Im starting a home gym. Can you guys look at the equipment im ordering?

[DGBoutte]

Hey guys, I am setting up my own home gym with $1500 to spend. I am not new to the gym but I am not sure if I have gotten everything I'll need. Let me know if these items seem pretty solid or if you have a better suggestion to what I should order or you have more info on what I should buy. This is the stuff I'm ordering ---


PowerLine PPR200X Power Rack
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41OODeP7duL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VLRVSC/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER


Powerline PLA200X Lat Attachment for use with PPR200X Power Rack
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31G9bxkQjgL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012M8PR0/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER


Powerline PFID130X Flat Incline Decline Bench
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41PWgTQ1L%2BL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OHG9RM/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER


Powerline GLDA1 Leg Developer Attachment for the Powerline PFID130X Bench
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41x0Tt96zVL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/Powerline-GLDA1-Developer-Attachment-PFID130X/dp/B000LORPTY/ref=pd_bxgy_sg_img_b


Stamina Ab / Hyper Bench
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41cYsccdRcL._SS400_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JC1S0U/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER


PowerLine PPB32X Preacher Curl Bench
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41MK5zFp%2BNL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VLRVS2/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER


Powerline PSC43X Seated Calf Machine
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ycBuwVs-L._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/Powerline-PSC43X-Seated-Calf-Machine/dp/B000TXTIVK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296866486&sr=8-1

[DGBoutte]

Weider Wrist and Forearm Developer
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31YgP8iTrFL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DHIRX0/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER


Valeo Tricep Rope
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EC9HE9GWL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BKTBR2/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER


double D low row handle
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41jGZsMN3dL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000A6V4UY/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATU99V9UX6MC1


20" Rotating Straight Bar
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/11HQznumPAL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018ZMGBM/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=A3JP1DNK62GHI9


Calf Block
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21Us2FWeeJL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UAUE4W/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=A39MYLEJG49HMW

[Mitrovski]

Without knowing your goals, lifting style, and space available it is kind of hard to say what all equipment you'll need. Realize with a home gym there is some trade-off. For example, the price of most decent machine weight systems is out of reach for a lot home users. Because of this and space issues, a lot of home gym owners like equipment that has multiple uses.

I also didn't see weights + bar there, which if you are buying new will cost another 150-200 minimum.

If it were me, I'd ditch a few items:

Calf Raise: single use item, and you have the calf block
Leg Developer for bench: Just not a fan of bench attached leg developers
Preacher Curl: Again, single use

Optional:
FID Bench and ab bench: Switch for an Iron Master super bench w/ a few attachments
Lat PD attachment: Buy a standalone with all the space you've freed up, New or CraigList
Rack: Rack will get the job done, but with you're budget and a few cuts above, you could get a nicer mid range home model

The various cable attachments are cheap enough that they shouldn't make a huge impact on your major equipment choices if they are what you want, perfect.

Everything here can be found on Craigslist if you follow it for a while. New or used is your choice, but a $1500 budget will go a long way if you find good used deals. Also, everything above is just my opinion, the nice thing about a home gym is you can customize it to your workout and likes/dislikes. Sometimes it takes a while to figure it all out too though, which is another nice thing about buying used...when you decide you dont really want this or that, the hit you take ($$$) isn't as bad, and sometimes you even make money!

Oh, and send me some Tabasco...

[oldline70]

I'd probably skip the Stamina ab bench. It's a little too close to the FID bench and to me there is no reason you couldn't do incline situps on your FID. The differences aren't IMO enough to warrant a separate piece of equipment for this.

I'd also skip the rollup forearm thing; I've never been a big fan of those. I'd go with wrist curls and make some far bars for my forearm training.

I'm not sure about the lat pulldown that attaches to the power rack. Sometimes these can be problematic if you can't move the bench back far enough into the rack to really use the J hooks for incline presses. This may or may not be a problem with this rack system, though.

I don't think any of your other choices are bad, though. I agree, though, that you might try CL for used equipment, especially a rack. But I understand sometimes you just want to jump in and get started and not spend a lot of time hunting down equipment on CL. All I'm saying is, it may pay big dividends for you. And you can probably make your own calf block that looks decent for a fraction of the cost of the purchased one.

[highhung723]

Definitely agree with CL. You could possibly (and you really should be able to) save 50% off new. You can definitely get a better rack off CL, but you'd have to be patient.

Most of what Mitrovski said was spot on. However, I think the leg attachment is okay to have, especially if you buy the superbench he suggested. Personally, I don't think the superbench is worth the price UNLESS you get the attachments, including the leg developer if that's your thing. It simultaneously makes it cheaper than buying individual machines, and it also saves a ton of room.

If you still want the accessory items like the calf raise, forearm developer, etc., then buy these last. Room may not seem like an issue now, but once you actually get stuff in your workout room, space fills up quicker than you can imagine. Plus, you want a little more space in case you buy package deals on CL.

[Accutron]

Wow, thats a looooooooooot of useless stuff.

Just get a rack, bench, and weigh set.

You DONT NEED the lat, the curl station, the knee lift attachment, calf machine and ab bench.

All those exercise you can do better with just a barbell and the rack.

So you can save some money, save space, save time with more efficent workouts etc.

Or pool all you money there, and get a top of the line item used on CL used, like really nice rack, or a really nice bench you can keep forever.

[AttyGuy]

1. If you are going to order Powerline, think about Body Solid. Same company, but Powerline is cheaper.

2. Check out fitnessfactory.com, Body Solid's online store. Have someone refer to you to the website and you'll get a 10% discount. Or, you can use "newuser" and get 10% off. You can get Powerline and Body Solid there.

3. Fitnessfactory.com will take payment via PayPal. Sell a bunch of crap you don't need on forums of your choice or eBay, get paid on PayPal, and then use that money direct with ff.com. The old crap is gone and new stuff is on its way to you.

4. Amazon.com will take American Express points. Oh yeah. You can redeem AmEx points on Amazon and get Body Solid equipment. It's like, free. . . .

5. Check Amazon.com and fitnessfactory.com before buying at either one. Prices vary on the websites. I've got a lot of Body Solid stuff in my home gym. Some of it came from ff.com, some of it came from Amazon.com. I went with the place that gave me the better deal or allowed me to use points or PayPal, as appropriate.

6. Did you think about Powertec and BB.com? BB.com has some good prices on Powertec gear, including their cage.

7. Did you think about York? Allison Foreman, midwest and vertical sales rep for York will give you a smokin' deal on gear if you contact her. Phone is (614) 785-9266, and fax is (614) 785-9322. Her e-mail is allisonforeman@aol.com. I won't list how good, but she has posted on other forums in previous years discounts of 30% or so.

8. Speaking of York, did you think about weights and barbells? Seriously. And do you know what you want or what you need? You shouldn't pay more than $180 for a new 300 lb. weight set with cast plates and 700 lb. test chrome bar. Used, you should not pay more than 40 to 50 cents a pound for cast weights. If you want milled, that'll cost more. Get a curl bar or E-Z curl bar, preferrably used. You may want to upgrade and you won't get back your money when you sell the lesser quality chrome bar you bought new.

9. Dumbbells? Hell yes. Sure, you could do without them, but if you have money for all the single-purpose and useless gear on your list, you have money for some hex dumbbells. Used dumbbells, properly priced, go fast on craigslist. They aren't easy to find. If you are going to buy new, go to all the big fitness stores in your areas (don't get lazy and look online) and see how much they are selling dumbbells for. Dick's sells hex dumbbells new for 89 cents a pound. Don't pay more than 50 cents a pound for used dumbbells unless they are Ivanko.

10. Keep it simple, stupid. Don't buy a lot of crap until you know what you are doing and what you want and need. A rack with pull-up bar, a FID bench (flat, incline, decline), a bar and 255 lbs. of weights, a curl bar, and a weight rack are all you need. A dip stand or dip attachment is great. Body Solid's lat blaster bar and row attachment are neat. A flat bench can be handy. Rubber mats are useful. The leg attachment for the powerline bench or Body Solid GFID31 is a good deal. But remember, you only need weights, rack, and FID bench.

[ira_est_a_donum]

like said above.. what is the space you are wanting put your gym into...a huge garage...or a small basement or 1 bedroom... bc many of the things can be an all in one to save space... like a rack with a high and low pull so you wouldnt need an extra lat pulldown taking up a ton of space... prob cheaper this way as well...

and cragslist is nothing short of awesome if you got a little patience... you can get great stuff for super cheap... why pay retail if you dont have 2.... if you need it ASAP.. ... the pay retail for the basics and search out the rest on CL to save cash....

you may want to re think stuff like a extra preacher curl... sometimes simple home gyms without those "unnecessary" space hogging items are the best way.... you dont want to have it so crowded with those extra machines if space is a premium...

you can always start out with less and add more as you see fit and as your space provides... but if you pay retail for something and then realize that...oh my... it takes up a lot more space than I thought... or I could have done without it... and you have to resell it on CL...losing lots of money...

[cm45]

Basic free weights are all you need man, and those type of cable pulley's generally have problems with jamming, and usually have low weight capacities. I would just get a power rack, barbell set, and FID bench, and a book called starting strength by Mark Rippetoe. The extra money you will save by not purchasing the other stuff you could put towards a better power rack. Check out the power rack stickie for more information.

[walkingstick22]

Something other people might not have advised yet is that on craigslist, you could find a bench press bench that also comes with the preacher/leg extension. It may be a bit awkward but that could be a 3 in 1 type of deal that you could get for your home gym.

[keyboardworkout]

With a $1500 budget I would give Rogue Fitness a call.

R3 Power Rack $695

Rogue Flat Bencch $175

Rogue Bar $262

2 Stall Mats $100

Craigslist for plates at less than 50 cents pound

Save for a Sorinex GHD $600

[AttyGuy]

With a $1500 budget I would give Rogue Fitness a call.

Craigslist for plates at less than 50 cents pound


I'd go for the Rogue Beater bar, unless you're doing heavy lifting or power lifting. I'd buy the York 300 lb. set with cheap chrome bar from Allison for a really good price and sell the bar for $30 or $35. You'll have new weights (cast, not milled) practically for used weight prices.

[buffbrown21]

Without knowing your goals, lifting style, and space available it is kind of hard to say what all equipment you'll need. Realize with a home gym there is some trade-off. For example, the price of most decent machine weight systems is out of reach for a lot home users. Because of this and space issues, a lot of home gym owners like equipment that has multiple uses.

I also didn't see weights + bar there, which if you are buying new will cost another 150-200 minimum.

If it were me, I'd ditch a few items:

Calf Raise: single use item, and you have the calf block
Leg Developer for bench: Just not a fan of bench attached leg developers
Preacher Curl: Again, single use

Optional:
FID Bench and ab bench: Switch for an Iron Master super bench w/ a few attachments
Lat PD attachment: Buy a standalone with all the space you've freed up, New or CraigList
Rack: Rack will get the job done, but with you're budget and a few cuts above, you could get a nicer mid range home model

The various cable attachments are cheap enough that they shouldn't make a huge impact on your major equipment choices if they are what you want, perfect.

Everything here can be found on Craigslist if you follow it for a while. New or used is your choice, but a $1500 budget will go a long way if you find good used deals. Also, everything above is just my opinion, the nice thing about a home gym is you can customize it to your workout and likes/dislikes. Sometimes it takes a while to figure it all out too though, which is another nice thing about buying used...when you decide you dont really want this or that, the hit you take ($$$) isn't as bad, and sometimes you even make money!

Oh, and send me some Tabasco...

I pretty much agree with all this.