1st floor weight limit for equipment....

Paul. W · 21 Feb 2011 at 15:14

This is most probably me worrying about nothing here, but ive decided to look into buying my own gym equipment, as im now fed up of paying for over-crowded gyms.

Ill be getting a power rack (weighs approx 50kg), and about 120kg plate wights, and dumbbell weights totalling 60kg to start with.

Just wondering if the first floor spare bedroom that im wanting to use will be ok supporting this kind of weight....

The house is a standard terraced house built in the late 80s.

BennyC · 21 Feb 2011 at 15:20

I think it's difficult for anyone to say as it comes down to the property itself. Bear in mind any weight hitting the floor will hit it with the effect of double or tripple the actual weight.

Say you've got 60KG on you back + BW at 70-80KG and then the rack around you is almost 200KG on a small section of floor boards/joists. If you can get it on something concrete or have someone qualified to tell you if the floor can take it come around.

Someone here trains in his loft.

Clum · 21 Feb 2011 at 15:42

As above, 100% get someone who knows the score to have a look at your joists first. I'll be the guy that trains in the loft

Although only temp it's fine for me as the house it really old so built like a fortress with solid oak joists. Wouldn't dream of it in some of these new houses that seem to be built out of balsa wood and paper maché!

dave_beast · 21 Feb 2011 at 15:44

I dropped an 8kg dumbell in my bedroom once, (laminate floor over floor boards) it went through the laminate and halfway through the floorboards!

Paul. W · 21 Feb 2011 at 16:09

dave_beast said:
I dropped an 8kg dumbell in my bedroom once, (laminate floor over floor boards) it went through the laminate and halfway through the floorboards!

The house is an ex-council one. Think ill try getting in contact with them and see if they can tell me

sammo62 · 21 Feb 2011 at 17:09

you could always spread the load by putting your equipment on a big sheet of wood - that's what I did as didn't trust the flooring.

Mansize_tissue · 21 Feb 2011 at 22:49

I live in a really old (1920s) terraced house which really isn't very well built at all. Floors creak, footsteps rumble through the house etc.

If you're careful you should be fine though. I've got a power rack, 215kg of weight, barbell, bench, 90kg of dumbbell weights and a 50kg rowing machine all in a bedroom on the upper floor and it's fine. I just have to put the weights down relatively carefully, and there's not much noise because I've got about an inch of matting.

It's like have 5 or 6 people standing on your floor. I'd be pretty worried if the floor couldn't cope with that. If I were to accidentally drop the bar when I'm deadlifting howevever, I'm pretty sure I'd be doing the rest of the set downstairs!