I guess that’s enough for 2 larger plates a side, so you could go up to 35kg per dumbbell using 10s and 5s. A 5, 2, and a 1 per side should work too.
Official Home Gym Building Thread
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I guess that’s enough for 2 larger plates a side, so you could go up to 35kg per dumbbell using 10s and 5s. A 5, 2, and a 1 per side should work too.
Soldato
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I've got the short sleeved ones - they are fine... they're 5kg on their own and of the plates I have the biggest I can fit on them would be 2x 5kg hex plates on each side for 25kg total - but I reckon if you had some thinner steel oly plates you could fit a bit more on
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Thanks both. Yeah to be honest as I figured it would mostly be lower weight plates used on these, I'd go for the Mirafit extra thin steel ones to maximise what can go on them. Will pay a bit more but should be able to get each DB up to about 35-40kg.
The clips will have a big impact on what you can fit on too.
Soldato
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Yeah ^^ this too, I have regular collars and they take up a huge chunk of the length - they hold on okay when only halfway on but I'm not sure I'd trust exercises where the weight is right over my face that way 
You can get some other types of collars that aren't so thick so that might be better
You can get some other types of collars that aren't so thick so that might be better
Can anyone please recommend a good brand for Kettlebells? Budget is not a concern, and by that I mean I am not looking for cheap and cheerful nor the most expensive on the market. I want some good quality ones that will last the years. 
Currently I have seen Rogue and Decathlon have well reviewed options.
Currently I have seen Rogue and Decathlon have well reviewed options.
Caporegime
Can anyone please recommend a good brand for Kettlebells? Budget is not a concern, and by that I mean I am not looking for cheap and cheerful nor the most expensive on the market. I want some good quality ones that will last the years.
Currently I have seen Rogue and Decathlon have well reviewed options.
So from what I can see there are your standard cast iron kettlebells, most places sell these with their branding on them.
e.g. Bulldog Gear:https://bulldoggear.com/products/bulldog-gear-box-kettlebell-1?variant=23886440453
Mirafit: https://mirafit.co.uk/mirafit-cast-iron-kettlebell-choice-of-weight.html
Then you have the fancy ones which use have a coating like rubber.
e.g. Bulldog Gear:https://bulldoggear.com/products/competition-kettlebells?variant=21324020805
Mirafit: https://mirafit.co.uk/mirafit-soft-touch-cast-iron-kettlebell-weight.html
Most places sell sets with storage racks. This looks decent but out of stock - https://mirafit.co.uk/mirafit-kettlebell-set-weight-rack.html
Soldato
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Contemplating picking up this: https://bulldoggear.com/collections/selectorised/products/zero-1-dual-adjustable-pulley or maybe this: https://bulldoggear.com/collections/selectorised/products/zero-2-dual-adjustable-pulley
Although expensive, would be such a great use of space as they barely take up any at all and my gym space is already very cramped in the garage. However I had been assuming I could use it for pulldowns + low rows but now thinking about it with only a 50kg weight stack maybe that's not going to be enough... The dual one has 50kg per side but I can't see how you'd be able to combine them into a pulldown or row. I guess I could still get this and then specifically for pulldowns/rows I can make something more cheerful using my rack, some pulleys and a plate loading pin or something. Thoughts?
Although expensive, would be such a great use of space as they barely take up any at all and my gym space is already very cramped in the garage. However I had been assuming I could use it for pulldowns + low rows but now thinking about it with only a 50kg weight stack maybe that's not going to be enough... The dual one has 50kg per side but I can't see how you'd be able to combine them into a pulldown or row. I guess I could still get this and then specifically for pulldowns/rows I can make something more cheerful using my rack, some pulleys and a plate loading pin or something. Thoughts?
Thanks for the tips mate. Those you suggested look a lot like the ones I was looking at so I have just ordered 1x 16KG to be getting on with, as it will take some time to learn the correct basic forms and exercises before I move on to more advanced weights and exercises. Hope I don't put a hole through my apartment floor or anything else within it.
Caporegime
Those do look very nice but I'm not sure they are good for rows and pull downs. For a pull down you're going to need something to hook under when things get heavier, otherwise you'll just hang on the bar
seated rows, you ideally want to be positioned far enough back from the pulley so that you still hold the weight when your arms are fully extended. With your feet pressed up against the machine I think the ROM wouldn't be big enough. You could do similar to what I do and use a couple of DBs as foot pads! The last thing to think about is pulley ratio, as it doesn't look like you'll get 1:1.I can't remember your specific space, do you not have a rack you can get a add on pulley for?
Soldato
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Those do look very nice but I'm not sure they are good for rows and pull downs. For a pull down you're going to need something to hook under when things get heavier, otherwise you'll just hang on the bar
I can't remember your specific space, do you not have a rack you can get a add on pulley for?
Good points, cheers... I am thinking maybe other than being very compact they probably aren't going to be quite what I want. I have a half rack which doesn't have a pulldown attachment option...
Maybe I'll stick with my original plan of getting the Mirafit M3 adjustable pulley if it ever comes back in stock - plate loaded like your Gorilla sports one but can set the handles to any height. At a quarter of the cost of the bulldog one I can use the spare cash to complete my set of bumpers and get some attachments and stuff
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Glad I found this thread. I've been lifting in my garage for 9 months with a 1" bar and some crappy vinyl weights and I'm looking to upgrade. Powerhouse have got a b-stock set with 125kg of plates and a 20kg bar, which is only rated for 180kg max. I'm tempted to get the set (£412) as I don't own any 2" plates at all. Current deadlift is 90kg, which is all the plates I have currently. Does this sound like a good idea or would i better picking the Mirafit ones mentioned earlier in the thread? Budget is up to £600 for enough weights for a year or two. Thanks.
Caporegime
Personally, I'd go with the better kit from Mirafit. 4 x 20kg bumpers then the rest in hex plates as they are cheaper and more versatile. The reason for the hex is they are coated so will last longer, cheaper than the bumpers, smaller so the bumpers will be in contact with the floor and with hand holds they can be used for other assistance movements.
Here's how my bar usually gets loaded up for example.
Associate
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Thanks for taking the time to put that list together. Looks great! I'll go with this. Cheers.
Soldato
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If you want a rack to use it with that doesn't break the bank can definitely recommend the Mirafit M210 half rack - all their stuff is great value virtually my entire home gym is made by them
Associate
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I'm definitely in the market for a decent rack or cage. I promised myself if I kept it up for a year I'll get rid of the old stuff and buy a decent power cage. I've got a basic half rack which doesn't have safeties and had 2 sketchy moments where I had to bail. Getting something with safeties is top of the list as I'm training alone and not far off the year mark. Good to see Mirafit being recommended as a lot of their stuff is actually in stock now. I bought a BodyMax AB500 bench which I really like and was looking at the Thor Power Cage from Strength Shop. Seems to tick all the boxes and I've got the space for it in the garage. Any other recommendations are welcome, though. Cheers.
Caporegime
No worries. The other benefit to the smaller hex plates is getting some other Olympic bars to use eg tricep bar or ez bar.
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Soldato
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Well having done it I can tell you that it will take many years to pay for itself financially, but not very long to feel like you're getting value out of it for other reasons...
I think putting our gym together (incl painting + flooring the garage, buying rack, weights, bench etc.) is going to be of the order of maybe £2k or so... with my wife and I paying £25 pcm for gym before this that's a long time to recoup. But you get to the gym after work and back after instantly, you have the whole space to yourself, as a new Dad with limited time I find the savings not having to wait around for students hogging the machines sat on their phones (we went to a Uni Gym before) is worth the outlay. And I think it shows in terms of results as well, feel like I've progressed more in my time having this home gym than I ever did going to commercial gyms
For us it was costing £38/month for two memberships. £456 a year is a decent budget to work with and we've managed to get everything we need except the lat pulldown/cable row machine.
Currently looking at selling our rack and buying one of these though - https://musclesquad.com/products/musclesquad-phase-2-quarter-rack-pulley
It would save us space and give more options so it seems a no-brainer. If anyone here owns any Muscle Squad kit and rates it, let me know please.