Official Home Gym Building Thread

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Jon33 said:
Have you considered a half rack? If the money is tight the bodymax CF470 looks decent.
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The 475 and 470 are the same price? I'd personally go for the (safer) full rack (475) option, as although I have only "dropped (placed)" a weight once or twice doing squats the extra security it provides is reassuring.

The rack says it's 2160, so 6cm more but looking at the pictures you should be able to use the pull up bits with 10cm or so of spare room (maybe have to tilt your head back a bit).
 
AndrewNR said:
The 475 and 470 are the same price? I'd personally go for the (safer) full rack (475) option, as although I have only "dropped (placed)" a weight once or twice doing squats the extra security it provides is reassuring.

The rack says it's 2160, so 6cm more but looking at the pictures you should be able to use the pull up bits with 10cm or so of spare room (maybe have to tilt your head back a bit).
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Same price? Ignore my comment then! :D
 
jesus2nd said:
Eyup

I've being a home gym-er for the past five years with my only equipment being my running shoes, an iron gym and a barbell/dumbell set my old man used to lift 30 years ago.

I'm was looking into getting a bench with stands and all that jazz but I don't think I can justify the room that it would take up, is there a bench on the market that folds down easy and can also be used as an incline bench? I've being wanting to work my core a little harder aswell.

No worries if not, I'm happy to stick to my floor benching for the foreseeable future

Sam :cool:
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There probably is. But I would hazard a guess that the folding benches can't really take much weight and so would be of limited use. If you can find the room then a decent bench will pay dividends long term even if it doesn't fold.

For limited space I'm also a massive fan of the CF415 squat/spotter/dip station which splits into two halves for storage. So how about a CF415 and a pull up bar for a doorway? You can continue with floor benching and then also do pull ups, squats and dips, bent over rows, standing overhead press, deadlifts, hanging leg raises, etc. A bench is a real benefit but there is a lot you can do without one. Most of my routine doesn't need a bench.

http://youtu.be/csnEs6IdMao
 
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Sorry for long post...

Right.... I've made the first step.... I've bought a power rack. I've been in and out of this thread a few times since about 2011. I've moaned like a **** in here about why gym kit is expensive and why not make one out of wood...yes wood (people do it successfully). I've claimed there is a lot of brand snobbery in here and I've even thrown my toys out of the pram on these forums when I gave up training last time I tried to bulk up years ago. That's all in the past and gone now. I've tried and failed 2-3 times to bulk up but this time I want to give it a real go, and I think doing it at home will make a big difference.

I've been a member of gyms before. For me, it doesn't suit my lifestyle due to time. Time is so limited to me. I can't take 2.5 hours out of day several times a week to go to the gym, park, work out at peak time waiting for equipment and compromising workout patterns based on other gym members getting in the way. Working out at home should give me more opportunity to stick to my plan and remain consistent. I'm prepared to pay a premium now just so I do it. Money has become secondary I admit. I used to moan about the cost of a rack. But time is money. Would I really spend 2 weeks researching, planning and building a rack when I can buy one for a few hundred? No. I give in. It's worth it.

This time its for real. I'm going to give it a real go and stop complaining about food cost, and equipment cost. I don't have the time to hang around forever researching things and waiting for ebay bargains so the other day, I took a chance and ordered a power rack. I normally read about stuff for weeks/months and do that thing....you know....where you over analyze a purchase. I'll never get anywhere if I don't just start soon, as I'm feeling highly motivated right now to work out. I know it's a cliche time of year being January...but this is overdue and been building for months.

After reading for a couple of days on here I heard about that Gymano power rack. It seemed the most solid "bargain" rack. i.e. Good bang per buck. But then I thought....nah. Too cheap as sometimes available for as little as £200 - £250.
But then I got over that obsession with over specing like I think a lot do on here. Plus I can't lift a lot as I'm skinny and weak. Realistically I was looking at a CF375 as I am on a budget. But the Gymano is spec'd at a higher rating 225kg vs 180kg. Hmm...

I started reading the reviews for the Gymano on other forums and amazon.com (the rebranded Valor). It seems it's been abused and still holds up really well. It seems a highly regarded rack and very solid for the money. A few in this thread have got it and are very impressed. Then I saw it.... on ebay british fitness on new years eve it was listed as "a few left" for £179 delivered expiring that evening with the lat pull down kit. This seemed ridiculously cheap. So I went for it.

It seems it might be a good time to buy (Jan sales and new year wanabees?) so I now need:

Rubber matting
Weights
Bar Bell
Bench

Mate is possibly lending me a good bench and his "standard" weights. I'm tempted to go all out and just get some decent weights and bar bell to get it all bought.

I looked at keeping it simple and going with the strong lift 5 routine, but not sure now. Don't know whether to get dumbells.

Also not sure whether to try to level my garage floor first with latex compound. It's not awful, just a bit ridged and bumpy in places.
 
@jaybee I have a couple of gymano branded bits, not a rack though, and they are good for the money. Outgrowable, depending on how your training progresses, but still good.

For the matting, I did some spot screeding of my garage floor then used the York interlocking matting and it absorbs undulations of a few mm but you do notice the dips and bumps.

Not sure on the width of the gymano rack but you may need a 6 or 7 foot bar to accommodate. If you do go standard weights, Argos usually has the best deal prices on 10 and 5 kg plates but you are better going Olympic from the off.
 
I have the gymano rack you need a 6 foot barbell. Had it for 2 years now and still solid as a rock, no rust or bending at all. Very good value for money :)
 
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Weird question im looking for something specific and wondering if there is an " off the shelf" version
I want to build something in my back garden comprising of "monkey bars "not to sure what the technical term is with maybe ways to attach gymnastic rings?

I'm not interested in power racks as i already go to the gym to do my compound lifts and isolation exercises.

the only solutions i've found or 7k upwards or get a mate whose handy with a welder!
this was the only thing i could find but its US
http://www.roguefitness.com/the-castro-rig but the pricing seems about right?

This is ideally what i want something very similar to this
https://www.gymratz.co.uk/outdoor-crossfit-rig
but the price makes me cry!
 
Bars
1: Are all 6ft bars 15kg?

Matting
1: Where can I get cheap/rubber matting?
2: People suggest horse stall mats. Is there a perfered place online? Or do I go local?
3: Anything to lookout for?
4: Do you guys matt the area underneath the power rack directly, or the bit outside of it where you do Deads/rows etc where waits are put down on the floor?
5: If the later, how much will I need? It seems to come in 6ft x 4ft a lot of the time. I assume 2 of these should suffice, to make an 8 x6 area.
6: Can weights literally be dropped onto the good 18mm thick mats?
 
jaybee said:
Bars
1: Are all 6ft bars 15kg?

Matting
1: Where can I get cheap/rubber matting?
2: People suggest horse stall mats. Is there a perfered place online? Or do I go local?
3: Anything to lookout for?
4: Do you guys matt the area underneath the power rack directly, or the bit outside of it where you do Deads/rows etc where waits are put down on the floor?
5: If the later, how much will I need? It seems to come in 6ft x 4ft a lot of the time. I assume 2 of these should suffice, to make an 8 x6 area.
6: Can weights literally be dropped onto the good 18mm thick mats?
Click to expand...

I use 1 6x4 mat for the rack and two of these to 'land' deadlifts/rows:

http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk...ack-500mm-x-500mm-x-12mm-thick-single-mat.php

Cheaper than buying another 6x4 mat and more practical to use space wise imo.
 
"Standard" Olympic bars are 7ft and 20kg.
My question should have said "are all 6ft Olympic bars 15kg in weight". Which I think they are.
 
I'm toying with the idea of setting up a gym in my garage, head height is limited to about 2m roughly so a proper powercage would fit, so i was thinking about getting the Bodymax CF415 squat rack, hopefully i'd be able to use this for benching and squating, Anyone got any experience with this rack?

http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodymax-cf415-squat-and-dip-rack-with-spotter-catchers.php

Bench I was looking at the Bodymax CF328, looks fairly simple, just hoping it'll be solid/grippy enough for heavy benching

http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodymax-cf328-deluxe-flat-incline-decline-utility-bench.php

Weights wise, I was looking at the 235kG set with 7ft bar from Bodymax again. Not not worried about the plates, but i'm concerned the bar will be rubbish. Looking through the bars selling individually it looks like it'll be the 700lb rated bar (320kG) which will be fine. but my old gym had some cheapo 700lb bars and they only lasted a couple of days before the bearing collapsed in them, and no one lifted anywhere near the capacity of the bars. Anyone got any experience with these bars?

http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodymax-olympic-rubber-radial-barbell-kit-235kg.php

Would then just add some olympic dumbbell bars and collors and a EZ Curl bar for accessory work. Also maybe some matting for doing deadlifts off to protect the equipment.

I'm currently paying £55 a month for my gym, so the plan was to get this all out on finance and cancel my membership. Which would mean my out goings will be the same, but also that i'd need to purchase everything in one hit more or less to continue my training.

Also I've only really looked at the stuff on offer at Powerhouse fitness. As the prices seem cheaper than everywhere else i've come across doing quick searchers. Is there anywhere else i should look at (plates and bars are the biggest cost i guess)?
 
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