Building a home gym.

[P-CURLS]

Ok guys, its been a while since I have posted but I have been around for a while. I am looking for some opinions. I am in the process of building a home gym, and the budget I have is forcing me to buy it piece by peice, I allready have 600lbs of plates, and a good olympic bench, also have a adjustable bench for dumbell work, I purchased a set 100's, a set of 85's, and a set of 75's to start with. I plan on filling in the rest as I go. I have the opportunity to purchase a bowflex at 0% financing, and what I am loking to get will run me about $25 a month, I was thinking of adding it in ,since it is affordable, but was looking for a few experienced opinions on the bowflex. I was hoping to use it for burndowns and toning in general. so lets hear from experienced users. thanks.

 

[satchboogie]

INDY built a really solid home gym this year.. have a few words..

 

[Its All Genetics]

just ask ronnie coleman he got that big using......you guessed it bowflex! lol jk bro but seriously its a waste i think i never used it but i think u wanna get big all u need is a bench. some way to make it incline decline and then some heavy ass dumbells and plates thats all u need to get huge look at the guys in prison...

 

[BigCracker]

Whatever you do, don'y buy anything brand new. I can't think of any other product that depreciates in value faster than fitness equipment. The sad part is most people buy it new and never even use it. Then it becomes nothing more than a dust collector,or in some cases, maybe an expensive laundry rack? There are great deals on ebay. You just need to buy stuff locally and p/u yourself because shipping will kill you. Let someone else's loss be your gain.

I have an olympic set, and commercial quality adjustable flat/incline bench with a massive power rack. I also have those space saver dumbells that allow you to adjust weights with pins. For cardio I have a Tectrix Stationary Bike that's self charging. It all fits in my dining room just fine. lol Being single rocks.

With this set up I can do every core exercise for every bodypart-which is perfect for days I don't have time/or feel like going to Gold's. I can always use the cable/machine stuff on the days I'm there, so owning these things at home for me would be a waste of $$$. I have my bike positioned so I can see my big screen tv in my living room so I can watch cable, dvd's, or play x-box while I peddle off the extra lbs too.

 

[Indy]

INDY built a really solid home gym this year.. have a few words..

I have one in the depths of my home gym. It was great in the beginning and there are many great excersizes you can do on it. I have found thru years of using the bowflex ontop of 20 years of free weight training that there is really no substitute for cast iron and gravity for muscle mass and strength. Since construction has finished earlier on the home gym Satch is referring to, I honestly have not used it once, and it's a huge investment in itself. If you really want one, watch ebay and get one for 25% of the original price, most become towel racks anyways.

 

[boops]

Ok guys, its been a while since I have posted but I have been around for a while. I am looking for some opinions. I am in the process of building a home gym, and the budget I have is forcing me to buy it piece by peice, I allready have 600lbs of plates, and a good olympic bench, also have a adjustable bench for dumbell work, I purchased a set 100's, a set of 85's, and a set of 75's to start with. I plan on filling in the rest as I go. I have the opportunity to purchase a bowflex at 0% financing, and what I am loking to get will run me about $25 a month, I was thinking of adding it in ,since it is affordable, but was looking for a few experienced opinions on the bowflex. I was hoping to use it for burndowns and toning in general. so lets hear from experienced users. thanks.

i dont see a power rack in there, i think money would be better spent on that instead of a bowflex....

 

[P-CURLS]

Ok, I was looking at it as an addition. I currently have a membership at 2 gyms, I am a member at golds, and a local hole in the wall with 24 hour access, but here is my problem, I am currently holding down a full time job, and have started a repossesion bussiness, that I am trying to get off the ground, I have been pulling double duty at both for the last year, and that has put a huge squeze on my gym time. so now I am like fuck it, I have a big enough house, and enough space in a spare room, I will just build my own. I plan on adding a smith, a power rack, and a high end piece of cardio equipment. the bowflex is appealing because it offers a lot in one package, and for 25 bucks a month it is readily affordable, and the deal I got is 0% so its the same as cash. I wouldn't even look at it if I had to fork out the full purchase price. my idea was to add it as a supplement, not the main attraction at the P-curls home gym. I know what works for me, I have been in the game for a while with a few cycles under my belt. I am 6'1 and 255, and I am around 15 %bf. I have no delusions about what packs on the mass, plates and bells have gotten me this far, but I know my body likes a change from time to time . and not to make this any longer, but I did fuck around on one at a local sporting goods store, but it only went up to the 210 pound rods, the 1 I am looking at will get the 410, so it should be somewhat challenging. I am sorry for the long post but I felt I needed to explain my situation a little more in depth. so let me have some feedback. thanks.

 

[phatrr]

I'd skip the BowFlex.

Ask yourself how you'll work the core muscle groups, and put together an equipment list. Then, I'd plan my space. I was surprised at how much space is required for a Smith Machine, as one example. [In fact, my Smith machine is currently dissambled b/c we moved into a new house, and I just don't have the room for it with my current setup. Same for the seated calf]

Once you get all your dumbbells, are you going to rack them? That takes a lot of space.

I wouldn't worry about any "extra" goodies like a BF until I figured out these basics.

I'd also suggest that a power rack is needed - how else are you going to squat?

When we originally put it together, we ended up with a power rack; an adjustable bench (which can be used in the power rack) that has a preacher curl attachment; a pull-down/cable row; a Smith; seated calf; a combo leg press/Hack squat; bells from 5-100 lbs in 5lb increments; a couple bars, and enough plates.

It also sounds like you're going to be using your home setup for most of your workouts. Have you thought about flooring? It makes a huge difference to have the "gym-type" mats in place if you're going to be using it a lot.

Good luck with it.

 

[P-CURLS]

I'd skip the BowFlex.

Ask yourself how you'll work the core muscle groups, and put together an equipment list. Then, I'd plan my space. I was surprised at how much space is required for a Smith Machine, as one example. [In fact, my Smith machine is currently dissambled b/c we moved into a new house, and I just don't have the room for it with my current setup. Same for the seated calf]

Once you get all your dumbbells, are you going to rack them? That takes a lot of space.

I wouldn't worry about any "extra" goodies like a BF until I figured out these basics.

I'd also suggest that a power rack is needed - how else are you going to squat?

When we originally put it together, we ended up with a power rack; an adjustable bench (which can be used in the power rack) that has a preacher curl attachment; a pull-down/cable row; a Smith; seated calf; a combo leg press/Hack squat; bells from 5-100 lbs in 5lb increments; a couple bars, and enough plates.

It also sounds like you're going to be using your home setup for most of your workouts. Have you thought about flooring? It makes a huge difference to have the "gym-type" mats in place if you're going to be using it a lot.

Good luck with it.

Good looking out with the flooring, I purchased that first, before I bought any equipment. I am planning on doing all of my workouts at home. when we had the house built, I left a large section on the lower level unfinished, because I knew I would turn it into a gym. I will be shopping for a power rack, and a dedicated shoulder rack after christmas. and the way it is looking I should be able to add a piece about once a month.I would love to be able to just go out and get everything I need, but with this bussiness I have to keep a bankroll put back for incidentals, and billing delays. so I am trying to be conservative. thanks.

 

[RADAR]

I bought out a gym that was going out of busingess i picked several items from the list
squat rack
Bench
Preacher curl
ab incliner
York DB set 5lbs-150lbs
and 1000 lbs of plates
and i also purchased a bowflex it is excellent for ripping and bringing out those striations just make sure you get one with enough resistance, mine was 210lbs i upgraded it to 410
Make no mistake about it-nothing will replace the iron, but like th leg press, lat pulldown the bowflex is an essentual tool if used properly!

RADAR