Newbie! Equipment on 2nd floor?

[BAMxBAM]

I'm not sure if this is the best place to have my first post, but I have an important question. I have been wandering around this site for a few months and finally decided to sign up.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...ogID=320453293

My Myspace blog explains what I'm about to do... and if you don't feel like going on it, in short, I'm planning on quitting my gym membership for now and buying the AX PWR7 bench/squat rack with lat pulldown and lower pulley, along with a 300 pound olympic weight set.

Now here's what really concerns me. I live in a townhome with fairly limited space, and obviously this will really be all I can manage to squeeze in. Fortunately, my room is quite generous in size, and I'm wanting to put everything in there because it has the most space. Would it be safe to place everything on the 2nd floor? Ideally, my room would be the best place to put it because all I have is a small computer desk and a small bed in it, the space downstairs where my drum set is isn't as big. But obviously safety comes first, and I want to make sure I can work out upstairs without being in danger of structurally damaging my house.

Thank you, any and all (helpful) input is appreciated.

[Swollen_Powell]

Those weights are 109 at sports authority if you have one close to you

thats all I can answer for you

[ASFx]

Not sure how much weight you plan on putting up there, and every house is built a bit differently, but if you think 4-5 grown men could stand in your room with no problems, then that's already 1000-1250 pounds and you should be fine.

I just put a powertec wb-ms (475lb) and over 600 pounds of weights in my exercise room upstairs, along with a 80lb exercise bike, a 250lb sauna made of cedar, a 75lb tv, a 50lb cabinet, 100lb of adjustable dumbbells, and like 50lb of floor padding and everything is perfectly stable with no creaking or flexing of the floor. I also plan on putting a power rack up there too for some free weight action and I have no worries.

If you're really concerned about it, you could always lay down a layer of wood planks covered with rubber padding to help distribute the load. Just make sure your ceiling is high enough for the extra inch or two you'll be adding to your floor if you do that.

[BAMxBAM]

Those weights are 109 at sports authority if you have one close to you

thats all I can answer for you

Thanks for the heads up, I checked it out a few days ago actually. They say it's their "special price" and it's only until the end of this week. Is that true? Or is it always $110?

Not sure how much weight you plan on putting up there, and every house is built a bit differently, but if you think 4-5 grown men could stand in your room with no problems, then that's already 1000-1250 pounds and you should be fine.

I just put a powertec wb-ms (475lb) and over 600 pounds of weights in my exercise room upstairs, along with a 80lb exercise bike, a 250lb sauna made of cedar, a 75lb tv, a 50lb cabinet, 100lb of adjustable dumbbells, and like 50lb of floor padding and everything is perfectly stable with no creaking or flexing of the floor. I also plan on putting a power rack up there too for some free weight action and I have no worries.

If you're really concerned about it, you could always lay down a layer of wood planks covered with rubber padding to help distribute the load. Just make sure your ceiling is high enough for the extra inch or two you'll be adding to your floor if you do that.

Yeah, the way you put it makes me feel better, I guess it shouldn't be a problem at all then... since the weight will be distributed somewhat evenly. My room is carpeted, so I don't know/think I can put wood planks, but I'm looking into rubber padding/flooring for the equipment... they seem to go for around 20 bucks for 24sqft, is that a decent price? thanks guys.

[need2eat]

My opinion.

600 bux for that contraption is a waste of friggin money.


ironmaster, bodysolid offer benches (1000lbs capacities) that will probably last your lifetime and cost 2-300.

there is a rack listed on ebay for 179 + 69 to ship, new, always one listed, its supposedly rated for 1000lbs (you verify by asking them yourself).



The bench apex is offering isnt the strongest and I believe wont even go 80 or 90 degrees for shoulder press, eventually, you will out grow it. From a safety aspect, the rack apex offers is probably the worst. Id much rather see someone buy the ebay rack and modify it to fit their ceiling height, than buy something like the apex and get hurt, due to a false sense of safety. The lat attachment is useless, weighted pulls are superior as are DB or bar rows. Plus, you save a little cash in the long run and end up with higher quality product.


good luck with whatever you decide.

[smokeater]

Not sure how much weight you plan on putting up there, and every house is built a bit differently, but if you think 4-5 grown men could stand in your room with no problems, then that's already 1000-1250 pounds and you should be fine.

I just put a powertec wb-ms (475lb) and over 600 pounds of weights in my exercise room upstairs, along with a 80lb exercise bike, a 250lb sauna made of cedar, a 75lb tv, a 50lb cabinet, 100lb of adjustable dumbbells, and like 50lb of floor padding and everything is perfectly stable with no creaking or flexing of the floor. I also plan on putting a power rack up there too for some free weight action and I have no worries.

If you're really concerned about it, you could always lay down a layer of wood planks covered with rubber padding to help distribute the load. Just make sure your ceiling is high enough for the extra inch or two you'll be adding to your floor if you do that.

The only problem with the analogy of the 4-5 men is the distribution of weight. You are correct in stating that 4-5 men spread out in one room will not cause harm to most homes. However when it comes to exercise you are talking about putting a substantial weight load in a small area. Residential homes are not designed for this. For heavy weight loads, steel beams are used. In residential homes, wood is used. Wood bends and cracks when subjected to heavy loads. Heavy weight loads will cause traditional structure to be compromised over time. The floor joists will bend and after a while the plywood sheathing will follow with it. If you have hardwood, it will pop. If you have tiles they will crack along with the grout. This is very expensive to fix. I only know because I saw it happen. Main floors are not designed to handle this kind of a weight load, and 2nd floors do not have the structural strength that main floors do. If you put a heavy load on a 2nd floor I can guarantee you will compromise the integrity of that floor, to some degree.

If you insist on putting weights on a main or upper floor then take maximum precautions. Beef up the floor joists. Double up the 2x8's or 2x10's every 4th row. This isn't hard to do, a good contractor can help you out with this. Use 2x8's to brace between the joists. Place them every 4'. This will help unify the floor structure and each joist will be less likely to bend on its own. By doing just this you have probably doubled the weight capacity for that room. Then lay down some 3/4" contractor-grade plywood on top of the existing floor. You should have 2" of subfloor thickness, minimum. Stagger the plywood sheathing to minimize potential movement. Not much more you can do to make your floor strong.

[BAMxBAM]

My opinion.

600 bux for that contraption is a waste of friggin money.


ironmaster, bodysolid offer benches (1000lbs capacities) that will probably last your lifetime and cost 2-300.

there is a rack listed on ebay for 179 + 69 to ship, new, always one listed, its supposedly rated for 1000lbs (you verify by asking them yourself).



The bench apex is offering isnt the strongest and I believe wont even go 80 or 90 degrees for shoulder press, eventually, you will out grow it. From a safety aspect, the rack apex offers is probably the worst. Id much rather see someone buy the ebay rack and modify it to fit their ceiling height, than buy something like the apex and get hurt, due to a false sense of safety. The lat attachment is useless, weighted pulls are superior as are DB or bar rows. Plus, you save a little cash in the long run and end up with higher quality product.


good luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks, I've actually considered that option and still am debating it to some extent (not 100% on the apex route), it's just that I have never seen it in person, but I have seen and tried the Apex in person and it was not too bad, the only complaints I have is that the bench is a little too high for me to completely put my feet flat on the ground during flat bench press (I'm pretty short, around 5'5 - 5'6) and the adjustment of the rack spotter positions could be better. The contraption will not cost nearly $600 altogether, but will be 320-360 roughly with tax and other accessories I might buy. I'm wondering, how much would I be spending should I choose to go the ebay rack route, with a basic/decent bench, and $110 300 pound olympic weight set? Would it also allow me to add on a lat pulldown/lower pulley extension in the future? Space is also an important issue for me as well.

The only problem with the analogy of the 4-5 men is the distribution of weight. You are correct in stating that 4-5 men spread out in one room will not cause harm to most homes. However when it comes to exercise you are talking about putting a substantial weight load in a small area. Residential homes are not designed for this. For heavy weight loads, steel beams are used. In residential homes, wood is used. Wood bends and cracks when subjected to heavy loads. Heavy weight loads will cause traditional structure to be compromised over time. The floor joists will bend and after a while the plywood sheathing will follow with it. If you have hardwood, it will pop. If you have tiles they will crack along with the grout. This is very expensive to fix. I only know because I saw it happen. Main floors are not designed to handle this kind of a weight load, and 2nd floors do not have the structural strength that main floors do. If you put a heavy load on a 2nd floor I can guarantee you will compromise the integrity of that floor, to some degree.

If you insist on putting weights on a main or upper floor then take maximum precautions. Beef up the floor joists. Double up the 2x8's or 2x10's every 4th row. This isn't hard to do, a good contractor can help you out with this. Use 2x8's to brace between the joists. Place them every 4'. This will help unify the floor structure and each joist will be less likely to bend on its own. By doing just this you have probably doubled the weight capacity for that room. Then lay down some 3/4" contractor-grade plywood on top of the existing floor. You should have 2" of subfloor thickness, minimum. Stagger the plywood sheathing to minimize potential movement. Not much more you can do to make your floor strong.

Ahhh... I knew something would be wrong and I was worried about this... So would this particular contraption be really too heavy? The Apex set weighs in around 220 pounds (isn't this roughly how much beds typically weigh?) and I don't think I'll ever use all 300 pounds of the weight set at once any time soon, and if I ever do become strong enough, it's not like I'll put the bar and all plates into one pile. However, if this would still put the structural integrity of my house in danger, I guess putting it all downstairs is my only choice.
*Can't make any significant changes to the house, we're renting it.

[ASFx]

It greatly depends on how your house was built. It is impossible guarantee you will or will not have structural damage over time unless someone physically examines the structure of your house. If your house is one of those that has hollow wooden floors, then of course that would not be good enough to hold the weight. If you have a newer house, it should be made it withstand a lot more weight. When you walk upstairs check to see if the floor sounds hollow or solid.

[smokeater]

Ahhh... I knew something would be wrong and I was worried about this... So would this particular contraption be really too heavy? The Apex set weighs in around 220 pounds (isn't this roughly how much beds typically weigh?) and I don't think I'll ever use all 300 pounds of the weight set at once any time soon, and if I ever do become strong enough, it's not like I'll put the bar and all plates into one pile. However, if this would still put the structural integrity of my house in danger, I guess putting it all downstairs is my only choice.
*Can't make any significant changes to the house, we're renting it.

Well I'm going to contradict myself. With a power rack you might be ok. A power rack has a fairly wide base, 5x5' roughly. Because of the base frame, this speads the load a little more evenly throughout the room. What you should not do is store heavy loads in the room. Things like 4-6 pair dumbbell racks and really heavily loaded plate trees. As long as you don't keep the heavy loads in one spot over a period of time I think that might be ok for the joists. Think of it like 2 heavy people sitting on a couch watching tv for 2 hours at a time... that is what structure in homes is designed for.

[BAMxBAM]

Thanks for the advice so far everyone!

It greatly depends on how your house was built. It is impossible guarantee you will or will not have structural damage over time unless someone physically examines the structure of your house. If your house is one of those that has hollow wooden floors, then of course that would not be good enough to hold the weight. If you have a newer house, it should be made it withstand a lot more weight. When you walk upstairs check to see if the floor sounds hollow or solid.

Hm, I'm not sure how old exactly this duplex is (my guess is under 25 years old if anything), but it was "completely renovated" after Hurricane Katrina if that means anything at all. What did you mean by hollow wooden floors? Aren't most/all residential houses made of wood structurally (like smokeeater suggested)? The room is carpeted, but my guess is that it's wood underneath. This may sound quite silly, but I've actually jumped and stomped from my bed to the floor a couple of times to see how "solid" the floor felt... passed that test!

Well I'm going to contradict myself. With a power rack you might be ok. A power rack has a fairly wide base, 5x5' roughly. Because of the base frame, this speads the load a little more evenly throughout the room. What you should not do is store heavy loads in the room. Things like 4-6 pair dumbbell racks and really heavily loaded plate trees. As long as you don't keep the heavy loads in one spot over a period of time I think that might be ok for the joists. Think of it like 2 heavy people sitting on a couch watching tv for 2 hours at a time... that is what structure in homes is designed for.

What if it's not exactly a power rack, but the Apex set I'm getting as shown in the pictures on the link I posted? I'm guessing/hoping it would be ok since it seems to have a fairly wide base as well (don't know exact dimensions) and seems like the weight would be distributed fairly evenly. I don't know if this is really a fair comparison... but my neighbors are for lack of better term and no disrespect to them... quite huge people. The husband is at least 300 pounds, and his wife is around I'd guess 250 (give or take). For them both to share a bed every night (which probably weighs at least 200 pounds) and sleep for around 8 hours... I'd assume that load would be at least the same, or greater than the equipment I'm planning to put in my room. I'm somewhat convinced that everything is going to be alright, but then again I can really use some confirmation from some knowledgeable people like you guys. Thanks, more/alternative input is still greatly appreciated!

[Swollen_Powell]

They say it's their "special price" and it's only until the end of this week. Is that true? Or is it always $110?

Its on special, its on sale regularly but also check craigslist

[BAMxBAM]

Its on special, its on sale regularly but also check craigslist

Gotcha. Going to get everything tomorow... so if you guys have anything else to say about this before then, it would help a lot.

[need2eat]

If safety is a concern for you, go with a rack, if the ebay rack doesnt make you happy, search local equipment retailers also try out a few benches.



I just see a few key features the apex unit, doesnt have, that eventually, there is a good chance your gonna wish it did have, or at this point they are things I look for. Who knows?



Good luck

[BAMxBAM]

If safety is a concern for you, go with a rack, if the ebay rack doesnt make you happy, search local equipment retailers also try out a few benches.



I just see a few key features the apex unit, doesnt have, that eventually, there is a good chance your gonna wish it did have, or at this point they are things I look for. Who knows?



Good luck

What does the Apex unit lack that you would specifically look for? I was under the impression that I would be able to get a full body work out with what I was originally planning to buy. I really don't know of any local equipment retailers besides Sports Academy and Academy... there is a store called Fitness Expo, but they seem to sell only commerical grade equipment way out of my price range. If the power rack is the only thing I can put safely on the 2nd floor... I might reconsider, but if my room can safely handle the Apex, it's my ideal choice. I went to Academy numerous times just to make sure the Apex would be alright for me, and I'm confident that for only $200 for the whole unit plus $110 for a 300 pound olympic weight set,it will be sufficient for me. Later down the road, I might buy a lower bench just so I can perfectly place my feet flat on the ground (as stated above, I'm a whopping 5'6). I'm just hoping my house will not be harmed/damaged from having everything on top...

thanks so far everyone

[BAMxBAM]

well guys... thanks for the help. just bought everything saturday, and so far no issues! no creaking or apparent flexing of the floor anyway..