garage gym newbie looking for some guidance regarding equipment selection

[Rakshar]

Well I haven't entered my age yet in my profile and it somehow defaulted to 49. Not that I am much younger mind you (44 y/o). I really appreciate all the help everyone has given me. Now at least I know to get rolled rubber flooring.

[EricAtl]

Well I haven't entered my age yet in my profile and it somehow defaulted to 49. Not that I am much younger mind you (44 y/o). I really appreciate all the help everyone has given me. Now at least I know to get rolled rubber flooring.

You don’t have to get rubber flooring. Unfortunately there are many people who buy a bunch of equipment and then have to sell it for whatever reason (lost interest, have to move, prefer commercial gym). That is why I mentioned earlier that a rogue rack would be easy to sell if needed. Same with stall mats. While they may smell bad for a while, and don’t look as professional as rolled rubber, they are indestructible and easy to sell if you don’t want them. Since you need about 20you May be able to get them delivered.

[KyleAaron]

Of course you're correct, but this is "equipment forum".

Yes. But it's not the Collector forum, either. You don't get gear for the sake of it, but because you're using it. An advantage of starting with the absolute minimum is that anything you buy after that it's because you really need it. Your gym grows organically to suit your particular needs. In fact, in my gym I have got rid of equipment, too.

OK, but that reasoning would apply to any age. Most Crossfit gyms are largely comprised of middle-aged and above people doing all of those same lifts.

Two points.

Firstly, I clarified, "young and healthy, or with a strong training history." Someone who is 50 and previously sedentary is a different person in their training needs to someone who is 50 and has been lifting properly since 35yo.

Secondly, I don't think Crossfit is a good example of safe and effective training for middle-aged people.

Someone of 24, with previous training or not, so long as they're healthy I'd say go for the barbell and plates alone. 34, too, though if they've been sedentary they may not be healthy, but if they've been lifting for a year or two then I wouldn't worry about them. At 44 if they've been sedentary then they're only apparently healthy, it's just a matter of time, but if they've been lifting I'd want to look at what they've been doing before recommending the quick lifts etc. At 54 I don't care about their training history, forget about it, they need a rack. In your 50s you're injured, you're either injured because you're sedentary or you're injured because you're active, it's just different injuries.

Equipment depends on what the person will be doing, and what they'll be doing depends on where they are in their lives, their health and training history.

[dagdafitness]

Secondly, I don't think Crossfit is a good example of safe and effective training for middle-aged people.

In your 50s you're injured, you're either injured because you're sedentary or you're injured because you're active, it's just different injuries.

Strongly disagree with these two points. Crossfit can be a great way for middleaged people to get in shape. Its like anything.. With good form and if done in moderation, any form of exercise can be effective.

Also youre not injured by default in your 50s... Dont even know what to say to that.

If I was OP, I would hold off on buying anything and go to a gym for a month or 2. See what equipment they use and which gear they dislike. I used a 45° hyper 3 times a week while I went to the gym. I considered it essential for my home gym and settled on a roman chair - not the same. Sold the roman chair and bought a new 45° hyper. Before you go ahead and buy whatever these guys tell you, go to a good gym / showroom, take some time and try some different pieces out. Might not be possible depending on your location but if it is, it may prevent buyers remorse. If you cant, Id probably buy half the things that have been recommended.. This forum is making me spend too much money

[KyleAaron]

Strongly disagree with these two points. Crossfit can be a great way for middleaged people to get in shape. Its like anything.. With good form and if done in moderation, any form of exercise can be effective.

Also youre not injured by default in your 50s... Dont even know what to say to that.

If you get involved in training lots of other people, and/or once you reach your 50s yourself, you will have a better understanding of this.

[jdforsy]

Honestly, a healthy young person needs only barbell and plates, and maybe a chinup bar, not even a rack. As you get older you need a rack.

With $10k I'd spend good money on a quality barbell, buy cheapish plates, all for about $1,000. I'd spend $4,000 on coaching and the other $5,000 on good food.

My home gym has 10 barbells, from an 8kg to a safety squat bar, power bars and weightlifting bars, a set of stands, a fixed bench and two power racks. But I train others here and lots are older and/or beat up, so I need more than most. It's cost me about $10k over five years - I started with very little and then bought things as I needed them. About $1,800 was just the rubber matting.

$4k in coaching? What? He literally has the entirety of humanity’s knowledge at the tip of his fingers and you want him to spend $4k on online coaching? This can’t be real unless you’re an online coach. No hate but I’d really be interested in understanding what you think the $4k is going to get him.

[Rakshar]

$4k in coaching? What? He literally has the entirety of humanity’s knowledge at the tip of his fingers and you want him to spend $4k on online coaching? This can’t be real unless you’re an online coach. No hate but I’d really be interested in understanding what you think the $4k is going to get him.

I am a bit curious myself... Not curious enough to pay 4k mind you..

[Domicron]

I've been skimming, but from what i've read so far:

-Splurge a little on nicer flooring and fixing up your space all nice and tidy (decent lighting, some mirrors if you need, etc). don't need to go ham, but if you can setup a ceiling fan in your garage (depends on layout, code, etc) and/or a heater depending on weather, you maybe much more comfortable.

-FFS buy used. If you don't want to bother with ********MP or Craigslist there are used equipment resellers all over the place. I hate the ones that spam sites with their listings, so for my sake avoid them. also their prices are crazy. I am in Kansas and bought my rack from Janelle at usedgymstore.com off of a recommendation by a fellow forumgoer. i got a $2k+ rack (when new) for $600 shipped from North Carolina. Before i found out about her i thought about driving all the way out to Showmeweights in Missouri. i didn't see deals quite as low, but still some were decent from what i recall. Even OSUDiamond up north might be willing to ship to you if you find something you like.

-I wouldn't go crazy buying calibrated weights just yet. get some decent plates used until you decide that it's worth spending more. honestly $10k is a great budget, but if you buy a new rack, you can get a really solid way setup well under half of that. THEN what you do is decide later on if you want to get some machines that are more expensive. like a functional trainer, something for cardio, etc. These are also things you can shop for used, but if you're like me and useless at fixing old things, it's more worth buying new, imho, than something as 'simple' as a rack/bench, weights, etc.

-That being said: I'd spend some decent money and buy a nice barbell new.

EDIT: i'm bored. i just looked it up and the r-3 is $695. This Rack is $600 with storage and probably heavier steel. not saying you should buy this one, just that you can find good deals if you buy used.

[chadsalt]

...

[KyleAaron]

$4k in coaching? What? He literally has the entirety of humanity’s knowledge at the tip of his fingers and you want him to spend $4k on online coaching?

Who said it had to be online? Just an example number, anyway. I later said $1k, too.

We do indeed have all of humanity's knowledge at our fingertips, thanks to the internet. Now go for a walk around town, and look at people and their physiques. Or look at the people in this forum. How's that working out for them? 2/3 of Australian and American adults are overweight or obese. The more internet we have, the fatter people get.

It's like that line in Good Will Hunting about getting the equivalent of a university degree's education with $1.50 in late fees. This is indeed possible, and has been for more than a century. Now... how many people have the equivalent of a uni degree's education without actually going to uni? How many people, not actually attending uni, could sit even a first year university exam in any particular subject and pass? Let alone third year to make it a full degree?

In theory, anyone can achieve anything on their own. In practice, extraordinarily few do. Most people need structure and instruction.

Most people need in-person guidance. Not 1:1 for ten hours a week and ten years, but some instruction, some structure. I stand by what I said: most people will get more out of $1k in equipment and $1k in being taught how to use it well than $2k in equipment. Let alone $10k in equipment.

You and others here are obviously the exceptions. You're all 225lb with 10% bodyfat year-round drug-free CEO $10k a day with a great marriage and wonderful kids who can argue a Nobel Prize winner into the ground on the topic of the laureate's choice. I mean those other guys. The losers who need help to achieve what they want, not you champs.

[EricAtl]

Who said it had to be online? Just an example number, anyway. I later said $1k, too.

We do indeed have all of humanity's knowledge at our fingertips, thanks to the internet. Now go for a walk around town, and look at people and their physiques. Or look at the people in this forum. How's that working out for them? 2/3 of Australian and American adults are overweight or obese. The more internet we have, the fatter people get.

It's like that line in Good Will Hunting about getting the equivalent of a university degree's education with $1.50 in late fees. This is indeed possible, and has been for more than a century. Now... how many people have the equivalent of a uni degree's education without actually going to uni? How many people, not actually attending uni, could sit even a first year university exam in any particular subject and pass? Let alone third year to make it a full degree?

In theory, anyone can achieve anything on their own. In practice, extraordinarily few do. Most people need structure and instruction.

Most people need in-person guidance. Not 1:1 for ten hours a week and ten years, but some instruction, some structure. I stand by what I said: most people will get more out of $1k in equipment and $1k in being taught how to use it well than $2k in equipment. Let alone $10k in equipment.

You and others here are obviously the exceptions. You're all 225lb with 10% bodyfat year-round drug-free CEO $10k a day with a great marriage and wonderful kids who can argue a Nobel Prize winner into the ground on the topic of the laureate's choice. I mean those other guys. The losers who need help to achieve what they want, not you champs.

I don’t play golf anymore but there is no way someone could get as good by watching instructional videos on how to hit a golf ball as they could working with a real golf pro. Same would apply to lifting.
With that said, you are wrong about the members here. What you wrote in your last paragraph applies to the misc, not this forum. Most of the people who frequent this forum have maturity, treat other members with respect, and many have built their gyms thru hard work and flipping equipment.

[dagdafitness]

I don’t play golf anymore but there is no way someone could get as good by watching instructional videos on how to hit a golf ball as they could working with a real golf pro. Same would apply to lifting.
With that said, you are wrong about the members here. What you wrote in your last paragraph applies to the misc, not this forum. Most of the people who frequent this forum have maturity, treat other members with respect, and many have built their gyms thru hard work and flipping equipment.

+1. When I started, I came into the forum like a dick head and very quickly realized that everyone here just wants to share their knowledge and experience.

[AttyGuy]

In your 50s you're injured, you're either injured because you're sedentary or you're injured because you're active, it's just different injuries.

That's the mother------ truth there and worthy of a sig line.

[AttyGuy]

Opie, there's good and not so good advice in this thread. $10,000 is a lot of money, but how do you know what you need and what works for you? And as KyleAaron pointed out, you also need to know how to use the equipment to get something out of it. Go slow, learn how to exercise, see what equipment works for you, and when you know more build your dream gym.




A great gym isn't bought overnight. The same as with physical fitness, it takes me years of work to get right.

[Rakshar]

I guess I am just so excited about being able to have space for a home gym (beyond my bench/dumbbell setup) that I want to jump in head first and buy everything. That certainly doesn't sound like the smartest idea though given I don't really know what I do want yet (beyond getting flooring, a power rack, nice barbell, and weights). I am very excited to know about ******** market place now. Maybe I can find a good deal on some equipment there.

[daniel327]

You don't get gear for the sake of it ......

Do you mean personally, or is this in relation to others?

[Duplicitous]

With just a barbell and plates they can do, among other exercises

- clean & press
- clean & push press
- clean & squat/split jerk
- clean & front squat
- rows
- snatches
- deadlifts, including the variations of Romanian, sumo and snatch grip
- curls, tricep extensions, etc

All done on their feet with no need for a rack, as any weight too heavy for them is simply dropped to the floor. If they want to lie down on the floor with their barbell they can do pullovers and floor press. And of course they can still do pushups and situps and planks and chinups and so on, too.

They'll be missing out on back squats and bench press, but if they're doing all the above for years and years I don't think it's a big deal. They'll get good physical development of strength, joint mobility and so on with just the above.

Now, if they are unhealthy - dodgy shoulder or whatever - then they can't do cleans or snatches, so to get the bar high enough for a press or front/back squat they need a rack. And older folk who are previously untrained shouldn't do the quick lifts. But if they're young and healthy then they can get a complete workout with just a barbell and plates.

It's nice to have more, but there's what's what you want, and what you need. Different things. That's why I mentioned spending some money on coaching, since many people have gear, but few people use it well. I could buy $10,000 of the finest paints and canvas and I still wouldn't be a good painter. Whether we're talking about gym stuff or painting or carpentry or whatever, $1,000 of tools plus $1,000 of instruction will get you better results than $2,000 of tools.

Someone of 24, with previous training or not, so long as they're healthy I'd say go for the barbell and plates alone. 34, too, though if they've been sedentary they may not be healthy, but if they've been lifting for a year or two then I wouldn't worry about them. At 44 if they've been sedentary then they're only apparently healthy, it's just a matter of time, but if they've been lifting I'd want to look at what they've been doing before recommending the quick lifts etc. At 54 I don't care about their training history, forget about it, they need a rack. In your 50s you're injured, you're either injured because you're sedentary or you're injured because you're active, it's just different injuries.

Equipment depends on what the person will be doing, and what they'll be doing depends on where they are in their lives, their health and training history.

OK, so we have now established that at age 24 and possibly even at 34, there's no need to bench press or squat, but us older guys should be doing them and avoiding cleans and such. Once we hit 50, we are injured at all times and then we definitely can't do anything outside of a rack. Whew. It's a good thing we have you here to educate us on what we all need and how we should train. It is especially impressive that you have managed to share this wealth of knowledge based on little more than our respective numerical ages. Good thing this information was free. Now I still have money to ask Zoltar for advice on my next stock trade.

[gym62richard]

I guess I am just so excited about being able to have space for a home gym (beyond my bench/dumbbell setup) that I want to jump in head first and buy everything. That certainly doesn't sound like the smartest idea though given I don't really know what I do want yet (beyond getting flooring, a power rack, nice barbell, and weights). I am very excited to know about ******** market place now. Maybe I can find a good deal on some equipment there.

You've got it, take your time. Many differing opinions here, over 40 years ago I started out in a weightlifting club and for the first 10 years I had no access to a rack or machine. Looking back we used to dream of using those early Nautilus machines, the upside I had access to some very good weightlifting coaches and equipment, albeit Olympic bars and plates were the only thing on offer, and we got kicked in the a$$ if we got caught curling the bar.

I've been slowly putting my home gym together for 20 years and I've made my fair share of mistakes along the way. My honest advice take your time, establish exactly what you want to achieve from any particular piece of equipment, then scour this forum, whether good or bad there are very few weight training products that have not been discussed here.
edit.

Oh, and by the way, as far as I'm concerned my power rack is the foundation piece in my home set up.

[ncsuLuke]

Considering you can get a perfectly serviceable power rack for a few hundred bucks it seems rather silly to not include one when building out a home gym and you have a $10K budget. Sure, you might be able to get a perfectly fine workout in with a barbell and some plates but there is really no reason to not include a rack in this scenario. If you are on a very limited budget that is one thing but the versatility of having a power rack heavily outweighs the cost IMO.

[JustTheDad]

If you get involved in training lots of other people, and/or once you reach your 50s yourself, you will have a better understanding of this.

Hi Kyle,

As a physician in his 50's who's seen a lot of injured athletes and lifters and had my own share of injuries, I'll agree that it's easier to pull or tear something as you get older. That's part of life.

I would disagree that age has anything to do with whether you need a rack for your home gym. Most of the severe weight lifting injuries that could be prevented by a rack are in no way related to age. They're related to guys lifting weights that are heavy for them. I still remember sprinting across the gym to pull a barbell off some guy whose right arm gave out doing bench press. I don't know if he was too embarrassed to ask for a spot, if he was there with friends who were getting a drink, or if he just thought he could do that weight easily and had a bad day. But I do remember how scary that was.

In a home gym, I consider a power rack to be a safety device designed to prevent catastrophic injuries to people who are doing basic lifts. If you're doing bench and squats with a barbell, I think you should have a rack. Other than lifting with good technique, it's the cheapest form of insurance available.

You list a lot of exercises that don't require a rack, and even bench and squats can be done safely with dumbbells, but the reality is that barbell squats are hard to replace as a safe and efficient lifting exercise, and barbell bench is a nice option to have. The rack also gives you an easy place to do pull ups, assisted pull ups, band exercises, or to hang a suspension trainer. It's obviously not mandatory, but if you are building a home gym, and plan to spend 3K or more, it's a great piece of equipment. We're all different, but my gym build order would be:
1) Concept 2 or your preferred cardio, Yoga mat, TV, Fan
2) Adjustable bench, dumbbells, and a pull-up bar or suspension trainer
3) Power rack, barbell, plates
4) Cybex Bravo
Which is pretty much what I did, except I put GHD/Reverse Hyper in between 3 and 4 due to someone having FAI and it being recommended by a trainer and by a PT I respect a lot.

PS) I'm not recommending the Bravo for anybody else (or the GHD/RH) I just wanted a a functional trainer. The other items are more general.

[KyleAaron]

As a physician in his 50's who's seen a lot of injured athletes and lifters and had my own share of injuries, I'll agree that it's easier to pull or tear something as you get older. That's part of life.

This is why I would in general recommend against the quick lifts for those 50+.

I would disagree that age has anything to do with whether you need a rack for your home gym.

It's simply a matter of the lifts you choose. If you clean, snatch, front squat, press, etc, then you don't need a rack.

If you back squat and bench press, and because of previous injuries need to rack pull rather than deadlift, then you need a rack.

The 50+ person is more likely to be in the second case than the first.

Most of the severe weight lifting injuries that could be prevented by a rack are in no way related to age. They're related to guys lifting weights that are heavy for them.

Actually those kinds of injuries are related to age, and gender. Young male lifters are far more likely to whack on more weight than they can handle than older ones, or women of any age, and more likely to do YOLO sets. 85% of admissions to hospital for weightroom injuries are males under 35.

You list a lot of exercises that don't require a rack, and even bench and squats can be done safely with dumbbells, but the reality is that barbell squats are hard to replace as a safe and efficient lifting exercise, and barbell bench is a nice option to have. The rack also gives you an easy place to do pull ups, assisted pull ups, band exercises, or to hang a suspension trainer. It's obviously not mandatory, but -

Nothing is mandatory, not even barbells. If lifting merely for health, if you start young then squats, situps, burpees and chinups at the local park are plenty. I note that the statistics from companies selling home treadmills is that the average one is used seven times before being resold 12-24 months later. Barbells and dumbbells lack computers tallying this stuff but any glance over the local online classifieds will tell you it's bound to be similar with weights: most people buy more junk than they need, and don't use it.

As well, any glance around a commercial gym, and then a glance around the same place at the same time 12 months later, will tell you that many people start the job but few keep doing it, and those doing it on their own tend to spin their wheels and achieve nothing beyond the first 6 weeks or so of newbie gains.

So when advising people what to start with, I err on the side of telling them to buy less rather than more, and that some of their budget should go towards instruction. They can always buy more stuff later if they find they need it.

If while working out on your own as a young person you cannot manage an effective workout with just a barbell and plates and a local park to walk in, you will not manage an effective workout with a barbell, plates, rack, dumbbells, GHD, kettlebells, rubber bands, rower and so on and so forth. If you are going to give up and fail, at least do it spending less money. Better still, get instruction and be less likely to give up and fail.

[JustTheDad]

Actually those kinds of injuries are related to age, and gender. Young male lifters are far more likely to whack on more weight than they can handle than older ones, or women of any age, and more likely to do YOLO sets. 85% of admissions to hospital for weightroom injuries are males under 35.

... .


So when advising people what to start with, I err on the side of telling them to buy less rather than more, and that some of their budget should go towards instruction. They can always buy more stuff later if they find they need it.

On the first part above, we're actually saying exactly the same thing. Just in different ways. Those serious injuries the under 35 guys are getting are not related to their physiological age. They're related to ego/stupidity/lack of experience... . A rack might not prevent all of them, but it can help prevent some catastrophic injuries from occurring when people of any age push past where they can safe finish a lift. It can also sometimes help when Murphy shows up and someone didn't notice an untied shoe, missed that their towel that fell off the peg behind them, or simply got a cramp ...

We're all human, which means we're all stupid and careless sometimes.

That said, I agree 100% with the sentiment of your advice and the rationale. I think a lot of us want to be able to do squats, bench press, deadlifts and pull ups in our home gym. If someone buys a barbell to do the first 2, I always recommend they get a spotting system at the same time. Doesn't have to be a power rack. My first spotting equipment was built from 2x4's when I was 17. (I guess I've always been risk averse) The reality is, though, that a perfectly functional used power rack on CL can be had for about the same price as the Barbell and Plates, and it will more than pay for itself it it prevents a trip to the ER.

PS) The OP is 44.

[vristang]

Figured I would chime in...
I use stall mats in my garage. They didn't smell for long, and they have held up very well to dropping dumbbells after bench/incline sets; zero visible damage.
Maybe the roll flooring is better, I haven't looked into it... but I have no issues with the mats other than the gaps that have opened up over time, but a couple kicks takes care of that.

As for rack... I would not train at home without it. Bench and squat, as far as I am concerned, require either spotters or a solid rack.
After a couple years without spotters, just using a rack... I greatly prefer the rack over spotters.
I've missed a few Bench/Squat reps, and because of the rack, I have never been in danger of anything other than embarrassment...

All of my stuff came from Craigslist or local auctions, with the exception of my Rogue bar (love it).
For dumbbells, I use the standard (1") plate jobbers with the threaded retainers. You can find them new on amazon in a variety of lengths... longer allows more plates to be loaded.

Major stuff that I have right now...
Rack with a platform attached (TuffStuff, used from local university)
Plate loaded Lat Pull/Seated Row (Parabody I think?)
Variety of dumbbells and a short rack for them
Variety of Standard plates, up to 25's
About 5 plates for the squat rack, and another 5 plates for the deadlift platform They are all mismatched, and some are ugly/rusted. I don't care how accurate they are, lol.
A 90* and 45* hyper bench (will sell one, not sure which yet)
decline bench just for situps/med ball junk (it is short, and I can hang it on the wall for floor space)
EZ curl and hammer bar
An Nautilus elliptical trainer that needs repair (picked up for free, just haven't fixed it yet)
Dip station
Heavy bag
One Deadpool poster, and no mirrors
stereo!!!

I used to have a plate loaded hack squat machine, but didn't use it enough to justify the floor space it took up.
I also sold the plate loaded seated leg curl machine I used to have, and have regretted selling that. Will find another one eventually...

For the record, I'm 43 and have been in and out of a weight room for about 30yrs now.

With your budget just take your time and make sure you like what you get. You can do really well with 10k (I don't have anywhere near that invested).

[Rakshar]

I really appreciate everybody giving me their advice on setting up a garage gym. I am strongly considering getting a lat pulldown/low row tower. However, it seems like those with stacks would significantly eat my budget if purchased new. Anybody have any suggestions regarding those machines? The titan one seems like a great price point but its currently out of stock.

Vristang, you mentioned having a plate loaded lat pull/seated row, what do you think about that item? Would you recommend to get one of those instead of one with a built in stack?

I have been checking out ******** marketplace although haven't seen too many great items yet. It seems like it will be a slow hit and miss process building up in that manner. Plan to get the essentials in place and then I can always use that on nice to have items as they appear (which perhaps the lat pulldown tower being in this category). I can hardly wait to try benching a barbell again after using these ironmasters and powerblocks for what feels like forever (leaning towards a Rogue stainless steel Ohio power bar).

[StillbornSoul]

1. Rogue R-4 power rack. (Youll want to buy the safety straps, a couple extra J-cups, maybe another pull-up bar, matador dip attachment, and the shrimp trawler arms. I also highly recommend the versaspot dumbbell holder system to make DB presses much, much easier)
2. An Ohio Power bar or a Texas power bar, probably get two. One for the rack and one for deadlifts/RDL's/rows, etc.
3. Two Spud inc cable pulleys as well as two spud inc. low pulleys. Unless you can squeeze in a legit functional trainer machine (This is why you want the shrimp trawler arms—make shift cable crossovers)
4. A Glute-ham Developer machine
5. You already have a FID bench and dumbbells, but I just wanted to add them anyways
6. more than enough olympic plates including bumper plates, fractional/change plates, and the requisite weight trees
7. Floor padding for deadlifts.
8. Quality lifting shoes, weight belt, wrist wraps/straps, sleeves, whatever.
9. high quality fans and/or an AC system of some kind, a decent sound system too for motivation. **** lifting with earphones.
10. specialty bars (football, hex, safety squat, triceps, ez curl, etc. as well as accessories like landmines, grip handles, attachments, front squat harness, weighted dip belt, speed-rope etc.)
11. Choice of cardio equipment if applicable.
12. A leg press machine IF you have room and/or a leg curl machine.

[vristang]

Vristang, you mentioned having a plate loaded lat pull/seated row, what do you think about that item? Would you recommend to get one of those instead of one with a built in stack?

Yes, I do prefer plate loaded. I have used stack pulldown/row machines in gyms and 'maxed' them out. Not real easy to add another 10lbs in that scenario, so I am sticking with plate loaded for anything I get.
The seated leg curl machine I had was plate loaded, as well as the hack squat.

I should add too, regarding lat pull machines... I have found the ones that don't have a knee support, to be useless. There is a certain weight one can pull before you end up doing a pull up on machine, if your knees can't be hooked under a support.

Just my preferences though...

[ncsuLuke]

I have the Powertec Lat Pulldown/Low Row with weight stack and the nice thing about that is if you max out the weight stack you can add olympic plates up to a total of 500 lbs (good luck maxing that out). The negative is it isn't as stable as a commercial unit so it's not always as smooth. For most things it is certainly smooth enough and I was restricted by height limitations anyways so it was the only thing I could get to work other than some cheap home gym only plate loaded units which look like trash IMO.

I would prefer a commercial unit for sure but if you don't have a good used market, don't want to spend $2k+, or are limited by height then the Powertec w/weight stack is a great option.

[litljay]

Nobody has really asked what your fitness goals are, so I'll ask. What are they OP?


Regardless, I think I would start with the basics and go from there.

Flooring
Rack
Bar
Plates
Bench.

You have the DB's covered and an Adjustable bench for a nice dumbbell "station." Add the rack, barbell, & plates and you've got a really good start.

[vristang]

I have the Powertec Lat Pulldown/Low Row with weight stack and the nice thing about that is if you max out the weight stack you can add olympic plates up to a total of 500 lbs (good luck maxing that out). The negative is it isn't as stable as a commercial unit so it's not always as smooth. For most things it is certainly smooth enough and I was restricted by height limitations anyways so it was the only thing I could get to work other than some cheap home gym only plate loaded units which look like trash IMO.

I would prefer a commercial unit for sure but if you don't have a good used market, don't want to spend $2k+, or are limited by height then the Powertec w/weight stack is a great option.

All very good points as well!
I had a Nautilus rack at one point with a lat pull on it, and the pulleys were so cheap that they would bind up and drag around 100lbs.

[Rakshar]

Nobody has really asked what your fitness goals are, so I'll ask. What are they OP?


Regardless, I think I would start with the basics and go from there.

Flooring
Rack
Bar
Plates
Bench.

You have the DB's covered and an Adjustable bench for a nice dumbbell "station." Add the rack, barbell, & plates and you've got a really good start.

My primary fitness goal is to put on some additional muscle mass followed behind by gains in strength. Currently, I feel I have been limited by space and equipment (although I am sure I could better optimize what I do with what I currently have). As far as where I currently am physically, I would estimate my bench press would be in the low 200ish lb range since I can currently do about 6 reps with 115lb dumbbells. I look forward to doing real squats since I have been making due with Bulgarian split squats. I know I am likely way behind most of you experienced weightlifters here. Hopeful I can close the gap some though!