Setting up home gym in my garage, questions about Body Soild Benches & more!

[Norse]

I plan on getting the The Body-Solid PowerCenter Combo Bench from Dicks Sporting Goods (http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ductId=2845849) next week. Does anyone have any experience with it? I've already got the bar + 300 lbs of plates. This would be great for a lot of upper body work and the leg **** on there might he useful, but I'm getting it for the upper body stuff.

The next week after that I plan on buying a Spartan Sports Power Tower (http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ductId=2120668) for mainly abs and pull ups.

How are these 2 pieces?

I also need some dumbbells so I'd like some suggestions on alright quality and kinda cheap priced ones if you know of any. I need at least 2 100s and 2 75s, but the price on straight weight bells is pretty insane. How are those multi-weight bells that you can select anywhere from like 20 up to 100lbs all with a little switch?

Thanks for any replies.

Edit: Here's the dumbbells I was talking about that switch around: http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ductId=2930476 They only go to 50 lbs tho...

[fitz1]

You can buy a rack for the price of that bench.

I would also not spend $300 for Weider DBs that only go up to 50lbs. Weider is pure garbage. If you are willing to spend $300, go a little more and go with ironmasters or powerblocks...at least you can expand those. I have the Ironmasters and they go from 5-75...for $500.

I work out in a single car garage and have a rack, FI bench, a lat pull, and iron masters...everything fits in a little more than half the garage.

[Norse]

Originally Posted by fitz1

You can buy a rack for the price of that bench.

I would also not spend $300 for Weider DBs that only go up to 50lbs. Weider is pure garbage. If you are willing to spend $300, go a little more and go with ironmasters or powerblocks...at least you can expand those. I have the Ironmasters and they go from 5-75...for $500.

I work out in a single car garage and have a rack, FI bench, a lat pull, and iron masters...everything fits in a little more than half the garage.

Yea I guess for the price of those DBs I could just buy a few pairs of heavier ones. I really want that bench tho. A rack can come later when I got more money to spend. I plan on getting that bench first, then the power tower, then some DBs and then a EZ curl bar. I think with that I should be pretty good for all upper body. Then I'll just need a rack for squats.

[woodlake]

If your interested in hex DB's esportsonline.com has them for about .65-.70 per pound including the shipping try coupon code 95 at check out for the lower price.

[Norse]

Originally Posted by woodlake

If your interested in hex DB's esportsonline.com has them for about .65-.70 per pound including the shipping try coupon code 95 at check out for the lower price.

Good tip bro. Pretty cheap hex's. Thanks.

[dolson27]

Try your local craigslist. That's where I get all my weights from. You might have to be real patient though. Sometimes it takes weeks to finally find something I want.

I don't have any experience with that bench, but Body Solid has a pretty good rep and they are typically well built.

Good luck to you man!

[Norse]

Originally Posted by dolson27

Try your local craigslist. That's where I get all my weights from. You might have to be real patient though. Sometimes it takes weeks to finally find something I want.

I don't have any experience with that bench, but Body Solid has a pretty good rep and they are typically well built.

Good luck to you man!

Thanks bro. I think I wanna set myself up with new equipment, tho. The more money I spend on this, the more apt I will use it as much as possible, lol.

[josephhkim]

the best thing to do here would be to invest in a rack now.

don't wait for later, its a waste of money.

get a rack, weights, and bench.

and buy everything used if you can, you'll save TONS of money.

[rplass]

Yeah, that's a nice bench you posted, but do you have a spotter for every set? If not, what are you going to do when you're at failure on your bench press and can't get the bar back up onto the uprights? You can really get hurt, killed, etc. unless you have a spotter with that bench. I suppose you can leave the collars off and dump the weights all over the floor, have fun with that.

Or you can forget that bench and get a rack (or Smith machine, yeah!!!) and not worry about getting your trachea crushed. The rack (or Smith) are so superior for safety while working out alone in your garage.

You may not be so in love with lower body stuff, but get real, you can't just do bench press and have weak-ass legs and a puny lower body. You're going to have to do squats at some point. So how are you going to do squats using that bench? Even if you do it off the back, what are you going to do when you're at failure on squats, just lean back and dump all the weights every where, man, that's a great way to get injured and smash all your stuff. Get a rack (or Smith!!!) and you always will have a safe way to get out of the hole.

[Norse]

Originally Posted by rplass

Yeah, that's a nice bench you posted, but do you have a spotter for every set? If not, what are you going to do when you're at failure on your bench press and can't get the bar back up onto the uprights? You can really get hurt, killed, etc. unless you have a spotter with that bench. I suppose you can leave the collars off and dump the weights all over the floor, have fun with that.

Or you can forget that bench and get a rack (or Smith machine, yeah!!!) and not worry about getting your trachea crushed. The rack (or Smith) are so superior for safety while working out alone in your garage.

You may not be so in love with lower body stuff, but get real, you can't just do bench press and have weak-ass legs and a puny lower body. You're going to have to do squats at some point. So how are you going to do squats using that bench? Even if you do it off the back, what are you going to do when you're at failure on squats, just lean back and dump all the weights every where, man, that's a great way to get injured and smash all your stuff. Get a rack (or Smith!!!) and you always will have a safe way to get out of the hole.

Yea, but I can't find a suitable bench at dicks. The rack costs the same as that bench, so the bench will be even more. Hmm, yea it may be worth being patient and just getting the rack and bench. Good food for thought. I plan on getting the power tower first anyway. Cheaper, lol.

Thanks.

[fitz1]

Originally Posted by Norse

Yea, but I can't find a suitable bench at dicks. The rack costs the same as that bench, so the bench will be even more. Hmm, yea it may be worth being patient and just getting the rack and bench. Good food for thought. I plan on getting the power tower first anyway. Cheaper, lol.

Thanks.

Sacrifice the power tower purchase...get that last. You can do just about all the same exercises hanging off the rack. Also try to find a store other than Dicks.

[Norse]

Originally Posted by fitz1

Sacrifice the power tower purchase...get that last. You can do just about all the same exercises hanging off the rack. Also try to find a store other than Dicks.

Sporting Goods is about 20 mins away, but Dick's is just the closest. From what I've seen, both stores are exactly the same in price, and many other stores. What's wrong with Dick's?

[dolson27]

Try using some internet sites such as alphafitness, iron company, newyork barbell, or even here at bb.com to purchase your equipment. A lot of times these places ship for free and you typically don't have to pay the tax.

But when it comes to the weights, I would wait for some to drop on CL unless your local sporting goods store has a good deal on them.

[fitz1]

Originally Posted by Norse

Sporting Goods is about 20 mins away, but Dick's is just the closest. From what I've seen, both stores are exactly the same in price, and many other stores. What's wrong with Dick's?

Just want to let you know that there are other stores who specialize in fitness equipment that is step up above Dicks but a step below commercial. They are usually hard to find. Try looking in the phone book for fitness/gym equipment. Going to a store is good so you can test drive the equipment but if there are no stores in your area, you can buy online, search these forums for good places and reviews of different equipment.

[Norse]

http://www.sportsauthority.com/produ...id=body_rv_img

I'm buying this on friday. It has the safety crutches so I can lift alone and it's a pretty good price.

[Norse]

Originally Posted by Norse

http://www.sportsauthority.com/produ...id=body_rv_img

I'm buying this on friday. It has the safety crutches so I can lift alone and it's a pretty good price.

I just bought this bench. My gym is now started!