Does anyone remember bbigman who used to post on here???

He had a home gym and it never did him any harm.

YouTube - bbigman

YouTube - 500kgs legs


YouTube - Return of the Machine

 

Whilst we're on the subject of working out and sorry for going slightly off topic but what's the best way to do un-aided pull-ups and to progress to doing a decent amount?
Is it, just go right at and hang from a bar until you can do them or build up via an aided pull-up bar, it's even been suggested to practise the movement by laying under a table or bench and developing the muscles.
I'm pretty fit (Do weights, running, cycling, Martial arts, swimming etc) and I normally progress quite steadily through programmes but I just seem to have a bit of a block with un-aided pull-ups

 

Fooking hell! That's impressive man!

Good point about maybe trying to see the rack in the flesh before buying.

I like doing old school anabolic exercises. I like it hard and heavy and don't like assistance. If I can't support the weight then I need to get stronger. If I can't grip for the deadlift then I need to get a stronger grip and so on. Years ago I'd waste hours in the gym working my biceps in isolation when that same - relatively small - muscle is worked more than adequately with pull up/chin ups and other exercises that utilize a great deal of back muscles.

Since my last post we've been in the car for two hours and I've had a good amount of time to think about it. I'm pretty sure buying weights/rack makes the most sense as I'd have to be super-lame before it would be the financially inferior decision.

The minimum membership I can get at the David Lloyd is 3 months + 1 month notice at £83.55 per month with a £15 admin fee. For 4 months that would cost a total of £349.20.

If I went to the local gym an average of 2.5x per week and invested in the £50 leisure card then it would be approximately £286.

If we buy £500 of equipment between two of us my investment is £250. 3 months later it's probably all still worth at least £300 meaning if we sold it my total cost would be £100.

For a gym to make as much sense financially for the type of exercise I wish to do over those 4 months it would have to cost £2.50 per visit or less and this still ignores the fact that if I continue to work out after that 4 month period the gym still costs but the home gym doesn't.

Now I just need to talk my aunty into giving part of her garage

 

That David Lloyds gym is pretty pricey, so I can see your point in wanting a home gym!! Luckily for me work pays for my gym membership.

Regarding the pull ups, you can spot yourself by placing a bench under the chin-up bar. Start off by doing as many as you can unassisted and aim for say 10. Put your feet on the bench to take some of the weight until you can pull all the way up until you reach ten. Do 4 sets of 10. Keep this up and it won't be long before you're doing 10 pull ups unassisted, then you can start doing weighted pull-ups. Pull-ups are the best for lats, especially wide grip!!

 

Start with lat pull downs, get the weight up to a decent level then move on to pull ups. Uses pretty much the same muscles and similar technique.

You can progress pretty quickly - a year and a half ago I could do 12-15 at a push. Now it's 30ish without too much problem.

Narrow grip does outer back (lats), wider grip targets inner back muscles. Sounds wrong but isn't!

 

Now that looks a lot better and somebody who already has one to give you positive feedback. Looks good value for money too!

 

It's also £100 more expensive though. I can't see how the rack I linked would be 'flimsy'. By virtue of it's design it should be a ridged structure that won't move and it's rated for 180kg which is more than enough as I doubt I'd ever be looking to squat more than that and, tbh, it would probably take 200+ anyway! I agree the PPR200 does look better though

 

I just think it won't take the wear and tear. You'll be amazed what dropping only 80kg can do to a machine so I personally would get something which is 3" box steel and so can fell 100% confident it will not fail you.

I would imagine training at home you will often be training on your own so I would overspec the machines above what your capable of IMO.

 

Been talking to cousin and uncle about this. My uncle's business yard is 1 mile from my house and has has several large storage outbuildings so we are going to part convert one of those to our gym. It's likely we'll usually always be training as a pair and even when I had to train alone I'd probably get the wife to come for spotting purposes as I'd be pretty isolated at a business premises at 7pm should anything bad happen.

 

Can anyone find a cheaper olympic weight set in the 130-160kg range. Must be a 7foot 20kg olympic bar but other than that 140kg, is 140kg, is 140kg. I don't really care how it looks or whether it has fancy rubber on its edges - the cheaper the better.

 

Ive just `cancelled` my david lloyd membership, due to not going and it being so f'king dear. I go to the Worthing branch and pay over £70 a month for a gym that has dirty changing rooms, always broken machines, suana that gives you a cough afterwards.

Due to work and a young family I never get the time to go either, so a complete waste of money.

The trouble with gyms that require a direct debit, in my opinion, is that you feel pressured in going or your wasting your money. This then removes the fun factor, i.e. I knowing Im paying £17 a week, so got to go.

Ive done the weights thing now, the bulking up, deca, etc etc, but now at 37, I just want to thin down and just be fit, and all this can be done for free. Jogging, swimming, cycling can be done outside.

I did try the `buy your own stuff` but to buy quality equipement will cost you ££££, and you will never have enough wieght and will be constantly buying new discs.

If me, I would probably do the 3 month subscription, as it last for 4 months, which is normally when you loose motivation :-)

SBK

 

Saxo - I wouldn't go cheaper than those weights. I've had cheap vinyl ones before and they've driven me nuts - weights slip off, hard to tighten the collars up enough, poor quality bars, etc. Really is worthwhile getting some good ones that can be easily changed (in weight) and don't take up too much room - cheap plasticky ones are huge because they are filled with less dense concrete (usually).

 

I'd never get non-olympic style weights or those old plastic ones filled with concrete. Would defo have to be iron plates and a half decent bar.

 

I think you'll struggle to beat that price then.

 

Have a look on Fitness Equipment, Gym Equipment, Exercise Equipment as seen on The Apprentice

I bought my equipment from there. I wouldn't worry too much on getting an olympic barbell set, they wouldn't be interchangeable with with regular 1" dia dumbell bar set so you'd spend more on different disks. Just get a 1" dia 7 foot solid barbell with pair of dumbell bars of the same diameter with cast iron weights and don't get spinlock bars, as they're a pain when changing disks.

 

As others have said, look for good quality equipment and you can't go wrong.

I would advise on going for a machine with a few simple features but one that you can work your upper and lower body easily.

The rest you can do with a nice set of iron weights, dumbells, barbell bar and something and a chin-up bar if you have the room and space to bolt it to a wall.

I have the above and can do pretty much a full workout away from the gym, the only reason I hit the gym is when I need to shift the bigger weights with a training partner - its amazing how little equipment you need to get a good workout, when I was in Sydney I used the chairs and stool in my hotel room to do various press ups, dips and sissy squats (holding an object and doing controlled squats in one spot).

good luck and my advice start with the basics, get your form sorted and then you can start to experiment

 

If i had the money and was gonna kit out a fairly decent home gym i'd kit it out with the following equipment...

Leverage Multi Press - Powertec Home Fitness Equipment

Chest, Shoulders

Lat Machine - Powertec Home Fitness Equipment

Back, Triceps, Biceps

Leverage Squat/Calf - Powertec Home Fitness Equipment

Quads, calfs etc.

Leverage T-Bar Row/Shrug - Powertec Home Fitness Equipment

back i.e. deadlift, Rows etc.

 

I still don't understand why you'd spend all that money, even if you had it, on 4 separate machines when one decent rack, a simple utility bench and a world of iron on a bar would allow you to do every exercise those machines would and all the while force your muscles to not only work the weight but to stabilize and support it too.

That said, the equipment shown looks cool

 

Machines have their place, but nothing beats the feel and satisfaction of free weights

Banny

 

Depends what you want really, for the old debate about free weights, i prefer doing chest will dumbells but weight is weight, whilst a lot of energy is wasted balanceing the bloody thing i'm on the smith machine getting stronger.

This guy
John Hodgson - Believe to Achieve

Owns Evolution gym in Rochdale and it really is something else. when i asked him about gaining strength he told me at the end of the day you gain that by exerting weight and the contraction of muscles - and thats it. (obviously feeding it and supplementation as well)

He uses Life Fitness hammer Strength and i have to say it is by far the best gym i have ever trained in - i have never been as sore after a workout. and that gym uses leverage machines like the ones i listed above.

Nowadays i use a smith machine to do presses as the dumbells only go up to 70kg in my gym

 

I always liked a combination of free weights and machines.

Machines - no spotter needed, almost no risk of injury (unless you are daft), easy to change the weight.

Free weights - have to use better form, better at strengthening supporting muscles.

I've managed to twang a lat (lower end of it) somehow. Think it was when doing pull ups or bent over rows. Damn damn and damn. Seeing a physio tomorrow.