a plate loaded and cant wait to get a weight stack. the difference is the smoothness. plate loaded cable pullys are rough. having a gym quality weight stack is the only thing I miss about going to the gym. except the girls : )
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Teresa
Total Posts: 4427
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I have a Body Solid incline/decline bench, plus I added the extension/curl attachment. The attachment isn't as finely adjustable as a commercial model you'd see at a gym, which can be a bit of a problem if you're short (or I guess also if you're really tall, but I wouldn't know about that!). Not perfect, but it works for me. I have mine set up in my basement which has a poured cement floor and carpeting with pad on top. Don't get anything too cushy. Fortunately, the carpet and pad are thin and farily solid, so it's a good surface for WOs. Happy shopping! Teresa
| "You will not be carrying around a scale to jump on and show people." - Vicki Masterson
"The following time you better do more or you are dirt!" - Vicki again |
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Laree
Total Posts: 26002
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Full name: Laree Draper
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Quote:
Vicki Masterson said:
3. What do I put on the hardwood floor to protect it? (Giving up the living room.)
Vicki, I know you have this link, but I wanted to put it in this thread for future searchers. Here's our original IOL group thread on home gym equipment:
http://davedraper.com/home-gym-equipment.html
And as to the above, wow, Vicki! Can't believe Pete's letting you close down the living room, lol!
This may be overkill for you, but many garage gyms use black rubber barn stall mats for floor covering. Should be able to get it at a farm supply center for around $45 per 4x6' square mat.
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oldschool
Total Posts: 5
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I would echo what Laree has mentioned about 4x6 mats being purchased at farm supply stores. Have bought quite a few at good prices. They are often used for horse trailer floors, but work good at a home gym.
Over the years I have purchased equipment for my home gym, but the best pricing equipment I have come across is to find a local welder who made weight equipment. Have given him dimensions as well as pictures, and he is usually able to make it for me. He also has a painting room and will put whatever paint/color I ask for on the equipment.
Have been able to come up with a few pieces that I have enjoyed working out on over the many years. We made a custom incline bench that had the 30 degree foot bar that has been very functional for me. He uses large tubes for the chin-up bars in the power racks, if I want them.
He has also been able to find solid 2" rolled steel bars, that he has welded inside collars on, and for a very reasonable price I have gotten a few solid 2" bars. We have designed several other things, including a flat/incline bench that worked pretty good. Everytime, the price is considerably better than buying from a mfg. and/or retail. I have the ability to pick the color and type of covers, as well as different pads. If there is something specific, you can always search for a certain type of pad and/or cover that you like, order it, and then give it to your welder to use.
Custom built lat pulldown machine that used a weight stack that I had ordered and delivered to his shop has been working excellent for quite a few years.
There are quite a few places that you can order weight stacks/etc. and have them drop shipped to the welder.
Even the dumbbell racks that we have made have been a joy. They are the "reverse" kind. Not the standard types that have the dumbbell resting angle iron in the middle, but rather we put the angle iron a different way, thus allowing you to never bust a finger/knuckle on the part that sticks up int he middle. Use heavy angle iron, and it will support many large dumbbells.
Oh so many more things you can do.
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Don't mind the paint job, I don't... Never pay attention to it when I'm lifting. =)
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Wicked Willie
Total Posts: 16864
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That's a nice home gym!
"I'm in good shape for the shape I'm in."
"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man comes to the Father, but by me." John 14:6 |
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CarolynLibrarian
Total Posts: 137
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Very nice Shawn. The paint job adds a certain je ne sais quois to the whole hard-core theme, don't you think? Love the gun rack. I want one.
| "Take what's useful, leave the rest." -Bruce Lee |
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oldschool
Total Posts: 5
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Would it be o.k. to post a few pictures of some of the equipment that I use at home? (I must also confess to still going to a gym. While I enjoy being able to lift whenever I want at home, still get that extra push when around others busting their can)
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Jim Bryan
Total Posts: 380
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Nice Shawn! How is it in the Minnesota winter?
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meateater
Total Posts: 149
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nice gym. Im fan of parabody because of the quality. Im looking to get a full cage but they only make one with a plate loaded pully and those arnt as smooth as the weight stacks. they do have a weight stack on their smith machine unit but they told me that it wasnt an option for the cage. I guess im gonna have to save some money, buy a weight stack seperatly, and find a welder to make me a custom parabody rack. working out at home is the best to me cause i can listen to the music i want as loud as i want and I dont have to wait for other people or waste time driving back and forth. I can also lift NAKED. I dont but I could: )
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Anonymous
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Nice home gym! For those that don't have that much space to allocate to the gym though we have to consider other options. I have been using PowerBlocks (dumbbells) as they take up very little space and adjust in seconds from 5 to 125 pounds. Working with dumbbells instead of a bar means that my stabilizers get more of a workout. That plus an adjustable bench and a swiss ball and you have what you need for busting those "I don't have time" excuses.
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Anonymous
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Thanks everyone! A couple of footnotes I forgot to add is that I now have more DB's, so they go all the way across the floor under the rack. There's a 5' standard barbell and about 100#'s of plates that aren't in the pictures. Also, the cement blocks that are to the right of my power rack are what I use for incline/decline movements. Might not be the best, but it's very stable and means I didn't have to invest in an adjustable bench. Possibly an option for you Vicki? The rubber mats that are just to the side and front of my power rack are dual purpose. 1) Keeps the front of the unit off the cement in case of water on the floor 2) More importantly, it serves as a low cost deadlift platform.
Jim, it's nice in the winter as it's a heated basement. The only drawback is any overhead lifts need to be done either sitting down, upstairs in the living room (vaulted ceiling), or in the summer outside. Typically it's in the living room because, admittedly I'm too lazy to drag everything outside. =P
Carolyn, I'm not sure what you mean by a gun rack? DB rack, power rack, or something else? The paint job is rather, uhh... Unique? It was that way when we moved in, and the previous owners painted around the furniture they had down there. Go figure.
Oh, the space really isn't that much, maybe 15x20. I'm tempted to knock down the wooden wall and move that over about 5 feet so I can have more floor space for my heavybag which hangs almost unused in the room next to is because of too much stuff piled up.
I think it'd be okay to post up pictures of things used to workout. It gives us home gym owners some ideas to add or change something. That's what Vicki is asking about really. ;)
As to cost, I believe I'm a somewhere around $1,700. Not too bad considering I've had it for over 3 years, and the typical gym membership is $30/month or more now I believe.
BTW, I'm going to a Kettlebell meet this Sunday so I may have something else to add to my home gym in the near future!
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Ken Friberg
Total Posts: 266
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I've got a TuffStuff cage with sliding safety rails, their xxx-375 "commercial" adjustable bench, and the usual cheap oly barbell set. Only thing I'd change is that I'd probably get one of the Body Solid cages online next time. Cheaper, and the pull-out pins are handier for when you're doing floor exercises (I don't have room to work outside the cage). For a cable pull, I've recently acquired a couple of swivel pulleys at the farm supply (rated at 420 lbs each), so with a handle, some cable, and a little chain, I can attach them to my cage and have a cheap and easy cable pull. Ken F
| Ken F
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Is there something wrong with eating three pounds of bacon at one sitting? |
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CarolynLibrarian
Total Posts: 137
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Shawn - the "gun rack" is your power rack - with those nifty slanted steps that allow you to "walk" the bar up and down the rack rather than having to lift it all the way up to squat level and add plates, or lift it up when plates are on it. My solution for that has been to have 2 bars - Squats, which lives in the high position pre-loaded, and Everything Else. But I really would like to have that "gun rack" option. CL
| "Take what's useful, leave the rest." -Bruce Lee |
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Wicked Willie
Total Posts: 16864
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Quote:
CarolynLibrarian said:
- the "gun rack" is your power rack - with those nifty slanted steps that allow you to "walk" the bar up and down the rack
CL
Darn...I was gittin' all excited...lookin' for them smokewagons. Never did see them guns, though.
"I'm in good shape for the shape I'm in."
"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man comes to the Father, but by me." John 14:6 |
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IB138
Total Posts: 9321
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Quote:
shawnf said:
Thanks everyone! A couple of footnotes I forgot to add is that I now have more DB's, so they go all the way across the floor under the rack. There's a 5' standard barbell and about 100#'s of plates that aren't in the pictures. Also, the cement blocks that are to the right of my power rack are what I use for incline/decline movements. Might not be the best, but it's very stable and means I didn't have to invest in an adjustable bench. Possibly an option for you Vicki? The rubber mats that are just to the side and front of my power rack are dual purpose. 1) Keeps the front of the unit off the cement in case of water on the floor 2) More importantly, it serves as a low cost deadlift platform.
Jim, it's nice in the winter as it's a heated basement. The only drawback is any overhead lifts need to be done either sitting down, upstairs in the living room (vaulted ceiling), or in the summer outside. Typically it's in the living room because, admittedly I'm too lazy to drag everything outside. =P
Carolyn, I'm not sure what you mean by a gun rack? DB rack, power rack, or something else? The paint job is rather, uhh... Unique? It was that way when we moved in, and the previous owners painted around the furniture they had down there. Go figure.
Oh, the space really isn't that much, maybe 15x20. I'm tempted to knock down the wooden wall and move that over about 5 feet so I can have more floor space for my heavybag which hangs almost unused in the room next to is because of too much stuff piled up.
I think it'd be okay to post up pictures of things used to workout. It gives us home gym owners some ideas to add or change something. That's what Vicki is asking about really. ;)
As to cost, I believe I'm a somewhere around $1,700. Not too bad considering I've had it for over 3 years, and the typical gym membership is $30/month or more now I believe.
BTW, I'm going to a Kettlebell meet this Sunday so I may have something else to add to my home gym in the near future!
Shawn,
That really is a nice set up that you've got there. You've got heat??? My weightroom is in an old garage in my back yard. For electricity I have to run an extention cord out from the house. I thought about moving it to my basement. However, the ceiling down there is only a few inches over my head. I like to do alot of overhead stuff. The only time that it gets real unconfortable is when the temp drops into the teens.
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Anonymous
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If you are considering Body Solid power racks make sure you look at them first. There is not enough room to get the bench in properly.
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Anonymous
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Quote:
CarolynLibrarian said:
Shawn - the "gun rack" is your power rack - with those nifty slanted steps that allow you to "walk" the bar up and down the rack rather than having to lift it all the way up to squat level and add plates, or lift it up when plates are on it.
My solution for that has been to have 2 bars - Squats, which lives in the high position pre-loaded, and Everything Else. But I really would like to have that "gun rack" option.
CL
Ahh, I gotcha! sorry, my brain's been more than a little rattled lately due to outside influences. Truth be told, I rarely "walk" the bar up the notches. I start up high for squats, go deep and rerack unless I have to bail. Which thankfully hasn't happened to date. Although, I just started being able to go deeper and touch the Oly Bar to the safety rails.
The main purpose for buying this is so that I have an all-in-one freeweight center that allows me to do benching, squats, upright rows, and even curl if I wanted to all because of the various resting positions for the bar.. Very versatile, and for my needs/requirements, is better than a cage.
I think given the chance to play with a rack like this, you'd really like it. =)
Willy, sorry no smokin' guns in the home. Unless you want to consider my Sheridan KP-2 .68 caliber paintball rifle one. The black case behind my power rack is for my fishing rod. ;)
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Anonymous
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Quote:
Barney said:
Shawn,
That really is a nice set up that you've got there. You've got heat??? My weightroom is in an old garage in my back yard. For electricity I have to run an extention cord out from the house. I thought about moving it to my basement. However, the ceiling down there is only a few inches over my head. I like to do alot of overhead stuff. The only time that it gets real unconfortable is when the temp drops into the teens.
Thanks Barney. I'd like to see some others home gyms as well to get a few ideas on things I can add to. An old barn/garage is perfect, as it's more isolated than my basement. Unfortunately, I have the clothes washer and dryer about 15' away.
Gotta have heat though when it drops into the negative numbers. My body doesn't agree with cold weather, and neither does my mind!
I'm in the wrong state!
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oldschool
Total Posts: 5
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I would be willing to try and post a few pictures in the next few days of some of my equipment that I toil with in my basement. How did you get the multiple pictures to post within one reply?
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Anonymous
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I have my own webserver that I host the pictures from, so there isn't really a limit per se.
I've never attempted to attached a picture here, so I couldn't tell you unfortunately.
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Big_Jim
Total Posts: 666
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In the late 70's and early 80's I started stocking my newly-formed home gym with pieces of equipment ordered from Jubinville out of Holyoke, Massachusetts. You couldn't beat the price;however, you could easily beat the quality. For home usage, though, it was o.k. Some of the pieces like the standing calf machine, I just finally had to throw away. Despite many tries to get it functional, I just never could. The toe board was too low, the weight plate holder did not accommodate 45 Olympic plates very well, the shoulder pads hurt, the height never was right, etc. The leg extension/curl machine they sold was o.k. on the extension but the flat pads just rubbed the back of my lower legs raw. I had to completely redo their Olympic bench but I still use it regularly after 25 years or so. Jubinville sold a 3-step squat rack that I just sold because I thought we were going to move. We decided not to move right now but I had already sold (actually just gave to a soldier from Ft. Campbell, Ky. who had just returned from Iraq) the squat rack and I regret it immensely. Does anyone know where I can get a similar one or a good power rack on a home gym budget? Anyone know who makes equipment similar to Jubinville these days? When Mr. Jubinville (Ed) died, so went the company. Any comments on Powerline racks from Home Fitness out of Chicago? Looking for something hardcore and functional like the squat rack in the "Squat til you Puke" ad from Animal Pak. May have to just go to a local welder. Any thoughts or comments are appreciated.
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Amazonblonde
Total Posts: 12642
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I have 13 pieces of equipment plus the free weights, in a 20 by 20 building seperate from my house, no air and in Fla.(and it was 90degrees today!, but I use it everyday. I also have the cardio equipment, treadmill, elliptical machine and bike in the house. It sure beats gym dues and traffic after a long day at work!!!! You gotta be super motivated to have a home gym though, but I am so no problems there. I have several pieces of Powerline equipment and it is decent stuff, just about as good as body solid and keys which is what the rest of my equipment is.Gotta love it!:-)
| Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated!!! |
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Big_Jim
Total Posts: 666
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Having a 20 by 20 building makes me wax nostalgic for a very similar building I put up in my back yard several years ago as a combination home gym/storage building. It was 400 square feet exactly with no air conditioning or heat. You learn to live with sweat dripping off of you in the summers and seeing your breath in the winters. Alas, I sold the house and have not had a building since. i miss it greatly. Had dreams of filling it with pieces of equipment (Jubinville) piece by piece just as you did but it never happened. I have lifted in old deserted buildings, corn cribs when I was young and living on a farm, basements, smokehouses for curing meats, attics, etc., as well as plush health clubs, spas, and college weight rooms but of all places, I loved that building the most. Mainly, because it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream of mine, which was to have my own place to lift but also because I had to get a loan to build it and then helped a friend of mine who was a professional builder to actually build it. When you have put a part of yourself into it, it becomes a part of you. When I had to leave it behind, it was like someone had just cut off my arm. you are lucky to have such a setup. Be thankful. Oh yes, I am a native Floridian, having been born in Hialeah, and know all too well what it is like to workout in that semi-tropical climate of the Sunshine State. Humidity so thick you can cut it with a knife! Gotta love it!
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Amazonblonde
Total Posts: 12642
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Was out there today as everyday and it is 90 here with humidity that makes it feel like 100, but there is nothing like a good sweat!!! It was leg day too....but still standing!!!!!:-)
| Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated!!! |
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Anonymous
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hi folks, here's a newbie's first question, concerning home equipment. I had a decent bench and rack set-up, but I find my barbell to be lacking. It's chromed, and the knurling is just not deep enough, compared to the carbon steel ones I've used in gyms. Can anyone recommend a decent brand ($200-$400) range barbell? My list is kind of short at the present, just basically York. And no, I'm not ready for Eleiko yet. ;-) thnx, osd
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mose
Total Posts: 29
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Very informative. I will look closer at the suggestions. I am in the process of building my home gym but two things keep cropping up; Time and Money. Moses
| CANI
"I think I can I think I can"..the little engine |
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EdMaleRNMuscle67
Total Posts: 1230
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Hey Shawn,
| Getting stronger every day. |
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EdMaleRNMuscle67
Total Posts: 1230
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Hey Shawn, That is a damn nice looking home gym you have there. It appears to have everything you need!!
| Getting stronger every day. |
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EdMaleRNMuscle67
Total Posts: 1230
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Oops, I made a mistake above....NO MESSAGE!! What I was saying was, NICE SETUP SHAWN!! The decor is appropriate. THE HOUSE OF PAIN could be the name of your gym. Thats what we call our local gym...LOL. Ive found that Weider makes quality gym equipment, although I hate to put anymore money in that guy's pockets. I bought an 85lb Powerblock set along with the optional weight bench which has an attachable dip station. The thing that I've found disappointing with the Powerblock bench is that it isnt sturdy enough for me to do dips. I contacted the owner of the company and he told me he dips with 2/45lb plates on the bench. I'll have to tinker around with it. It was damn expensive ($900.00) for the whole set up, but it was one of those things I had to have.
| Getting stronger every day. |
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Anonymous
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Thanks, Ed. It's almost complete, as I have a few more things I'd like to get.
I was considering Powerblocks, but to me, I prefer to have individual DB's. Particularly that I have the space. However, I realize that is not always the case for everyone unfortunately.
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meateater
Total Posts: 149
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power blocks are great for someone without space. also if u are ever gonna move again. if u like the conventional style dumbells nautilus has a set for I think 300 dollars. I have it myself. it goes from 5-25 in 2.5lb increments and then to 52.5 by 5lb increments. looks just like a regular dumbell. to change the weight there are dials on each side. u can even off set the dials while curling to hit the forearms differently. I want to get the powerblocks due to the lack of weight that the nautilus brand has. not enough for bench or one arm rows.
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Manor
Total Posts: 6773
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Our basement is our play area. About a 1000 square feet worth, we have an area for free weights, an aerobic/kickboxing with bag area and an area for our air hockey game as well as a dart board, full size fridge and plenty of bottled water. I just installed mirrors a few weeks back and I have to tell you we like it. Can we post pictures here without a web link? We also have a bathroom but it only has the roughing in, it’s ready to install shower, toilet, and sink (8X12). We have a 21” T.V., with satellite, DVD, VCR, and a stereo system. Some equipment we have, Power rack with lat pull, Leg press/hack squat sled, leg raise/pull up station, Leg extension/leg curl, Pec Deck, Adjustable incline/decline/flat bench, hex dumbbells from 5-45 lbs (5 lbs increments), kiddie DBs (1&2 lbs when the kids were toddlers), Seated calf machine, 5kg leather medicine ball, and my Bowflex. We have various handles and bars, need to get an Oly bar. we're waiting for our Top Squat, which I ordered not too long ago. We have 240 lbs of Olympic weights (Need more) and about 900 lbs of standard plates. we also ordered a 40 lbs vest from a local company. If any IOLers need a place to workout while visiting in the area, you are welcomed and I promise you will get a good workout. In the summer you can use the trampoline, or our pool and stay for a BBQ :), Bring the kids we have a play structure in the back with a basketball hoop (regular size). we just bought a tent trailer, if you need a place to crash, sleeps 10. Let’s say you bring the steaks and we have a deal :). Manor
aka SAVAGE/JDIDAN/Dan the Protein Man
You can't choose your parents however you can choose your lifestyle
Earn your supplements
The most important stack you can do are big plates.- Sweatn |
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Wicked Willie
Total Posts: 16864
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Geez, Dan. How do you manage to work out under such primitive conditions? (Big grin!)
"I'm in good shape for the shape I'm in."
"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man comes to the Father, but by me." John 14:6 |
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Vanessa
Total Posts: 64
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heck, let's have a mini-Bash at Manor's house!! :o)
Vanessa
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ccrow
Total Posts: 10055
Signature: The most important test a lifter has to pass
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old hand
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Quote:
meateater said:
I want to get the powerblocks due to the lack of weight that the nautilus brand has. not enough for bench or one arm rows.
These look nice too, I tried the Powerblocks in a store but did not like them. Has anyone tried these?
http://www.quickdumbells.com/
The most important test a lifter has to pass
is the test of time.
-Jon Cole
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Odis Torque
Total Posts: 15
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Hello Vicki, If you need some help with home gym equipment, give me a call and I'll try to help out. My company makes more industrial pieces, but with our prices, we do sell alot for home use. I also have a few strings I can pull for friends of Iron online. You can reach me at 812-673-4490. Hope I can help.
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Stingo
Total Posts: 12873
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Quote:
Odis Torque said:
Hello Vicki,
If you need some help with home gym equipment, give me a call and I'll try to help out. My company makes more industrial pieces, but with our prices, we do sell alot for home use. I also have a few strings I can pull for friends of Iron online. You can reach me at 812-673-4490.
Hope I can help.
Otis, That's mighty kind of you bro....
~ Stingo ~
“A wise man once said nothing”
— a wise man |
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meateater
Total Posts: 149
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Quote:
ccrow said:
Quote:
meateater said:
I want to get the powerblocks due to the lack of weight that the nautilus brand has. not enough for bench or one arm rows.
These look nice too, I tried the Powerblocks in a store but did not like them. Has anyone tried these?
http://www.quickdumbells.com/
yes i have seen these. I liked the powerblocks cause of the quick change but didnt like them cause they arent conventional dumbells. I dont like how u have to put your hands in them.Im rethinking these ones now that u brought them up. Ill have to go to the store to use them a little. I just dont want to fuss with changing the plates every set. how can a lifter be so lazy? :)
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Odis Torque
Total Posts: 15
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Thanks for the kind words. Like I told Vicki, any friend of Iron Online is a friend of mine. This is a great way to meet great people isn't it. Hats off to Dave and Laree. Stay Strong
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Manor
Total Posts: 6773
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Quote:
vjb225 said:
heck, let's have a mini-Bash at Manor's house!! :o)
Vanessa
Vanessa, I have really thought about it. I’ve mentioned before on the mail list about the annual Corn Roast my neighbour puts on. Free live Music (Country, Rock, oldies) with an outside dance floor, and he has plenty of space for visitor parking. Last year about 800 people went through his place. They are simple folk who love entertaining. They also have a huge bon fire and all you bring is your own chairs and “coolers”, the corn is free. The police always come by to just check that everything is all right (have some corn) and ensure everyone is having a good time. We're just a hop skip and a jump away from them. We can easily put 20 cars on my lot, and like I said, we have a play structure for the kids, a 27’ above ground pool, a 15’ trampoline, horse shoe pits, volleyball net, badminton net. We just bought a new BBQ and kept the old one for a spare. We love having friends over and socialize, we just want to make people’s visit comfortable. We're only 30 minutes east of the nation’s capital. If you’re passing thru and want a free workout, or just want to say hi, you‘re more than welcomed.
Manor
aka SAVAGE/JDIDAN/Dan the Protein Man
You can't choose your parents however you can choose your lifestyle
Earn your supplements
The most important stack you can do are big plates.- Sweatn |
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pointcove
Total Posts: 1136
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One thing that makes me train more is the convenience of being able to train at home. I can lift using my home equipment and run on a beautiful trail near my house that has the Savannah River on one side and an old canal on the other. The trail is up high on the levee that divides the river from the canal and has a canopy of trees over a good portion. Absolute beauty. All this leads to me training more often. Consistency is an aspect that shows results and anyone can do. The thing is to do everything you can to make it easy to get your workouts in. I know guys who have more intense work-outs, but who are always skipping because of work and schedules. I want to be consistent and avoid injury. Part of this strategy is because of my 50 year old body, plus having a busy career. I’m able to be consistent with my workouts by not having a set in stone workout schedule. Consistent by being inconsistent? In other words, I can work out at 1 in the afternoon or 1 in the morning depending on my whim, work and personal things. Does anyone find the home workouts to be better?
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KMKEN78
Total Posts: 135
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I'm actually the opposite. I found my home workouts not stimulating. Of course if I had a nice trail to run instead of Detroit maybe I'd disagree at least on the cardio part. We have a new gym at work and I have to pass it on the way from the locker room before going home. My workouts are better because I'm not thinking about the unfinished jobs around the house etc. When I'm home all I can think about is other things that need to be done, getting dinner started, painting the garage etc. I still do have a home gym for the rare occasion that it's my day off and I dont feel like going into work but my workouts are lame compared to the ones at the gym at work. Ken
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Dr.Ken
Total Posts: 127
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I can immodestly say that when Kathy and I owned Iron Island Gym, we had one of the best hard core, athletic training centers in the country. We prepared many football players for the NFL Combine working with their agents, had a regular group of Giants and Jets, Olympic track and field athletes, local high school athletes, competitive bodybuilders, the world and national champion PLing team, a good OLifting team, and hosted five major PL meets and the Empire State Games Regional Try Outs in OLifting yearly. Working in design prototyping for Hammer and doing special projects for Nautilus, we had "everything", literally as well as 20,000 pounds of milled to exact weight pound Olympic plates and another 2000 or so in kilo sets. The DBs went up to 200 pouunds in either 2.5 or 5 pound increments and we had three different sets of DBs, fixed barbells and fixed ez curl bars like Zuver's Gym. It was like a playground yet, I trained 90% of the time at home, in the garage or basement! I think home gym training is great due to the fact you can due it in accordance with your schedule, there is no excuse for not training, etc. Dave once sat and spoke with me and said he would need "a pretty sophisticated set-up" to successfully train at home but this was in 1968. Now, there are so many equipment manufacturers making stuff that while not suitable for a commercial gym, can be made and used safely in a home gym. Yes, there are distractions ("Can you move your truck, I have to run over to the store...") but less so than at a commercial gym, at least in my opinion. If you have one or two consistent and reliable training partners, its really a great situation.
Dr. Ken
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Tim Mendelsohn
Total Posts: 1557
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Wow Dr Ken. Its as if you were describing what Disneyland is like to a kid. I got choked up reading about your gym.
Tim
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Steven
Total Posts: 2063
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I love training at home, maybe it's a bit of a misanthropic attitude creeping in but training in a crowded gym or even with just a few people in it makes me self conscious. I am planning on puchasing a squat cage soon as I am starting to get up into some poundages that could cause injury if I make a mistake plus my 13 year old son is training with me now and if I can't make a workout I want him to be able to lift in safety as well. Also, my music, my volume, and I can also declare the basement off limits to the rest of the family to become one with the iron and steel. (Trancendental iron workouts) Steven
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Big_Jim
Total Posts: 666
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I have trained in plush spas, health clubs, college weight rooms, and neighborhood clubs. My attitude now is, "Been there, done that." I have all the personal characteristics to be a good hermit so for the last 25 years have lifted in either my garage or basement. Had a wonderful backyard building at one house where we lived but that went we moved. It has been my goal to once again own another building like this, but so far that has not happened. You have to realize that you need a basic setup for home lifting. Space and finances have to be a major consideration. Olympic set, good bench press, squat rack or power rack-these are the basics. If space and budget permit, dip bars, chinning bar, dumbbells, curl bench, leg curl/extension maybe. Big items like leg presses, cable crossovers, and all the specialized pieces of equipment have to be left to the commercial gyms. True, everything is there at your disposal 24 hrs. a day but this is good and bad. If you're half asleep in your recliner watching television, it's so very easy to say, "Oh, I'll just lift tomorrow" or, "I can lift anytime. After my nap would be good." There are also the domestic noises to cope with like dishwashers, clothes washers, vacuum cleaners, televisions, CD players, phones ringing, doorbells ringing, etc. I try to make my time in the basement lifting, my time, but it just doesn't always work out like that. I too find myself thinking about the lawn that needs mowing as soon as I get through or the painting I need to do or the oil change on the car etc. Commercial gyms are better in this regard, but you have all the people to cope with and that's just not me. I'm too much of a loner. Many fine physiques have been carved from just the basics of home gyms and "dungeons" of basements and garages. Dorian Yates comes to mind. It may be called Temple Gym but it's a dungeon. Dave Draper trained with great success in one of these holes. Bob Peoples, the great powerlifter from the hills of East Tennessee, literally trained in a hole. It was his basement that was dug out of the ground. Dirt walls. Dirt floors. His leg press was set up in the grass on the edge of his yard and corn field! I lifted once in an extra room in the back of a bar where the roof leaked right on top of my squat rack when it rained and the carpet was always soggy from rainwater and spilled stale beer! Arnold built almost 20" arms and a 50" chest before he ever came to this country doing nothing but barbell and dumbell curls and bench presses, so you don't need a lot of equipment anyway. Having only a few pieces at home, narrows your focus to hard work on the basics without the distractions of dozens of pieces of specialized equipment or lines of people waiting to use them. Enough said. To the basement. Good luck PointCove. Enjoy the Fourth coming up and be safe!
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CB
Total Posts: 5666
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I too prefer training at home. I find it much more convenient with a lot less distractions. I trained in health clubs and gyms for over 20 years and got tired of the crowds and waiting to use equipment so I put together a home gym in 1998. Now my training is much more intense, focused and consistent and I've made more progress than ever before too. I workout more often 5-6 days a week now 2-3 then. I almost never miss workouts now and look forward to them. But then I'm also self motivated and find workouts challenging and fun. When I'm out of town I usually find a gym or when a local gym has a free week offer I'll check them out and enjoy the experience and the people there but it's more like a change of pace or vacation and I'm always ready to return home and to get serious again.
CB
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