Starting to build a home gym - Looking for advice

[BBB]

Rack: You can't compare the RM-6 to the T6 and Titan's other offerings. If you're considering Titan, then you may as well shop Rogue's cheapest racks. Personally, given your space/height requirements, I'd go with a half-rack. If you're going to invest $1k or more into a rack you owe it to yourself to look at many more options (Legend, Rae Crowther, EliteFTS, etc). If you just want a cheap rack to hold the weight and don't care about it for the long-term, then just buy the PowerLine PPR200X and don't overthink it. The height will work perfectly for you too.

Bar: B&R is a good bar; my preference would be 2 bars though...

Weights: Go with the Troy Premium plates and enjoy. Here's another cheap option: Rep Hex Olympic Plates | High Quality Iron Olympic Plates. Skip the 35's, they're a waste of money and space. If you like aesthetics and are willing to spend more, then I'd consider the Rogue shooters or calibrated plates.

Bench: The last piece of the puzzle... my favorite bench so far is the EliteFTS Scholastic Flat Bench (and I've used many). Can give you other suggestions if you list out what you're looking for, but definitely recommend a bench so you can... bench

How much you invest in all of this is really a personal question, you can clearly get all of this on the cheap or spend thousands upon thousands of dollars. Either will get you stronger. If you can afford it and will keep this stuff for a long time and like quality equipment, then spend more. I haven't regretted buying quality equipment.

Last but not least, plan on building some type of platform in advance... don't leave it for later. You want to assemble your rack on a platform.

Good luck, enjoy... fun times.

P.S. Black Friday is right around the corner... you can get some awesome deals on quality equipment.

[iamsmuts]

Rack: You can't compare the RM-6 to the T6 and Titan's other offerings. If you're considering Titan, then you may as well shop Rogue's cheapest racks. Personally, given your space/height requirements, I'd go with a half-rack. If you're going to invest $1k or more into a rack you owe it to yourself to look at many more options (Legend, Rae Crowther, EliteFTS, etc). If you just want a cheap rack to hold the weight and don't care about it for the long-term, then just buy the PowerLine PPR200X and don't overthink it. The height will work perfectly for you too.
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The Titan T3 is not much more than the Powerline and it is significantly better. I had the Powerline for a while. It's too light and the 3" hole spacing sucks. The hooks will also destroy the knurling on the bar, if you care. The T3 is so close in price, it would be silly to buy the powerline. The T3 shorty will fit in his space just fine.

I think you overstate the quality difference between the Titan racks and the Rogue racks. The Titan racks, at least the T3s, have been very good for years now. Perhaps there are radical differences in the RM6 and the T6 that I'm not aware of. . . .

[Cody]

Rack: You can't compare the RM-6 to the T6 and Titan's other offerings. If you're considering Titan, then you may as well shop Rogue's cheapest racks. Personally, given your space/height requirements, I'd go with a half-rack. If you're going to invest $1k or more into a rack you owe it to yourself to look at many more options (Legend, Rae Crowther, EliteFTS, etc). If you just want a cheap rack to hold the weight and don't care about it for the long-term, then just buy the PowerLine PPR200X and don't overthink it. The height will work perfectly for you too.

I couldn't disagree with this any more.

The Rogue R6 is $1,500 PLUS shipping. The Titan T6 with36" depth is $690 with FREE shipping, and that's before the very common 10-15% discount codes. You're talking about $1,000 price difference for 0 functional difference, just very minor cosmetic difference.

If you're going to spend $1,500, Rogue is the wrong place. The R4 is $1,000 and the R3 is $700, plus S&H. The price isn't even close to comparable. If you have that kind of budget, look to Legend, Williams, RC, etc.

If you're on a tight budget, the Power Line is still not the best budget option. It's 2" 12g at $320. The T2 is 2" 12g at $300 before discount codes. But the T3 is only $100 more for 2x3 11g.

If you're budget isn't unlimited and your craigslist sucks, titan is easily the best value right now. It wasn't true their first year, but they've got the right specs at the lowest price. They aren't "pretty", but they're very functional.

If you have more than a grand to spend, don't buy Rogue. There are so many better products out there. For rogue racks, you're just paying for the name. Their barbells are the best values, but their racks aren't.

[MBasic]

Rep Hex Olympic Plates | High Quality Iron Olympic Plates. Skip the 35's, they're a waste of money and space. If you like aesthetics and are willing to spend more, then I'd consider the Rogue shooters or calibrated plates.
t.

I lol d at " hex plates " until I clicked on them and saw that they are round.

Would be like a car manufacturer naming a new model the "Lemon"

[Sean Herbison]

Rack: I see no value added in those big-ass Rogue racks.

You can piss right off, hater. My R-6 is awesome. I miss it.

I'm looking at Rogue Machined Olympic plates. For $540 (including shipping) I can get a pair of 45,35,25,10,5 and 2.5. and for another $146 plus shipping, I can add another pair of 45's. so a total of about $750 just for weights. Am I crazy to pull the trigger on these?

Yes. Get these instead.

[Cody]

Yes. Get these instead.

Man, I want those

[murphyreedus]

I think OP spending days trolling Craigslist for vintage York milled plates really should be part of this discussion. I guess some people just hate America.

[JLB105]

I think OP spending days trolling Craigslist for vintage York milled plates really should be part of this discussion. I guess some people just hate America.

Huh?

[John Hanley]

Cody, you should really write up a list of recommended equipment.

[Cody]

Cody, you should really write up a list of recommended equipment.

Yeah, it's spread throughout dozens of posts in the forum. Part of the problem is that the market changes constantly. My list from just two years ago would look much different than my list today.

Rae Crowther still makes the best power rack, by a long shot. The staggered tear drop holes are genius.