Shamrock Triple Gym or ordinary Pull Up Bar

whitefoot

I wish to start some strength and toning exercises as a complete novice and guess that push ups, pull ups and crunches are what I need to do.

After some research I have narrowed the choices to the following and I was hoping for some advice as to what would be best for me?

For 47 Euro.
http://www.irish-lifting.com/doorway-gym-pe-270.html
For 72 Euro
http://www.shamrockgym.ie/

Also is the shamrock gym worth the extra 25 Euro to do dips and are dips an equally important exercise?

Do I need to spend money on dumbells also initially to gain the strength to even complete a pull up?

I am 49 years old, weight 205Lbs, 6 foot 1 Inch and in good health but take no exercise at present beyond walking.

Thank you

Zamboni

Definitely worth the extra €25 quid for the Shamrock and more options.
I've used it and it's a nice piece of kit.
I have that doorway bar and it's fine too though.

I don't think it turns you into a UFC champ though...

whitefoot

Thanks Zamboni, that's the sort of clear advise I was looking for.

Do I need to spend money on dumbells also initially to gain the strength to even complete a pull up or just do negatives until my strength increases?

Do you have any comments on dips which I had not heard off before but see on the web they are important for arms and chest.

kedrek1

They have one in lidl 16.99 i think.Does the job fine .I did upgraded some of the bolts that hold it together solid out now .

Ryder

whitefoot wrote: »

I wish to start some strength and toning exercises as a complete novice and guess that push ups, pull ups and crunches are what I need to do.

After some research I have narrowed the choices to the following and I was hoping for some advice as to what would be best for me?

For 47 Euro.
http://www.irish-lifting.com/doorway-gym-pe-270.html
For 72 Euro
http://www.shamrockgym.ie/

Also is the shamrock gym worth the extra 25 Euro to do dips and are dips an equally important exercise?

Do I need to spend money on dumbells also initially to gain the strength to even complete a pull up?

I am 49 years old, weight 205Lbs, 6 foot 1 Inch and in good health but take no exercise at present beyond walking.

Thank you

not what you asked, but anyway....why not pit the 72e towards a set of adjustable dumbells. Way more versatile, can grow with you and you can work legs as well. Coming from no fitness, you may be doing a lot of negatives before you do any real pullups....id just worry that it would be demotivating.

Also dumbell workouts will likely last longer so giving you a more sustained training benefit.

whitefoot

Ryder wrote: »

Coming from no fitness, you may be doing a lot of negatives before you do any real pullups....id just worry that it would be demotivating.

I think you may be right and that is a real concern that I have. However I have bought the Shamrock Triple Gym now so I am committed. When I looked at free weights it appeared to me that it would be quite costly to build a useable collection, €3 per kg I think it was.

I hoped that perserverance and the simplicity & comprehensiveness of the Shamrock Triple Gym for upper body will yield results but as you say I will have to stick with it initially to build up the minimal stregnth needed.

whitefoot

Ryder wrote: »

Also dumbell workouts will likely last longer so giving you a more sustained training benefit.

I am not sure I fully understand.

Are you saying the dumbell workout will actually take a longer time to complete hence the increased benefit or that dumbell work outs have a longer lasting effect on the body compared to pull ups?

Sangre

Definitely made right decision on pull-up bar (or shamrock variation), much more ability to challenge yourself. Should be no.1 purchase in any home gym really! Rings can be bought at later stage to further add to development.

meijin

whitefoot wrote: »

I hoped that perserverance and the simplicity & comprehensiveness of the Shamrock Triple Gym for upper body will yield results but as you say I will have to stick with it initially to build up the minimal stregnth needed.

If regular pull-ups are too much, you can start easier with horizontal/45* pulls using the extension or straps. I just use pull-up bar with gym rings attached for something similar.

Ryder

whitefoot wrote: »

I am not sure I fully understand.

Are you saying the dumbell workout will actually take a longer time to complete hence the increased benefit or that dumbell work outs have a longer lasting effect on the body compared to pull ups?

yes. Adjustable dumbbells - variation....bench press, military press, bent over row, squats etc. Exercises are pretty much endless. You can do weighed circuits to focus on endurance, focus on power development etc etc. I'm not convinced that most people can do the above with a doorway mounted set of pull-up bars alone. Anyway time will tell...best of luck with your training

Mellor

Ryder wrote: »

yes. Adjustable dumbbells - variation....bench press, military press, bent over row, squats etc. Exercises are pretty much endless. You can do weighed circuits to focus on endurance, focus on power development etc etc. I'm not convinced that most people can do the above with a doorway mounted set of pull-up bars alone. Anyway time will tell...best of luck with your training

For every dumbbell exercise there's a bodyweight equivalent

bench press = chest dips, press ups
military press = hand stand press
bent over row = pull ups, chin ups
squats = split squats, pistols

Are there differences? Of course.
Does it cover absolutely everything? No. But it covers an awful lot.

Hanley

Got a Shamrock Triple Gym for my girlfriend for xmas instead of a regular pull up bar and it was deffo the right decision.

Can do pretty much anything on it. Very versatile.

rubadub

Sangre wrote: »

Rings can be bought at later stage to further add to development.

The shamrock gym comes with straight handle suspension devices. See them hanging off here


These will allow you to do bodyrows which can be done along with negatives until you are able for proper pullups/chinups.



But the rings are a nicer shape though, and adjustable, I think the shamrock gym straps length is fixed

whitefoot wrote: »

Do you have any comments on dips which I had not heard off before but see on the web they are important for arms and chest.

Dips are very highly regarded. It should be very easy to do negatives on that device if you cannot do any at first.

TheBellJar

You'll probably want to get a resistance band to get better at the pull ups. This guy sells them separately or in a set and looks to be the cheapest online at the mo. I bought one off him recently.

http://www.adverts.ie/exercise-equipment-weights/10-pcs-resistance-band-set/2465392.

whitefoot

Thank you Ryder, Sangre, meijin, Mellor, Hanley, rubadub & TheBellJar. This has been very useful.

My goal is to tone up and increase my strength. I have no illusions of building bulk or a great physique nor do I especially want to create mass at my age 49.

But I would like to to keep at it, so all your comments about the introduction phase are really useful as I can imagine the success here lies in doing this everyday for a sustained period of years so I want to make sure this is not a fad that I become disheartened with after a few weeks..

meijin

whitefoot wrote: »

But I would like to to keep at it, so all your comments about the introduction phase are really useful as I can imagine the success here lies in doing this everyday for a sustained period of years so I want to make sure this is not a fad that I become disheartened with after a few weeks..

Good luck! And see also http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056185716 for some ideas on progression steps in BW exercises.

Gummy Panda

Type shamrock triple gym into YouTube and you'll see vids of a guy reviewing it. Not saying you should do his exercises bit you'll see how versatile it is.

RandolphEsq

Do you need a strong doorway to put it up? I don't want the frame to come crashing down on top of me while using it!

Mellor

RandolphEsq wrote: »

Do you need a strong doorway to put it up? I don't want the frame to come crashing down on top of me while using it!

The the wall itself that supports it more so than the door frame

rubadub

RandolphEsq wrote: »

Do you need a strong doorway to put it up? I don't want the frame to come crashing down on top of me while using it!

The only damage reports I can remember seeing are that the frame gets damaged by being indented. i.e. the narrow bars are pressing in against the soft wood on the frame. To stop this you can put thick pipe insulation on the bars that contact the wall, or something similar like wrapped in a old cut up towel and tape them on.

Look at what this guy did

RandolphEsq

Actually having watched a few videos on YouTube I see that it sort of counteracts the downward pressure from someone pulling on it by distributing it horizontally into the frame so most of the force is actually not on top of the frame but on the sides. It is an extremely useful bit of kit and should really be there in everyone's house even if you were to just swing out of it a few times a day.

malin182

Just opening up this thread again, I am thinking of ordering the shamrock kit but seen a few comments online about people not being able to get in touch with the company. Anyone know if the website http://www.shamrockgym.ie/ is still in operation? Also there is a discussion going on about getting some calisthenics equipment in the D4 area in case anyone is interested:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=94957685&utm_source=notification&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=notification#post94957685

kao123

malin182 wrote: »

Just opening up this thread again, I am thinking of ordering the shamrock kit but seen a few comments online about people not being able to get in touch with the company. Anyone know if the website http://www.shamrockgym.ie/ is still in operation? Also there is a discussion going on about getting some calisthenics equipment in the D4 area in case anyone is interested:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=94957685&utm_source=notification&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=notification#post94957685

Hi malin182, I'm just wondering if you managed to find out if the Shamrock triple gym is still actually available, did you try and order one?

thanks in advance.

malin182

I checked out the registered company at the end of the website page on solo check.ie and it said it dissolved a few years back. So didn't risk it! I actually ordered this and its really good, unfortunately nothing for dips but nothing else out there like the shamrock one by the looks of things.

http://www.hifi-tower.ie/Klarfit-KS5DG-Door-Pull-Up-Bar-Chin-Up-Bar_i5071.htm

I was going to order the triple gym off Amazon US website as my sis lives in CA but figured not worth it when shipping back here.

kao123

malin182 wrote: »

I checked out the registered company at the end of the website page on solo check.ie and it said it dissolved a few years back. So didn't risk it! I actually ordered this and its really good, unfortunately nothing for dips but nothing else out there like the shamrock one by the looks of things.

http://www.hifi-tower.ie/Klarfit-KS5DG-Door-Pull-Up-Bar-Chin-Up-Bar_i5071.htm

I was going to order the triple gym off Amazon US website as my sis lives in CA but figured not worth it when shipping back here.

OK thanks for the reply, I had sent them a few mails and got nothing back from them, so I assumed they are no longer trading.
There's a few people asking them questions on Amazon and elsewhere online and there are no replies... shame as it looks like a decent bit of kit.

Cheers again.

malin182

Just got a reply mail, unfortunately i already got something else:
Hi,

Very sorry about the delay getting back to you, the irish website isn't live at the moment as I'm concentrating on US sales but I do have some units in Ireland. If you still need one you could give me a shout on 0866699969 and I'll sort it out for you.

Thanks,

Mick

kao123

malin182 wrote: »

Just got a reply mail, unfortunately i already got something else:
Hi,

Very sorry about the delay getting back to you, the irish website isn't live at the moment as I'm concentrating on US sales but I do have some units in Ireland. If you still need one you could give me a shout on 0866699969 and I'll sort it out for you.

Thanks,

Mick

Cheers for that, I got the exact same email last night, I'll give him a call later today and see how I get on.

kao123

Here's a little update.....
I called the number and spoke to Mick yesterday morning, I went ahead and ordered one and it has arrived this morning, he seemed like a very nice guy and explained they are concentrating on the US market hence the slow down over here.
I'll attempt to use it this evening and see how it fares out.