Re: Trying to start a home gym

[Guest guest]

Navarra wrote,

>I've been training at gyms for 12 years, but now I would like to slowly

>convert to training at home. I have a bench for press and flyes, etc. and

>some free weights, but I would like some advice on a good quality, but not

>extremely expensive squat rack/pulldown (if such a beast exists) and

>creative ideas/exercises on how to maintain my hamstring and quad muscle at

>home.

Same way you do in the gym.

Squats for overall.

Stiff-legged deadlifts and good mornings for the hams.

If quad development is a problem from the back squat do front squats.

For a squat rack - get down to Fitness Direct. Why worry about the

pulldown? Do pull-ups and rows.

Hobman

Saskatoon, CANADA

[Guest guest]

Look at http://www.bodysolid.com in their free weight area. They have solid

equipment at a very reasonable price.

Doug Schurman, CSCS

www.BodyResults.com

Seattle, WA

Trying to start a home gym

I've been training at gyms for 12 years, but now I would like to slowly

convert to training at home. I have a bench for press and flyes, etc. and

some free weights, but I would like some advice on a good quality, but not

extremely expensive squat rack/pulldown (if such a beast exists) and

creative ideas/exercises on how to maintain my hamstring and quad muscle

at

home.

Navarra Reid

Saskatoon SK

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[Guest guest]

You can buy a cheap squat rack and use that. Then, you can do the

old fashion glute ham raises. off the floor or a mat. That is the

best hamstring glute low back exercise you could ever do. (i think)

Be creative. Build a platform with plywood and rubber mats to do

your Olympic lifts. What else do you need?

Dan fichter

Rochester NY

> Navarra wrote,

>

> >I've been training at gyms for 12 years, but now I would like to

slowly

> >convert to training at home. I have a bench for press and flyes,

etc. and

> >some free weights, but I would like some advice on a good quality,

but not

> >extremely expensive squat rack/pulldown (if such a beast exists)

and

> >creative ideas/exercises on how to maintain my hamstring and quad

muscle at

> >home.

>

> Same way you do in the gym.

>

> Squats for overall.

>

> Stiff-legged deadlifts and good mornings for the hams.

>

> If quad development is a problem from the back squat do front

squats.

>

> For a squat rack - get down to Fitness Direct. Why worry about the

> pulldown? Do pull-ups and rows.

>

> Hobman

> Saskatoon, CANADA

[Guest guest]

Navarra

As for which power rack or pulldown to buy, I can't help you there. I do

know they sell cheap ones at places like Dicks Sporting Goods but not as

heavy duty as what you get in the gym. You can also buy one of those cheap

pullup/dip bars they sell. But for exercises, you've got the bench and

dumbells, your pretty much all set.

1)Chest - Bench Press (and if it adjusts, inclines)

2)Back - Bent Over Rows and Deadlifts

3)Shoulders - Military presses and lateral raises

4)Traps - Shrugs

5)Arms - Curls and extensions

6)Legs - Squats, step ups (on the bench), lunges, Weighted jumps onto the

bench, and if your bench is high enough you can perform leg extensions and

leg curls by putting dumbell between your feet :-)

Craig Rifkin

Chapel Hill, NC

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[Guest guest]

--- Navarra Reid <sacerdos@...> wrote:

> I've been training at gyms for 12 years, but now I

> would like to slowly

> convert to training at home. I have a bench for

> press and flyes, etc. and

> some free weights, but I would like some advice on a

> good quality, but not

> extremely expensive squat rack/pulldown (if such a

> beast exists) and

> creative ideas/exercises on how to maintain my

> hamstring and quad muscle at

> home.

>

> Navarra Reid

> Saskatoon SK

>

First of all, you have not said what type of workout

you have been doing at the gym. Bodybuilding?

Powerlifting? General fitness? It would help to know

what your goals are.

Assuming you just want to do basic, compound

movements, an inexpensive power rack will probably be

what you need to do squats and bench presses safely.

Most of the racks you see on the net (such as the

Bodysolid, Deltech fitiness, or Yukon rack) are fine

for most home gyms. And forget the lat pulldowns, get

a rack with a pullup bar and learn to do pullups.

Don't bother with squat racks unless you never plan to

lift to failure. Only one squat rack that I know of

(made by Sorinex) comes with spotter bars.

Another thing to consider for your home gym is a

decent qualty lifting bar. You don't have to buy an

Eleiko or York, just don't buy the cheap bar they

offer at the sporting goods store. Ivanko makes an

institutional bar the is pretty decent. You can order

it from them direct.

Hope this helps.

Clay

Novato, CA

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Navarra, I train at my home gym in the backyard. Check out the local flea

markets and pawn shops for used equipment. Sometimes you can get a good deal

with a small investment. Sam Club had a 300# weight set and a rack and a

bench on sale for about $250, not the best quality but it serves the

purpose. I recently got a Romanchair/backextension used for $75 and am going

to get a glute ham from promaxima for ~$300. I made my own dip and chin

bars, medicine balls, Dard, sandbags for oddlifts, and go to the landscape

store for rock to lift and throw.

I have my gear out back under a 10' by 20' car cover on 3/4 " plywood. The

only bad thing is the lightning storms and that I have to dismantle the

whole setup for hurricanes, but at least the weights hold down the plywood.

That is enough to hold all the gear plus other pieces strewn around the

yard--the throwing stones double as landscape pieces(so I tell my wife). I

do reverse hypers on a picnic bench in the park. If you use your

imagination, you'll find that machines are very limiting in that they are

usually constructed for one exercise, whereas on a bench you can 100s of

exercises..

When I started lifting weight in the dark ages of the 60s (1960s) we had a

leg press contraption made of a piece of railroad track, an incline board

that was a 2x6 and some pads, and just plates and bars. Get an axe and a

tire for some cardio chopping, another old tire and a chain for some

dragging, put a rope on a limb for some rope climbing, or if no trees, tie

the rope to some plates and pull across the yard for lat and bicep work, get

some posthole diggers and dig a few holes and see if you need to do any

laterals after that. I use my headstrap for a weight belt for chins or use a

piece of chain with an eyehook to hold together. The possibilities are

endless.

[incidentally, I noticed that some local supermarkets like Walmart and

Target often sell loose weights (normal and Olympic holed), bars and dumbbells

at very reasonable cost. For example, I bought some 25lb plates (with holed

hand grips) at about $9 each and 25-30lb solid dumbbells at around the same

place. Lighter DBs cost much less. This means that you can save on shipping

costs

and waiting for delivery. And every home gym needs these basic free weights and

DBs. Via mail order, a very reasonable company is Jesup gym at:

http://www.jesupgym.com

My tailor-made power rack from them cost around $300. Their low end power

bars cost me about $90 and 45lb rubber bumpers about $60 each. Mel Siff]

Charlie Newkerk, C.S.C.S.

Rockledge, Fl

newkfit@...

----- Original Message -----

From: " Navarra Reid " <sacerdos@...>

> I've been training at gyms for 12 years, but now I would like to slowly

> convert to training at home. I have a bench for press and flyes, etc. and

> some free weights, but I would like some advice on a good quality, but not

> extremely expensive squat rack/pulldown (if such a beast exists) and

> creative ideas/exercises on how to maintain my hamstring and quad muscle at

> home.

>

> Navarra Reid

[Guest guest]

Navarre,

JV Akem has some recommendations on how to

construct a low cost and durable " garage " gym at his

site at olympus.net. Also, the new york barbell

catalog has some low cost home gym equipment avaliable

at their site.

Pete Arroyo

Chicago, Il

--- Navarra Reid <sacerdos@...> wrote:

> I've been training at gyms for 12 years, but now I

> would like to slowly

> convert to training at home. I have a bench for

> press and flyes, etc. and

> some free weights, but I would like some advice on a

> good quality, but not

> extremely expensive squat rack/pulldown (if such a

> beast exists) and

> creative ideas/exercises on how to maintain my

> hamstring and quad muscle at

> home.

>

> Navarra Reid

> Saskatoon SK

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

I just set up my home gym very cheaply. I installed a screw-eye in

the ceiling from which to hang pullup and body row bars. I decided

to skip squats and instead bought a shrug bar for parallel grip

deadlifts, and built a platform to increase the ROM. Instead of a

bench, I have the Power Pushup 2, from Lifeline, USA, which can add

up to 300 lbs. resistance to a pushup. Add an Olympic Bar and

plates, an Ivanko Super Gripper, medicine balls, and a jump rope, and

I'm set, although I'm still looking for Oly dumbbell handles. The

only heavy-duty contraptions I need are dip bars (right now I'm using

saw-horses) and a plate tree.

[Try http://www.jesupgym.com for Olympic grip dumbbells. Mel Siff]

Wilbanks

ville, FL

------------

Navarra Reid <sacerdos@s...> wrote:

> I've been training at gyms for 12 years, but now I would like to slowly

> convert to training at home. I have a bench for press and flyes, etc. and

> some free weights, but I would like some advice on a good quality,

but not

> extremely expensive squat rack/pulldown (if such a beast exists) and

> creative ideas/exercises on how to maintain my hamstring and quad

muscle at

> home.

>

> Navarra Reid

> Saskatoon SK

[Guest guest]

>>I have a bench for press and flyes, etc. and some free weights, but I would

like some advice on a good quality,

but not extremely expensive squat rack/pulldown (if such a beast exists) and

creative ideas/exercises on how

to maintain my hamstring and quad muscle at home.<<

** Just get a squat rack and a flat bench. Put the flat bench into the squat

rack and you can use the crash bars to

spot anything you need. That is all that I use at home, and I'm plenty happy

with it. I high pulley attachment

is nice, but not necessary. There's nothing you can't accomplish with a bar and

a set of 'bells. If you want a

pulley you can either get one that is made for the rack or fabricate one

yourself - not that difficult at all.

I use a Parabody rack myself - they are just about as sturdy as most commercial

gyms use, and not too expensive.

Body solid makes some decent stuff, but I don't care for their building quality

- a bit too light weight for my purposes,

and I'm no Coan. This is just about the time of year that the resolutionists

will start hocking their exercise

equipment-cum-towel racks. You may well be able to pick up a decent rack and

iron for a song. Back when I

got my rack, I purchased it used. It was just one week old - the gentleman's

wife who purchase the rack thought

that it was too dangerous and made him take it back for a pulley machine. Heh.

You want to know how to maintain quad/ham muscle with just a squat rack?

ummm......squatting comes to mind,

as does deadlifting, hack squats, high pulls, SLDL's, and a myriad of other

exercises.

And in another post on the same....

>>Don't bother with squat racks unless you never plan to lift to failure. Only

one squat rack that I know of

(made by Sorinex) comes with spotter bars<<

** I've never seen a squat rack in decades of lifting that didn't have " spotter

bars " of some sort. That is what the crash

bars are for. And planning for failure only breeds it. If you are lifting

seriously, then crash bars or some sort of

spotting set up are pretty much mandatory if you are doing benches, squats and

other lifts with heavy stuff over

your noggin.

Zillah, Washington

[Guest guest]

It was written:

>>I have a bench for press and flyes, etc. and some free weights, but I would

like some advice on a good quality,

but not extremely expensive squat rack/pulldown (if such a beast exists) and

creative ideas/exercises on how

to maintain my hamstring and quad muscle at home.<<

****Why not consider making a power-rack for yourself. It really is quite simple

to do. Take a few measurements

off a rack in a gym and modify it to your needs. Then go to a local engineering

firm and buy your 2 " x2 " box section

steel, cut it, drill it and then weld it. If you can't weld ask one of the guys

at the engineering firm to do it for you.

It will turn out nice and sturdy at a fraction of the cost of a manufactured

rack. The two community gyms in my

area have racks made by the guys and they are really good.

Stuart Wadley

Shetland

Scotland

[Guest guest]

Supertrainers, went to the Walmart Superstore as suggested by Dr Siff in

an earlier letter (BTW, we are soon getting the largest in Fla near us soon,

Oh Boy!!) and got some 5lb Macy Olympic weights hand hold? (with the hold to

pick them up) for my set(to see if they would fit) for 2.12 per plate or

$0.42 a pound. They had up to 45lbs in stock and no shipping!

Cheap way to add to existing set.

Charlie Newkerk, C.S.C.S.

Rockledge, Fl

newkfit@...

-------------

From: " Stuart Wadley " <wadley@...>

> It was written:

>

> >>I have a bench for press and flyes, etc. and some free weights, but I

would like some advice on a good quality,

> but not extremely expensive squat rack/pulldown (if such a beast exists)

and creative ideas/exercises on how

> to maintain my hamstring and quad muscle at home.<<

>

> ****Why not consider making a power-rack for yourself. It really is quite

simple to do. Take a few measurements

> off a rack in a gym and modify it to your needs. Then go to a local

engineering firm and buy your 2 " x2 " box section

> steel, cut it, drill it and then weld it. If you can't weld ask one of the

guys at the engineering firm to do it for you.

> It will turn out nice and sturdy at a fraction of the cost of a

manufactured rack. The two community gyms in my

> area have racks made by the guys and they are really good.

>

> Stuart Wadley

[Guest guest]

I want to thank everyone for the ideas for a home gym. I forgot to mention

that I do have a " door gym " for chin-ups and this works fantastically well.

I went from being able to do 2 sets of 2 reps to 4 sets of 8 to 10 in six

months. I highly recommend this to people. It is also great for hanging

leg raises.

Has anyone ever tried the blocks dumbbells? The ones that take up little

room? I " m always wary of gadgets because of the potential for breaking

down. Do these blocks dumbbells have that potential?

I also have a Manta ray and feel it works quite well. It seems to fit my

traps comfortably, but doesn't seem to fit my fiance's very well. Have any

other men had trouble with it? Has anyone tried the sting ray?

About hamstring training...I do perform deadlifts of different types for my

hamstrings. However, I am trying for size and shape. It has been my

personal experience (and this could be solely " in my head " ) that knee

flexion hamstring movements have increased the size of my hamstring more

than the hip extensor type of movement. Is there any empirical evidence for

this for anyone? Mel?

[if you wish to do some knee flexing hamstring exercises other than leg curls,

attach

a loaded iron boot to your foot or use a cable machine attached to your ankle,

stand on a low chair or bench and do high knee raises against loading. Mel

Siff]

Unfortunately, more knee flexion hamstring movements involve machines of

some sort. I tried to suggest to my " handyman " fiance that we could rig a

ankle weight set up to do standing leg curl, but the details of this are

still in the brainstorming stages. Also you don't get as full a contraction

as you would on a cable because there isn't the constant tension near the

bottom of the movement. Any comments?

Navarra Reid

Saskatoon

[Guest guest]

Navarra Reid wrote: Has anyone ever tried the blocks dumbbells?

**** These are called Powerblocks and come in two different sets.

The first one goes from 5 pounds up to something like 50 pounds, or

you can get them up to about 75 or 100 pounds. I'm not sure any

more exactly what the weight is.

Although this is a wonderful idea for a small area, I found them

somewhat unwieldy. Larger people didn't seem to mind them, but if

you're a small woman, you may find that they're a bit difficult to

manage or will take some getting used to. If possible, I'd

recommend locating a set and trying them out before you buy them.

<<Has anyone tried the sting ray?>>

**** Yes, and I think it's a wonderful assist to learning to do

front squats or to use for front squats all the time. A lot of the

people on the list will not agree with me, but I think it depends on

who you are. For someone who aspires to perform Olympic lifts

properly, then you need to get used to the bar and correct hand

position. But if you're like me (middle aged with a problematic

right wrist) then a Sting Ray is a great piece of equipment. I used

to think the problem was not having big slabs of muscle on my delts,

but I noticed over time I got used to the weight of the bar. Even

so, the Sting Ray makes the exercise more comfortable and you can

concentrate on your form rather than on the pain on your collar bone

and shoulders.

Rosemary Wedderburn-Vernon

Marina del Rey, CA

IronRoses@...