Help upgrade my gym...

YzGyz

I posted this on BB.com but looking for more help here.

I have been searching and reading on BB.com along with random sites. I'm trying to get in better shape and gain more muscles. My gym in nice but very limited. I decided to upgrade to a power cage and bench but lost on what to buy. I read the stickies ot Clist and all that stuff on buy once and be done. I agree with this but I really can't afford nor want to spend the big $$ on heavy duty stuff. I'm looking for good beginner/intermediate stuff. I weight 147 lbs with 31'' waist and not sure what my BMI is but it's not so bad. I want to gain 7lbs or so and loose a little flab in the gut. The main reason why I want a cage is because I can't safely do squats (getting top heavy). I also bench alone often and don't want to get squished.



This is my current gym but like I said, I want to upgrade.


The room is 85" from floor to ceiling, 12'8'' by 10' 8''.
I have $450 to spend for both the cage and FID bench. The bench don't have to decline but it would be nice.
Can I get some help upgrading my gym? I'm not in a rush as I already have a gym to use.

YzGyz

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YzGyz

Zbrah

You're on the right track, keep watching CL for what you're looking for since you aren't in a hurry. It took me over several months watching my local CL sections daily to pull together my gym equipments. Just keep checking it often and you should find some good deals. I've gotten a heavy duty power rack, an FID bench, two powertec machines, over 500# in weights, horse stall mats, and a dumbbell sets that goes up to 120#, everything ran me up a little a thousand. All were purchased from CL. A couple times I had to travel a little out of my way to haul the stuff home but usually I would negotiate with the seller to deliver the equipment to me for a few more bucks.

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Kzonts

Maybe you already know this but it's more than just equipment. Are you eating the right foods and getting enough protein? How often do you train and the intensity? When you train are you executing proper form? It looks like you have a good set of equipment already. It's not always about how much weight you can lift, it's about the entire process. Also make sure you change up your routine so your body doesn't become acclimated and stop seeing gains.

Good luck with your goals!

Kzonts

And here is an interesting article about over training and time under tension. The bottom line is it takes a serious amount of dedication to really change your body.

Is Overtraining a Myth or Can it Kill You?

YzGyz

Your right on the form and diet thing. Its form over weight and each person prefer to work out a different way. J Cutler = no actual work out routine to speak. He just goes to his gym and lift what he "feels" like. Kai Green, the dude is a gym philosopher!! Then there is me, I don't like the super duper heavy sets. I feels like I don't get good movement control and end up not getting as good of a workout. My current gym is a collection of stuff I bought new and CL over years. I just decided that I wanted to get more serious. As for treadmill, never! not me! I have jump ropes, a 8lbs sledge and tractor tire in the back! As for diet, I could be a lot better but I'm a foodie. Lol.. Kinda hard to do. I did get a BlendTec to increase my fruit and veggie intake. I'm dropping the whole leaves and fruit minus seeds to make my smoothie.


I'm just looking to upgrade but don't really know a good cage and FID deal when one pops up.

Edit: I have gotten my mirrors from CL for free years ago too. They are important to a home gym IMO. I don't feel as cramped in the room, and I get to watch my form as I lift.

YzGyz

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Zbrah

Since you're already on bb.com, plenty of info there to help you reach your fitness goal, but here are some suggestions to help you find a good quality cage. First off, your work space seems tight, need to free up space to accommodate a regular size cage in there with your other equipments.

I suggests removing the benchpress (after you find a cage) to free up space where you can safely perform multiple exercises without the need for spotter. Selling the bench you can up your budget a little more to buy better equipments. If your budget for a rack and bench is fixed to 450, it's going to be a while to find anything quality, but the deals are out there. On a couple of occasions, I've seen used power cages for 200-300 on CL, so like I said be patience and keep scouring you local classifieds.

A quality cage should be made of 11 gauge steel and have a minimum weight capacity no less than 500-600# imo, the more weight it can support the better...even if you won't be flinging that much weight around yet, the extra strength ensures your safety and durability.

http://www.thebenchpress.com/shop/pr...d=113&cPath=25

For casual lifting, I suggests taking a look at the Powertec, it has all the good qualities of a heavyweight cage but compact enough to fit into the space you've got. They cost a little more than the Chinese made ones you see at D1ck's but you get what you pay here. If you can't find a used Powertec in your area, its specs are good standards what to look for, find another cage with similar specs and you're good.

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sf...607192861.html
Here's an example of the kind of deals for the powertec. The asking price is 850 but that includes weights, FID bench, and some attachments. This package will likely end up selling for 500-600 because not too many are out to build home gyms when they can join public gyms for $10 a month.

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