TacticalBarbell.com

A lot of you seem to have home gyms. I'm looking to expand and improve mine before I actually start using it.

Which brands do you all prefer? Both for quality and value? Racks, benches, weights, bars, etc.

Which equipment do you think is worth owning?

I have built my home gym for over 6 years. It cost me time, patience, some errors and some $$. But I love it and it is MY WORLD down there in the basement.

There are good brands out there such as Rogue. But I want to suggest Black Widow. It is custom US made training gear. Dean - guy who runs it is lifter himself. He makes almost everything with good quality and endless options for customization. It is easy to shoot him email and ask him if he can make what you need.

Custom pull-up bars, racks and stands, custom press bars (swiss, footbal, fat grips), SSB, trap bars, front squat bars, fat DL bars, OLY DB handles, landmines, attachments, heavy loading pins for swings to name a few.

Good luck!

http://www.blackwidowtg.com/default.asp

Green2Blue wrote:A lot of you seem to have home gyms. I'm looking to expand and improve mine before I actually start using it.

Which brands do you all prefer? Both for quality and value? Racks, benches, weights, bars, etc.

Which equipment do you think is worth owning?

I have slowly accumulated my home gym equipment over the period of a decade, mostly second hand (Craig's list rocks!). I bought all my kettlebells retail. I don't have any real view about brands. As far as what is work owning, I think the following is enough to have a great home gym:

1. a barbell
2. plates, etc.
3. squat stands (a rack is great, but a good set of stand swill do.)
4. a pull-up bar
5. weight-vest
6. two kettlebells: one light and one heavy
7. If you are going to BP, then obviously a bench too

I actually used to have a good bit more equipment, but I had to pair things down to that list above (though I kept a set of dumbbells I had too, and dip station), and I haven't missed a beat in my strength training. Remember too that you don't need this all at once. Someone could get in excellent overall shape with just a barbell/weights, a kettlebell, and a pair of running shoes!

This is great Ross article about starting home gym. It also has a link to homemade tools if you are handy!

http://rosstraining.com/blog/2014/01/29 ... -home-gym/

Below is how I would prioritize purchases for a TB home gym. I did not include an Olympic bar, bumper plates, and platform. I personally would not use those tools at home by myself. Too much risk and expense for the reward IMO. The bike and rower might be extravagances. Doesn't cost anything to type it though...

Phase 1: Base Building gear
KBs
TRX
Sit-up anchor
Mobility accessories, jump rope, etc.

Phase 2: Black/Green gear
Squat+Bench stand or rack (w/ pull-up bar)
Bench
Plates
Gear for weighted pull-ups

Phase 3: Air Dyne bike

Phase 4: More KBs

Phase 5: Jump cube (soft plyo box)

Phase 6: Concept 2 rower

My initial purchase was through Rogue. Just to get setup with a solid power rack barbell plates bench and some gear for SE. Found other things on craigslist and local shops. If you are looking for mats I recommend horse stall mats. I bought mine off a rancher who was moving away. Saved about $300. Otherwise check your local tractor supply co they usually have them in stock

I am in Australia, but I just picked things up over a long period. I just keep an eye out for saving online.

You don't really need a crazy power rack or anything unless you are lifting extremely heavy.
My rack was second a hand and has a bit of a wobble.I could easily put a couple extra supports or actually attach the pull down rail and it would be good for 90% of the population.

I only bought a bench this year and it's rated for approximately 200 kg including me. Luckily I am a smaller guy.
I bought some squat stands second hand at the same time I bought the bench and saved myself a fortune. I have taken them to work with a barbell and weights and trained in my lunch hours.

I spent a bit on a decent oly barbell and 2 x20 kg and 2x10 kg olympic bumper plates. The rest of my plates are steel and reasonably cheap.
I also bought 2x 32 kg adjustable kettlebells, this saved me an absolute fortune.

The two best things I bought were a good quality weighted vest and also my gymnastic rings.
You can literally take them anywhere and get a good train in.
I have taken the two above and a kettlebell on long road trips and got some of the best training in my life.

I then have some other toys I have acquired throughout the years that very occasionally get used like clubbells.

You could easily get by with just the following,

Barbell and weights
Cheap squat stands or rack
Weightvest or strong backpack
Rings if you don't get the rack

G2B, I live and work in a 3rd world country in the humanitarian aid field so my equipment options locally are limited. I was extremely fortunate that my homemade rack (w/ pull-up bar), bar, plates, and bench were all passed down to me by someone whose contract ended here. The only other piece of equipment that I regularly use is a light kettlebell for HIC sessions.

That being said, I am heading back to the States next year and am already scouring Craig's list for equipment. If I can't find what I want then I'll likely go with a power rack off of Amazon and fill in the blanks from Fringesport. I also contacted them for a quote on a custom package (including a squat stand with a pull-up bar) and they were quite reasonable. They have gotten quite a few positive replies online in various places. But if I can get it all off of Craig's list for cheaper I'll do that.

A sledgehammer and something to hammer on might be something different to consider too.

This guy has what I think is the ideal home gym setup. Primitive and awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrYuVb1E4AI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7oJb-I2_g4

Proves you don't need a bunch of high end equipment to be strong as shit.