Weights - Have I missed anything?

Nitrojan

Nitrojan

Nitrojan

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12 Jan 2008
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Ok, just had some money paid in and i'm looking at buying a set of free weights now that i'm 16. This is what I have in my 'shopping basket' at the moment.. just wondering if any of you can recommend me anything at a better price and/or tell me if I have missed anything as I am relatively new to free weights!

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Thanks!
 
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personally id spend more on the bench as I would imagine that one would be pretty flimsy and would struggle to hold you plus the weight your using once you start uping the weight, also I'd go for a proper oly set of free weights.
If you have a look through some of the weight lifting threads you should find some links to some proper fitness equipment sites which will give you much more choice
 
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get a better bench for a start. no need for those bolt ons tbh.
forget the gloves.
invest in a proper barbell and some proper weights, also more weight :]
 
Yeah the fly attachement is pretty useless and will just get in the way when you want to use dumbbells :p Surprisingly those benches aren't actually that bad, certainly not for a beginner anyway, and looking at Argos I can see why you're getting that one as it's cheaper than the one without the fly attachment :p

As an example, we got the Argos bench and stuck it outside and has easily coped with 150kg (me plus weights) and doesn't even creak or anything and feels pretty solid.

Don't bother with the chrome set, get the 50Kg cast-iron set instead for £60, and with the £20 saved buy the 2 x 10kg cast-iron plates instead would be my advice.

Not a bad set of weights then for £120 - obviously there are much bigger and better sets to be had, but then you are in the region of £100 plus for a bench alone!

*edit*

I would add, the best thing is to check your local free-ads or sites like gumtree, you can get a lot of weight for not much money, and it's not like you have to worry about quality.....it's just lumps of iron after all :p
 
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Morba said:
get a better bench for a start. no need for those bolt ons tbh.
forget the gloves.
invest in a proper barbell and some proper weights, also more weight :]
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This.

Spinlocks consantly loosen and are rediculously annoying. The 50KG may seem a lot but its split between two dumbells and a barbell.

You need a solid bench, with adjustable seat and backrest. Nothing fancy, just well made.

Don't bother with gloves.

Whether or not you need the floor gaurds is dependant on the situation. But if you can't put the weight down, don't pick them up. You should never need to chuck the weights onto the floor. The floor gaurds are only a requisite if you're trying to preserve a floor that's fragile, which you shouldn't be lifting on anyway. And 4x4ft isn't sufficient coverage for the bench.

More important than the fancy kit is a solid routine and a rudimentary understanding of the mechanics of weight lifting. Check out the sticky and ask anyone here for advice, very helpful bunch!

Good luck!
Ant :cool:

EDIT: Re the bench, I'll bow to Rich's greater wisdom having never used it myself :)
 
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Thanks for the advice.. At the moment I have about £150 - £180 (very top of budget, although I'd like to keep it nearer £150) to spend on the full weight package.

If anyone could come up with a list of what to buy, that'd be great and much appreciated :P

Thanks for the advice though guys! Been really helpful!

EDIT:

WantoN said:
This.
Whether or not you need the floor gaurds is dependant on the situation. But if you can't put the weight down, don't pick them up. You should never need to chuck the weights onto the floor. The floor gaurds are only a requisite if you're trying to preserve a floor that's fragile, which you shouldn't be lifting on anyway. And 4x4ft isn't sufficient coverage for the bench.
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My bedroom floor is laminate and that is the reason why i am considering the floor guards :p

EDIT #2:

How about something like this or this?
 
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For £180, i would say you might as well join a cheap gym tbh.

failing that, it could be time to get someone to do some work for you.

http://www.gymratz.co.uk/weight-training-gym-equipment/item158.htm
something like this could be knocked up quite quickly and cheaply by someone handy with a welder.
a step up would be to fabricate a chin bar. infact, Ultra on here (i think its him) has drilled some stuff into his wall for dips and chins, cheap and perfect :]

barbell + db's + 150kg of weight.


then you can do pretty much everything you need.
 
Nitrojan said:
My bedroom floor is laminate and that is the reason why i am considering the floor guards :p

EDIT #2:

How about something like this or this?
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you really dont want to be doing weights in an upstairs bedroom tbh, noisy, very noisy.

50kg just isnt enough, not spread across db's and a barbell.
 
To be fair though Morba, he's only a young lad who has never used free weights before so I imagine it might be a little while before he gets to 50kg let alone 150kg :p

How about this for £130

http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk...dumbell-kit-and-free-weightlifting-gloves.php

And this for £40

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produ...ght+lifting+and+exercise+benches|10199538.htm

then every now and then, spend £20 on 20kg of weights from Argos (either 4 x 5kg or 2 x 10) and for, say £200, will have a squat rack, decent bench and 100kg-odd of weights
 
Well, it might be, but 30kg on a barbell and 2x10kg dumbells will get light very quickly, even for someone new.
 
Yeah I agree, but that's why I was in favour of getting the 10kg plates which you can leave on the barbell and it frees up the 5kg plates for the dumbbells to have less swapping

i.e. if he bought the bench in the OP (£40) , the 50kg cast-iron set (£60) and the floor guards (£15, optional) , that's £115. Add 4 x 10kg plates at £40 and for £155 you have a barbell which always has 40kg minimum sitting on it, plus the other 50kg to mix and match between the barbell and dumbell
 
Rich_L said:
How about this for £130

http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk...dumbell-kit-and-free-weightlifting-gloves.php

And this for £40

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produ...ght+lifting+and+exercise+benches|10199538.htm

then every now and then, spend £20 on 20kg of weights from Argos (either 4 x 5kg or 2 x 10) and for, say £200, will have a squat rack, decent bench and 100kg-odd of weights
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What benefits would the squat rack + those weights give me over something like this?

Would you recommend going for something like this?

122695165898.jpg
 
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If you are after those type of weights (spin-lock) and bench from Argos, best thing to do is get the free-ads papers from your area (and check places like gumtree on the web) as you find quite a bit of weights/benches like those going for a song from people who have bought them to train at home, used them a few times then given it up as a bad idea (i think i went through 3 sets over a period of 10yrs giving each away until i got a bit more disciplined with home training an set myself up properly).
 
Funny you should say that. My dad is against the idea of me buying weights and has told me that "So many people buy weights and end up giving up - wasting their money". It kind of puts me off but then again i've wanted to start for a long time.

I've heard that 16 is a good age to begin training with free weights and that you shouldn't start any younger.
 
whoever told you that needs a slap :p

mate, forget the weights at home imo. go join a cheap gym
 
Nitrojan said:
Funny you should say that. My dad is against the idea of me buying weights and has told me that "So many people buy weights and end up giving up - wasting their money". It kind of puts me off but then again i've wanted to start for a long time.

I've heard that 16 is a good age to begin training with free weights and that you shouldn't start any younger.
Click to expand...

It can be quite hard to get motivated to train at home, there's always something else better to do (watch telly, surf for pron etc) that's why as a starting point its a good idea to get down the gym. Have a look in yell and see if there are any places you could get access to (council gyms round my way are semi-decent, other than that ask the local doormen on clubs/pubs where the local gyms are), don't be scared when going along, you'll find most people in there will be willing to give advice (some good, lots bad! :)).
 
Bizarrely I actually find it the opposite, it doesn't help that working in the City all the gyms are rammed and full of cardio machines though :p At least at home I have the weights there, can put some tunes on and don't have to wait to use things :p

Although I do miss some things, chin-up bar mainly, although doing underarm chinups off a bar on a squat rack works..ish :D
 
You should look on ebay for a bench,as they go for peanuts second hand,and this would leave you with more to spend on the free weights.
I saw a bench like the one in your basket go for £1 recently.And there is one on ebay at the moment with 50kg Iron weights and York bench that will probably go for £40
You would probably have to arrange pickup though,as you wont get many people offering to deliver them.
I would also recommend a 7' bar as that 5' one will be a little tight for squatting and bench press.If you are only going to have one bar to start with,definately go with the longer one.
 
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