Another Home Gym Thread, Thoughts, ideas and a Disc Dilemma need solving.

[GJerstorff]

Hi guys and girls ofcourse. This being my first post id like to say hi to everyone, ive been reading a bit here for some time - seems like weve got a great bunch of helpfull and nice people around, awesome.

So, in 3 months time ill be moving to a new house, it has a 60 square meters basement, i think its around 645 sq ft ?correct me if its wrong, anyway its been painted and refinished etc. nice and shiny, so this will be my home gym.
some reasons for training at home would be that i think my training to sleep ratio and other factors such as food after training would improve alot, right now i get off work, late, i might eat before training, then done at the gym at 10 PM, home, rest an hour, sleep and up at like 4am - wewt, sleep aint enough.and seccondly, for my wife and my soon to be daughter, 60hours of work a week + gym = unhappy wife, so there it is.
So, to start off with, my dilemma i guess.
I could buy like 500 kilos of York Barbbell Company's plates, or i could get like 700 kilos of these for the same pricecant post links yet but i guess you can figure it out):
megafitness-shop.info/Hanteln-Co/Hantelscheiben/50-mm/Barbarian-Guss/orig-Barbarian-Hantelscheiben-100-kg-Set--1325.html
Sites in german, but at top left you can change it to english.
Anyway, that set is about 1300DKR for 100 kg, now i know the iron price is around 11-12DKR per. kilo, and these plates have been molded painted etc. besides that, which leades me to think, these might be bad moulded and would break easily? - the weight deviance might be quite big aswell?.

Anyway heres what else ill be getting:
Ironmaster Quick Lock Dumbbells set x2(maybe ill just get a seccond set of handles - havent decided yet), the 120lbs addon set, and the 160lbs addon set.
Ironmaster EZ Bar
Ironmaster Kettlebell
Ironmaster Super Bench with Preacher curl attachment and Leg Ext. /leg curl attachment.
The Bodycraft F340 Crossover plate loaded.

The rest ill be getting from Megafitness-shop.info (the german site i linked to earlier, tho i live in denmark).
Barbarian Line Power Rack With built in Lat with High and low pulley, plate loaded, dips bars, chin up bars etc.
Barbarian Line Pro Multi Bench, Not the warrior one, looks uncomfy.
Barbarian Line Hack Squat/Leg Press
700kg's of Barbarian Plates - OR 400 Kilos of York Barbbell plates.
Chain sets of 16, 24 and 32 kilos
Power Bands, Set of Red, Black, Purple, Green and Blue.
Rogue PL Bar from Rogue Fitness
burgener-rippetoe-men-s-bar also from Rogue Fitness
Rogue Operator bar, olive drab - just because i can.
a GHR/GHD (havent decided which yet)

ill be modifying my Barbarian line rack to make it deeper and add the plate/chain/band storage that the William Strength power rack has to my Barbarian rack, or something similar, unfortunately i cant post a picture yet cause im new here.
Also ill be building a good Deadlift platform in wood.

Reason for my dilemma is i dont want the plates to be popping on me if im unlucky to drop it during a deadlift or w/e - on the other hand an extra 200kilos of discs is nice and handy with all the plate loaded machines (crossover, hack squat, bars etc).

Any thoughts? Ideas? Comments welcome, keep in mind i live in denmark, so i prefer to buy stuff out of germany or perhaps some from the UK.

Sorry for the long read.

Thank you everyone.
P.S. you guys out there have some pretty sweet home gyms, im all jelly looking at the home gym thread.

Regards,
Kristian.

[KBKB]

Anyway heres what else ill be getting:
Ironmaster Quick Lock Dumbbells set x2(maybe ill just get a seccond set of handles - havent decided yet), the 120lbs addon set, and the 160lbs addon set.
Ironmaster EZ Bar
Ironmaster Kettlebell
Ironmaster Super Bench with Preacher curl attachment and Leg Ext. /leg curl attachment.

While I did read the rest of your post, I don't know enough about the rest of the items you're considering to comment. I do, however, have a bunch of Ironmaster gear.

I would not (and did not) get the Ironmaster EZ-curl bar. From the rest of your post, it appears you'll be getting an assortment of olympic plates. I think you'll be better off getting an EZ-curl bar with olympic sleeves. I think setting up weight on an Olympic EZ-curl bar will be faster than dealing with the Ironmaster plates. That said, the IM curl bar could be useful for someone who has only the Ironmaster plates at their disposal.

I have a second set of Ironmaster dumbbell handles. With all the additional plates you'll be purchasing, I think they'll be a handy thing to have. You should also consider getting the fat grip adapters for one pair of handles. I wrote a mini-review of the fat grip adapters last month. Bottom line, I use the handles equipped with the fat grip adapters more frequently than I do the handles without those adapters.

See my Ironmaster Preacher Curl Attachment Review.

I like the Ironmaster Super Bench. The Super Bench accessory that I use the most and like the most is the Spotting Stand. I also wrote a review for the spotting stand.

I have the leg extension and curl attachment, but do not use it very often. I find that my legs get enough work from other compound lifts. If I were to hurt a foot or hurt my back, however, I would undoubtedly use this attachment a lot more.

Another Super Bench accessory that I like is the Seated Press Backrest. This is what I use when I do my seated presses with a backrest.

[GJerstorff]

Thank you for your Reply.
Awesome Reviews, im planning on doing review of all of my gear in my home gym when i get it.

I will definately consider the Seated Press Backrest - did not know this excisted and was sorta hoping i could use the preacher attachment as a backrest - however getting the part meant for it seems more usefull.
I will be getting the fat grip adapters aswell, did not think about that - good point.
Not sure about the spotter stands yet, i think ill see how well i do without it first and then decide if i should get it or not.
Good point on the IM EZ Bar aswell, i think ill follow your advice and get a EZ bar with OL sleeves.

Im hoping to get everything right the first time, i dont like getting stuff that needs replacing, and you opened my mind for a few things i didnt think of, thanks alot.
i hope some more people will post some more thoughts and ideas.

[KBKB]

Not sure about the spotter stands yet, i think ill see how well i do without it first and then decide if i should get it or not.

It might not make sense for you since you're getting a lot of other high quality equipment. My space is limited and I do not (yet) have space for a rack. As such, I've been relying on dumbbell bench press as my primary pressing exercise. That means I need a way to be able to position heavy dumbbells for pressing. The spotting stands work very well for this.

[GJerstorff]

My workout routine does sometimes include heavy DB bench press - for variation, perhaps i will consider the stands - ill see, i have 3 months to think about it

Repd'

[adaje41]

AFAIK, the Rogue PL bar and the Rogue Operator are the same exact bar except for the different knurling (one has center and the other does not if I remember correctly) and different color

If I was in your shoes, I'd probably go for a different 2nd bar. Maybe replace the Rogue PL with a Texas bar for PL? Or a Pendlay bar instead of the Operator if you're into Olys?

[ironwill2008]

... i dont want the plates to be popping on me if im unlucky to drop it during a deadlift or w/e -

I'm curious, due to the above statement; what is your level of experience, OP?

[GJerstorff]

Been powerlifting on/off for about 1 year 7 months, the off part mostly the last few months.
Had a small back injury, so my max lift thus far has been 190kg - which isnt alot.
the reason for the statement was should i drop the bar i dont want some bad molded discs which might be prone to breaking, money out the window(just like mc donalds drive thru).
it is unlikely i will drop the bar, ive got quite a good grip.
What would you suggest, would you go for the cheaper discs with more kilos, or more expensive ones ?. - not sure if those discs at all are prone to breaking, but who knows?.

[ironwill2008]

What would you suggest,

I would suggest that someone at your level re-think the idea of spending thousands of dollars on weight lifting equipment.

Much-less-expensive bar, plates/power rack, etc. will work just as well as any high-end stuff, especially if the owner will be the only user.

[wolfdragon]

Go for more weights of course. A second set of handles for the ironmaster dumbbells sounds like a great idea.

[Wildtim]

I would suggest that someone at your level re-think the idea of spending thousands of dollars on weight lifting equipment.

Much-less-expensive bar, plates/power rack, etc. will work just as well as any high-end stuff, especially if the owner will be the only user.

I'd agree, thats a whole lot of cash for someone who isn't a dedicated home user or one who isn't one hundred percent sure what direction his lifting is going to go.

[playaj]

I'd agree, thats a whole lot of cash for someone who isn't a dedicated home user or one who isn't one hundred percent sure what direction his lifting is going to go.

How much is he planning on spending? If he plans to work out 1-3 times a week consistently is it a bad idea? If it's the only way he gets in a gym then it's probably not bad.

[GJerstorff]

While i do appreciate you protecting my wallet, id rather buy the right equipment from the beginning than having to replace it in 5 years.
Ive become addicted to training,it is important to me, i need this, i use this to clear my mind, so that when im done i may relax in my head - however its not more important than my family.
while ive been training, ive spent all my time in a power lifting club, aiming to become a pro powerlifter, however ive had to put this aside for other things in life.
I feel that it is better for me to get this equipment and continue training at home, than it is not to get it and possibly not train at all.

[NoKittyNo]

All the said equipment above looks like a good place to start, or re-build a workout plan or system once stalled. On the Rogue Operator Bar I have one - and love it. I also have the B & Rip Bar and had that one first. For playing arounds' sake, I have been using the Operator bar since received nearing end of December and love it, especially for front squats. But if I had my pick, and if I could pick only one - the B&R has it all in my opinion. But both are exceptionally made, and can be used the same for any/lifts (though cleans could be iffy due to B&R center knurl)

As for the Ironmaster stuff, I will chime in on the Quick-Lock Dumbbells and SuperBench. I would say they are one of the best combinations a person can invest in. Now - while I don't own the Bench any-more, I would rate it 9.2/10 for full performance, aesthetics, accessories - etc. I like KBKB, have a second pair of Ironmaster Handles and would recommend if you have the cash, to get a 2nd pair, for less weight changes and functionality, or if you workout out with a partner.

As for the E-Z curl bar from IM - i've never owned one so can't comment, it would add to a set but I think a functional replacement would be just a basic oly EZ Bar, I don't like the idea of distributing so many IM Plates between a Kettlebell, and 1-2 IM Handles, assuming most are left pre-loaded with weight. I don't de-load the weight on my IM stuff, so that's just an assumption. Oly plates are easy to come by and to use those for an EZ bar may make more sense, but it's your money and stuff, not mine.

Originally Posted by ironwill2008
I would suggest that someone at your level re-think the idea of spending thousands of dollars on weight lifting equipment.

Much-less-expensive bar, plates/power rack, etc. will work just as well as any high-end stuff, especially if the owner will be the only user.
I'd agree, thats a whole lot of cash for someone who isn't a dedicated home user or one who isn't one hundred percent sure what direction his lifting is going to go.

I do get where you guys are coming from, but if I had the cash I had in the last few years when I started out, I think it may of been a smoother process for me in finding right ways to train, what to train with and my abilities. BUT on the other hand, if I hadn't started from the bottom - I wouldn't be as humble as I am now - Lol.

Picture a 17 year old 7 years ago, with a Canadian Tire 50lb Gold Sand Filled Vinyl Weight set, cheap Lifting bar - not even in the category of Standard/Oly(franken bar) and NO bench - but their mothers Aerobic Stepped as some leverage off the floor, self-fabricating a method to do leg curls lying down holding a spinlock dumbbell inbetween their feet. LOL.

So that being said, if you have the money, and can attain the knowledge (Here on BB, or online) who's to say anything is a bad investment.

[KBKB]

I don't like the idea of distributing so many IM Plates between a Kettlebell...

That reminds me...

I have the IM kettlebell handle. (I posted photos of it in this thread.) The size and shape of the handle is awesome for two handed swings. It also works well for one handed swings and kettlebell snatches. But, due to its shape and also due to the fact that it hangs a bit lower than do cast iron kettlebells, it's somewhat awkward to use it for cleans and presses. If you plan on doing lots of cleans and/or lots of presses, it might be worth it to invest in some fixed weight bells. I like the kettlebells from Lifeline USA. The Rogue "Kilo" Bells (which are actually Art of Strength / Punch kettlebells) are very nice too, but I like the finish on the Lifeline bells better. The Lifeline bells still have a grippy texture for the handles, but the rest of the bell is not quite as rough as the Rogue/AOS/Punch bells. That said, the IM kettlebell handle is, IMO, superior to either the Lifeline Bells or the Rogue Bells for doing two handed swings, especially if you have large hands.

Picture a 17 year old 7 years ago, with a Canadian Tire 50lb Gold Sand Filled Vinyl Weight set, cheap Lifting bar - not even in the category of Standard/Oly(franken bar) and NO bench - but their mothers Aerobic Stepped as some leverage off the floor, self-fabricating a method to do leg curls lying down holding a spinlock dumbbell inbetween their feet. LOL.

Good story. Starting with that equipment up front, I would guess that you have a better appreciation of the good equipment that you now have.

[playaj]

I do get where you guys are coming from, but if I had the cash I had in the last few years when I started out, I think it may of been a smoother process for me in finding right ways to train, what to train with and my abilities. BUT on the other hand, if I hadn't started from the bottom - I wouldn't be as humble as I am now - Lol.

Picture a 17 year old 7 years ago, with a Canadian Tire 50lb Gold Sand Filled Vinyl Weight set, cheap Lifting bar - not even in the category of Standard/Oly(franken bar) and NO bench - but their mothers Aerobic Stepped as some leverage off the floor, self-fabricating a method to do leg curls lying down holding a spinlock dumbbell inbetween their feet. LOL.

So that being said, if you have the money, and can attain the knowledge (Here on BB, or online) who's to say anything is a bad investment.

I agree. I started out with the vinyl coated plates doing overhead presses in front of a bathroom mirror.

[GJerstorff]

Ive read the review on the IM kettlebell - which is why i decided to get it aswell, itll work for what i need to start out with, whilst i might get other ones later on if i feel the need.
Like i said, i like to get stuff right the first time - my wife also does a litle bit of power lifting, she used to go with me 3 times a week, but she being pregnant and all sorta ended that .
While one may appreciate ones equipment more if its something you have been waiting a long time to get while using less good equipment, do not think i havent saved up for a while to get all this stuff, as you can immagine, ive been dreaming of getting it since i started training at the club.

The main reason for my gym being i want to have more time home now that im about to become a daddy, and i definately feel that doing it this way will improve the amount of sleep ill be getting, saving me 1½ hours travel time to the club - and you dont wonna underestimate the importance of a good sleep when you train.

I think ive decided to go for the cheaper plates to begin with, but ill be getting less KG's, so should they be bad, i can still use them for the leg press/hack squat without their weight deviance/possibly poor moulding would be an issue, and save some money away to get some better discs in the future if i need to.

Thanks guys, ill be posting thorough review in 3 months time when i get all my stuff - havent seen too many people around with the barbarian stuff.

[matrix563]

need pics of basement empty before photos

[KalleA]

Hi,

I'll pitch in as we seem to have a few things in common: also in Europe (Germany), fitting out my home gym and recently got some stuff from MegaFitness (and I'm part Danish).

1. I fully agree with your decision in getting decent quality equipment from the outset. Wish I had as I'm gradually replacing any cheap crap I acquired earlier.

2. I can't comment on the Barbarian Cast Iron plates, as I only have the rubber coated ("Logo Gripper") version. The latter appear to be of good quality, but I have not checked them for weight tolerance. I very much doubt that there is any risk of the cast iron plates breaking if you drop them from a deadlift height onto the rubber mats of your lifting platform, but:

3. I would suggest you get at least a pair of "Rubber Bumper Plates" for a number of reasons. By placing them first on the bar you get the proper height for deadlifting (they are all 450 mm diam). They will also absorb some shock when dropping the bar. Finally, since they elevate the bar to the proper height, it becomes easy to load the bar with the cast iron plates, which are smaller in diameter (even the 25 kg Barbarian plate is only 400 mm).

4. How tall are you? Just to draw your attention to the fact that the Barbarian Rack is not all that tall (213 cm). Depending on your height this might be inconvenient for pullups/chins and also not allow a full stretch with the lat pull. Also, overhead presses inside the rack may be impossible.

5. If you have not placed your order yet, you might also want to check out fitness-seller.nl in Holland. They carry the same stuff at similar prices, but if you give them a call, you will definitely be able to negotiate a decent package discount. For all I know, one might be able to negotiate w Megafitness as well, I have ordered from both but only really negotiated w the Dutch, as they seemed more flexible.

Best of luck with your home gym.

Cheers