Home gym set (1 Viewer)

[kati85]

completely agree with you re: safety and benching alone at home. I don't think I could use the squat stands that were posted above for that reason.

cannibal.horse, you changed your mind pretty quickly re: power racks! in the space of 1 day? what made you re-think power racks? the thing is, I *DON'T* always know what I'm doing re: bench press, I'm starting out and still not sure of my limits so there is a chance of failing when I least expect it. hence the need for the safety features.

 

[kati85]

Even though you're a girl, if you're goal is to get fitter and stronger then you should exercise in the same way as males.

I'm aware that I just won't be able to lift as heavy as them. Can't see myself benching or squatting > 100kgs so I can probably get away with a power rack with less load rating.

Lat towers are useless imo because they use less musculature than a pull up/chin up and most non commercial ones are pretty low quality and wont last.

That's true I might revise my need for a lat tower. Chinups are enough (and there are still pull-ups which I can't yet do!)

jezzmo, veeery nice setup! can't believe you ordered 180 kgs of weights, gosh, are you into powerlifting? I'm just starting out with weights, just following Stronglifts so far.

 

[Oliver04]

Surely did. Always had good service/prices from these guys.

Those books look good. Downloading now (SUE ME)!

Gjdm, they're the best price in Australia.

Make sure you get Practical Programming, its model for intermediate/advanced training and periodisation is the best I've seen.

to your stance on the power racks - I'm coming from a bias perspective, as someone who has just purchased one and is in inanimate love with the monster - but my reason for getting it still stands with me. I always do my lifting alone and often with nobody else in the house at all. When benching weights well over 100kg, JUST THE THOUGHT that an elbow dislocation or a misgrip or a (fairly major) mistake of some kind can lead to slow decapitation or parapleb puts me at a huge psychological disadvantage. Knowing that there is a reliable safety bar that will take the barbell NO MATTER HOW POORLY I FUCK UP lets me focus on everything else, and for that I have no problem forking the cash.

I've never had an accident benching ever, always working out in an empty house kills the fear.

I don't understand how any non-novice lifter could muck up the bench - your body makes it obvious when the weight is too heavy, and its not like any sane person would make 5 reps one week and try to put 10kg on it the next.

Don't get me wrong power racks are great - if you're a professional powerlifter you'd be mad not to have one. But their main advantage is that they allow partial movements, and this only helps at a very advanced level.

As for the pulley systems. Not necessary. Agreed. But I still went ahead and forked out for a pretty decent one that looks/feels MANY TIMES more reliable than most home-use pulley systems I've seen (load capacity ~180kg) - and have no regrets.

Words cannot describe how much I hate pull downs

 

[BreezerD]

I'm aware that I just won't be able to lift as heavy as them. Can't see myself benching or squatting > 100kgs so I can probably get away with a power rack with less load rating.



That's true I might revise my need for a lat tower. Chinups are enough (and there are still pull-ups which I can't yet do!)

jezzmo, veeery nice setup! can't believe you ordered 180 kgs of weights, gosh, are you into powerlifting? I'm just starting out with weights, just following Stronglifts so far.

Benching 100kg... probably not.

But I have 100% confidence that you could squat 100kg within 6 months of proper training.

 

[BreezerD]

Don't get me wrong power racks are great - if you're a professional powerlifter you'd be mad not to have one. But their main advantage is that they allow partial movements, and this only helps at a very advanced level.

I would hate to try a linear progression programme, especially squatting, without having a power rack or a spotter.

 

[Oliver04]

completely agree with you re: safety and benching alone at home. I don't think I could use the squat stands that were posted above for that reason.

See my reply to jezzmo.

cannibal.horse, you changed your mind pretty quickly re: power racks! in the space of 1 day? what made you re-think power racks? the thing is, I *DON'T* always know what I'm doing re: bench press, I'm starting out and still not sure of my limits so there is a chance of failing when I least expect it. hence the need for the safety features.

What made me rethink power racks is that though they have 4 advantages (create a degree of safety, allow for partial movements, are stable and have a variety of useful accessories), for most people these advantages don't make up for the space they take up.

A powerrack is going to require a lot of space - a room of 8'x10' or in garage terms one car space. For most people living with mum and dad or off with the boyfriend this is a big ask.

A squat stand is much cheaper, more spacious and portable. It can be shifted away to allow a car in, moved for your brother's band practice or taken to a parking lot so you can crank DMX and lift free weights for the ladies (if that's your thing) which makes them much more user friendly.

Certainly there is a slightly larger chance of injury in the squat (depending on your leverage) and bench, but anyone past the absolute raw novice stage will know their body well enough not to pick a weight to heavy or force a rep too far (remember these movements use a lot of musculature so your brain is getting a lot of feedback).

This is something I love to do and want to do long term, and part of life is that one day I'll have a wife who'll want to control my recreation time and children who won't know it exists. Being able to slide my gear against a garage wall is going to create far fewer arguments than a 200kg muscle motion power rack.

Btw: my power rack reply was months ago

I'm aware that I just won't be able to lift as heavy as them. Can't see myself benching or squatting > 100kgs so I can probably get away with a power rack with less load rating.

You'll probably break 100kg for the squat if you're serious. That's enough to give a cheap rack the shakes. Plus, you might get a boyfriend?

That's true I might revise my need for a lat tower. Chinups are enough (and there are still pull-ups which I can't yet do!)

Try kipping pull ups or better yet jump from the ground!

jezzmo, veeery nice setup! can't believe you ordered 180 kgs of weights, gosh, are you into powerlifting? I'm just starting out with weights, just following Stronglifts so far.

I don't mean to steal jezzmo's steam, but a serious male lifter should have a deadlift somewhere between 300-350kg. Dat's a lot of weight

Kate, I'd generally advise you to spend $50 more and get the Muscle Motion Power Rack - I'm a strong believer in quality over anything else, and though it has less features and its poundage rating might seem overkill it looks like a far more sturdy rack.

Btw guys don't forget to buy microplates, that has been my biggest regret in weightlifting.

 

[Oliver04]

I would hate to try a linear progression programme, especially squatting, without having a power rack or a spotter.

Squatting safely will depend on leverages. Assuming you don't have a mini torso like me you can drop the weight by letting it fall backwards and getting out of the way. This is probably a good thing to learn anyway.

Btw on the linear program question: only noobs do it, and noobs super compensate anyway so its really a non issue. Just don't get greedy.

 

[BreezerD]

Being able to slide my gear against a garage wall is going to create far fewer arguments than a 200kg muscle motion power rack.

Not if you can deadlift 200+ kg!

 

[BreezerD]

Squatting safely will depend on leverages. Assuming you don't have a mini torso like me you can drop the weight by letting it fall backwards and getting out of the way. This is probably a good thing to learn anyway.

Btw on the linear program question: only noobs do it, and noobs super compensate anyway so its really a non issue. Just don't get greedy.

And you think that this is just as safe as squatting in a power rack? You think there's not much risk of cracking/breaking plates? What if you were to lose the weight forwards rather than backwards?

 

[Oliver04]

Not if you can deadlift 200+ kg!

In Russia we call this child silencing

And you think that this is just as safe as squatting in a power rack? You think there's not much risk of cracking/breaking plates? What if you were to lose the weight forwards rather than backwards?

Probably not, but the issue is in line with that of wearing a helmet when you drive.

Plates don't crack. The only accident I can imagine is if the bar snapped whilst on your back, in which case you're screwed either way.

I'm assuming you mean whilst you're re-racking the bar because if you fall forwards with form you'll lose your neck anyway. I guess it does pose some danger, but even with fatigue its not likely a reasonably experienced lifter would make this mistake.

You guys need to remember that per 100 hours of sport weightlifting only has a 0.00012% injury rate, as compared with 6.2% for soccer. Not only that, but this statistic is skewed by the fact that most of these injuries occur for very impressionable teenagers.

 

[kati85]

I don't mean to steal jezzmo's steam, but a serious male lifter should have a deadlift somewhere between 300-350kg. Dat's a lot of weight

Jezzmo's a girl, that's why I was impressed at her buying 180 kg of weights.

 

[kati85]

Oliver04, great food for thought re: squat stands.

You pretty much swayed me towards getting a squat stand instead of a full on power rack. They have a few advertised on Power Rack
for $175 and $225.

Then.... I saw an awesome half rack + bench + 80 kgs of weights advertised in the local classifieds. Has lat pulldown too (however I can also do chins on it, so I guess I won't need the lat pulldown) Got the whole thing for about $250, 2nd hand obviously but everything was in great condition.

It was VERY difficult to move. The guys brought it in a ute, assembled, we managed to get it into the living room. (the free delivery was a bonus!) Need to move it into the study though, and it won't fit through the door Guess we need to dismantle it by unscrewing the bolts but obviously it's not as easy to store and move as a squat stand. That's the downside.

That's ok though. I have bought my own place and won't be moving out for a long time, so I'll worry about moving it then. And for $250 I couldn't resist... plus all those weights!!

 

[BreezerD]

Plates don't crack.

Damnit, I shoulda told that to the guys at my gym when I cracked a 20kg plate a few months back.

You guys need to remember that per 100 hours of sport weightlifting only has a 0.00012% injury rate, as compared with 6.2% for soccer. Not only that, but this statistic is skewed by the fact that most of these injuries occur for very impressionable teenagers.

Have you proposed to Mark Rippetoe yet?

That statistic is also skewed by the fact that most lifters aren't pussies, so would only admit to being "injured" if it stops them from lifting.

 

[BreezerD]

I don't mean to steal jezzmo's steam, but a serious male lifter should have a deadlift somewhere between 300-350kg. Dat's a lot of weight

...That's a pretty dumb statement to make. What if it's a serious 65-year-old 67.5kg lifter? I'm a "serious" lifter and I only deadlift 230kg.

 

[Oliver04]

Then.... I saw an awesome half rack + bench + 80 kgs of weights advertised in the local classifieds. Has lat pulldown too (however I can also do chins on it, so I guess I won't need the lat pulldown) Got the whole thing for about $250, 2nd hand obviously but everything was in great condition.

Sounds like you got yourself a bargain. Gjdm.

Damnit, I shoulda told that to the guys at my gym when I cracked a 20kg plate a few months back.

Exactly how does a 20kg York iron plate crack from squats?

Have you proposed to Mark Rippetoe yet?

I'm more keen for Clement Poitrenaud.

That statistic is also skewed by the fact that most lifters aren't pussies, so would only admit to being "injured" if it stops them from lifting.

Study was done based on medical data rather than a survey as far as I know.

...That's a pretty dumb statement to make. What if it's a serious 65-year-old 67.5kg lifter? I'm a "serious" lifter and I only deadlift 230kg.

What about them?

Most males fall into the 5'10-6'0 height range, assuming they're fully grown adults with a standard bodyweight they'll increase their bodyweight by 0.3% and end up 95-105kg, so they'll probably pull x3 bodyweight. This is all averages though.

What is your go? you're new and seem to be quite aggressive based on the fact I don't think power racks.

 

[BreezerD]

Exactly how does a 20kg York iron plate crack from squats?

By dropping it on the ground. It was an oldschool Australian Barbell plate. I promise you, plates crack.

Study was done based on medical data rather than a survey as far as I know.

Yeah, and I think soccer players would be much more likely to see a doc.

 

[Oliver04]

Yeah, and I think soccer players would be much more likely to see a doc.

watch out for quik bro