Official Home Gym Building Thread

db2431 said:
Having read through this thread there are some nice setups but I can't help but think people are paying too much.The cf475 used to be decent value around a year or so ago when it was 320 or so with the pulley included but for the price of 600 it is way overpriced.Considering you can get the gymano rack and pulley system on eBay uk for £225 delivered, which is just a rebrand of the Valor Fitness BD7]
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Where is it for £225? All I can see it one for £485 :confused:
 
Thanks,

Still can't decide.

Sonny- Nice find but it's too big really for my garage at 70" it will just be to awkward moving it in and out of the rack.

I did like this one, but it's to high of the floor
http://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk...d_flat_incline_decline_bench_grey/7087_p.html

Going back to the one I originally posted about, I'm not fussed about decline but would like to have the option for leg attachment but I may just compromise on that.

Going to have a think for now.
 
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You'll be fine with decline and leg extension. A bench that is too high is no good, you need proper contact with the floor for any pressing.
 
LiE said:
I have this bench, it's very sturdy and put together well. Solid. However, as you said, no decline or leg extension is possible if that's what you want to do.




I have it ;)
Tried pretty much all the benches in the Northampton showroom and thought this was the best.
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genuinely impressed, people usually never opt for high end gear and try and save money wherever possible with home gym stuff.

what did you not like about the bench i have? the feet? it's the only thing i have an issue with, but they come in handy when doing leg extensions and stuff because it becomes so lop sided with all the weight on one end.

Ash2097 said:
Yeah that's what i was saying I need something low as I'm only around 5'8, how do you mean "You'll be fine with decline and leg extension" with what?
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think he means without
 
I don't use the seat much, but the few times I have, it's been fine for me.

Sonny, my bench press is my strongest competitive lift so needed to make sure it was close to competition standard without it being a fixed bench.

Pic of it in my gym.

4G8CTir.jpg
 
Pretty much settled on that bench tbh, just need to start putting money aside.

Would really like to sell off my 20kg/15kg/10kg mix of hex and tri plates and swap them for the sames as them.
 
Hey,

Am looking for some matting for my gym (garage). It will be on a concrete floor and primarily for deadlifts/pendlay rows and anything else I may drop being a noob lol. Is this stuff ok https://www.strengthshop.co.uk/rubber-gym-mat-1-8mx1m-11mm-thick.html??? I seem to remember it being mentioned earlier.

Also, I was looking at the chalk blocks as I am already getting pretty sweaty hands with some exercises https://www.strengthshop.co.uk/magnesium-carbonate-chalk-case-of-8-blocks.html. Are these worth getting as they are only a tenner or are they just for the more advanced peeps who are lifting decent amounts lol??

thanks in advance
 
AndrewNR said:
If your 'noob' comment isn't sarcasm, then why not just buy a pair of gloves? Be useful for winter too.
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Because that would be an utter n00b thing to do, and very dumb to boot.

Those rubber mats may be fine depending on what you pan on lifting and on how your concrete floor has be constructed. I have read stories of heavy lifters powdering their concrete floors through just matting, so I' always suggest a nice sheet of ply under mats that thick?

The strengthshop 1m * 1m mats are 2.5cm thick and will serve you better if you choose not to put anything under them, although you run the risk of your bar sticking out over the end of them.

I wold personally buy an 8x4ft board of 18mm ply and stick the 11mm strength shop mats on top... A bit like a lifting platform. :D
 
AndrewNR said:
If your 'noob' comment isn't sarcasm, then why not just buy a pair of gloves? Be useful for winter too.
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No sarcasm at all :), I am a complete noob, have only done 7 weeks of SL 5x5 and that's it! I have done lots of reading though and always though gloves were a bad idea because they can move??

Thanks mrthingyx, that sounds like a good idea with the bit of ply wood and also may keep the cost down a little.

Where are the 2.5cm mats on that site then? The only ones I could find were the 11mm thick ones. I seen some thicker ones on fitness superstore but they were £60 a pop!
 
dirtybeatfreak said:
No sarcasm at all :), I am a complete noob, have only done 7 weeks of SL 5x5 and that's it! I have done lots of reading though and always though gloves were a bad idea because they can move??

Thanks mrthingyx, that sounds like a good idea with the bit of ply wood and also may keep the cost down a little.

Where are the 2.5cm mats on that site then? The only ones I could find were the 11mm thick ones. I seen some thicker ones on fitness superstore but they were £60 a pop!
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Gloves are a bad idea precisely for the reasons you've identified. :)

Here are the thicker mats:

https://www.strengthshop.co.uk/rubber-matting/premium-rubber-gym-mat-25mm-thick.html

To be honest, however, I'd just get two of the 11mm ones and stick them to the ply. The rubber mats at that thickness will attenuate the shock of a dropped bar/weight, but the ply is there to spread the impact area across the floor underneath.

If you're in doubt, however, I'd give the guys at StrengthShop a call, because they are very responsive and very helpful. When I called about the 11mm mats, they said that their gym in Glasgow is lined with them and they haven't had any problems...

I think LiE has two of those Fitness Superstore mats together, coupled with some rubber-rimmed weight plates.
 
when i bought my first set of matting i bought from fitness superstore at around £60+ per mat and they were around 17mm thick solid rubber.

i then bought my second set of matting for other parts of the gym from strength shop (the same stuff you linked to), it is made from recycled rubber (chunks pressed together) and it very thin for everything apart from dumbells and say a treadmill.

it is however though very cheap (last time i bought it was anyway), so cheap in fact your better off buying double the amount of matting and doubling it up than buying from fitness superstore.

i reckon you should be okay with just doubling up on the strength shop matting, then in the future if you want get some plywood underneath.

it is very thin and compresses easily due to it being recycled rubber instead of the solid rubber.

if money is not an issue then the fitness superstore mats are the best. otherwise double up on the strength shop stuff, even with a single sheet and plyboard underneath it would wreck the plyboard on deadlifts imo.
 
mrthingyx said:
Gloves are a bad idea precisely for the reasons you've identified. :)

Here are the thicker mats:

https://www.strengthshop.co.uk/rubber-matting/premium-rubber-gym-mat-25mm-thick.html

To be honest, however, I'd just get two of the 11mm ones and stick them to the ply. The rubber mats at that thickness will attenuate the shock of a dropped bar/weight, but the ply is there to spread the impact area across the floor underneath.

If you're in doubt, however, I'd give the guys at StrengthShop a call, because they are very responsive and very helpful. When I called about the 11mm mats, they said that their gym in Glasgow is lined with them and they haven't had any problems...

I think LiE has two of those Fitness Superstore mats together, coupled with some rubber-rimmed weight plates.
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wow i just checked, didnt know these guys were so close.

i wonder if they would let me pick up stuff in a van? because postage can be so expensive.

what gym is it they have in glasgow?
 
Fitness superstore mats are immense, very heavy too. My garage floor is uneven, got any tips for leveling it out? Would putting plyboard help at all?
 
LiE said:
Fitness superstore mats are immense, very heavy too. My garage floor is uneven, got any tips for leveling it out? Would putting plyboard help at all?
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my garage floor is uneven too, this is due to garages being built to a different spec from the house (much cheaper spec, therefore not the same finish). so a lot of garages are uneven simply because they aren't intended to be used as a "room".

plyboard may help sections become more even but they will still overall not be 100% flat.


you could always get a builder to skim the floor for you, dunno how much that would cost though.
 
just checked for 5 mats

Postage & Packaging
Standard Postage £ 29.90

No Shipping - Collect in person from warehouse (by prior arrangement only)
Free £ 0.00

£30 postage or free to pickup, brilliant, postage and packaging can be a killer on these things, glad i found out they are local, should have checked last time i ordered.
 
The only thing it bothers me on is deadlifts, it can make the bar roll one side and not the other resulting in sideways bar. I may have a play around with the gym and try to reposition things.
 
LiE said:
The only thing it bothers me on is deadlifts, it can make the bar roll one side and not the other resulting in sideways bar. I may have a play around with the gym and try to reposition things.
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i usually place a dumbell or a oly plate on both sides to act as a stop, so if it does roll it will run into the plate then stop.

similar thing could be achieved with 2 blocks of wood or something too, to stop it from damaging plates.
 
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