Thread 76514016

Commercial gyms piss me off because there are too many people. I'm having trouble finding ones that aren't cramped or crowded. I'm thinking of getting one of these with a barbell and dumbells, maybe some other shit.

Any experiences, advice, thoughts on home gyms, their efficacy, and multi-functional trainers in general?

>>76514016 (OP)
All you need as long as the weight stack is big enough. I'd rather use free weights for the most part but want isn't need.

>>76514016 (OP)
I am not an attention hoe flexer so I made my home gym and it's perfect for me. Slacking around and training again anytime I want.

>>76514032
Ty anon. The machine I'm looking at has the j-hooks and all that, comes with a barbell and even some dumbbells. I have an adjustable set too. I think I can get done 80% of what I do in my current regimen with this kind of thing so I tend to agree. Hopefully no difference in the quality of the movements themselves. If I buy cheap enough maybe I can pick up other secondhand equipment too for more back, maybe a cheap preacher bench.

>>76514082
Thanks. Similar sentiment for me about the positives of home gym. You didn't find any negative effect where it got stale or felt underwhelming

>>76514016 (OP)
They are way too expensive, high maintenance, and take up too much space. They lack simplicity and durability, there is a much higher chance of something breaking. I don't recommend cable setups at all in a home gym, but if you really want them then make it work with a less involved power rack attachment, not some retardedly oversized monster like a trainer.
When I still went to the gym, the only time I ever used cables was for seated rows and pulldowns. The rows are admittedly nice, but pendlays and krocs do the job too. Pulldowns are just for people too weak to do pullups for reps. Everything else is better with a barbell or adjustable dumbbells.
Here is a list of the shit I would recommend for a home gym, and this entire list can be bought for cheaper than a single multi trainer even if you get the nicer more expensive stuff for each option
>power rack or half rack with extra uprights for plate storage, 3x3 uprights, 11 guage steel, 1" or 5/8" holes with 1" or 2" spacing, pullup bar
>20kg general training barbell, 28.5mm, no center knurling, stainless steel or cerakote, avoid anything marketed as a power bar unless you know you want that
>bumper plates set, 45lbx8, 25lbx2, 10lbx4, homegrown lifting crumb rubber are nice and cheap, rogue echo or other virgin rubber is twice the price but still cheaper than iron
>cheap iron plates for 5lb x2, 2.5lb x2
>adjustable dumbbells 70lbs minimum, no bowflex shit
>adjustable bench
>weight belt for dips/pullups, maybe dip attachment for power rack
>rubber horse stall mats for flooring

>>76514783
Ty for the detailed response, anon. Appreciate that.

Yes, expensive. Can't deny that. You need at least a few years of a gym membership back in your pocket for it financially to make sense. I can say I've skipped workouts at the thought of sharing the gym with other randoms. Something to factor in. Also, I do have adjustable dumbbells and strongly recommend them, same as you.

I generally agree with everything you said. Original quotes I got for a multifunctional trainer were way too high compared to a simpler one with the right shit for freeweights. Some cable grease and I'm probably set though. Will be nice to have an at-home combo of freeweights and cable for someone at an intermediate sort of level just wanting to maintain decent muscle mass and low bf.

>>76514825
Keep in mind there is a difference between commerical brands that sell directly to gyms, and the brands that sell to the home market. Brands like hammer strength sell entire floor sets of equipment in large packages with great warranties and maintenance contracts built into the price. Their shit is rugged and designed for being abused by hundreds of people each day. Even the better home brands like Rogue will always have a clause where their warranty is voided if you put their shit in a commerical gym, and there's a reason for that.

When I was making the shift between a gym and home gym, I started noticing the differences in equipment. The safety bars on the gym racks had two solid attachment points, while most at home would be lucky to have an additional safety pin. The safety bars and j-cups would be made out of metal with no hard plastic covers, this made them last longer at the expense of eating away the knurling on the barbells. Even the hammer strength back extension is a fucking beast compared to anything you could have shipped to your house, and costs 5-10x as much.

>>76514016 (OP)
Pre built multifunctionals are such a waste of money.

Free standing bench
Barbell
Dumbells
Weights

Then you buy an upgradable power cage. No need to spend a ton on it, something in the 300-600 range will be more than enough.
You then upgrade over time based on what you specifically want.

>>76514016 (OP)
Have something similar in my basement. It was a pain in the ass to set up, but it works great. Got a 45lb bar and a set of rubber plates so it wouldn't fuck up my floor if I dropped them. It has a cable system that's plate loaded instead if a stack, so it's a bit easier to maintain, because I can always replace a cable.

I haven't had it that long, but the whole experience has been nice. I can do heavy compounds and do lighter squeezing work with the cable system without anyone in my way. Also, it's way easier to get motivation to go downstairs than to drive to the gym.

That said, it's not for everyone, I'm an adult with a house, space in the basement, and a disposable income. Neets may have trouble convincing their moms to put something like that in the house.

>>76514016 (OP)
I have a setup with a pull up bar, dip bars, and olympic rings that I use on days I don't have time to drive 20 minutes to the nearest gym (or simply don't want to) as well as my wife's pelaton.

You couldn’t pay me to go back to a commercial gym. I have a power rack, Olympic bar/weights, and dumbbells all set up in a 10’ x 8’ space in my basement. Sure it cost me some money initially, but I was fine paying for convenience. No way I would have continued to lift if I had to drive to a gym and deal with the people. Every now and then I buy more weights when I level up. Also I can lift without a shirt and rest without some asshole asking me how many more sets

>>76514016 (OP)
Its my dream. Until then...

>>76514016 (OP)
This shit is gayer than having another mans penis up your asshole. The shit people would do just to not load up a bar or pick up dumbbells

Your opinions on cable addons for power racks?
Are they worth it? How do stack ones compare to plate loaded ones?
Most racks I've seen available in my region don't have the option to add one later so you need to pick bare/stack/plate-loaded when first buying the frame.

>>76515454
This doesn't look bad tho. You can do most workouts, but you will want a Smith machine for sure.

>>76514860
Ty anon. Admittedly mildly worried about the build quality particularly with all the cable gizmos. That said, I don't think there'll be any issue with the j hooks etc if it's just me using it 4x a week.

>>76514877
I completely agree, but I do want cables, and for floor space reasons it pushes me to a MFT. I'm going for 2nd hand.

>>76514889
>>76514898
>>76514933
Tyvm anons. Good to hear. I know I want a home gym just apprehensive about MFTs.

>>76515463
Get checked for retardation. Barbell and j hooks etc all included obviously. Already have adjustable dbells.

>>76514016 (OP)
I used to live full time on a ship with one of those to save space and it was awesome. The downside was 30 of us needing to use it through the day.

I have my own home gym now and it has changed my life for the better. There used to be equal parts eating at me when I would miss a day. Those parts were "you literally live here you fat piece of shit there is no excuse to not be using your gym" and the other "you paid for this stuff to save on money in the long run so get in there and make it worth the investment". Now if I miss a day because im on vacation I feel like an ass and when im at home I spend more time in my gym/shop than anywhere else because I enjoy it and I've made huge gains as a result.

>>76516609
I used a Smith machine for the first time a couple weeks ago while on vacation. I had to suck it up and use PF for a day but anyway I hated using it over a power cage. I see the appeal for squats but not being able to move the bar was ass for shrugs and anything else I would normally do with a dumbell

>>76518154
Good to hear. That's everything I hope it'll be. I can be a bit slack in general but every time I think about going to the gym all I can think about is all the people and the fact it puts me on edge. I was much more in-tune when I'd work out at home, or the one time I could work out at a quiet gym. I may furnish the rest of the area with an additional piece of equipment or two as well.

>>76514016 (OP)
Not a fan of multi funcional trainers, I do like having a cables though. Check if you have any (reasonably) nearby companies that can customize a rack. Pic rel is a local workshop.

>>76514016 (OP)
I have something like that right now, it's amazing if you have space. A single rack is good as well, but a smithing machine is the best you can get.

>>76518154
that thing screams soul

>>76518654
Not where I live, anon. Ty though. The cost comes out slightly higher if I did a power rack + cable combo, because I can find a few multifunctional trainers secondhand.

>>76518686
It's funny you say that cuz the smith machine is the part I care least about. What's the big draw of smith machines for you?

>>76518901
>What's the big draw of smith machines for you?

Easier and safer to use, and you can go more to failure, but I would do both bench in my rack with free weight for the balance. Doing only machine is stupid.

>>76518914
Fair enough. I do feel like you can concentrate on what you're trying to activate with smith machines I guess. I'm partial to incline presses.

I'm excited anons. Think this is a good decision. Lucky to have the money and space for it.

>>76514783
This.

Although fuck "adjustable benches" they are always wobbly and just suck, unless you buy a $2,500 commercial quality one. Just get a good flat bench (see REP fitness for the GOAT). Your "upper pecs" arent lacking, its your whle chest that sucks.

Get your squat, deadlift, bench, and overhead press numbers up to standard s using the rack and do some chinups and curls. Barbell rows are good. Get signicantly strong in those lifts and you will find that you dont need the other shit.

Also, doing the other shit, if youre not meaningfulyl strong in the basics, will yield no results. Zero.

>>76515454
Nigga you gay.

This setup is God tier. Even love the naked bulb just hanging there.

You might needs some more plates, but you literally have everything I use at the gym anyway.

>>76518901
not the anon you replied
but i modeled my homegym around smith + pullup bar combo
the last years of gym time i spamed the smith, simply because its structure is fail safe + the stability aspect helps you increase weights faster, which in my case helped the growth adaptation of the body (intensity increased + due to its structure i performed reps i 100% wouldve not taken with a barbell, despite spotter arms).
the smith machine is imo most underrated and unjustly hated part of gym equipment

>>76518940
I got the rep ab4100 and it's great. I mean it's not a literal block of cement, but it's as solid as it can be and I really like it. Not too heavy not too light. It hardly feels any different from the adjustable benches you would find in a standard chain gym.

By the way, everyone's home gyms itt are fuckin sick.

>>76518957
Interesting. Ty anon, makes sense. It's funny I do regular smith machine incline presses yet feel it's expendable equipment.

>>76518759
Thanks fren, the shop my happy place and I to give it the right energy

>>76518154
>>76518654
If you only have rack with a lat pulldown/low row and don't have a functional trainer try this anons. Get:
>3 pulleys
>1 157" cable
>4 eye bolts
>some washers
>some knob nuts to easily fasten/remove the eye bolts
It basically turns your rack's lat pulldown/low row into an adjustable height functional trainer. It works surprisingly well for both two-arm and single arm cable exercises.

>>76519096
Good shit anon. Congrats on the set up. Any general tips on compiling one? Anything you've found handy?

>>76519144
The difference between sitting on the floor for rows and pulldowns v a commercial gym I probably haven't fully accounted for. It does seem sort of shitty.

>>76519144
I dig the DIY, there's also a company that sells these pre-made for too much money called Bullet Pulley. I'm happy you made a list of what to pick up for those of us that are too lazy to figure out what is needed.

>>76519197
I work off of Facebook marketplace. There are so many people that try to get into fitness and then quit after they buy a home gym that it's really east to swing in and grab equipment for a steep discount, especially if you are patient. I generally won't buy anything unless it's 1/3rd or less of MSRP. In the meantime I usually make my own stuff with the intention of replacing it later. Picrel is the lat pull-down that I MacGyver'd out of the random stuff I found laying around on my ship (in this case it was 550 cord, a pulley I stole from the engineering department, a leftover carabiner from redoing the life rails, and a set of Bowflex dumbells). It's crude but it did the job for 9 months at sea and I was able to most of the other movements I needed to do with the adjustable dumbells that I was using for weights.

If you are tight on space bowflex or powerblock dumbells will get you 90% of the way there if you are starting out and a powercage/barbell/weights will take it to the next level. Everything else is just for quality of life.

>>76514016 (OP)
Check out the Cap Barbell Functional Trainer...about 7 hundo but has a weight stack and will allow you to do a ton.

After that, I'd go for a smaller half rack for bench and deadlift.

I bought the big humongous rack with pulleys and all that shit and lowkey hate it. I have to take plates off and on myself which is a bit crowded and the 2:1 gear ratios mean I'm having to load up almost double. The distance between the arms isn't quite large enough and attachments are hit & miss about whether it will fit or not.

After wasting a ton of money on that machine and extra plates....the above is how I would go in a heartbeat.