Equipping a home gym, advice sought

[jgalak]

So I've been doing SS for a while, on again off again, with good results. Now that construction on my new house is almost done, I'll be able to put in a home gym and not need to deal with the local Gold's, which should hopefully help me stay on the program. To that end, I have a few questions about gear.

My current plan is to get a Rogue R-4 rack, B&R bar, solid bench, plates, a Concept 2 rower for warmup and perhaps a combo GHR/reverse hyper. To that end, I have a ton of questions:

1) Which set of plates to get? Rogue offers a 230lb Hi-Temp set, a 260lb Hi-Temp set or a 210 lb Training set. All of these seem low - my lifts aren't that great (I topped out at about 300lb DL when I last stopped), but these values still seem low. Advice?

1a) A related question is whether to buy regular iron plates or bumper plates. I plan on a thin wooden platform (2 sheets ply) over a concrete floor, but would still rather not drop a loaded bar with iron plates. Not sure how much mixing of bumpers and regular plates are ok to do.

2) The R-4 has an option stabilizer. Is this useful? Useless?

3) There is an option of a strap safety system or a pin and pipe safety system. Any advantage to the strap over the pipe? I plan to use the rack for unattended bench presses, so safety is important.

4) Rogue also offers a concrete anchor kit. Is this actually useful, or can I just buy normal concrete anchors at the hardware store?

5) Someone on the forum mentioned that they got a diagram for a platform from Rogue. Rogue no longer seems to have it, can someone share it with me?

6) I've been thinking about getting a GHR at some point in the future, and have also been pondering a reverse hyper, as I have all sorts of back issues and that seems a real good way to work on them. New York Barbell has a combination machine that purports to do both (http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/82651.html). Due to limited space, this is very attractive. Anyone have experience with this machine?

Anything else obvious I'm missing?

Thank,
Juliean.

[kittenSmash]

I'd just go with X2 45's, 35's, and 25's on bumper plates. Then buy a bunch of iron off craigslist for 50cents/lb or less. You don't need any more than that in the near future.
I've never used Rogue's rack, so I can't comment on the options.
You can make a nice platform out of 5 pieces of 4X8 plywood and a horse stall mat for around $100.

[Tom Campitelli]

Loading more than 405 on a bar with HiTemps is difficult to do. However, nothing is easier on flooring than HiTemps. If you need more rubber, get it, but be prepared to pay. The nicer bumpers with the big metal discs in the center are more expensive and a lot less bouncy. Less bounce is nice when dropping the weights, but imparts more force to the floor. With iron, you can easily load a much weight as you would ever deadlift on the bar, but you would want some floor protection. Two sheet of plywood topped with rubber may be plenty of protection. You can mix iron and rubber, too, although if the rubber is a different diameter, it probably isn't quite as good for the bar. Probably nothing to worry about below 450 or 500 pounds, however.

I bought an R-4 for my gym. It is a great rack. If you bolt it to the ground, there is no need for a stabilizer. I haven't gotten to use the straps. However, their main advantage would be how easy they are on the bar. Sorinex has a video on how to use their straps for bench, but a pin and pipe system is easy to use. No idea about the anchors. It's been too long.

I would say hold off on the GHR or Reverse Hyper until you are sure you need one. I don't use either of them, although both are available to me.

[hollismb]

Hi-Temps are also slightly smaller in diameter than a standard plate (17.5" vs 450mm/17.72") so they won't mix as well with iron 45's. They're less accurate in weight compared the the HG plates, which are +/-10 grams. They bounce a lot, and aren't always consistent in texture/width because of how they're manufactured. But, Tom is right, they're bomb proof, quieter, and easier on floors, although you should probably get some stall mats or build a platform to protect your floors and your equipment anyway. You can only get 405 on the bar with Hi-Temps (with collars), but 455 with HGs.

I don't know enough about their new cheaper Echo plates to comment on them, but I have sets of both the Hi-Temps and the HG's, and prefer the HG's for most of the reasons I mentioned. Also, if you end up ordering a bar/plate package from Rogue, they'll sub in HG's for you if you decide that's what you want (at least the last time I ordered a package from them, anyway).

[Cody]

Hi-Temps are also slightly smaller in diameter than a standard plate (17.5" vs 450mm/17.72"), and less accurate in weight compared the the HG plates, which are +/-10 grams. They bounce a lot, and aren't always consistent in texture/width because of how they're manufactured. But, Tom is right, they're bomb proof, quieter, and easier on floors, although you should probably get some stall mats or build a platform to protect your floors and your equipment anyway. You can only get 405 on the bar with Hi-Temps (with collars), but 455 with HGs.

I don't know enough about their new cheaper Econ plates to comment on them, but I have sets of both the Hi-Temps and the HG's, and prefer the HG's for most of the reasons I mentioned. Also, if you end up ordering a bar/plate package from Rogue, they'll sub in HG's for you if you decide that's what you want (at least the last time I ordered a package from them, anyway).

I did a drop test on the Rogue Echo bumper plates.

[Dan Miller]

I have a bar that stays on my bench (with 135 left on it), a bar that stays in the squat rack (also 135), and a bar on the floor with iron plates (225) for deadlifts. Craigslist, Dick's, and a scrap yard find. My good bar and bumpers stay on the floor for press, clean, and snatches and the knurling never touches a rack. My first warmup is already loaded on every lift and moving from lift to lift is quick & easy.

[SpinyNorman]

Do you need the extra depth of the R4? I have an R3 and haven't had any issues with the size. Could save you a few bucks.

I bolted mine the concrete floor using inserts for lag bolts from the hardware store. This worked fine. I helped a friend try to bolt a rack to the floor using the anchors from Rogue and we had a hard time with them.

I picked up the 230lb set of hi-temps since I figured it would be unlikely I would be able to work past that anytime soon on the quick lifts. I also bought a bunch of iron plates and mix the two for deadlifting without any issues.

I made a platform out of plywood and horse stall mats.

The pin and pipe safeties have worked fine for me. I don't test them too much but I have failed a couple solo bench presses without any injury or drama.

[jgalak]

Thanks for the responses.

I'm a fairly big guy and my bar control is imperfect (I tend to get a bit of rotation of the bar when walking out for squat), so the R-3 seems a bit claustrophobic. The R-4 is about the size of the rack I'm used to from the gym (though much nicer made), so I'm willing to spend the money on it.

[Tovarishch]

I built the rack and platform in Starting Strength and bought a B&R bar with 4x45 2x25 4x10lb bumpers along with 2x5lb 2x2.5 lb standard plates and a fractional plate set. I also purchased two more steel 45lb plates for more weight on deadlifts. Already had chalk and Adidas Olympic shoes.

[Tygerqb12]

I built the rack and platform in Starting Strength and bought a B&R bar with 4x45 2x25 4x10lb bumpers along with 2x5lb 2x2.5 lb standard plates and a fractional plate set. I also purchased two more steel 45lb plates for more weight on deadlifts. Already had chalk and Adidas Olympic shoes.

If you don't mind, how much did the rack material run you? I've been thinking about having one made myself.