Home Gym ?

[k_dean_curtis]

I had a power rack and a few bumper plates with a 400 lb olympic set in my garage 12 years ago. Had to move and sell them, have tried various places since then. The only places around me that have free weights are either too far, too crowded, etc, etc, etc.

How many of you here have such a setup at home or your buddy's home that you can train at in peace? In your garage, spare bedroom, basement, whatever?

Now that we have a 2 car garage (used to be 3, hence my former gym) I have to convince the misses, oh well, any pointers on that appreciated

What are your suggestions for purchasing used racks, platforms, bars and plates? All info appreciated.

If anyone else here is in the North Dallas area (Plano), let me know, would be great to hook up with you.

Thanks
Dean

[Mark Rippetoe]

The CrossFit bandwagon has scooped up all the used plates and changed the nature of the used equipment market quite a bit. Things are not like they were 10 years ago.

[melody]

I had a power rack and a few bumper plates with a 400 lb olympic set in my garage 12 years ago. Had to move and sell them, have tried various places since then. The only places around me that have free weights are either too far, too crowded, etc, etc, etc.

How many of you here have such a setup at home or your buddy's home that you can train at in peace? In your garage, spare bedroom, basement, whatever?

Now that we have a 2 car garage (used to be 3, hence my former gym) I have to convince the misses, oh well, any pointers on that appreciated

What are your suggestions for purchasing used racks, platforms, bars and plates? All info appreciated.

If anyone else here is in the North Dallas area (Plano), let me know, would be great to hook up with you.

Thanks
Dean

The gym where I train, in Carrollton, is $25 a month and has most any piece of equipment you can think of, plus heat and air conditioning.

[Immortal_k]

Dean, I would definitely talk to the wifey about setting up a home gym. It would mean less time traveling to and fro the gym, there would also be the added benefit of training your kids. My wife began SS two months back, so I think I'd have an easy time convincing her that having the equipment at home is best. Does she lift?

We currently live in an apartment but plan on purchasing a house later down the line, a home gym is hard to fathom at the moment.

The CrossFit bandwagon has scooped up all the used plates and changed the nature of the used equipment market quite a bit. Things are not like they were 10 years ago.

Don't they just buy bumpers? Preferably cheap bulky bumpers that make 225 looks like 600lb. Looks are everything.

[Adam Skillin]

I have a particle-board/plywood platform, power rack, flat bench, barbell, and plates in my condo loft. 1 set of economy bumpers, 3 pairs of 45's, and all the necessary change. Best decision I ever made, and I didn't spend too much. The power rack is the Titan/Atlas version I ordered on Amazon, the bench is the Adidas 600 lb capacity job, also from Amazon, the barbell is the Cap OB-86B (the only piece of equipment they make that isn't junk, in my opinion), and the plates came from a variety of sources. The particle board and plywood came from Home Depot. I may have spent a year or two's gym dues on all of it, but I never miss a workout because of weather, holidays, or the split-second decision to steer the car away from the gym. Do it. Do it. Do it.

[Immortal_k]

Just a heads up. If you google "powerlifting gyms" and click on the first powerliftingwatch link you can search for black iron gyms in Texas. There are three listed in Dallas and a MetroFlex gym in Plano.

The gym where I train, in Carrollton, is $25 a month and has most any piece of equipment you can think of, plus heat and air conditioning.

That is definitely not the norm. Good gyms are very few and far between.

[wakk0]

Every piece of equipment I have has come from Craigslist. If you can't find anything there you can also try Play It Again Sports. Rip is right though - Crossfit has made it difficult to find used equipment. The way I did it was by "trading up" every time. I started with a half squat rack and used that for a bit, then I got a cage that wasn't that great and sold the half squat rack, and then I got the cage I have now and sold the previous one. This process takes time, but it works.

It's also how i got all my bars, my bumpers, and some of the other misc items I have.

[k_dean_curtis]

Immortal_k,
We have a multi station and power blocks. She trains as seriously as I do, always has, but does not do free weights, just the machines and dumbbells. She has a bad back, I cannot convince her to go the free weight route, though she readily admits it is superior. In our 50s, injury prevention is number 1

I have trained many people in the last 35 years. My 14 year old daughter is one of them. So the equipment is definitely used enough. She says I need to just go to a gym, that the drive is not "that" far. But with work and Dallas traffic, home is way better.

Coach Rip,
Thanks for the reply. Outside of bumper plates, have racks, bars and standard plates increased in cost also?

Thanks all.

[hatmanii]

I scoured craiglist for two years puttimg ky home gym togrther. Still ended up buying a bar and bumpers new through Rogue and Muscledriver USA, respectively. If youre commited, start piecing it together and buy whats available when you can and resell stuff that you don't need that come in packages.

[Tall Texan]

Metroflex Plano moved into a big new facility last year off of 75 and Parker.