Official Home Gym Building Thread

[Cadder]

Does anyone have one of these?

https://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodymax-cf660-plate-loading-lat-pulldown-low-pulley-sebr3459

I'd like to know if it's any good or not.

 

[Syla5]

I would advise against it, mainly because it has very limited uses compared to alternatives and space in home gyms is usually a premium. What do you currently have setup wise?

 

[Cadder]

I would advise against it, mainly because it has very limited uses compared to alternatives and space in home gyms is usually a premium. What do you currently have setup wise?

Body-Solid Squat Rack
Mirafit Leg Raise Station
20kg 7ft oly bar
2 x oly DB
Oly EZ bar
Plyo box
Adjustable argos bench.

Looking for a cable curl/lat pulldown machine and a better quality bench to give us more options. I like the adjustable position cable machines but I don't like the lack of a seat and leg bars

 

[Syla5]

Body-Solid Squat Rack
Mirafit Leg Raise Station
20kg 7ft oly bar
2 x oly DB
Oly EZ bar
Plyo box
Adjustable argos bench.

Looking for a cable curl/lat pulldown machine and a better quality bench to give us more options. I like the adjustable position cable machines but I don't like the lack of a seat and leg bars

Have you looked for a pulley attachment for your specific rack? This might be a good place to start, as an in rack mounted one you can use your barbell with a pad as your leg bar, which is what i do with mine.

However I have a stand alone bodymax CF810 as well for all the other angles. This is where the "how much space" element comes in.

 

[Cadder]

Have you looked for a pulley attachment for your specific rack? This might be a good place to start, as an in rack mounted one you can use your barbell with a pad as your leg bar, which is what i do with mine.

However I have a stand alone bodymax CF810 as well for all the other angles. This is where the "how much space" element comes in.

My squat rack doesn't allow for an attachment unfortunately. I need a standalone machine. Space-wise, no taller than 2100mm and the footprint is roughly the size of a dining table I'm looking to get shot of in the garage

Looking for more stable mats too but they seem to be increasing in price.

 

[Syla5]

This is what I have, I picked mine up second hand for £250! Took some hunting though and a 2.5hr each way trip.

BodyMax CF810 Elite Adjustable Hi-Low Pulley - Shop Online - Fitshop

Maximize strength training with the BodyMax CF810 Elite Hi-Low Pulley, featuring a free-standing design, 72kg weight stack, and versatile cable adjustments.

www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk

Alternatively there is a bodycraft wall mount option:

BodyCraft Cable Pull Station - Fitshop

Buy BodyCraft Cable Pull Station with expert advice at Fitshop, Europe's No.1 for Home Fitness - Online and in 9 stores.

www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk

Mirafit also do one but its out of stock right now.

Mirafit Wall or Rack Mounted Cable Pulley Machine

Our floor standing cable pulley machine can be attached to a suitable wall or bolted directly to the Mirafit M3 Power Rack. With 17 adjustment levels and dual pulleys it allows a wide range of cable exercises to be performed with minimum footprint

mirafit.co.uk

Another option if you really have the space is the Bodymax CF820, or other dual cable dual stack setups.

Finally, a lot of people are doing really intuitive stuff with 1 or 2 of these DIY setups:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gonex-Fitness-Cable-Pulley-System/dp/B092491M4Y/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?keywords=cable+pulley+system&qid=1656063885&sprefix=cable+pulley+%2Caps%2C84&sr=8-4-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEySzJDUTk3T0NOQjBRJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjQzMzkzNzhZT0NaMEVGTktZJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4MzE2OTMzSFhPWVRUNjJGTk5GJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

[uncle_rufus]

And to add another one to the mix mine is this one:

Wall Mounted Home Gym Single Cable Pulley Machine - Primal Strength

Our wall mounted single cable pulley is an affordable, customisable cable system. Ideal for any home workout space. Shop online today.

www.primalstrength.com

It's pretty solid, and I just pull my regular bench up to it... though I agree with you about having a lack of ways to lock yourself down for pulldowns. I think what I am going to do when time allows is make my own knee pad attachment for the above which secures using the same push-pin holes that the cable dolly uses, shouldn't be too difficult

 

[aoaaron]

How do you guys paint your walls for your gyms? Trying to give it a more luxurious finish than the standard brick walls or white paint.

 

[Cadder]

How do you guys paint your walls for your gyms? Trying to give it a more luxurious finish than the standard brick walls or white paint.

Masonry paint straight on the brick. Great finish and keeps the dust down compared to exposed brickwork. We bought white but I had some pigments to give it a slight blue tinge. It lights the place up nicely.

 

[aoaaron]

Masonry paint straight on the brick. Great finish and keeps the dust down compared to exposed brickwork. We bought white but I had some pigments to give it a slight blue tinge. It lights the place up nicely.

Thanks. I've used that. Didn't like the colour that much but I think its actually my lighting ( think I've used too much direct light) which is making me not like the look of the paint/room as opposed to the actual paint. Turned one of them off and its now much better.

I probably need more diffuse light.

 

[Cadder]

Thanks. I've used that. Didn't like the colour that much but I think its actually my lighting ( think I've used too much direct light) which is making me not like the look of the paint/room as opposed to the actual paint. Turned one of them off and its now much better.

I probably need more diffuse light.

Ah fair enough. We have 4 of these:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-single-4ft-led-batten-22w-2100lm-220-240v/8373v?_requestid=31467

It's a well-lit setup

 

[Syla5]

Thanks. I've used that. Didn't like the colour that much but I think its actually my lighting ( think I've used too much direct light) which is making me not like the look of the paint/room as opposed to the actual paint. Turned one of them off and its now much better.

I probably need more diffuse light.

Get some gym flags / posters for your walls to help diffuse things.

 

[aoaaron]

Cheers guys.

Btw, I'm selling my current setup. Looking for £850 or something for the below. All commercial grade, used only for a year by myself. I think its insane value for anyone who wants to get involved in lifting and having used a couple of brands, its 100% a step up from Mirafit and the other chinese brands in build quality IMO (altho they're also great!).

No wanted section for gym stuff on this site so for anyone interested..!

Iron King 70 Series Safety Spotters RRP £125
Iron King Bull Horn RRP £125
Iron King Landmine RRP £50
Iron King Dual Land Mine Handle RRP £60
Iron King 70 Series J Hook Set RRP £60
Iron King Hip Thrust Attachment RRP £175
Iron King Adjutsable Jammer Arms RRP £250
SR-FB 70 Fold Back Wall Mount Rack Customised 215cm (easier to do pull-ups in low garages) RRP £525
Iron King Vertical Plate & Bar Storage RRP £225
Simple pulley setup £50

 

[Converge]

Has anyone got any recommendations for a decent adjustable bench (back and seat, not legs) that doesn’t wobble and is able to be moved reasonably easily (wheels?) literally like the bog standard ones you get in gyms?

My current one is one of those York ones with a gazillion positions that has the stability of an old man with dodgy knees.

Also, any decent places for hex dumbbells?

Thanks

 

[aoaaron]

Has anyone got any recommendations for a decent adjustable bench (back and seat, not legs) that doesn’t wobble and is able to be moved reasonably easily (wheels?) literally like the bog standard ones you get in gyms?

My current one is one of those York ones with a gazillion positions that has the stability of an old man with dodgy knees.

Also, any decent places for hex dumbbells?

Thanks

Iron King one doesn't wabble.

Best bench I've used and own is the Watson Adjustable bencht hough.

 

[Converge]

Iron King one doesn't wabble.

Best bench I've used and own is the Watson Adjustable bencht hough.

Thanks mate, I’ll check it out!

 

[aoaaron]

Thanks mate, I’ll check it out!

If you can afford Watson, I'd go for them. Its a fantastic bench. Otherwise I have 2 Iron King adjustable benches in my gym too which are good. I custom made upholstery to increase the pad length by 10cm, this allows it to stand upright.



Left is the Iron King bench, middle is the Watson bench. Watson is much heavier duty, has a steel plate for adjustments so it won't scatch when adjusting over time, stainless steel wheels and 3 levels of seat adjustment. Stability is best in class.

The Iron King one is lighter




Watson Heavy duty single stack leg press custom bentley holstery and upgraded 30 plate stack.



Watson leg curl extension custom bentley stitching + micro adjusters




Watson bench from behind.
its in the 4 way smith machine combo + animal half rack from Watson. Stunning machine



Just a photo of the smith and the spotter arms.






Photo of watson dual adjustable pulley and the Leg curl/extension



Currently trying to ask them if they will make me a custom stainless steel badges I can put on my machines which say DR. AARON. Think it'll look quite nice as a finishing touch. I'm planning to stick them on the sides of the machine as a form of branding.


The smith machine/rack is in a completely utterly different class to the other brands. Its literally a tank. You cannot move it by yourself under any circumstance lol.

 

[mattyg]

@aoaaron What was the time from order to delivery like

 

[aoaaron]

@aoaaron What was the time from order to delivery like

About 4 months for the first delivery but I ordered in December where everything was busy and long waiting lists for everything (including GPUs lol). Then after that, they sorted me out with faster delivery time as I had a few bits and pieces which needed to be sorted. This was before their new factory opened though. As far as I know, wait times are significantly smaller now. A guy I know got a leg curl/extension done in a very small turnover time.

I can comfortably say the gear I've received is better than anything I've used including commercial pieces for each piece of equipment.

The pin loaded leg press is brutal.
The DAP is flexible and has a 2:1 and 1:1 ratio of a 135kg stack which is unheard of for a pulley in any commercial factility where they normally don't give the option for 1:1. This means it can do rows, lat pulldowns, flies, rear delt flies, curls, tricep extensions and leverage a true 100kg+ weight. Most machines do 2:1 which means a 100kg stack only gives you 50kg resistance.
The leg curl/extension again is just very very versatile and both movements feel so natural.
The bench as I said is best in class IMO.
The 4 way smith machine is utterly incredible. I've hated every single smith machine I've used in a gym but Watson clearly makes theirs to a much higher standard.
And the actual rack is an absolute total beast.

Then the little additions such as the natural pullup bar which just give a much more premium experience to a traditional pullup bar, the spotter arms being incredibly easy to adjust up and down and the custom upholstery just make it IMO really worth while.

I've had some issues and niggles with my order as I essentially have OCD lol.. but they've sorted it all out every time. Also for those with smaller garages, for a fee, they'll customise the equipment to your exact measurements (I couldn't fit a 237cm DAP in so asked them to make it 230cm).

 

[Gooner Leroy]

Does anyone have any feedback on Origin Fitness bumper plates? They're half price compared to other sites so my suspicion senses are tingling