I may have a home gym - opinions

[RGS83]

My girlfriends father bought this a long time ago - has never used it!
No one is ever going to use it...
I currently have Weider Bench and free weights, as i workout at home - HOWEVER I have no spotter.

What do you guys think of this machine (i may get it for free):

http://www.spokesplus.com/gc/gc_item.exe?K=FWEWEI8530&A=10023

I may even be able to keep my bench for some exercises (skull crushers - love em), and some free weights (curls).

I've decided that I'm not ever going to be a HUGE man benching crazy numbers ... to each their own...
I'm 21, 5'11, 160lbs; All I want is to burn off what little gut i have, put on some muscle, and get in some good shape. (6pack, larger arm, defined chest/back - mix of endurance and strengh)

Given my goals, the fact that it's a potnetially free system, - what do you guys think? I'm not going for crazyness here - i know free weights are better, but i have no spotter, and limited access to a gym (which i don't like to go to anyways.....
opinions.

Regards
-Ryan

 

[riverrock]

The only problem I find with home gyms is that they take away the whole "gym experience" of leaving your house for a bit, being in a training environment, enjoying the gym surroundings, and being in the company of other weight-lifting enthuasists. Also, I found with a home gym was that they got boring after a while as there's only so much you can do with them. You can't squat, Deadlift, do free weights etc. After a while, they just get "shelved" and if you have a look in the classified section of any local trading magazine, it no wonder that theres a heap of them up for sale secondhand as people simply get bored with them.

 

[Schutzhund1]

I"m sure it will make a great clothes rack.


J/K....

 

[riverrock]

I"m sure it will make a great clothes rack.


J/K....

LMAO!!!!!!!

Its like having a pool table in your house. After a while it makes an excellent table to place your books and anything else you can't find a home for!!

 

[RGS83]

See, but exercise wise, and resistance wise, what do you think in terms of my goals?

Remember:
I don't have a spotter at home.
I don't like the whole gym experince anyways (never have, maybe no good ones around me)
I have my bench and free weights, and i;ve been quite dedicated, so i'm not worried in that regard - I may still keep them for some exercises (skull crushers, ect) but this has a squat thing, which i can't do at home w/o a spotter.. it has HEAVY bench press, which i can't do safely w/o a spotter... can't do dips now, or pull downs..

Given all that - what do ya think?

 

[riverrock]

See, but exercise wise, and resistance wise, what do you think in terms of my goals?

Remember:
I don't have a spotter at home.
I don't like the whole gym experince anyways (never have, maybe no good ones around me)
I have my bench and free weights, and i;ve been quite dedicated, so i'm not worried in that regard - I may still keep them for some exercises (skull crushers, ect) but this has a squat thing, which i can't do at home w/o a spotter.. it has HEAVY bench press, which i can't do safely w/o a spotter... can't do dips now, or pull downs..

Given all that - what do ya think?

If your dedicated and its free - then give it a blast!

 

[JayC9]

No offence mate. Don't waste your money on that piece of junk. Go out and spend it on a years membership to the best gym you can afford.

If you've got some kind of weird defect though that makes people stare...it'll do?

 

[WoodyAllen]

What does not having a spotter have to do with it? I say take it and sell it. Buy some free weights the proceeds.

I train alone at the gym and don't usually (read: pretty much never) ask strangers to give me a spot and manage to get by. I think the only machines I ever use are for hamstring curls and leg extensions.

By the way, I think putting self-imposed limits on your progress will pretty much guaruntee you don't even reach that goal. Why not make your goal to get as fit and strong as possible? I"m pretty sure that you're not going to 'accidently' turn into Dorian Yates because you didn't put the brakes on your training.

 

[shamrock11]

I lift without a spotter and I have no problems except that I feel I could workout a little harder if I had a spotter. Although You'll get a better work withut a spotter at the gym than at home on a machine without a spotter. I don't like machines b/c they take away from the strength build up of small stabilizer muscle that you have to use to keep free weight balanced. This could help lead to an injury later down the road if you decided to go to free weights.