I was just browsing certain weight equipment and just plain weight sets and dumbell sets on dicks and modells websites. I never really knew how expensive this shit is!
All of the sudden $20/month membership to a gym seems like such a steal…
I guess if I ever want to own my own home gym I’ll be buying off craigslist…
Where did the rest of you get your stuff?
Local farm shop. 50Kg potatoes costs about £3.00 ($6USD) and you can eat them after your workout 
From what I’ve seen recently, most brand new plates go for around 60-70 cents a pound. So, with you paying only $20 a month, you would need 3-4 years of use to make your home set worth it.
Of course there are other things besides the dollar amount that go into it. I like having my own space, being able to lift at all hours, and never having to drive anywhere. I also can make a mess with chalk, leave plates all over the floor, and rearrange as I see fit.
If you are serious about getting some home equipment, just keep looking around and build up slowly. Continuously check out ebay, craigslist, and the classifieds. That’s how I built mine, and I am still building.
As far as weights, I started off with a used 400 pound set and just bought a new pair of 45’s every couple weeks. I slowed down the frequency of buying the 45’s, but I still do this. I want to have around 1000-1200 pounds in plates. I may then move to dumbbells.
I this is something you seriously want, I say go for it. Nothing beats a home gym.
One last suggestion if you do this. Make sure you have a separate space for your gym free from home distractions. I originally had stuff sitting in my extra bedroom right by my computer and bookshelves and it just didn’t work for me. I moved to the basement and couldn’t be happier. I needed that separate space so I didn’t feel like I was still at home.
I check Craigslist regularly, and I have yet to see a single weight or piece of equipment that wasn’t grossly over priced. Might just be the dumbasses in my area.
I would say don’t put money into cheap stuff, like standard weights, or those god awful cement weights in the hard plastic covers, thinking that you can just use these for now and upgrade later. Olympic bars and plates only.
[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
I check Craigslist regularly, and I have yet to see a single weight or piece of equipment that wasn’t grossly over priced. Might just be the dumbasses in my area.
[/quote]
No, it’s everywhere. I think most people over-pay and just expect to get more than worth. If I see something I would like, I always email what I think is a reasonable offer. Most people think I’m insulting them, but occasionally I will get something that doesn’t sell and they just want to dump it for whatever they can get.
Keep checking craigslist. Just used them last night for the first time to purchase (4) 45# CAP olympic, grip plates for $60. I thought it was a good deal. They were only 2 weeks old, purchased for a rear-wheel drive car, then they got a 4 wheel drive SUV.
Just found a power bar(CAP OB-86PB, all black, 1500# capacity) last night on-line from www.dumbbellbuddy.com for $169 including shipping. That was a lot cheaper than anything I was getting locally ($210). Hopefully it will provide me years of quality service.
I view the weight/equipment purchase as I do rent vs own and lease vs buy. I own it and it’s mine until I want to sell. Also, when(if) you sell the weights/equipment you recoup some of the inital investment. Additionally, the gym is always open, no travel time, and no gas to waste.
Additionally, I have found through my searching that the price of weights/equipment is going to be increasing in a short time. Not sure if this is just sales technique but just what I am hearing.
Just my thoughts!!