Originally Posted by
JLB105
Well I have been on the fence for a few months about whether or not I want to pull the trigger on building a home gym and I have finally decided that its the way to go. I'm tired of working out at the YMCA and having to wait for one of the two power racks, or the looks I get as I hog one of the racks.
I purchased my first piece of equipment today. A used (but in very good shape) Rogue Bolt Together utility bench, which I scored for $80. Remaining pieces of equipment I need:
Necessity
Power Rack
Barbell
Weights
Wants: Can add later
Dip attachment
Mono lifts
Platform for Rack/Deadlift area (This I will build myself at some point with horse stall matts and plywood)
(Will add more wants as I think of things)
Power Rack
I've been looking now for 3+ months for a solid good quality used power rack, I've been looking mostly at Craigslist and facebook marketplace. No luck so far. I really love the thought of the Rogue RM-6 Monster Rack and I'm leaning towards buying this brand new from Rogue. I do not have a garage, so this would need to be setup in my basement. My only concern is that my basement Ceiling is 85.5" floor to drop ceiling and 90.5" floor to rafters. There is a section of my basement that isn't finished, so its concrete floor and rafters, this is probably where I will setup. If I get the 90" RM-6, will having just half an inch of room to spare be too tight? Will it impact doing pull-ups? Also at some point (probably 2+ years from now) I plan on renovating the entire basement. At that point the concrete floor will be covered and a ceiling put into place. I know Rogue sells a shorty version of the R-3 rack, I wonder if I'm better off going with that rack? I just love the look of the RM-6. Plus I have two young boys that I'd love to train and workout with some number of years down the road. I'm thinking a bigger rack would be better. Another potential option might be for me to contact Rogue and see if they will cut down the RM-6 by 6 inches, basically making it a RM-6 shorty.
Barbell
Whats the best general purpose barbell I should buy? One that I can use for both bench and deadlift etc? The B&R Bar 2.0? Maybe at some point down the line I buy another barbell more specific for Power Cleans and Deadlifts.
Weights
This is the part that kind of kills me to buy brand new since weight is...well just weight. But in the used market I'm seeing brands I never heard of (who knows how accurate), really old rusted plates, and I've seen some rogue bumper plates. If I'm only going to get one type of plates (Iron Vs. Bumper), what am I better off getting? Am I crazy to just buy the weights brand new? The thought of spending $1K or so on just the weights makes me a cringe a bit. I don't mind spending the money on other things (Rack, Bar etc)...
I know I'm probably over thinking all of this. Thank you for any help, guidance etc. It will be greatly appreciated.
Joe