Official Home Gym Building Thread

Psycho Sonny · 4 Oct 2011 at 16:14

Psymonkee said:
Got 3 for now which should sort me out for now. Luckily my driveway is on a slight downhill slope wih the garage at the bottom!

Cheers for the tips on lube/wd 40 though

no problem.

my pulley came with no grease/lube which is odd, they should come with them, but maybe they don't.

rust is a killer and wd-40 costs nothing compared to how much you have spent on your kit, i normally just spray my dumbells and olympic plates regularly as they go through a lot of abuse. but during the winter months i give everything metal a quick blast.

Hedge · 4 Oct 2011 at 20:50

I suppose if you had the space you could spend 2-3000 on a good rack and weight setup on Interest Free Credit. Might work out about 50 quid a month but its similar to a gym membership and you get to keep the goods

Psycho Sonny · 5 Oct 2011 at 00:23

Hedge said:
I suppose if you had the space you could spend 2-3000 on a good rack and weight setup on Interest Free Credit. Might work out about 50 quid a month but its similar to a gym membership and you get to keep the goods

home gyms are more expensive, there is no way you can get the same amount of equipment on offer at a "proper" gym and it work out cheaper.

i'll give you a list of some stuff i want even though i have like over £3K's worth of equipment.

GHR or Roman Chair - £300 minimum
Concept 2 Rower - £1K minimum
Tricep Bar - £40
Shrug Bar - £180
Leverage Chin and Dip - £600

that's just some of the stuff im looking to add over the next few years, plus where are you going to store it all? i still would not have access to a treadmill, swimming pool, sauna, steam room, etc.

also this company has the best custom made stuff in the UK http://www.gymequipment.uk.com/ i think gymratz get their stuff from the same guy, but they are both extremely expensive. i would love to have their leg press which is like over £2,650 on its own excluding shipping.

http://www.gymequipment.uk.com/store/item/38hav/Plate_Load/Animal_Leg_Press.html

what a machine.

you can however if you do not want a lot of variety make a really good home gym with £1-3K. which in essence would work out a lot cheaper than a gym membership so long as you used it often for many years, but you would be stuck with the basics so to speak.

a simple thing like rubber matting is expensive, never mind the equipment, but some people prefer to train at home, like myself. the gym i used to go to was a half an hours drive away (one way) then add in the cost of fuel as well as time wasted, i thought might as well just build a home gym, i never thought it would cost so much, i thought £1.5K and I will be done, but then I needed proper dumbells, another £1K.

i dont care now how much it will end up costing, it's there forever, my brother can use it, as can my dad, as can my future wife/kids. i may even decide to open a commercial gym in future, you never know, it is a possibility i have been considering.

Psymonkee · 6 Oct 2011 at 01:13

It's here! Boxes are pretty bashed though so need to take a closer look but otherwise everything appears in order!

Building commences tomorrow!

Psycho Sonny · 6 Oct 2011 at 11:55

Psymonkee said:
It's here! Boxes are pretty bashed though so need to take a closer look but otherwise everything appears in order!

Building commences tomorrow!

that is normal tbh, mine weren't that bad but the tube the olympic barbell was in was destroyed. you have to think about how heavy and strong the stuff is, 20kg of metal vs a piece of cardboard, there is only ever going to be one winner.

as long as nothing is bent or damaged excessively, it should be fine. the amount of potholes in the roads up here is crazy, it's as if your driving on the moon.

my stuff was secured down in a pallet though, so maybe different retailers pack theirs differently, was your order from fitness superstore?

kefkef · 6 Oct 2011 at 22:04

Hmm, how did i miss this one! Though i had posted in a thread on here, must have been an old one. I'll take some new photos and get them up here. All in the garage. Kit is:

Bodycraft F430 Power Rack
Bodycraft F602 Bench
Oly bar, oly dumbells (a right pita to use!), oly e-z curl with 140kg weights
Vision X1500 X-Trainer
Punch Bag/Speed bag
Floor Matting
Sky TV

D for X-trainer!)

Psymonkee · 6 Oct 2011 at 23:06

Psycho Sonny said:
that is normal tbh, mine weren't that bad but the tube the olympic barbell was in was destroyed. you have to think about how heavy and strong the stuff is, 20kg of metal vs a piece of cardboard, there is only ever going to be one winner.

as long as nothing is bent or damaged excessively, it should be fine. the amount of potholes in the roads up here is crazy, it's as if your driving on the moon.

my stuff was secured down in a pallet though, so maybe different retailers pack theirs differently, was your order from fitness superstore?

Powerhouse Fitness.

Apparently delivered on a flatbed lorry (builders type, drop sides) piled randomly on a pallet - was properly strapped down though. Only one guy as well and I was at work.

And tell me about the potholes :\

Psycho Sonny · 7 Oct 2011 at 12:29

kefkef said:
Hmm, how did i miss this one! Though i had posted in a thread on here, must have been an old one. I'll take some new photos and get them up here. All in the garage. Kit is:

Bodycraft F430 Power Rack
Bodycraft F602 Bench
Oly bar, oly dumbells (a right pita to use!), oly e-z curl with 140kg weights
Vision X1500 X-Trainer
Punch Bag/Speed bag
Floor Matting
Sky TV D for X-trainer!)

looking forward to pictures

Psymonkee said:
Powerhouse Fitness.

Apparently delivered on a flatbed lorry (builders type, drop sides) piled randomly on a pallet - was properly strapped down though. Only one guy as well and I was at work.

And tell me about the potholes :\

i think thats how they keep delivery costs down, but only having one guy to carry 200kg+ of stuff is a joke

Psymonkee · 14 Oct 2011 at 17:44

Crap picture and there is too much stuff in the way still but it's mostly built!

http://yfrog.com/h7f09sqj

Mansize_tissue · 14 Oct 2011 at 18:26

I bet you're itching to start using it!

corkhead · 14 Oct 2011 at 18:33

Took delivery of the Deluxe strength package from powerhouse. had to wait about 3 weeks for it.

http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/deluxe-strength-package.php

CF375 Rack + lat attachment
CF328 Bench
100Kg weights + bar

sadly one of the uprights had holes drilled incorrectly so the top bar wouldnt fit

so now im waiting for a replacement...

ill post pics when i eventually get it built

Mansize_tissue · 14 Oct 2011 at 18:57

I've got the same package. It's unfortunate the upright is wrong though. I remember I kept putting it together wrong the first time because I didn't realise the uprights weren't all the same. Took 3 or 4 attempts before I could actually get the top on!

Psymonkee · 14 Oct 2011 at 20:39

Yeah got the uprights wrong on the 475 as well! Spotted the mistake quickly though! Still got to attach the pull up bars (I won't need those in a hurry!) and the Lat/Low Pulley and it's all good!

Sunday cannot come soon enough

corkhead · 14 Oct 2011 at 21:06

Yup! Two of the uprights on my instructions seemed to gain two extra holes for the horizontal bar a page too late! After you've already fitted them incorrectly... haha

I thought id just built it wrong but the holes just dont match up its a good inch out for the top hole, for the rear horizontal bar

No idea how long a replacement will be.

Psymonkee · 17 Oct 2011 at 00:10

Done my first workout in the rack now and loving it.

Also knackered from it

Why isn't it Tuesday yet?

red11 · 17 Oct 2011 at 10:40

That Deluxe Strength Package from Powerhouse which looks an incredible deal, my purchasing finger is hovering above the mouse right now.

Just a question for the guys who already have it, what is the 100KG Olympic Barbell Kit like and will my normal cast iron york weights fit on the bar? Also with the Lat pull down, will normal york weights fit on? How long was delivery? Cheers.

Psycho Sonny · 17 Oct 2011 at 12:30

Linoge said:
That Deluxe Strength Package from Powerhouse which looks an incredible deal, my purchasing finger is hovering above the mouse right now.

Just a question for the guys who already have it, what is the 100KG Olympic Barbell Kit like and will my normal cast iron york weights fit on the bar? Also with the Lat pull down, will normal york weights fit on? How long was delivery? Cheers.

which package is that? if its the cf375, i would strongly recommend the cf475 package at a minimum, the pins have been reported to be weak on bodybuilding.com forums.

but my personal preference for the cheapest rack you should buy will always be the powertec rack, as that is the one i have and use, its also highly recommended as the minimum in america.

standard equipment will never ever work with an olympic barbell or on the lat pull down, it will only ever take olympic equipment.

Psycho Sonny · 17 Oct 2011 at 12:47

Psymonkee said:
Done my first workout in the rack now and loving it.

Also knackered from it

Why isn't it Tuesday yet?

good to see it being put to use straight away. hopefully you can keep up the enthusiasm for many years, as that is most peoples problem, they use it for 2/3 months then stop.

i have been looking at some home gyms on bodybuilding.com and it's insane the amount of space some guys have available to them, one guy made a 4 car garage and above it a home gym with all sorts of equipment in it, good enough to be a commercial gym. look through the below thread, its worth scanning through it as its a big thread and big gym.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=133276333&page=1

check out this guys home gym too (huge)

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=138878233

this next thread is pretty good too, he used to use a bedroom as his home gym, then it evolved into having too much equipment for a bedroom so he converted his basement into a home gym.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=131836863&page=1

the price of equipment and homes/land in america is extremely cheap compared to over here. they can get top quality equipment second hand for 1/4 of the price we pay over here and much larger homes for cheaper than over here. the reason why a lot of them have such great home gym setups (some better than commercial gyms over here).

Psymonkee · 18 Oct 2011 at 15:42

Day 2 done and feeling good still! Having issues with the collars on the bar though - I simply can't get them to fit on one end?

The weights go on no problem and one collar goes on easily enough but the other one I'm lucky to move even 6 inches onto the bar? Any ideas/suggestions?

Phaser · 18 Oct 2011 at 16:48

Linoge said:
Just a question for the guys who already have it, what is the 100KG Olympic Barbell Kit like and will my normal cast iron york weights fit on the bar? Also with the Lat pull down, will normal york weights fit on? How long was delivery? Cheers.

Your normal York weights will fit on the lat pull down (it comes with adaptors for both) but they won't fit on an olympic bar.

Psymonkee said:
Day 2 done and feeling good still! Having issues with the collars on the bar though - I simply can't get them to fit on one end?

The weights go on no problem and one collar goes on easily enough but the other one I'm lucky to move even 6 inches onto the bar? Any ideas/suggestions?

I had the same problem, apparantly York etc are all US spec (25mm) and the stuff you get from Powerhouse / Decathlon etc is EU spec (28mm) so your normal collars and clips won't fit.

Had my CF475 for about a month now and I think it's great.