Home Gym Setup - Cost?

Bawnmore

We're in the process of putting together a home gym and have some of the basics there so far. We have a few bits and pieces to pick up yet and could do with some advice.

I guess I'll start with what's there so far and what I think is needed, and hopefully can get some suggestions and advice on equipment needed:

- Wall mounted pull up bar (like this)
- Treadmill
- Punching bag (brother competes in boxing/kickboxing)
- 2 Dumbbell bars
- 1 Barbell which came with..
- York bench
- 80kg in mixed weights
- Other bits and pieces like skipping ropes etc...

What I feel it's lacking:

- The York bench seems terrible. It's been around for years and it's one of those all in one jobbies that has parts on the side and front for chest press and legs. It seems very..... narrow..... when benching and isn't very stable.

- The weights which are there currently are the plastic weights, and the bar fills up quite quickly. Will need to replace these at some stage.

- The barbell came with the bench - it could definitely be worth upgrading to an Olympic bar in the near future.

- I'd like to be able to squat at home, but I don't think we'd fit a power rack into the space. This would be ideal as it could be used for benching and squatting, but I just don't think it'd fit.

And here come the questions:

1. Is the only option we are left with for squatting a standalone squat rack? Something like this? And if so, what are these like?

2. What are our options for a bench? If we removed the bench from there now, there's a possibility that we might fit a small power rack in ( I have no idea if this is a thing). Is this the best overall option?

3. Are there savings to be made by buying 2nd hand? Or is it worth just buying new from the likes of irish-lifting.com?

Thanks in advance.

Ush1

You could do front squats or hack squats if you didn't want a rack. Not ideal but an alternative.

Buying second hand is always a good option as there is so much gym equipment going in nearly new condition.

mdwexford

How much space have you got?

Bawnmore

Ush1 wrote: »

You could do front squats or hack squats if you didn't want a rack. Not ideal but an alternative.

Buying second hand is always a good option as there is so much gym equipment going in nearly new condition.

Certainly alternatives, but I think we'd definitely like the option for regular squats.

How much space have you got?

Good question - I'll get someone to measure this evening and post back, but I'd estimate 20ft/sq and 9ft - 10ft high. Problem here is that it shares the space with a photo studio setup which is used infrequently - maybe once a month - which takes about 1/3 of the room. So we need to be able to make this amount of room available if needed.

SLDeviant

I went through the process of agonizing over a squat rack for a while. The size/cost issue was a sticking point but most of the cheaper ones, especially those that were just two separate poles did not look safe. I went with the CF-415 from bodymax, it has great reviews on Amazon. I got it locally but you could use amazon and parcel motel, send it to their N.I. address for free delivery. It's under the 35 kg limit so you should be ok for no excess.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/sports-leisure/dp/B003UU66M8

I love it, I'm only starting out but having to clean the weight for front squats was putting a serious limit on what I could squat. Also it has massive spotter catchers so you can bench heavy without risk of caving your chest in. Only limitation is if you splay your elbows, like at 90 degrees to your body, you might find it a tight fit for benching unless you have a longer bar. It's width adjustable and has a dip station as a bonus.

RidleyRider

SLDeviant wrote: »

I went through the process of agonizing over a squat rack for a while. The size/cost issue was a sticking point but most of the cheaper ones, especially those that were just two separate poles did not look safe. I went with the CF-415 from bodymax, it has great reviews on Amazon. I got it locally but you could use amazon and parcel motel, send it to their N.I. address for free delivery. It's under the 35 kg limit so you should be ok for no excess.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/sports-leisure/dp/B003UU66M8

I love it, I'm only starting out but having to clean the weight for front squats was putting a serious limit on what I could squat. Also it has massive spotter catchers so you can bench heavy without risk of caving your chest in. Only limitation is if you splay your elbows, like at 90 degrees to your body, you might find it a tight fit for benching unless you have a longer bar. It's width adjustable and has a dip station as a bonus.

That looks awesome!

shootermacg

Yeah I'd go for that, if I hadn't already bought a power rack.
Its got your spotters and everything.
All the yummyness of a full rack but taking up a lot less space. You can even do dips with it which is great!

Problem I had with my rack was it's just a tad too wide, so I've been looking for a six foot bar with a 7 footer's grip area without any success.

Bawnmore

SLDeviant wrote: »

http://www.amazon.co.uk/sports-leisure/dp/B003UU66M8

That's absolutely ideal - appreciate it!

nice_guy80

med balls (+ a wall to throw them against)
dumbbells
chin up bar
swiss ball

job done

mdwexford

The half rack is not nearly as safe as an actual power rack and will be fairly lightweight and flimsy.

If you have enough room get a proper rack, ive all my stuff in a garage thats about 14ft by 10ft.

Power Rack
Bench
Dumbbell rack with 10 pairs of dumbbells
Rower (which is stored upright when not in use)
Cross Trainer

You can fit a lot in a small space if you plan it right.

Bawnmore

SLDeviant wrote: »

I went through the process of agonizing over a squat rack for a while. The size/cost issue was a sticking point but most of the cheaper ones, especially those that were just two separate poles did not look safe. I went with the CF-415 from bodymax, it has great reviews on Amazon. I got it locally but you could use amazon and parcel motel, send it to their N.I. address for free delivery. It's under the 35 kg limit so you should be ok for no excess.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/sports-leisure/dp/B003UU66M8

I love it, I'm only starting out but having to clean the weight for front squats was putting a serious limit on what I could squat. Also it has massive spotter catchers so you can bench heavy without risk of caving your chest in. Only limitation is if you splay your elbows, like at 90 degrees to your body, you might find it a tight fit for benching unless you have a longer bar. It's width adjustable and has a dip station as a bonus.

Just a quick update on this - we picked up this squat rack and got it set up in about 10 minutes on Friday. I've given it a few uses since and it seems very solid and perfect for the space we have. Thanks again for the suggestion!

For anyone interested, we bought it (relatively) locally from ProFitness-Supplies in Wexford rather than the Amazon route, and it was in Galway the next day. I had left my phone up in the inlaws by mistake for a few days and the courier couldn't get through to me for a location, but after a quick call, the guys in ProFitness-Supplies sorted it out and it was delivered the following day. I was delighted with the service provided and would be more than happy to recommend them on here for anyone looking for gym equipment in the future.