Need some info and suggestions

[**balancedmom**]

Hello everyone. I am currently looking into buying a homegym.
This would be something I could alternate with my Cathe strength tapes. It may also be the only way I can get my hubby to workout with me. So my question is what brand names have you heard are good?
Do you own a homegym? What do you own and how do you like it? I know Marcy is a well known name brand. I would like to get one that has two workout benches so we could both workout together. I also don't want to pay more than around $800.00 or so. I was wondering what people thought of the Bowflex? I think I would rather stick with weighted gym, but would love to know your opinion. I have read mixed reviews on the Bowflex, either
you like it or hate it. So any info you can give me would be wonderful. Thanks in advance for your replies.
Lori Darling ;-)

 

[**balancedmom**]

OH MY GOSH I AM SO SORRY!!!!!!!I must have hit something
wrong because I couldn't find my note, so I just kept
sending it and now look what I did..........hee hee.
I guess you can pick which note you want to answer to!
Thanks, Lori

 

[dpendleton]

Get a weight bench and squat rack

Lori,

Just my opinion, you can do a lot with a weight bench, free weights & a squat rack if you have the room.

A good weight bench should have incline, decline and flat positions. Look for a rack on it that allows you to do bench presses. Even better, one that is adjustable and allows you to go around to the back and do barbell squats.

Get a mid-width bench - standard width benches are too narrow to get a nice wide grip on your barbell, especially if your hubby will be using it as well. Do you have a barbell yet? Get a 5foot barbell for you, if he wants his own he may want a 6ft bar. Get a bunch of cheap barbell plates and of course (more) dumbbells.

If you don't do pull-ups, a lat tower for doing pull-downs can help you advance. In the long run you'll probably end up with a chin-up bar in your house somewhere.

Weightlifting gloves are nice, too. Don't waste your time and money on lifting belts or straps.

You can get the weight bench with squat rack and lat tower for about $200. I got my ProForm 640 for $120 at www.netmarket.com and they shipped it for $30. Boy, assembling it is time-consuming but I love my home gym!

I used to have a Soloflex, and I think (like the BowFlex) it's just less effective because it relies upon rubber resistance (like cable-type exercise machines) and you can't get positioned for maximum effectiveness on some of the most important exercises.

Take a look at the Soloflex manuals and you'll see that the squat is done at an unnatural angle and you lose resistance at the bottom. Check out the bench press, where you have to squeeze under the lowered bar (VERY uncomfortable!) and the resistance on the bar increases as you press and decreases as you let the bar come down. On free weights, you use all your strength to control the bar all the way up and down.

On the Bowflex, I've heard some folks say that hooking the up the power rods when you've progressed to heavier resistance is very difficult. Take a look at the Bowflex info - you have to add a $150 attachment to the $1600 model or better to get a squat exercise (and deadlifts as well). (http://www.bowflex.com/mMachineDetail.asp?productID=400013&productName=Power+Pro+XTLU&linkID=1) Their squat is done with the bar attached to the resistance cable and on your shoulders - so you're squatting over the bench with a bar that has cables on each end pulling you down. Don't know how low you can go with that set up or how the resistance compares with traditional squats.

Cable-type workouts could be considered safer (no dropping plates on your foot) but I've heard they are less effective in the long run.

Just my 2 cents - I hope other folks pipe in here to recommend a good set-up.

Good luck!
Dawn P.

 

[**balancedmom**]

RE: Get a weight bench and squat rack

Dawn,
THANKS!! This is what I need, some really good info from someone who has done this already. My hubby and I will be
looking at some different set-ups today. I will make sure I print this out and take it with me. Thanks for taking the time
to write this all out.

And yes, if any one can add to this info please do!!
Thanks again, Lori

 

[Stacy]

RE: Get a weight bench and squat rack

My two cents....

I have both the Bowflex and a nice set of dumbells and a barbell set. I prefer the dumbells/barbells, but my husband prefers using the Bowflex. I will occasionally use the Bowflex b/c it seems to work my muscles differently b/c it makes you use alot of stablizing muscles to hold the rods steady. I'm 5'1" and sometimes find it difficult to get a full leg extension when doing the leg extension work on the Bowflex, but my husband is 6'2" doesnt have a problem. So I guess in some ways it comes down to personal preference. One reminder, if you're putting your home gym in the basement make sure you get the exact ceiling height. When we brought the Bowflex down into our basement we forgot that our basement ceiling dropped down in one section, of course that was the section we were going to put it. So, we had to rearrange our plans a bit.

Stacy

 

[**balancedmom**]

RE: Get a weight bench and squat rack

Stacy,
thanks for the info and your opinion on the bowflex.
I guess all of it is personal preference. We went
looking yesterday and found one we may be interested in.
We are currently reasearching on-line to find the best price.
Since we won't be making the purchace until Feb. we
are still checking all options. The one we found is called
Galena by Bodycraft. They are expensive, but the
quality and lifetime warranty on every part, are hard to beat.
You also get so much for your money. So looks
like I may be adding to my homegym fund for awhile. I am
still interested in knowing what others have and how they
like them.

Thanks again ladies,
Lori Darling