Outdoor Gym On the Ocean - Power Rack....

[IamBackJack]

Hi All,

This is my first time buying gym equipment and my first home gym. This is for a property in Spain, but equipment can be purchased from the UK also. In essence I want to have an outdoor gym on the ocean (I know corrosion is likely going to be an issue) that doesn't take up too much space and is capable of blasting the whole body. I have to buy all the equipment from scratch and could really use a helping hand.

Here is what I believe to be the relevant information:

Max Budget (Preferably less):
- £5,000 ($7,500 USD) all in for all equipment and weights

Gym Area:
- Outdoor
- Available space is about 4 meters (13ft) x 4 meters (13 ft)... give or take (less space is better)
- Ground surface will be levelled dirt/soil with rubber/safety tiles on top
- Can't bolt equipment down
- I wont have access to tractors or forklifts to move huge pieces of equipment around

Equipment I would the gym to include:
- A multi purpose power rack system (half or full)
- Olympic Weights
- Pull up bar
- 20kg Olympic bar that doesn't has movement/spinning
- Bench
- Pulley system for lat pull downs, biceps and triceps
- Dumbbells



I really appreciate the help!

[g0ld3nuncw]

Hi All,

This is my first time buying gym equipment and my first home gym. This is for a property in Spain, but equipment can be purchased from the UK also. In essence I want to have an outdoor gym on the ocean (I know corrosion is likely going to be an issue) that doesn't take up too much space and is capable of blasting the whole body. I have to buy all the equipment from scratch and could really use a helping hand.

Here is what I believe to be the relevant information:

Max Budget (Preferably less):
- £5,000 ($7,500 USD) all in for all equipment and weights

Gym Area:
- Outdoor
- Available space is about 4 meters (13ft) x 4 meters (13 ft)... give or take (less space is better)
- Ground surface will be levelled dirt/soil with rubber/safety tiles on top
- Can't bolt equipment down
- I wont have access to tractors or forklifts to move huge pieces of equipment around

Equipment I would the gym to include:
- A multi purpose power rack system (half or full)
- Olympic Weights
- Pull up bar
- 20kg Olympic bar that doesn't has movement/spinning
- Bench
- Pulley system for lat pull downs, biceps and triceps
- Dumbbells



I really appreciate the help!

I live at the beach off of North Carolina. I have an outdoor platform. It's 20 x 12. This is not located 'on' the beach, but I live less than a mile from the ocean. It has a power rack and some weights that stay outside, along with kettlebells, platform stands, battle rope, chin and dip bars, TDS straps. You just have to coat all the metal with primer and rustoleum, then touch it up when rust appears, which will happen in this area. I keep dumbells, more weights and a Olympic bar in the building adjacent to the platform. Been there over a year, no real problems. Good luck

[g0ld3nuncw]

I live at the beach off of North Carolina. I have an outdoor platform. It's 20 x 12. It has a power rack and some weights that stay outside, along with kettlebells, platform stands, battle rope, chin and dip bars, TDS straps. You just have to coat all the metal with primer and rustoleum, then touch it up when rust appears, which will happen in this area. I keep dumbells, more weights and a Olympic bar in the building adjacent to the platform. Been there over a year, no real problems. Good luck

Pic 2

[g0ld3nuncw]

Pic 2

Pic 3

[g0ld3nuncw]

Pic 3

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[ProtienandIron]

Thats a nice budget to have. A decent gym starts from the ground up, so maybe have another think about your flooring. It would be hard to get the soil perfectly level, and once it is it will be soft and affected by the weather. Putting rubber safety tiles on top will make the surface even worse- it'll be like trying to do a heavy squat on a bouncy castle. Safety tiles are soft and designed to absorb impact, so they have air pockets, not good for lifting on. If you can, try and opt for a concrete platform, and then add stall mats over the top. If you have a bit spare it might be worth getting some sort of canopy to keep the rain/sun off when the weather is at its worst. Most power racks don't like being outside since the insides are usually bare steel, its hard to maintain then and keep the rust down. One option is to find a rack made out of C / U channel but I've never seen one in the UK so you might have to have it custom made. If using a normal power rack with welded uprights, drill some holes in the bottom to allow drainage or water will sit in the bottom and speed up corrosion.

£2000 should get you all the equipment you are after, if buying new but you can get some great deals second hand. The power rack will likely have a pullup bar so no real need to buy seperate.

[Stasher1]

I'm a bit puzzled by this:

- 20kg Olympic bar that doesn't has movement/spinning

[g0ld3nuncw]

[QUOTE=ProtienandIron;1354663751]Thats a nice budget to have. A decent gym starts from the ground up, so maybe have another think about your flooring. It would be hard to get the soil perfectly level, and once it is it will be soft and affected by the weather. Putting rubber safety tiles on top will make the surface even worse- it'll be like trying to do a heavy squat on a bouncy castle. Safety tiles are soft and designed to absorb impact, so they have air pockets, not good for lifting on. If you can, try and opt for a concrete platform, and then add stall mats over the top. If you have a bit spare it might be worth getting some sort of canopy to keep the rain/sun off when the weather is at its worst. Most power racks don't like being outside since the insides are usually bare steel, its hard to maintain then and keep the rust down. One option is to find a rack made out of C / U channel but I've never seen one in the UK so you might have to have it custom made. If using a normal power rack with welded uprights, drill some holes in the bottom to allow drainage or water will sit in the bottom and speed up corrosion.

I put plastic plugs in all of the unfilled holes in my power rack to keep the water out. Wouldn't be practical if it wasn't private and people needed to change the bar holder height frequently.

[IamBackJack]

Thank you all for the input.

Based on the great advice so far I am considering the following:

Ground:
- levelled soil with wood decking, then stall mats on top. Concrete isn't an option unfortunately.

Power Rack:
- I was offered a custom built rack from Poland that could be galvanised. I am not sure if this would be enough to stop rusting.

What is C/U channel?

Weights:
I am struggling to find dumbbells and olympic weights that can be left in the elements. The thing that has me puzzled is how do outdoor commercial gyms, like on muscle beach, get equipment that doesn't rust.

[ironwill2008]

I am struggling to find dumbbells and olympic weights that can be left in the elements.

No one manufactures such equipment because there's no demand for it.

The thing that has me puzzled is how do outdoor commercial gyms, like on muscle beach, get equipment that doesn't rust.

They don't. If it's out in the weather, even in SoCal, it's gonna rust.

[slashragnarok]

Thank you all for the input.


Power Rack:
- I was offered a custom built rack from Poland that could be galvanised. I am not sure if this would be enough to stop rusting.

Weights:
I am struggling to find dumbbells and olympic weights that can be left in the elements. The thing that has me puzzled is how do outdoor commercial gyms, like on muscle beach, get equipment that doesn't rust.

Nothing will stop rusting. It may delay the process. Galvanising is a cheap and efficient way to retard rusting. Good thing about galvanising is that even if the outer surface is coated with Zinc, the inner surface of the rack tubes will resist rusting. It is called galvanic protection. Same way ship hulls are protected.

Regarding Oly bar, go stainless for the most corrosion protection. Bright zinc comes a close second if you take good care of the bar. Black zinc is more expensive without contributing anything over what bright zinc offers. If you ask me, I'll prefer a well maintained zinc plated bar over stainless steel and put the saved cash in blue chip stocks. Did not mention chrome as it largely depends on the quality of the chrome plating. Whether it'll chip etc. etc.

Finally, why on earth would you want an Oly bar if you want don't want 'em to spin?

EDIT: I also forgot to mention that stainless steel bars are often made of 17-4 PH stainless steel. This grade is particularly susceptible to stress corrosion cracking in marine environments. So I'd keep that in mind.

[KBKB]

I live at the beach off of North Carolina. I have an outdoor platform. It's 20 x 12. This is not located 'on' the beach, but I live less than a mile from the ocean. It has a power rack and some weights that stay outside, along with kettlebells, platform stands, battle rope, chin and dip bars, TDS straps. You just have to coat all the metal with primer and rustoleum, then touch it up when rust appears, which will happen in this area. I keep dumbells, more weights and a Olympic bar in the building adjacent to the platform. Been there over a year, no real problems. Good luck

Pics embedded.

[IamBackJack]

Hi Guys,

Much progress has been made and I would really appreciate some guidance.

I have now levelled and cemented the outdoor area. I have also added a white sail cover over the workout area.

I am finalising the equipment order. Please find the items below:
- galvanised steel power rack with lat low attachment and pull up bar
- galvanised olympic bar with bearings
- York pro style rubber dumbell set and rack (10kg to 35kg)
- 16 inch Olympic dumbell handles
- Olympic rubber plates
- Adjustable outdoor bench

Questions:
- is there anything I should change?
- should I add some flooring or is cement ok? I don't want to damage the weights when air drop them
- how many 10lbs and 5lbs plays should I order to fill a pair of 16 inch dumbell handles?
- what are the best claps/collars to use on the dumbells?

Thank you all for the amazing advice!!!

[IamBackJack]

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