Looking for bench and weights

Oynas

Oynas

Oynas

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Joined
28 Aug 2005
Posts
552
Location
London
Hi Guys - first post here! :)

I want to start losing weight so I've started looking around for a bench and some weights for the flat.

What do you guys think of the following? Any good?

Bench

Weights
 
Cardio will certainly form part of my routine, but I am also very keen on lifting weights (as well as improving my diet). I probably should have said 'become slimmer' rather than 'lose weight'.

Any thoughts on the above two pieces of kit?
 
I would get a rack instead of that gym. It will allow you to do more exercises (pull up's, sqauts, calf raises, dips) and will be safer due to the safety catch bars.

And if you wanted to take body building more serious in future, you will already have the most important part (the rack)

It will work out a bit more expensive, but if you bought second hand instead of brand new, you could get a good incline/decline bench, rack and 7ft olympic bar with a decent weight to go on within your budget.

As for not losing weight by lifting weight, that is untrue. Its best to devise a plan where you are doing cardio something like mon/wed/fri, and hitting the weights tue/thurs/sat with sunday off
 
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I got that bench, it's a good 1 for sure. But honestly I think it's worth spending more on the weights and grabbing an Olympic bar and some proper weights. I got this:

http://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk...05kg_trigrip_olympic_weight_set_/12268_p.html

Also bought some Olympic dumbbells:
http://www.purefitnessandsports.co....x-olympic-dumbell-bar-with-collars-p-443.html

Of course you can check the bay and see if there's some deals there, just make sure the bar is 7' other wise it won't fit on the bench.
 
You've got an olympic bench and a standard barbell set there, would probably be fine, but since your bench can take it you may as well get an olympic barbell set too. Standard bars are thinner than olympic bars.
Like has bin said above, if your budget can stretch a rack would be a lot better because you can perform a lot more excersizes, and same as above look for some dumbells too, a decent set to get you going shouldn't be too expensive.
 
Take a look at the thread here. Four pages of power rack and home gym discussion :D.

You might want to look at something like this (439, power rack, lat attachment, bench and 100Kg Oly barbell set) depending on feedback from others here who may already have it. Seems like a pretty good starting set if you have the room and the cash.

RB
 
Thanks for all the advice.

Must admit I hadn't considered a rack - I'm not entirely sure what they are. Presumably, you attach weights to the rack and that allows you to perform a variety of exercises. Is that correct?
 
People call them racks, power racks, cages, powercages or squat racks. They are just a hollow steel frame, and the main idea behind them is for doing exercises (squats and lying barbell benches) without a spotter.

When you lift heavy weights and are trying to build muscle, people often 'train to failure' meaning their muscles cannot physically lift the weight any more after a certain number of reps. This can be a dangerous situation to be in if you are on your own lying on your back on your bench with the barbell lying on your chest and no way to get out of it. The safety bars on the rack stop the bar from falling on you, so you can safely train to failure every time.

If you don't intend on body building and just want to trim some fat and stay 'normal', then you probably won't need a cage. I've had mine 4years now, and wouldn't be without it. To me, it's an essential tool for the job.
 
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RobRX-7 said:
People call them racks, power racks, cages, powercages or squat racks. They are just a hollow steel frame, and the main idea behind them is for doing exercises (squats and lying barbell benches) without a spotter.
Click to expand...

Just a little amendment to that. Racks and squat racks are usually different regardless of what wikipedia says ;).

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A power cage (also known as a power rack, squat cage, or squat rack) is an item of weight training equipment designed to allow for a safe free-weight workout using a barbell without the movement restrictions imposed by equipment such as the Smith machine. It essentially comprises four vertical posts with two movable horizontal bar catchers on each side.
Click to expand...
As RobRX-7 has mentioned the power rack creates a 'cage' with catch bars.
PowerCage.jpg


A squat rack has two verticals higher at the back to hold the bar at just below shoulder height fro mounting on your shoulders and two lower catch bars for catching the weight should you hit failure at the bottom of the squat so you can unload without assistance. The shorter bars at the front mean you are doing squats in an open area where you can go forwards or backwards without restriction although it is preferable to stay above the catch bars for obvious reasons.

SquatRack.jpg


I love the squat rack and tend to do bench presses, dead lifts, rows and military presses there :D. They tend to be underutilised in the gyms I have worked in where as the smith machines and power racks seem to be full most the time.

If you can get a power rack for around the same price as a bench and weights (like the offer in the link I posted above) and you have the room then it will allow more exercises with better safety if used right than a bench alone.

RB
 
Unfortunately, I don't think I am going to have the space for a rack. I'm probably going to go for the bench in the OP plus an Olympic bar and weights. It's probably the wrong way around, but I will probably add the rack at some point in the future, when I (hopefully) move into a bigger place.

Would the bench in the OP be compatible with a rack?
 
No mate don't think It's going to fit In a rack, looks like a good bench though.


The guy in the video needs to learn to squat, pussy lol.
 
You are going to need something to hold the barbell before you start to use it. The first bench has this but the second does not.

To me the two benches look similar with the second just not having the catchers so maybe they can be removed for use with a rack.

Best bet is to call the store and check with them as they have the items and sizes to confirm with.

RB
 
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