freeweights or gym

[Cmoazz]

Hey guys, quick question.

Im not an exact pro at weightlifting but someone offered me some gym equipment and a bunch of dumbbells pretty cheap. Do you think I could have the same gains as in a gym just working out with my freeweights? How would I do back and leg stuff?

 

[SgtSlaughter]

Gym.

 

[Protobuilder]

Home gym. LoL

 

[Cynical Simian]

A proper home gym setup (read: one that includes a power rack and bench) would be fine, but if it's just miscellaneous crap go with the gym.

 

[nodiggitydave]

gym + gym buddy = success

 

[poysyn]

i could live off of a pull up bar, a squat rack, and an olympic weight set..

 

[blut wump]

Go with a bar + weights rather than dumbells. Throw in a power rack and bench and you're set. You can expand later with some sort of adjustable DB. The Powertec ones come with a pull-up arrangement and dipping bars.

DBs alone just won't allow you to stress yourself enough and the "gym equipment" is a poor substitute for a bar + weights unless it actually is a bar + weights.

A better question would be whether typical gym equipment can give you as good a workout as free weights. The answer would be "no".

 

[b fold the truth]

I had to leave the gym many years ago for a few reasons. I was a full-time student, worked 2 jobs, and couldn't afford the gym dues. Eventually I ordered a Weider squat rack off of ubid.com that came with a bench and a cable pull down attachment on it, made myself a 2" thick bar for about $30, and picked up some odds and ends weights from different places pretty cheap. I had enough to do benches (incline, decline, flat), close grips, chins, rows, curls, squats, deads, stiff legged deads, and another creative thing or two...so what else did I need?

Eventually I needed a better place to squat so I took two 55 gallon steel drums. I placed them about 5' apart, placed my squat bar across them and used it for a squat rack. Get under it, step back, squat. You could get creative and get a pair of old used car tires and use that for weights as well...just in case you had to bail out from under a squat. The tires would soften the blow on the floor, the bar, and the plates...and would give you anywhere from 25-50 lbs of extra weight per side on the bar (depending on what size tire you got).

You can do it man...you just have to be creative enough to find a way. You are only limited by your imagination and you intensity.

 

[MsBeverlyHills]

I had to leave the gym many years ago for a few reasons. I was a full-time student, worked 2 jobs, and couldn't afford the gym dues. Eventually I ordered a Weider squat rack off of ubid.com that came with a bench and a cable pull down attachment on it, made myself a 2" thick bar for about $30, and picked up some odds and ends weights from different places pretty cheap. I had enough to do benches (incline, decline, flat), close grips, chins, rows, curls, squats, deads, stiff legged deads, and another creative thing or two...so what else did I need?

Eventually I needed a better place to squat so I took two 55 gallon steel drums. I placed them about 5' apart, placed my squat bar across them and used it for a squat rack. Get under it, step back, squat. You could get creative and get a pair of old used car tires and use that for weights as well...just in case you had to bail out from under a squat. The tires would soften the blow on the floor, the bar, and the plates...and would give you anywhere from 25-50 lbs of extra weight per side on the bar (depending on what size tire you got).

You can do it man...you just have to be creative enough to find a way. You are only limited by your imagination and you intensity.

B- im impressed