Official Home Gym Building Thread

Thanks,

I'm now looking at getting the 150KG Black Bumper Plates and the 1500lb bar from them, and swapping the powerhouse weights kit with the 75kG set to add a bit of weight

https://www.strengthshop.co.uk/review/product/list/id/373/

https://www.strengthshop.co.uk/150kg-bumper-plates-black.html

http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodymax-olympic-rubber-radial-weight-plate-set-75kg.php

The racks and stuff seem a lot more expensive the strength shop, I assume the quality is better?

There is a powerhouse fitness in Nottingham, so i plan to pop in at the weekend to see if they've got anything on display
 
Looking to get some advice on what to buy to lift some weights at home. I went to the gym for about 2 months but had to stop due to family commitments. But, I really miss it and really want to work on my appearance.

I have quite a bit of space on my bedroom which I could put a bench and a few weights but don't know where to start or what I really need to get going. Price wise I'll spend a few hundred quid if I have too. Not really sure about how much these things cost anyway.

Thanks in advance.
 
Measured my garage today, it's 2.5m x 5.0m. So it's going to be pretty tight in there i think. Anyone else train in such a small area?

Not sure if i'm going to go through with it yet, but I've been going through the equipment and i'm now looking at the following for a start up set:

Bodymax CF415 Squat and Dip Rack
http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodymax-cf415-squat-and-dip-rack-with-spotter-catchers.php

Strength Shop Utility Bench
https://www.strengthshop.co.uk/equipment-and-bars/benches/utility-bench.html

Body Power Olympic Disk Kit - 125kg (Also Add 4x20kg & 2x15kg plates for total 235kg)
http://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk/body-power-olympic-disk-kit-125kg.html

Body Power Olympic Weight Tree
http://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk/body-power-olympic-weight-tree.html

Strength Shop Original 2028 Olympic Bar - Slightly worried that the suggested usage load is only 200kg (though one of the reviewers states he's used it to deadlift 260kg as i'm currently 1RM 230kg on the deadlift, so might go for the powerlifting bar at £220 plus postage
https://www.strengthshop.co.uk/bars/olympic-bars/olympic-bar.html

With some £5 Collars from fitness superstore thats £980. Hoping I can Finance the Fitness Superstore purchase, then buy the everything else outright.

I've already got some resistance bands (But need to get some lighter bands for benching with). Will just need to add some matting I guess to protect the plates on the concrete floor.
 
Last edited:
Hi all, I need a little help in chosing a multi gym!

I'm wincing writing the above line as I know that that poeple will now be looking for something heavy and blunt :D

Allow me to explain, I have a medical condition which means I don't keep balance easily (think walking about drunk and you are partly there). This means that squats, bent over rows, deadlifts are a bad idea. I can bench press with a bar (spotted) but in general free weights are a bad idea on my own. I would consider a cage etc but its not a good idea.

I've been going to gyms on / off for years (work depending). When I go to the gyms even with trainers I end up with a reasonable amount of machine work and the odd bit of dumbbell work.

Now I've moved again and openly considering a multi-gym. Bearing in mind that I still end up on machines when down the gym. I'm toying with the Lifefitness or body-solid gyms which look reasonable. Any thoughts?
 
Zirax said:
Hi all, I need a little help in chosing a multi gym!

I'm wincing writing the above line as I know that that poeple will now be looking for something heavy and blunt :D

Allow me to explain, I have a medical condition which means I don't keep balance easily (think walking about drunk and you are partly there). This means that squats, bent over rows, deadlifts are a bad idea. I can bench press with a bar (spotted) but in general free weights are a bad idea on my own. I would consider a cage etc but its not a good idea.

I've been going to gyms on / off for years (work depending). When I go to the gyms even with trainers I end up with a reasonable amount of machine work and the odd bit of dumbbell work.

Now I've moved again and openly considering a multi-gym. Bearing in mind that I still end up on machines when down the gym. I'm toying with the Lifefitness or body-solid gyms which look reasonable. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

A Smith machine I guess?

http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodycraft-jones-smiths-machine-deluxe-package.php
Like a rack but "easier" to use.

Otherwise a "commercial" grade multi gym like this:
http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodycraft-x4-4-stack-commercial-gym.php
No doubt you could find cheaper but I'd imagine a decent multigym is easily £1k+.


I'd say something from Argos (V-Fit etc) isn't worth bothering.
 
AndrewNR said:
A Smith machine I guess?

http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodycraft-jones-smiths-machine-deluxe-package.php
Like a rack but "easier" to use.

Otherwise a "commercial" grade multi gym like this:
http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodycraft-x4-4-stack-commercial-gym.php
No doubt you could find cheaper but I'd imagine a decent multigym is easily £1k+.


I'd say something from Argos (V-Fit etc) isn't worth bothering.
Click to expand...

Food for thought there on the smith. Used one a while back but will go and see if I can get on with one.

As for V-fit :eek:

I was considering something like this:-
http://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk/life-fitness-g4-multigym.html
With a 23kg weight addon it has ~96kg stack. More than I've ever got to.

Another one that seems interesting:-
http://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk/body-solid-g6b-bi-angular-gym-1.html

210lb stack with some doubler.

The body solid stuff seems to get good write ups. Looking at a LifeFitness as I have the R3 recumbent bike already which will probably outlast me!
 
Darryl_1983 said:
Measured my garage today, it's 2.5m x 5.0m. So it's going to be pretty tight in there i think. Anyone else train in such a small area?
Click to expand...

I lift (snatch and clean) in a converted garage that's 3m * 2m, so you'll be fine. ;)

The actually kit? Not sure, but I've looked at getting that rack... :D The bar, on the other han: it's difficult to tell with them because manufacturers/reselllers rate them differently and use different tolerance levels.

If you're lifting heavy (which I know you are) I'd actully spend the money on getting a decent bar that will last... it is how you interface with the loads, so might well determine how much you like lifting at home. In other words: don't go cheap for the sake of saving money.
 
mrthingyx said:
If you're lifting heavy (which I know you are) I'd actully spend the money on getting a decent bar that will last... it is how you interface with the loads, so might well determine how much you like lifting at home. In other words: don't go cheap for the sake of saving money.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more - I honestly wish I had easy access to a Rogue bar without paying the same again in shipping for instance.
 
mrthingyx said:
I lift (snatch and clean) in a converted garage that's 3m * 2m, so you'll be fine. ;)

The actually kit? Not sure, but I've looked at getting that rack... :D The bar, on the other han: it's difficult to tell with them because manufacturers/reselllers rate them differently and use different tolerance levels.

If you're lifting heavy (which I know you are) I'd actully spend the money on getting a decent bar that will last... it is how you interface with the loads, so might well determine how much you like lifting at home. In other words: don't go cheap for the sake of saving money.
Click to expand...

Thanks man, looked again this morning when measuring the height and i think i'll be ok. Must have been weird training in there the first few times?

To be honest i suspect the cheaper Strength shop bar will be much better than the bars i've been using for the past couple of years (700lb cheapo bars with broken bearings - probably the same as the packaged bars that come in the weight sets from powerhouse, hence my reluctance to buy them).

Though i understand what your saying. The cheaper bar is only £90, so not a massive loss if i need to replace it in the future for a better quality/stronger bar (which I hope i'll need to strength wise).

The issue i've got is i need to stay under a budget to get clearance from the wife to do it. So the first initial purchase may have to be compomised slightly in some areas. Once I've got the base setup and some training with it, i'll look to add a few bits in.

The weights will hopefully last 10's of years, the rack and bench hopefully a few years at least. The bar on the other hand as long as it last the first year i'll be fairly happy i think (hoping to hit around 250kg deadlift and a 200kg squat next year).

Can anyone recommend some cheap floor matting?
I was looking at getting 2 of these:
http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodymax-6-x-4-x-10mm-commercial-rubber-gym-mat.php
 
Last edited:
Darryl_1983 said:
Thanks man, looked again this morning when measuring the height and i think i'll be ok. Must have been weird training in there the first few times?

To be honest i suspect the cheaper Strength shop bar will be much better than the bars i've been using for the past couple of years (700lb cheapo bars with broken bearings - probably the same as the packaged bars that come in the weight sets from powerhouse, hence my reluctance to buy them).

Though i understand what your saying. The cheaper bar is only £90, so not a massive loss if i need to replace it in the future for a better quality/stronger bar (which I hope i'll need to strength wise).

The issue i've got is i need to stay under a budget to get clearance from the wife to do it. So the first initial purchase may have to be compomised slightly in some areas. Once I've got the base setup and some training with it, i'll look to add a few bits in.

The weights will hopefully last 10's of years, the rack and bench hopefully a few years at least. The bar on the other hand as long as it last the first year i'll be fairly happy i think (hoping to hit around 250kg deadlift and a 200kg squat next year).

Can anyone recommend some cheap floor matting?
I was looking at getting 2 of these:
http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodymax-6-x-4-x-10mm-commercial-rubber-gym-mat.php
Click to expand...

Ah, yes - wife clearance. I understand that one. :D

Training in a wholy inappropriately-sized gym has ibeen interesting: I've put my head through a glass window (thrown back by a bad catch), butt hurled into a ladder (and wall), all sorts... but it's also meant I've got very precise at bar placement - it either works, or I bail. The amount of space I now take up is - for 98% of my Olympic lifting - around 60cm front/back. :)

One option I would suggest to "smooth" the capital expenditure profile of your investment is to get cheaper squat stands (admittedly this won't save you tooooooo much) that are only rated to 180-200kg. This will give you a bit of headroom and is a much cheaper thing to replace than a bar.

I went for some (I htink they cost £70 or something?) and yes - they suck - but they're fine for what I need. And it was my wife who suggested I get some bigger/sturdier ones. ;) :D
 
Darryl_1983 said:
Measured my garage today, it's 2.5m x 5.0m. So it's going to be pretty tight in there i think. Anyone else train in such a small area?
Click to expand...

Sure do - my garage is probably the same size, has two bikes in it and leaks :) The roof is about 7' so have to OHP outside and juggle my bench / squat rack when I DL. But it works fine and it hardly that much effort to move things around. If you can plan your exercises to match the setup of the room then it works fine.
 
GSVBagpuss said:
Sure do - my garage is probably the same size, has two bikes in it and leaks :) The roof is about 7' so have to OHP outside and juggle my bench / squat rack when I DL. But it works fine and it hardly that much effort to move things around. If you can plan your exercises to match the setup of the room then it works fine.
Click to expand...

Yeah height is the same, 2.1m roughly at the highest point reducing towards the rear slightly. Luckily i've an area at the rear of the garage where i'll be able to do this in the summer.

mrthingyx said:
Ah, yes - wife clearance. I understand that one. :D

Training in a wholy inappropriately-sized gym has ibeen interesting: I've put my head through a glass window (thrown back by a bad catch), butt hurled into a ladder (and wall), all sorts... but it's also meant I've got very precise at bar placement - it either works, or I bail. The amount of space I now take up is - for 98% of my Olympic lifting - around 60cm front/back. :)

One option I would suggest to "smooth" the capital expenditure profile of your investment is to get cheaper squat stands (admittedly this won't save you tooooooo much) that are only rated to 180-200kg. This will give you a bit of headroom and is a much cheaper thing to replace than a bar.

I went for some (I htink they cost £70 or something?) and yes - they suck - but they're fine for what I need. And it was my wife who suggested I get some bigger/sturdier ones. ;) :D
Click to expand...

To be honest the wife was looking at proper cages with me yesterday and asked why i wasn't getting one of them, but i told her they wouldn't fit. I've used the weaker racks before and never felt comfortable on them. I'm hoping this will be more stable, and I prefer to have some kind of safety catch, As i tend to push myself to failure more than i should (I think i fail a 1RM squat most weeks - Bad programming I guess, which i'll have to sort out).

I've placed my order at the strength shop for the £90 oly bar and the £170 utility bench, postage was £30 so grand total of £290 spent so far.
 
Fair enough! :)

I only try 1RM-ing very periodically with something I know I can generally lift, and because I'm a DYEL-er, it's not really an issue. :D
 
Ordering finished for now hopefully.

Strength shop oly bar and utility bench.
Bodymax CF415 Squat and Dip Rack
Body Power Olympic Disk Kit - 125kg + 6 extra 20kg plates
Body-Solid Olympic Weight Tree & Bar Rack
Eleiko Olympic Spring Collars
2 x Body Power Heavy Rubber Gym Mat (182 x 121 x 1.7cm)

Grand total of £1001 delivered, half paid for now, the other half in 12 months (just got to make sure I do or it'll be 30% interest instead of 0%)

Can't wait to get started now. Think i'll probably start up a training log once i settle into using it. As it may help me progress a little better, especially as i'll be training alone for the first time ever.
 
FrenchTart said:
245kg of plates...that will last you a while :eek:
Click to expand...

Hopefully i'll need to purchase more weights at some point. But I'll be able to max out for a while with that lot.

My next house purchase, i'll make sure i have plenty of room for a gym, as i'd like to add a set of bumper plates in the future for some proper oly lifting.

Looking at Garage security and lighting now to finish the job. Hoping i can have a working gym by the end of the weekend.
 
I train in my garage and spare room, in the garage I have an olympic bar and weights and do deadlifts, pendlay rows etc and in the spare room I have a power rack.

My garage roof is too low for the rack so may look into raising that sometime so I can get everything in on place.

On another note I got a new PB on deadlifts at the weekend 110kg for 3 rep not that much I know but I was chuffed.

Realistically how long should it take me to get to 150kg (double my bodyweight) and how much should I add at a time?
 
Zirax said:
Food for thought there on the smith. Used one a while back but will go and see if I can get on with one.

As for V-fit :eek:

I was considering something like this:-
http://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk/life-fitness-g4-multigym.html
With a 23kg weight addon it has ~96kg stack. More than I've ever got to.

Another one that seems interesting:-
http://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk/body-solid-g6b-bi-angular-gym-1.html

210lb stack with some doubler.

The body solid stuff seems to get good write ups. Looking at a LifeFitness as I have the R3 recumbent bike already which will probably outlast me!
Click to expand...

I think this is better (although more £££):
http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/bodycraft-x2-f-xpress-dual-stack-gym-incl-leg-press.php
This one has a leg press but I don't know how demanding it will be with the weight available etc. It also has a bench press bit too (somewhere).
Edit: Also has 400lb (180kg) of resistance - doubt you'll need more.

Tbh I'd buy the one that others decent leg work and bench press and one which you can stack the most weight, so you don't outgrow it.

The first one you linked only has a 73kg weight stack. Sounds kinda low to me, but if it can take 200kg at extra cost then it's not a problem (budget permitting).
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom