Post: #26

Power rack, dumbells, flat bench, plates, bars. That's really all you to get yourself a fullbody workout. Look to get a power rack with a pully system in place for pull downs if you want more variety.

Post: #27

My favourite exercise at the moment is farmers walks. I'm having great results in overall strength with them now, but I was slow to incorporate them into my workout routine due to the relatively rare, specialised equipment involved.

Dumbells are no good because the weight plates are too close to your legs and get in the way, and barbells are no good because your wrists work overtime trying to keep the bar straight, long before you can load enough weight on it to tax your system.

Farmers walks handles all seemed to be about $200 a set, and I wasn't going to pay that much, so I made my own at a total cost of about $30. This was using brand new materials, so if you could get recycled materials or flog them from work, you can build them for next to nothing. It took me less than an hour, and the hardest thing about it was writing this guide.

Farmers walks handles

   

5/16" threaded rod and nuts - 1m
25.4mm galvanised steel pipe - 1m for each bar and 2 x 180mm handles.

Mark and drill holes @ 200mm, 430mm, 570mm and 800mm marks of each bar using a 7.5 drill bit. (200mm and 430mm from each end).
Mark and drill holes @ 20mm and 160mm on each handle

Drill right through the pipe, not just one side.

Cut the following lengths of threaded rod:

4x 50mm
4x 140mm

The smaller lengths are to act as the collar, and the longer ones will be to attach the handles.

Screw or push the 50mm collars through the holes at 200mm and 800mm, and tighten a nut on each end.

Now screw or push the 140mm lengths through the holes in your handles. Leave about 10mm through the end and screw a nut on it.

Now you need to get the other ends of the threaded rod and push it through the holes in the middle of the bars. It might take a bit of persuading with a hammer if your holes are not lined up perfectly, but try not to damage the rod. Again, leave about 10mm poking through, and screw a nut onto it.

Make sure they are all even and straight and adjust if necessary. When you're happy with it, undo the nuts and apply loctite to the thread and tighten them up again, to stop the nuts loosening themselves.

As the pipes are hollow, I was a bit wary of how much weight they could tolerate. I've had 60kg (~130lb) on each handle so far, and they haven't shown any signs of bending yet. I'll update if and when I find their limits.

   

They're not a difficult piece of equipment to make, so you could probably see exactly what to do just by looking at the pictures, but I'm happy to clarify or expand if I've missed anything.

Post: #28

I'm going to get the following

Adjustable bench
Chin bar
Curled barbell plus a straight one
and of course weights
I'm making a sandbag as well.

I'm not sure which brand/quality to choose for the bench and barbells. There is "Marcy Standard Bench with 100 lb" which costs just $143 but am not sure how long it will last.

For the chin bar I like the more I prefer the multigrip ones over the simple straight ones.

Post: #29

When I covert part of a room to a workout area next year, this is on the shopping list:

http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-sm-2-m...at-stand-2

I can vouch for Rogue's brand of dumbbells. I have two sets from them and both are really well made. They have a rubber coating on them that makes them easy on the floor when you set them down.

Post: #30

Depends on the size of your home. I'm moving to a small studio apartment (about 220 square ft/20 square meter) in a few weeks and I'm only taking a 44lb (20 kg) kettlebell and an ab roller with me.

Post: #31

My only gym equipment is a weight vest

Post: #32

For the time being you can use odd objects as well and build plenty of strength. You can fill backbags or other bags made of strong fabric with all sorts of makeshift weights like obsolete books. The biggest problem I see with this in the long run is that it may be difficult to do symmetric bilateral lifts that way without overloading one side over another and having the weight hang directly in front of you as one big block will put extra stress on your spine and encourage you to hunch over. If I could give one piece of advice to anyone wanting to lift, it would be to maintain a neutral spine and not hunch as is required in deep back squats, bent over rows and deadlifts. Sure doing the seesaw motion with your back will help you to hit far heavier weights but it will also destroy the intervertebral discs over time and there's no reason to use any more weight than you need to stimulate the muscle.

You're not going to need anywhere near close to 130kg+ weights if you bodybuild carefully and take it easy on your spine. If your knees can handle it, you can do one legged squats with weights and any kind of back extension is always preferred over good mornings or deadlifts. If you can find a way to safely and securely do back extensions at home with your ankles trapped and enough of an elevation to take the lower back through a 90 degree range of motion, you'll also be working your hamstrings and buttocks at the same time. Another possibility is to simulate the movement on your knees on the floor by touching your head to the floor and rising back up, though I do not know how much pressure it puts on the discs.

Post: #33

One other plus to training at home is you use the same equipment every time. The actual weights of regular cast iron plates can differ from their face values by several pounds. Unless you're training at a serious powerlifting/weightlifting gym that uses expensive precisely calibrated plates, you probably aren't moving the amount of weight you think you are. The discrepancy between face value and actual weight can add up to a significant amount once you have several plates on the bar, definitely enough to throw off your programming.

If you train at home, even if you're using regular cast iron plates, at least you're using the same plates and barbell every time. Even if the plates differ in weight significantly from their face values, you've still eliminated a huge variable. I numbered all my plates with a paint pen to make sure I load the bar the same way every time I train.

I have a homemade platform, half rack (not enough room for a full rack), bench, and barbell/plates at home. Got most of it used on Craigslist. Like others have mentioned, a good barbell is worth the premium. Everything else can be bought on the cheap.

Post: #34

I have a room that I can use as the home gym but my problem is that I may have to move in about a year and a half. Also I'm pretty much new to lifting so want to take it simple and slow. For the bench I found the Soozier 10 position bench which looks very sturdy for its price. For a barbell I'm thinking of XMark olympic EZ bar which has good reviews.

I'm not sure about the weights yet. The cheap and stingy me wants to go for a 100lb vinyl set. (Hunting a deal on CL may take a little time). I guess this (together with a pair of dumbbells I have) would be it for now. I made a sandbag out of gravel and a duffel bag as well. It's a lot of fun! Although I should be careful not to hurt my back with it.