Buying a home gym...

[FordFan86]

I'm clearly not going to go travelling to get to a gym & pay shitloads each month when I travel enough for work and uni as it is.
Next best (probably better if you ask me) is getting a home gym.. peoples experiences/opinions??. Probably put it away on lay-buy so cost isn't really a problem, after something that's got the lot and will last, ideas?
Thanks,
James.

[AU2PWR]

We Sell Some at Work , So i can get them at Mates Rates

Heres the info for em

Healthstram ALPHA Home Gym

• 90KG Weights
• Pulley System
• Abs , Arms , Legs , Everything !
• 10Yr Guarantee

Home Gyms , Same Deal , just a Bit more expensive because of the name :_

Will get prices tommorow

Daniel

[MoreHPformyXR6]

Originally Posted by SR_AU

We Sell Some at Work , So i can get them at Mates Rates

Heres the info for em

Healthstram ALPHA Home Gym

• 90KG Weights
• Pulley System
• Abs , Arms , Legs , Everything !
• 10Yr Guarantee

Home Gyms , Same Deal , just a Bit more expensive because of the name :_

Will get prices tommorow

Daniel

Be good to see prices - how many excersies does this offer?

[Blue Oval Mopar Man]

I have a couple of questions about this gym at mates rates. Does the girl come with the Gym and does she come dressed in blue instead of gay red ? :nutsycuck

[Reign]

what about free weights?

[FordFan86]

Damnit beat me to it BOMM.
SR-AU You have PM.

[CrankR]

Hmm, sounds like a New Years Resolution here.

One thing... make sure your serious!

Buy the time you get it off layby it may have been too late. U may have slipped into 'old mode' already never to return (till this time next year) :

How many people do i know that have bought gyms, excercise equiptment etc., costing big dollars, that are now dust collectors? Heaps.

Anyway, good luck with your goals. Make us proud

[FordFan86]

lol Heef.. part of my new years is stick to things i've said im going to do... i've been looking into joining the uni gym and others for awhile now.. this seems like the easiest/best way out of it... WHy not better time to get more serious about it than 2007?

[Uncle Raggy]

I bought a bench press for about $150, and a 50kg set including barbell and dumb bells for $120 from Paul's Warehouse. Then every few weeks I bought more weight plates. I found that after a few months I needed to get longer dumb bells as I could only get 30kg total on the one's I had ( I'm doing 40kg dumb bell press now. Should have saved money and climbed under the car and done a few gearbox swaps! ). As heef101 said make sure you are serious. Good luck!

[Sourbastard]

I dont know why you need a gym James. Your right arm and right hand seem quite muscular to me.

[pauljh74]

Look into second hand - considering the sets (especially the weights) are made of sturdy or solid metal, they're hardly going to wear out and the weights are cheaper second hand. I had a weight bench a number of years ago and the barbell/dumbell weights second hand were then about $1 per kg, new were double that. Sold the set for a little less than I paid for it a couple of years later

[Sourbastard]

Originally Posted by pauljh74

Look into second hand

Good idea. Might as well make both hands look similar.

[WILDTRAKPX2]

Originally Posted by sourbastard

Good idea. Might as well make both hands look similar.

Classic.

[RSgerry]

or spend a fraction of the cost and look at a resistance band. great way to get started, and, if you lose interest, you have only lost $20. with the exception of a few leg exercises, there is nothing a band and pushups (i am better than pushups), situps, squats and lunges cant match.

[JADED6]

BE-FIT are pretty good James.
Go there and find something you think you like. RENT it for say, $15 a week for 10 or 20 weeks etc (your choice) and if you like it, your purchase price is less what you've already spent renting it.
Say - Home Gym $499 - 10weeks @$15 ($150) = $349 purchase price. (or keep renting it, take it back, give up & buy beer) options a plenty.

[FordFan86]

Thanks for the idea JADED6.
There's a warehouse place down here at Londsdale, going to check it out on thursday see if they've got a simlar deal, or i'll just lay-buy it. While that's on lay-buy I have an offer here from a member which I might take up to get started in the meantime.

[Sorted]

A bit off Topic but I dont want to start a new thread:-

Too Build Muscle with Free Weights is it better to do:-

3 Reps of 5 at a Heavy Weight that after the last rep you can just lift?

OR

3 Reps of 15 at a slightly Lighter Weight that after the last rep you can just lift?

[jonk]

Originally Posted by DRHEMI

A bit off Topic but I dont want to start a new thread:-

Too Build Muscle with Free Weights is it better to do:-

3 Reps of 5 at a Heavy Weight that after the last rep you can just lift?

OR

3 Reps of 15 at a slightly Lighter Weight that after the last rep you can just lift?

The longer the reps the more endurance/toning.

The less reps the more quickly muscle builds.

BTW, I used to have a couple of home gyms in the past. They're a waste of money. Stick to free weights only, stay away from machines. Serious body builders don't use machines. Plus you'll tone up faster using free weights.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by DRHEMI

A bit off Topic but I dont want to start a new thread:-

Too Build Muscle with Free Weights is it better to do:-

3 Reps of 5 at a Heavy Weight that after the last rep you can just lift?

OR

3 Reps of 15 at a slightly Lighter Weight that after the last rep you can just lift?

There are 2 ways to go about it and every person is different. Some pros prefer a 12-10-8 rep set of 3 for a particular lift while others prefer going real heavy for 6-8 reps. I prefer the 12-10-8 and add weight as I go through them as it allows you to gradually add weight which allows you to be fully warmed up when you do the heaviest last set. Experimenting is the key. After reading an article in Musclemag it said that 8 reps was the preferred number of reps to build muscle.

[XA Coupsta]

Fordfan86 - dude - you go to uni yeh?

Training at the uni gym would be a no-brainer?!

Im sure the 'sights' are much kinder to the eye there - but also in all seriousness - to keep your fitness drive going (and also helps if you get into the weights) get yourself a training partner.

[XA Coupsta]

DRHEMI

Do a thread search too for keyword 'Creatine'.........it was a bit of an old one but some very knowledgeable posts on there for fitness/weight training you might enjoy reading.

We have some fitness experts on the forum.

Im not one of them but know a little (could be dangerous!).

To build mass or muscle - you need to go heavy. Simple. Which will also mean lower reps generally. If you can do a set of 20 at the weight you selected - you aint lifting heavy enough.

And go all the way to muscle fatigue as you mentioned (so you'll need a spotter so you dont drop barbells on your head).

Gotta be on top of your diet too if trying to build mass. Especially your protein intake.

[FordFan86]

Am looking at joining the uni gym XA coupsta, probably will have a mate I could go with quite often.. just need to wait and see what my timetable does.
& You're right about the eye candy ;)

[nitroman]

Just have some kids, and you will have a tailor made fitness plan all mapped out for several years to come! You get fit making them and after they are born and have to carry them about they will steadily gain weight increasing your strength, as well as having to chase them about will increase your stamina!

[xwgasaxe]

Also make sure that your gym can't fold up neatly and fit into a cupboard or under a bed.
Go the Uni gym, Cheap with good viewing!!

[Panda]

I found that having already made the payment to the gym, I was not willing to loose that money.

I forced myself to go for the first 6 months just because of that, the following 4 years has been far easier.

I'd suggest the gym over a home gym.

Panda

[nobbystang]

Originally Posted by Panda

I found that having already made the payment to the gym, I was not willing to loose that money.

I forced myself to go for the first 6 months just because of that, the following 4 years has been far easier.

I'd suggest the gym over a home gym.

Panda

I guess if you can afford it, then its viable but if $$$'s are tight I'd reccomend free weights and check out the trading post/classifieds for these.

I've found a training partner is the only thing that gets me working out regularly, although finding one with the same goals as you will be tough, too many are just interested in hitting the "disco" muscles everyday.

[gozza]

When benching for muscle, you don't actually need to be able to life the weight......Start with a weight you can lift and keep maxing becuase if someones spotting you...your still pushing a weight with all your might regardless if you get it all the way up

then in between sets do 10 pushups hehe

[sphell]

Mate forget home gyms they are a waste of money. You will lose motivation quicker than anything not to mention they won't really help you build muscle, only tone up. The only way to build muscle is to eat heaps and eat well and train hard, which means doing smaller amounts of reps with HEAVY weights. At the start buying a free-weight set (barbell, dumbbells and a couple of weights) will be ok, but as you progress you'll find that the home stuff doesn't cut it anymore and will be too light. Like the other guy said with his home bench-press kit....

Join a gym, it's the only way.....when you have a bunch of other people around you all working out, it motivates you. And after a while you will enjoy going down instead of thinking 'geez I have to go to the gym again'.

To build muscle a good guide is to do 3-4 SETS of 4-6 REPS. If you can do anymore than 6 reps, the weight is too light. The object of lifting heavy weights is to cause the muscle fibres to break before they become fatigued. If you do that, they will repair themselves and grow bigger. Doing 15 reps of a lighter weight will only fatigue the muscle and you won't get much growth.

Check out www.ast-ss.com, and look at their Max-OT training section for some good info.

[nobbystang]

Originally Posted by sphell

Mate forget home gyms they are a waste of money. You will lose motivation quicker than anything not to mention they won't really help you build muscle, only tone up. The only way to build muscle is to eat heaps and eat well and train hard

While I don't disagree that a gym is probably the best setup, not everyone can afford it and home gyms are by no means a waste of money if you actually use them. My mate has continued to build a good figure just using a home gym setup mostly constructed himself. The most important gear I've found, is a training partner with similar goals to you.

Not everyone can blow $50+ every month just to go to a gym.

[FordFan86]

Thanks for the info guys, lots of good advice here.