I just bought a new house. The think that sold the wife was the 5 acres and the kitchen. The thing that sold me was the awesome, deep, dry basement which will become my gym in short order. My question is what are the recommeneded pieces of equipment(Brand/size/type… etc). Goal is strength with size being secondary.
There are no gyms in my area so I’ve gotta go the home gym route. I plan to start the stronglifts 5x5 after getting moved in and setup.
Sick of your gym set to start from elitefts.com, great set and great value.
http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?cid=120&m=PD&pid=576
Wow… that looks like a plan. Thanks.
Check out some of the other racks at elitefts.com as well. Many of them have a lot of customizable options that you may want. For instance, various chin-up bars, dips, band pegs etc.
Check out www.legendfitness.com. The prices and quality of the equipment can’t be beat. I picked up a 3x3 squat rack, plate loaded lat pull/low row, flat utility bench, 0-90 bench. Couldn’t be happier with the quality, price and customer service.
Found the company while checking out the Browns weight room pictures (they supply some of their equipment, if not all). They also produce a louie simmons line of equipment.
I know everyone preaches elite, elite but their prices seem to be quite high. The Legend Fitness equipment is as high quality and for their prices you can get more equipment for the prices of elite.
For rubber mats, I used tractor supply 4x6 3/4" thick stall mats they sell for horses, I think they were about $50 each, close to 100# and a lot of fun to move down stairs.
[quote]Captain Zero wrote:
Sick of your gym set to start from elitefts.com, great set and great value.
http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?cid=120&m=PD&pid=576
[/quote]
great suggestion
here is a piece of crap if you’re short on change from the ginormous house you just bought 
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5280822
I got my rack from New York Barbells. I just couldn’t shell out a grand for a rack at the time. I’ve had no problems whatsoever with it, and had it loaded plenty heavy.
http://newyorkbarbells.com/8515.html
I would suggest getting a good bar. I really like the Texas Power Bar for all purpose lifting.
If you can find a cheap 300lb set at a sporting goods store, you can get that as well, and use the crap bar for rack pulls so you don’t ruin a good bar.
I’d get a good adjustable bench. Flat to 90, or Decline to 80. But I would highly recommend trying it out first. A lot of adjustables feel pretty unstable.
A full set of DB’s would be great, but they take up a lot of space and are costly.
If you can afford the elitefts setup, I think it would be a great start. But if you are on a budget, there are other decent options as well.
One of the things that has been a huge asset to us, and I recommend for all home gyms is the trap/hex bar:
http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx?ID=4354&CategoryID=470&kbid=1186
It instantly gives you some pulling variety
[quote]Eric Cressey wrote:
One of the things that has been a huge asset to us, and I recommend for all home gyms is the trap/hex bar:
http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx?ID=4354&CategoryID=470&kbid=1186
It instantly gives you some pulling variety[/quote]
Keep an eye on Craigs list. I found one next to brand new with 2-45s for $50.
[quote]74 wrote:
Check out www.legendfitness.com. The prices and quality of the equipment can’t be beat. I picked up a 3x3 squat rack, plate loaded lat pull/low row, flat utility bench, 0-90 bench. Couldn’t be happier with the quality, price and customer service.
Found the company while checking out the Browns weight room pictures (they supply some of their equipment, if not all). They also produce a louie simmons line of equipment.
I know everyone preaches elite, elite but their prices seem to be quite high. The Legend Fitness equipment is as high quality and for their prices you can get more equipment for the prices of elite.
For rubber mats, I used tractor supply 4x6 3/4" thick stall mats they sell for horses, I think they were about $50 each, close to 100# and a lot of fun to move down stairs.[/quote]
I couldn’t have said this better myself. Legend makes some awesome stuff, including the Reverse Hyper and “Louies Line”.
Yes, Elite’s prices are high, sometimes above MSRP. Shop around. They don’t make their stuff, it’s mostly Williams Strength.
While everybode likes an adjustable bench, they may not always be the best for regular bench pressing, the gap is always in the wrong spot. If your serious about working your bench for competition I recommend a flat utility bench to use in the rack.
X2 for the stall mats. I got mine, 4x6x3/4 at Agri-Supply for about $46 ea.
Check out The Q training bar at Quest Nutrion. The shaft is the same as their IPF legal competition bar but it uses bushing in the sleeves instead of bearings. We have one here and the knurling is so much more agressive compared to our Texas Power Bar. They are priced competitively.
For plates, monitor Craigslist. I’ve bought a couple cheap bench/bar/plate combos and resold the bench/bar and kept the 45s.
[quote]tcsimon wrote:
74 wrote:
Check out www.legendfitness.com. The prices and quality of the equipment can’t be beat. I picked up a 3x3 squat rack, plate loaded lat pull/low row, flat utility bench, 0-90 bench. Couldn’t be happier with the quality, price and customer service.
Found the company while checking out the Browns weight room pictures (they supply some of their equipment, if not all). They also produce a louie simmons line of equipment.
I know everyone preaches elite, elite but their prices seem to be quite high. The Legend Fitness equipment is as high quality and for their prices you can get more equipment for the prices of elite.
For rubber mats, I used tractor supply 4x6 3/4" thick stall mats they sell for horses, I think they were about $50 each, close to 100# and a lot of fun to move down stairs.
I couldn’t have said this better myself. Legend makes some awesome stuff, including the Reverse Hyper and “Louies Line”.
Yes, Elite’s prices are high, sometimes above MSRP. Shop around. They don’t make their stuff, it’s mostly Williams Strength.
While everybode likes an adjustable bench, they may not always be the best for regular bench pressing, the gap is always in the wrong spot. If your serious about working your bench for competition I recommend a flat utility bench to use in the rack.
X2 for the stall mats. I got mine, 4x6x3/4 at Agri-Supply for about $46 ea.
Check out The Q training bar at Quest Nutrion. The shaft is the same as their IPF legal competition bar but it uses bushing in the sleeves instead of bearings. We have one here and the knurling is so much more agressive compared to our Texas Power Bar. They are priced competitively.
For plates, monitor Craigslist. I’ve bought a couple cheap bench/bar/plate combos and resold the bench/bar and kept the 45s.
[/quote]
I found that out about Williams Strength (www.fatbars.com) being in Ohio I also get dinged with sales tax on any purchase from Elite as they are in OH.
Found out about the spacing in the 0-90 bench also, which is why I then purchased the flat utility. The thing about legend is that the 0-90 and the utility flat (both with wheels also) were cheaper with shipping than the cost of the Elite bench “that has the smallest gap” before adding shipping. I had the room in the basement so the extra bench didn’t matter to me, might not be the case for those with limited room.
If going with Legend, e-mail the president of the company directly. I did and he was able to “package price” my equipment that blew away several other quotes I received on Legend Fitness equipment from other dealers.
In addition to what has been said, be sure to check out Ironmaster.com for their Super Bench (best flat/incline/decline bench on the market) and their adjustable dumbbells.
It’s worth the money for both, and they sell various packages with other accessories. Some of them are worth getting (ab attachment, dip handles) and some are optional (leg curl/extension, preacher curl).
I have a Body Solid power rack with a lat/row attachment, and it works great. I’d love to have an Elite FTS power rack, but it’s not in the budget right now. But I do have a bunch of Elite equipment (sled, Econo Prowler, bands, board presses, Deluxe Glute Ham bench with split pad, etc.). It’s worth the money if you can afford it.
Some of the other suggestions on here are very good indeed (buy stall mats to save money, get a basic bar and weights somewhere cheap, get a Texas power bar, etc.).
Nate Dogg