'Look What I Bought Today!' - Part Deux

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Latest addition to my home gym: Body-Solid PFT100 Functional Trainer:



Really lucked-out with the timing. It was on sale for $125 off, they were out of stock in the stock plates; so I got a free upgrade to the Red plates; they cut me a deal on the additional 50 lb. stacks, and it was free shipping.

The thing just barely >< clears the ceiling. I've about 1/2 in. over the top of the highest pulleys.

Ordered the aluminum lat pull-down and double-swivel bar with it. Ordered a triceps rope, too, but, that's on back-order. Should've bought a set of 5 lb. fractional weights. I'll probably order those today.

The short straight bar, ab crunch thing, and ankle cuffs (in the bag) you see hanging there I bought from my old gym when it closed its doors.

The mats you see to the left of the FT are the The Strength Company deadlift mats I bought a couple weeks ago. They're pretty damn substantial.

Next up: Squat rack. That'll be in about 4-5 weeks. Then the gym will be complete. Maybe

I didn't even know about this version until now, but looked it up and it appears to have very favorable reviews, the red selectorized plates are badass!

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Yes, they are pretty much identical in terms of quality except for Arnold. Both descriptions say higher quality 'ductile' iron and they have the same pleasant ring to them. I plan to keep scooping them up if the deal makes sense, still watching the website for if/when they release more.



Yes sir, benefits of being close to Columbus!

Edit: Cause pictures are better...haha

I just finally got to seeing these pics since the forums are now back again in the dark background border when I refreshed the page and apparently is the desktop version on my phone. Once again very nice score!

[hassanizhar]

I bought trade mill for loosing my weight.

[urbanlifter]

Might have to start an 'Arnold Edition' anonymous group soon, took the family to the Columbus Zoo today and hit the Rogue store. Arnold's still in stock, picked up my fourth and final pair LOL.

Got to lay hands on the 2XAggro and 3XAggro bars, was surprised that the 3X wasn't unbearable. But definitely a bit more aggressive than the REP Deep Knurl, not for the faint of heart.

[radrd]

Might have to start an 'Arnold Edition' anonymous group soon, took the family to the Columbus Zoo today and hit the Rogue store. Arnold's still in stock, picked up my fourth and final pair LOL.

Got to lay hands on the 2XAggro and 3XAggro bars, was surprised that the 3X wasn't unbearable. But definitely a bit more aggressive than the REP Deep Knurl, not for the faint of heart.

Wow, that's a lot of Arnolds. Sweet plates though! How did the 2x Aggro feel in comparison to the Rep deep knurl? I've always figured they are in the same ballpark

[urbanlifter]

Wow, that's a lot of Arnolds. Sweet plates though! How did the 2x Aggro feel in comparison to the Rep deep knurl? I've always figured they are in the same ballpark

IMO deep knurl is somewhere between the 2X and the 3X, but I'd take the deep knurl over both those Rogue barbells. We'll see how the AB Barbell compares, but I'm not expecting it to be overly sharp compared to any of them. REP's bar still has my all time favorite knurl for the time being.

Speaking of AB, ordered the bar on Sunday and still no shipping notice. Seems kinda strange...

[Deep-Voiced-One]

IMO deep knurl is somewhere between the 2X and the 3X, but I'd take the deep knurl over both those Rogue barbells. We'll see how the AB Barbell compares, but I'm not expecting it to be overly sharp compared to any of them. REP's bar still has my all time favorite knurl for the time being.

Speaking of AB, ordered the bar on Sunday and still no shipping notice. Seems kinda strange...

When it does eventually arrive prepare to be taking apart a lot of protective packaging...AB goes above and beyond protecting their barbells when they're shipped out. On the subject of the Arnie's, you can do no wrong Urban! Just enough to have a set(s) displayed in your home gym and the other(s) to cover your kid's college fund lol.

[Greybird2]

4 sets of Arnolds? Are your other DD going up for sale? I admit I am not a fan of iron plates. However I am a fan of the Arnold plates. I use them whenever i can....

[urbanlifter]

When it does eventually arrive prepare to be taking apart a lot of protective packaging...AB goes above and beyond protecting their barbells when they're shipped out. On the subject of the Arnie's, you can do no wrong Urban! Just enough to have a set(s) displayed in your home gym and the other(s) to cover your kid's college fund lol.

For sure! This will be my 3rd AB Barbell, it's a workout just getting the bar free from the packaging haha. But yeah, my wife laughed and said the kids each get a pair then we have two leftover to fund a future vacation LOL

4 sets of Arnolds? Are your other DD going up for sale? I admit I am not a fan of iron plates. However I am a fan of the Arnold plates. I use them whenever i can....

Nah, part of the motivator was I needed more plates anyway to spread around the room. So now I have 8 pair total, 4 being the Arnold's! Very happy with the deep dish though, have that classic feel.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Arnold plates are now back in stock and still available as of this post...go get em! Just got a second pair of them.

[urbanlifter]

Arnold plates are now back in stock and still available as of this post...go get em! Just got a second pair of them.

Yes sir, still in stock!

No more for me though, I'm spent for a while!

[thedickus]

Might have to start an 'Arnold Edition' anonymous group soon, took the family to the Columbus Zoo today and hit the Rogue store. Arnold's still in stock, picked up my fourth and final pair LOL.

Got to lay hands on the 2XAggro and 3XAggro bars, was surprised that the 3X wasn't unbearable. But definitely a bit more aggressive than the REP Deep Knurl, not for the faint of heart.

Nice! Those plates look awesome. No one on here is buying your "picked up my fourth and final pair" line though.

[thedickus]

Latest addition to my home gym: Body-Solid PFT100 Functional Trainer:



Really lucked-out with the timing. It was on sale for $125 off, they were out of stock in the stock plates; so I got a free upgrade to the Red plates; they cut me a deal on the additional 50 lb. stacks, and it was free shipping.

The thing just barely >< clears the ceiling. I've about 1/2 in. over the top of the highest pulleys.

Ordered the aluminum lat pull-down and double-swivel bar with it. Ordered a triceps rope, too, but, that's on back-order. Should've bought a set of 5 lb. fractional weights. I'll probably order those today.

The short straight bar, ab crunch thing, and ankle cuffs (in the bag) you see hanging there I bought from my old gym when it closed its doors.

The mats you see to the left of the FT are the The Strength Company deadlift mats I bought a couple weeks ago. They're pretty damn substantial.

Next up: Squat rack. That'll be in about 4-5 weeks. Then the gym will be complete. Maybe

Great addition! Body Solid is a time tested brand, I don't think you can go wrong with anything from them. The red stack looks awesome. The fact that it's a little wider will probably serve you better.

[urbanlifter]

Nice! Those plates look awesome. No one on here is buying your "picked up my fourth and final pair" line though.

Dang, thought I sold that pretty well LOL

[urbanlifter]

Verdict: The original Super Power Bar is still the GOAT from American barbell, with the Elite being the best alternative.

Well, the AB Chewy bar finally arrived! Mixed emotions about the bar, but overall I think it will serve it's intended purposes. Mainly wanted a 'Made in USA' power bar, with smooth sleeves (limited options), stainless steel is always a bonus, thicker shaft for pressing, and I didn't mind the idea of slightly less aggressive knurling so it's more child friendly. What I wasn't expecting was a super passive barbell when it's marketed as 'aggressive', with the unfortunate biproduct of the new knurling being that it doesn't feel as 'grippy' as before. If I had to compare it directly to another knurling I'd say maybe the regular stainless version of REP's power bar with a hint of grippy-ness. But I had a squat session with the bar and everything was fine, noticeable stiffness difference compared to TPB which is nice. Then I had a bench session today and its definitely a bar you'll want to chalk up with regularly, where the TPB I rarely ever felt the need to grab chalk. The tig welds on one sleeve seemed a bit light and there is a blemish on the other, they must have botched the ending then smoothed it out which is a bummer for $625. We'll see if it grows on me over time, but overall I think it should work as intended with the primary reason being for use with my set of Rogue Arnold plates. If someone asked me which bar to buy today I'd probably tell them to save $30 and just get the Elite.

Nothing special here, typical endcap.



As always AB knurling is VERY clean, just zero bite on this barbell.



What a shame, likely not worth complaining about to AB.

[Greybird2]

That looks really nice! I think you always get a little buyers remorse. That bar will be perfect with the Arnolds!

[urbanlifter]

You know, come to think of it I had issues with my last order I placed through American Barbell. I ordered the revolving cable curl attachment and they sent me what appeared to be a used floor model beat to hell. They ended up giving me a discount when I sent in pictures, annoying to have to do that given how expensive their stuff can be.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Verdict: The original Super Power Bar is still the GOAT from American barbell, with the Elite being the best alternative.

Well, the AB Chewy bar finally arrived! Mixed emotions about the bar, but overall I think it will serve it's intended purposes. Mainly wanted a 'Made in USA' power bar, with smooth sleeves (limited options), stainless steel is always a bonus, thicker shaft for pressing, and I didn't mind the idea of slightly less aggressive knurling so it's more child friendly. What I wasn't expecting was a super passive barbell when it's marketed as 'aggressive', with the unfortunate biproduct of the new knurling being that it doesn't feel as 'grippy' as before. If I had to compare it directly to another knurling I'd say maybe the regular stainless version of REP's power bar with a hint of grippy-ness. But I had a squat session with the bar and everything was fine, noticeable stiffness difference compared to TPB which is nice. Then I had a bench session today and its definitely a bar you'll want to chalk up with regularly, where the TPB I rarely ever felt the need to grab chalk. The tig welds on one sleeve seemed a bit light and there is a blemish on the other, they must have botched the ending then smoothed it out which is a bummer for $625. We'll see if it grows on me over time, but overall I think it should work as intended with the primary reason being for use with my set of Rogue Arnold plates. If someone asked me which bar to buy today I'd probably tell them to save $30 and just get the Elite.

Nothing special here, typical endcap.



As always AB knurling is VERY clean, just zero bite on this barbell.



What a shame, likely not worth complaining about to AB.

As always thanks for the thorough and straight to the point review Urban, it's unfortunate that the bite of the knurl and grippy texture didn't live up to its claims...also, good dude for letting that defect on the sleeve slide for the mark up that's unacceptable on their part.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Got my second pair of Arnie's in yesterday after work, haven't opened either of them yet...contemplating either keeping them in the original packaging, or letting them loose lol. Probably the latter since I gotta see their conditioning and plates are different from other vintage items in that regard, also one of the boxes was peeled on the side (plastic intact though and secure, so should be no direct damage from any outside contact anyway). Pics to follow pretty soon...

[Michiganian]

Starting the Starting Strength Novice program today. Realized that, later in the Program, they have 2-1/2 lb. increments on Bench and Vertical Press. So just ordered-up a set of Rep 1.25 lb. change plates.

I'm eventually going to need a second plate-loadable DB handle, more regular rubber-coated plates, and a second set of change plates, too. I don't have the ceiling clearance for barbell vertical presses, so I'm having to substitute seated DB vertical presses for them, and my Hoist/IronMaster DBs top-out at 45 lbs.

I'll cross that bridge when I see myself approaching it.

[radrd]

Starting the Starting Strength Novice program today. Realized that, later in the Program, they have 2-1/2 lb. increments on Bench and Vertical Press. So just ordered-up a set of Rep 1.25 lb. change plates.

I'm eventually going to need a second plate-loadable DB handle, more regular rubber-coated plates, and a second set of change plates, too. I don't have the ceiling clearance for barbell vertical presses, so I'm having to substitute seated DB vertical presses for them, and my Hoist/IronMaster DBs top-out at 45 lbs.

I'll cross that bridge when I see myself approaching it.

Good excuse to pick up more equipment. Change plates are nice to have. Starting Strength is an OK way to learn the basics, but I would recommend a novice program like Fierce 5 that includes a bit more.

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...31&pagenumber=

[Michiganian]

Good excuse to pick up more equipment. Change plates are nice to have. Starting Strength is an OK way to learn the basics, but I would recommend a novice program like Fierce 5 that includes a bit more.

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...31&pagenumber=

That looks like an interesting program, too. Thanks for the pointer!

I'll stick with the SS program, for now, and see how it goes. I have decided to add "light" accessory sets to each SS Program session, though. (E.g.: I added kneeling cable ab crunches yesterday.)

I tell ya whut: I sure am glad I picked up that squat stand! Doing real squats, rather than DB squats, and bench presses with a bar, rather than DBs, felt a lot more effective.

[thedickus]

That looks like an interesting program, too. Thanks for the pointer!

I'll stick with the SS program, for now, and see how it goes. I have decided to add "light" accessory sets to each SS Program session, though. (E.g.: I added kneeling cable ab crunches yesterday.)

I tell ya whut: I sure am glad I picked up that squat stand! Doing real squats, rather than DB squats, and bench presses with a bar, rather than DBs, felt a lot more effective.

How's the Titan short squat stand working for you at your height? Are you using the top hole for the J-Cup?
I have never used a rack with Westside hole spacing before and I absolutely don't like it. Invest in a metallic Sharpie and mark what you use for flat bench, shrugs or cleans, etc. Trying to count up and down holes to make sure you set the safeties in the correct place sucks.

[BiGx5MurF]

How's the Titan short squat stand working for you at your height? Are you using the top hole for the J-Cup?
I have never used a rack with Westside hole spacing before and I absolutely don't like it. Invest in a metallic Sharpie and mark what you use for flat bench, shrugs or cleans, etc. Trying to count up and down holes to make sure you set the safeties in the correct place sucks.

I used numbered stickers every 2 holes on the westside portion, and another set for the rest of the holes as well.

[urbanlifter]

Got my second pair of Arnie's in yesterday after work, haven't opened either of them yet...contemplating either keeping them in the original packaging, or letting them loose lol. Probably the latter since I gotta see their conditioning and plates are different from other vintage items in that regard, also one of the boxes was peeled on the side (plastic intact though and secure, so should be no direct damage from any outside contact anyway). Pics to follow pretty soon...

Definitely open, think I saw on FB where someone got a pair and one of the plates was a regular deep dish! Been using mine quite a bit now that the Chewy bar has smooth sleeves, think I'm just going to let nature ay itself out. Afterall, old vi rage stuff is value and they are often beat to hell.

[CW47]

Just ordered a pair of 80 pound Snode Adjustable DB's: https://www.snodesport.com/products/...ting-dumbbells


They have an early bird special for 20% off, and also free shipping, so the total ended up under $800. Not cheap by any means, but still a nice discount.

They should be pretty similar to the Nuobell's. They use steel in some placed where Nuobell uses plastic so will hopefully be more durable. They only adjust in 10 pound increments but that's not even an issue for me because I already have platemates I can use, and the early bird special also includes four 1 1/4 pound magnet plates at no charge. So I'll be able to easily do any weight increments I want.

It's going to be a bit until I get my hands on them - projected ship date is around May 31st. Looking forward to it.

[radrd]

Just ordered a pair of 80 pound Snode Adjustable DB's: https://www.snodesport.com/products/...ting-dumbbells


They have an early bird special for 20% off, and also free shipping, so the total ended up under $800. Not cheap by any means, but still a nice discount.

They should be pretty similar to the Nuobell's. They use steel in some placed where Nuobell uses plastic so will hopefully be more durable. They only adjust in 10 pound increments but that's not even an issue for me because I already have platemates I can use, and the early bird special also includes four 1 1/4 pound magnet plates at no charge. So I'll be able to easily do any weight increments I want.

It's going to be a bit until I get my hands on them - projected ship date is around May 31st. Looking forward to it.

Those look pretty sweet. Maybe later they'll do a 15 lb "heavy handle" that you can swap in for the missing 5 lb increments. I'm sure platemates will work fine though. Congrats! Looking forward to hearing how you like them.

[CW47]

Those look pretty sweet. Maybe later they'll do a 15 lb "heavy handle" that you can swap in for the missing 5 lb increments. I'm sure platemates will work fine though. Congrats! Looking forward to hearing how you like them.

They say they have a 5 pound adjustable version in design/discussion, but it's nowhere near ready for release. Like I said though, I personally have no issue at all with the 10 pound increments as long as I can use magnetic adders. I already have a 90 pound pair of Powerblocks that adjusts in 5 pound increments but these will be much faster to change using the platemates. I like the Powerblocks but really miss using traditional feeling weights. Being able to use straps on heavyish rows and being able to do things like DB French Presses and Pullovers will be really nice. I'm planning to keep the Powerblocks as well. My 13 year old has started lifting in recent months so it will be nice to have 2 sets of DB's.

I'll definitely share thoughts once I get my hands on them.

[RGrizzzz]

I don't have it yet, but just ordered the Maxagrip 3/4 attachment. The wide was just a bit too wide for my bad shoulder.
https://www.maxagrip.com/new-three-quarter-grip/

[Deep-Voiced-One]

I don't have it yet, but just ordered the Maxagrip 3/4 attachment. The wide was just a bit too wide for my bad shoulder.
https://www.maxagrip.com/new-three-quarter-grip/

Nice, I heard Gray Matter review it on his youtube channel not too long ago. The majority of Mags I like, so I would imagine this one would hit it out of the park width wise.