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Old 01-29-2009, 02:19 PM
 
Location: Maryland Eastern Shore
969 posts, read 2,840,219 times
Reputation: 935

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I watch (too much) TV and every time I see an "in home" gym or apparatus they make them sound SO effective (I understand that is the POINT)

I would love to hear from people who actually have bought and used one of the various Home Gym set-ups (Chuck Norris - Nordic Track - Bowflex types)

Do they work as advertised? - WHich one would you recommend (if any)

Thanks in advance!
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Old 01-29-2009, 03:49 PM
 
Location: SoCal - Sherman Oaks & Woodland Hills
12,974 posts, read 33,832,742 times
Reputation: 10491
When I put together my home gym, I never considered any of the crappy stuff advertised in infomercials because most of it really is just that - CRAP. Welds are poor, pulleys are shoddy, that is why you'll find a lot of that junk in Walmart or BigLots. The Bowflex machines are waaaaaaaaaaay overpriced, limited and you'll end up wearing out the bands or whatever they call those things that gives it resistance so you'll need to have them replaced.

What Ive found is, if you get the cheap junk, you'll more than likely not end up using it as much as you should or it will break on you - lot of it have 200lb or 300lb maximum weight limit. If you get a little better quality equipment, youre more likely to keep up with its use. It also is a good idea to dedicate a space if possible solely for working out. My garage is basically my workout area and I built my entire home gym around one piece of QUALITY gym equipment - my smith/rack. My advice is to start with one quality piece, then over the months, add onto it like I did.

Here is my home gym setup:

Parabody Smith/Rack Machine with all bells and whistles (selectorized lat/row attachement) etc. - Parabody Smith Machine Review
Parabody FID bench with leg extension/leg curl attachment
CAP Barbell 310lbs wide grip Olympic weight set
CAP Barbell Olympic weight bar (45lbs)
CAP Barbell curl bar
Dumbbells - 15, 20, 25, 35, 45, 50lbs sets
Two Jump Ropes
PlyoBoxes
250lb punching bag
Speed bag
Kung Fu wooden dummy
Inflatable exercise ball
Lots of pulldown/row attachments
Three different sets of bag gloves

Next on list to get:
Olympic Gymnastic Rings
Rowing machine
Medicine Balls
60lbs Ringside Body Snatcher Bag
Kettlebells
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Old 01-29-2009, 03:58 PM
 
Location: SE Michigan
968 posts, read 2,580,108 times
Reputation: 504
I have a machine that sucks but does the job.

I also have a bench, barbell, dumb bells, stability ball, and treadmill. 270 lbs of free weights and a rockin surround sound system. it does the job for me.

The machine I have has limited uses but is good for squats, pull downs, lat pulls, flies, etc. Anything else I use my free weights.
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Old 01-30-2009, 07:17 AM
 
Location: Maryland Eastern Shore
969 posts, read 2,840,219 times
Reputation: 935
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaBeez View Post
Here is my home gym setup:

Parabody Smith/Rack Machine with all bells and whistles (selectorized lat/row attachement) etc. - Parabody Smith Machine Review
Parabody FID bench with leg extension/leg curl attachment
CAP Barbell 310lbs wide grip Olympic weight set
CAP Barbell Olympic weight bar (45lbs)
CAP Barbell curl bar
Dumbbells - 15, 20, 25, 35, 45, 50lbs sets
Two Jump Ropes
PlyoBoxes
250lb punching bag
Speed bag
Kung Fu wooden dummy
Inflatable exercise ball
Lots of pulldown/row attachments
Three different sets of bag gloves

Next on list to get:
Olympic Gymnastic Rings
Rowing machine
Medicine Balls
60lbs Ringside Body Snatcher Bag
Kettlebells
WOW - I am coming over to YOUR house

Thanks for the heads-up on the quality of the TV products.

I would have liked to find an "all around" type home machine - I guess I will have to find a gym.
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Old 01-30-2009, 10:06 AM
 
Location: SoCal - Sherman Oaks & Woodland Hills
12,974 posts, read 33,832,742 times
Reputation: 10491
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grasonville View Post
WOW - I am coming over to YOUR house

Thanks for the heads-up on the quality of the TV products.

I would have liked to find an "all around" type home machine - I guess I will have to find a gym.
Best thing to do is to get yourself a powerrack with lat tower and youre set. A lot of people make the mistake of "well, I'll just get something small right now... blah blah blah" and end up wasting their money. A good power rack with lat tower and some weights and you'll really never need much of anything else.
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Old 01-30-2009, 10:42 AM
 
Location: Maryland Eastern Shore
969 posts, read 2,840,219 times
Reputation: 935
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaBeez View Post
Best thing to do is to get yourself a powerrack with lat tower and youre set. A lot of people make the mistake of "well, I'll just get something small right now... blah blah blah" and end up wasting their money. A good power rack with lat tower and some weights and you'll really never need much of anything else.
Sounds like a plan - I will start searching for a "good" model as the one you suggested - should be able to find one "USED" don't ya think?
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Old 01-30-2009, 10:49 AM
 
Location: SoCal - Sherman Oaks & Woodland Hills
12,974 posts, read 33,832,742 times
Reputation: 10491
This is one of the highest quality and best priced racks out there:

Power Rack System - Powertec Home Fitness Equipment

They will ship or you may find a dealer in your area. I HIGHLY recommend Powertec.
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Old 01-30-2009, 10:55 AM
 
Location: Maryland Eastern Shore
969 posts, read 2,840,219 times
Reputation: 935
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaBeez View Post
This is one of the highest quality and best priced racks out there:

Power Rack System - Powertec Home Fitness Equipment

They will ship or you may find a dealer in your area. I HIGHLY recommend Powertec.
I requested a brochure - thanks for all your help!
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Old 01-30-2009, 11:08 AM
 
3,337 posts, read 5,095,921 times
Reputation: 1577
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grasonville View Post
I watch (too much) TV and every time I see an "in home" gym or apparatus they make them sound SO effective (I understand that is the POINT)

I would love to hear from people who actually have bought and used one of the various Home Gym set-ups (Chuck Norris - Nordic Track - Bowflex types)

Do they work as advertised? - WHich one would you recommend (if any)

Thanks in advance!
DaBeez hit the nail on the head with his responses, especially the part about the welding. I have a Body Solid Smith machine in my garage and I love it. Very high quality and the price isn't too shabby either. I bet you can go on Craigslist and find solid machines for a good price.

Here is a good review of the many machines. As you can see, the writer recommends what DaBeez was saying.

Smith Machines | Best Smith Machine
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Old 01-30-2009, 02:48 PM
 
8,518 posts, read 15,592,266 times
Reputation: 7711
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grasonville View Post
I watch (too much) TV and every time I see an "in home" gym or apparatus they make them sound SO effective (I understand that is the POINT)

I would love to hear from people who actually have bought and used one of the various Home Gym set-ups (Chuck Norris - Nordic Track - Bowflex types)

Do they work as advertised? - WHich one would you recommend (if any)

Thanks in advance!
Skip anything you see advertised on TV, especially if it's being promoted by some has-been celeb. Most of these products will be gone in a couple years. When it comes to exercise equipment, you get what you pay for and how effective they are depends on you and your diet, not so much on the equipment itself. But cheap out and you risk injury. Also, get your stuff from a fitness store, not online and not from any old sporting good store. You'll pay more, but it's worth it.

Since DaBeez listed out his home gym, I thought I'd list mine as well.

Elliptical machine
Power Cage w/ Multi-Angle Bench and Lat Attachment
300 lbs. Olympic Weight Set
Dumbbell Sets - 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 lbs.
Stationary Bike
Rowing Machine

I also have a bunch of attachments, but what I've realized is that a lot of what I have is unnecessary. For example, I don't need the lat attachment. Sure it's nice to be able to do lat pulldowns or lat rows. But what's far more effective for me as far as working the back muscles are pull-ups, bent-over rows, and shrugs. And while it's nice to have several pieces of cardio equipment to choose from, I really only need one so I'll probably sell the bike and rowing machine. But at a minimum, a home gym should consist of one piece of cardio equipment and free weights. All the extra stuff is just icing.
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