I'm just starting out and have some questions.
1: Someone has kindly said they would donate me some weights. They are NOT Olympic though. He reckons the bar bell is 7 foot though. I've read and I know Olympic are massively pushed and to get them from the start....but I'm still not really sure why if I definitely won't need more than standard weights for a fair while. These would be free and save me money so I can spend more on a rack and bench.
Thoughts?
If you're after saving some cash they'll do for now, what plates do you have with them?
2: I'm about to buy a rack and it will probably be something like a
CF375 from powerhouse fitness since they seem to be good value and recommended, plus there is a dealer near me.
a) My ceiling height is about 225cm. The rack's height is 210cm. Can I assemble the rack in a way that would allow me to use the chinup bar, i.e. position the top front cross bar lower down by say a foot? Or is my ceiling height too low and I should not bother with one with a chinup bar?
I've read that you can put the section with the chin up bar on upside down, might be worth waiting for someone with the rack to confirm
b) I get how the spot bars work to save you if you fail a rep on a squat. Do they work exactly the same for spotting on bench press? I can't picture how that would work as would they not interfere with bringing the bar right down to ones chest? If not, how do you spot on bench press?
Yep same way, you stick your chest up a bit when you bench so I find on mine when I'm relaxed they will catch the bar but when I'm ready to press they don't get in the way
c) Is a pulley system worth it and is there anything in particular to look for when getting a rack with one?
I've got the bodycraft rack which has the pulleys on, I do use it as I have it however I don't think I'd miss it too much if I didn't. If you're looking to save money I wouldn't bother, you could always add it later.
I'm trying to decide which rack to get. I can probably only bench about 40kg at a guess and squat maybe 60kg. I'm just trying to remember what I did when I worked out years ago. Yes, I'm skinny and weak.