Home gym project.

[drivesitfar]

Mayor: i'm sure if you want to add a few more things when Panicdemic is over there should be plenty of good gym stuff to buy.

nice looking gym and looks like your puppy is getting quite a workout too.

Phil: speaking of workouts how do you and the family like using your new gym?

 

[PECVD2]

Small home gym where I mostly do cardio with some minor weight lifting.

 

[drivesitfar]

PEC: great looking gym. I also have a concept 2 rower, but i'd love a Concept 2 bike and even though i think a Versaclimber is one of the best machines on the planet i'd certainly give the Concept 2 ski machine a try. have you tried one?

thanks for sharing!!

 

[Stuntmonkey]

I've rotated through the SkiERG, rower, echo bike and assault bike often. Haven't tried the concept bike.

I love the ski, rower and am 50/50 on echo vs assault. I like the assault bike better, but the maintenance vs the echo is pretty insane.

 

[PECVD2]

PEC: great looking gym. I also have a concept 2 rower, but i'd love a Concept 2 bike and even though i think a Versaclimber is one of the best machines on the planet i'd certainly give the Concept 2 ski machine a try. have you tried one?

Drives,

Thanks.

I love the two concept erg machines I have.
They are well built and designed to allow for exceptional workouts IMO.

I have not tried the skierg machine and am pretty sure that one won’t find a spot in our gym but the versaclimber might as my two workout on the tool were excellent.

Our schwinn biodyne which has been a excellent tool is nearing it usefulness due to wear and tear over the years (at least 10 years) and parts are getting harder to find.
Good garage related reference is that I recently machined a pair of Brass bushing for the biodyne on my old Logan 400 lathe which turned out to be a nice little afternoon garage project.

One other thing I would like to do is to modify my weight bench in a way to use as a glute -ham developer. Been looking to Utube in hopes of finding ideas on that front

 

[lis2323]

So. Rogue Echo vs Concept 2 bikes.

Opinions. ??


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[drivesitfar]

LIS: i'd also like to see ASSAULT BIKES in the mix for the comparison.

I don't think i've ridden on a Rogue or Concept 2 bike yet so i'd like to hear too.

for a quick heart pump I used to get the Assault bikes up to 1278 watts but not more than 30 seconds or a minute at that rate. that was 2 years ago at age 63, but I'd bet my cardio is better now than it was when i was 40.

 

[B T C]

Sure it is. It will subconsciously motivate you in a “fitness” direction [emoji16]


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I have a lot of wants. Unfortunately, I tend to analyze most purchases to the point of paralysis.

I need a bench. Well, which bench? Do I want a flat bench, plus an incline or FID bench, or should I just get one really good flat/incline or FID bench? Fat pad, standard or both? Red, white, blue, black, purple...?

I really hate to pay crazy shipping fees, so do I want to drive to Colorado(REP Fitness) or Columbus(Roque), or should I just drop 5K with Roque to get free shipping?

Then I hear these vendors are known for Black Friday sales, but that may have been a pre-pandemic thing never to return.

Set up an infinite loop through that thought process for each item someone might want in their gym and you'll get an idea of where I'm at currently.

I figure by the time I make some decisions, I'll no longer be able to afford anything. However, I did hear that lumber prices might be coming down. Will we see the same in the gym space? I'm going with No.

I'm not sure why I'm just now considering putting together a home gym. I wish I had done this years ago because I've been struggling with dragging myself into the gym for at least a decade and I'm pretty much convinced that's unlikely to change.

 

[lis2323]

LIS: i'd also like to see ASSAULT BIKES in the mix for the comparison.

I don't think i've ridden on a Rogue or Concept 2 bike yet so i'd like to hear too.

for a quick heart pump I used to get the Assault bikes up to 1278 watts but not more than 30 seconds or a minute at that rate. that was 2 years ago at age 63, but I'd bet my cardio is better now than it was when i was 40.

I’m really curious as I’ve never tried ANY of them.


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[drivesitfar]

I’m not a huge fan of bike riding but I do constantly need to improve my cardio fitness. Assault also has a great treadmill but even more spendy than their bike.

Lis: the air bikes are nice cause they also have the arm workout and the fan really makes you think you are working out.

 

[lis2323]

I have a lot of wants. Unfortunately, I tend to analyze most purchases to the point of paralysis.

I need a bench. Well, which bench? Do I want a flat bench, plus an incline or FID bench, or should I just get one really good flat/incline or FID bench? Fat pad, standard or both? Red, white, blue, black, purple...?

You can obviously do a myriad of exercises with a flat bench but I cannot see ever being without an incline option if it is your ONLY bench.








The only items I have purchased new are the Concept 2 rower, my Olympic bar, bumper plates, (kettlebells and dumbbells because I wanted complete sets.)

Lots of other mismatched plates and bars all purchased used.

Several used commercial machines I have either modified or refurbished and everything else I built myself.

I guess my point being it's not necessary to drop a sh*tload of money unless you want to.


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[B T C]

You can obviously do a myriad of exercises with a flat bench but I cannot see ever being without an incline option if it is your ONLY bench.








The only items I have purchased new are the Concept 2 rower, my Olympic bar, bumper plates, (kettlebells and dumbbells because I wanted complete sets.)

Lots of other mismatched plates and bars all purchased used.

Several used commercial machines I have either modified or refurbished and everything else I built myself.

I guess my point being it's not necessary to drop a sh*tload of money unless you want to.


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I hear ya, on all of that. You have a nice gym. How much would it cost someone, on a monthly or annual basis, to get their foot in the door?

 

[drivesitfar]

BTC: you can certainly spend a lot of money to buy new gym stuff, but unless you are made of money and afraid of germs i'd almost always buy like new (used) equipment.

I think the only gym equipment I bought new was IRONMASTER.COM dumbbells that are steel and adjustable from 5 to 165 pounds and the 75 pound pair or 120's are more than good enough for most people. I'd also buy a new Concept 2 rower, but I found a like new model E before I had to. I'd also maybe buy a new Versaclimber if I had and was planning on dropping $5,000 on a gym cause that will beat your old **** up cause it kicks the kids butts.

currently i'm sure the used market is almost as expensive as new in some areas, but sadly many many gyms have been driven out of business with this pandemic so I predict a lot of equipment will flood the market next year.

since you haven't worked in a while start off with maybe TRX and/or doing planks, pull ups, and push ups.

get the motivation to work out regular and if you still need a new piece of equipment see if you can find it like new/used or just buy a new one now knowing you'll use it. I can't tell you how many $5,000 treadmills that are like new that sell for a few hundred a few years later that were hardly used.

good luck and hope you are eating and drinking in line with getting healthier too cause it all counts.

LIS: yep your gym pics never get old and I LOVE YOUR COOL DECALS TOO especially on the equipment you made from scratch.

 

[PECVD2]

Lis2323

I have not ridden an echo bike but a must is a clutching system on a fan bike.

My older Schwinn Airdyne is not clutched and is/can be very dangerous.

Our concept 2 bike is a solid player, is a tight well built machine that will provide excellent workouts.

 

[lis2323]

Lis2323

I have not ridden an echo bike but a must is a clutching system on a fan bike.

My older Schwinn Airdyne is not clutched and is/can be very dangerous.

Our concept 2 bike is a solid player, is a tight well built machine that will provide excellent workouts.

Thank you for that insight. [emoji16]


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[alexbuz1992]

Hello! This became relevant to me when the quarantine began. I bought the TRX because I could do a lot of training on it. I love that there are so many workout options. I don't really like going to the gym but the home gym is good.

 

[alexbuz1992]

It depends on where you live and what you need. But we also thought about wood, we ordered the design from the store because the parameters of the kitchen didn't fit. I tried to do the design myself, wrote out what I needed in the kitchen, and they did everything I needed.

 

[Old Man Roger]

All this bike talk reminds me that I seriously question the conventional thinking that cardio is bad for building muscle.

Ever see a serious bicycle riders legs? They’re freaking huge..

On leg day, I do a warm-up on an old Efitment elliptical. It’s more of an exercise bike without a seat, which kind of puts it in the stairclimbing category too LOL but knowing how it makes my quadriceps feel, I’ve been considering replacing half of my leg workout with riding the stupid little elliptical for 30 minutes.

My legs don’t look much different from when I was 12 years old LOL I have to try something.

 

[PhilJohn]

I have the Echo bike. I use it 3 times per week for HIIT. 8 reps, 20 seconds per rep. Sounds easy enough but it will leave you doubled over and dry heaving.

 

[PhilJohn]

Mayor: i'm sure if you want to add a few more things when Panicdemic is over there should be plenty of good gym stuff to buy.

nice looking gym and looks like your puppy is getting quite a workout too.

Phil: speaking of workouts how do you and the family like using your new gym?

We use it everyday. Although I had a slight setback with my shoulder(flat bench got me). Tried to train through it but had to shut down. Ill be back at it soon. No regrets. I love it.

 

[drivesitfar]

yep those HIIT workouts kick your ****. glad you found one you like and I know for a fact you will work through that if you keep at it and you won't puke as much (hee hee). maybe cause you'll remember not to eat before working out.

just teasing a bit so keep up the great work.

sorry you got hurt and hope it's something that you can fix with rehab and not need surgery.

I've cleaned out my bride's side of our garage so when I pull her car outside I can use it for TRX workouts starting Monday which should work in nicely with my Concept 2 Model E rower workouts and maybe another round of P90x. I usually get a fair amount of exercise outside every spring and summer and this year I need to finish building our fence and deck and landscaping, but good exercise always helps me work better.

 

[speed bump]

So. Rogue Echo vs Concept 2 bikes.

Opinions. ??


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It really depends on what you want. Personally I like the assault bike because I can do insane sprints (wind it up over 2000w for 15 cal recover 1 min and go again). The echo bike is like riding in water granted I only have a few weeks on one but hitting 600w isn't the every time occurance it was on the AB but for 5 minutes of riding both bikes average out the same for me. The belt drive is a different experience.

The echo bike is built like a tank.

The assault bike is a little lighter but for as much hammering as I did on one it held up just fine.

Only have one workout on the C2 bike and personally it didn't excite me but it's a decent piece.

 

[carterdetailing]

Wow - some ****** amazing home gyms here! Getting a bit jealous looking through some of these. Great work guys!

Giving me some food for thought for my (pretty cluttered) garage!

 

[drivesitfar]

Speed Bump: if that wasn't a mis print 2000watts is some serious working out. just curious how old are you, height and weight if you don't mind saying and I'm guessing you are in pretty decent shape too? are you a professional athlete or do you just take your workouts to the next level?

I started my TRX workouts in my bride's side of our garage and what looks simple on a YouTube video let me tell you it's not. after 20 minutes following a gal's workout I was dripping sweat from my arms and my head. I'm doing TRX one day and Concept 2 rowing the next to get back in shape so I can finish our fence and get my deck and landscaping done this summer. at 65 and 6'3 and 230 pounds using my own weight is maybe tougher than lifting and moving around hundreds of pounds I used to have in my gym.

 

[drivesitfar]

I bought a concept 2 mode e rower (like new used) and I found a YouTube channel (dark horse rowing) by Shane Farmer that showed me how to maintain it and a few tips and workout vids. He recently posted a video about breathing and threw out a name Wim Hof (the iceman) that is another rabbit hole to health, but Shane mentioned he takes 2 breaths per stroke. I usually run out of air when doing 250+ meters per minute so decided to try at least one breath per stroke. I finished a 30 minute workout without falling off the rower and as you can see I rowed over 200 meters per minute the entire 30 minutes. Now how can I do two breaths per stroke and that might help even more?

anyone row for their main exercise? Any tips or want to say what your workouts are?

 

[kjdhawkhill]

anyone row for their main exercise? Any tips or want to say what your workouts are?

I lived with two collegiate rowers and their workouts were insane. But D1 is D1 and brings D1 expectations. At least they were both heavyweights and they weren't worried about "making weight" like some of their lightweight teammates.

Don't they come pre-loaded with some workouts? I'd go through them with an Easy/Hard/Easy rotation by day of the week, until I find some that I like more than others.

If it were going to be my main workout, I'd definitely spend some time practicing technique for both efficiency and to avoid overuse concerns to tendons and joints. I can't help with those techniques at this point, though. The company's site has some technique videos I would review if I were to focus on it.

Its been a while since I've used one consistently (more than once/month), and it was never the focus, it was always an "just" an ancillary workout. I used it to work on muscular endurance for my back and a rest of the bicycle's single plane of motion and limited range of motion repetitiveness but to still get some good cardio in. I liked to work intervals of 5 minutes "on," 3-5 minutes "off" pulling just enough to keep the computer from quitting. Maybe 4 or 5 intervals (20-25 minutes) of work with a smoke-out session the last half of the last rep. Every now and again I would do a 500m full bore sprint for fun because it definitely left me feeling like I did something hard but didn't effect me for days. THAT was humbling to compare my times to the world records posted on Concept2's web-page.. My best times were pretty good for guys 35 pounds lighter and 40 years older.

 

[drivesitfar]

I looked in the concept 2 site and my meters rowed for 4 minute time was not far from top for my age so maybe as I keep working on my rowing technique and breathing I’ll get there. Not that I’m super competitive about my workouts I’m just trying to keep improving.

cleaned up my gym room yesterday a bit that had become extra storage and moved the wall fan so it would give me some relief on these 30 minute rows. Anybody else use these wall fans in their gym?

 

[username2]

I need a bench. Well, which bench? Do I want a flat bench, plus an incline or FID bench, or should I just get one really good flat/incline or FID bench? Fat pad, standard or both? Red, white, blue, black, purple...?

I really hate to pay crazy shipping fees, so do I want to drive to Colorado(REP Fitness) or Columbus(Roque), or should I just drop 5K with Roque to get free shipping?

I have a lot of wants. Unfortunately, I tend to analyze most purchases to the point of paralysis.

I need a bench. Well, which bench? Do I want a flat bench, plus an incline or FID bench, or should I just get one really good flat/incline or FID bench? Fat pad, standard or both? Red, white, blue, black, purple...?

I really hate to pay crazy shipping fees, so do I want to drive to Colorado(REP Fitness) or Columbus(Roque), or should I just drop 5K with Roque to get free shipping?

FWIW, (and to be fair, people tend to recommend the thing they buy rather than the 100 things they didn't and have no knowledge about), I bought a REP Fitness adjustable bench and it's been fine. Decent height (low) and I don't mind the mechanism.

After owning and giving away a good sized weight setup some time ago, I'm trying to do this on the cheap. A bench plus the larger version of kettlebells (and a sandbag setup) seems to work thus far, although I've been scheming some other way to do the equivalent of deadlift and squats.

Like a lot of things, it's easy to equate gear ownership with expertise. There's a reason so many poor guitar players own 100 guitars.

 

[B T C]

FWIW, (and to be fair, people tend to recommend the thing they buy rather than the 100 things they didn't and have no knowledge about), I bought a REP Fitness adjustable bench and it's been fine. Decent height (low) and I don't mind the mechanism.

After owning and giving away a good sized weight setup some time ago, I'm trying to do this on the cheap. A bench plus the larger version of kettlebells (and a sandbag setup) seems to work thus far, although I've been scheming some other way to do the equivalent of deadlift and squats.

Like a lot of things, it's easy to equate gear ownership with expertise. There's a reason so many poor guitar players own 100 guitars.

I'm going back and forth between REP & Rogue. Once I feel like I've settled on something, I'll watch a review video, see a comment etc. that prompts me to hold off. I'm sure both make fine products. REP's shipping is a bit more prohibitive, at least to where I'm located. I had actually planned to pull the trigger on a few things from REP during their Memorial Day sale, but I tend to fret endlessly and wait until the last minute on things like this, and now their site seems to be down, or at least the order processing side of things. Maybe that's a sign, and most of the items I thought I wanted aren't actually on sale anyway.

I've almost decided I'm just going place a big order with Rogue whenever I figure out what I'm going to do. Their shipping seems much more palatable once you're into the freight realm.

 

[PhilJohn]

I used the 5k free shipping with Rogue.

My only advice is if you make that big order, be sure you get EVERYTHING you want right from the get-go. Shipping will kill you otherwise on the things you want afterward.

 

[speed bump]

Speed Bump: if that wasn't a mis print 2000watts is some serious working out. just curious how old are you, height and weight if you don't mind saying and I'm guessing you are in pretty decent shape too? are you a professional athlete or do you just take your workouts to the next level?

I started my TRX workouts in my bride's side of our garage and what looks simple on a YouTube video let me tell you it's not. after 20 minutes following a gal's workout I was dripping sweat from my arms and my head. I'm doing TRX one day and Concept 2 rowing the next to get back in shape so I can finish our fence and get my deck and landscaping done this summer. at 65 and 6'3 and 230 pounds using my own weight is maybe tougher than lifting and moving around hundreds of pounds I used to have in my gym.

2k watts isn't something I can sustain, more of a 15-20 second burst kind of deal. Put me on a air bike for 40-50 calories and I'm untouchable, after 15 minutes I look pretty average. That's at 6-1 195ish lbs hobby athlete: swimming and scaled crossfiter.

 

[drivesitfar]

SpeedBump: you didn't mention how old you are, but guessing you are a bit younger than I am (65 here). i'm glad you mentioned that 2000watts cause I thought I maxed the Assault air bike out at 1278 cause not even the 30 year old trainers at our could do that much. good for you and keep it up.

I couldn't hold the 1278 watt on the Assault air bikes at our little gym either for very long (I think 30 seconds and I blew a gasket), but I did love doing it for about 10-15 seconds every minute for the 4 minutes we worked out on the bike (we had a 10 station 4 minute workout (rower, treadmill, queenax, trx,...) and it would really get my heart going sort of like the 300-375 meter rows for a minute would (my normal rowing speed is about 220 meters per minute now on my rower at home).

keep up the great work (outs).

the last few days i've cleaned up my home gym that had turned into a storage area mainly so I can use my ProMaxima P-143 multy-hip machine to try and rehab my arthritic left knee (hoping that I can). I don't lift many weights these days cause moving my 230 pounds around on the TRX is plenty with the rowing. another piece of equipment that all of you should have in your gym is a high quality inversion table (mine is a TeeterUp LX9, but the old Costco Invertalign's will work as well if you find a good used one).

keep up the workouts and remember to try and eat more veggies and keep hydrated with water or ice tea.

 

[bassJAM]

There's some REALLY nice setups on here!

20 years ago when I was in college I pulled my back getting out of bed, and realized how much muscle I'd lost since playing sports and lifting in high school. So I convinced my dad to go halves with me on 300 lbs of weights and a bench and have been working out at home since. My wife spends more in one year at her gym membership than I've spent in total for all the weights and equipment, much which came from Craigslist. Oddly enough I'm included in her membership, I'd just much prefer to workout at home by myself. This all used to be in the basement until I finished the basement with a kids play room, bedroom, and 2 offices 3 years ago. Luckily my garage has plenty of extra room off both sides and it's below grade so it stays cool so I didn't mind too much moving this out there. There's still room for my wife to park, and all I have to move is the weight tree and a treadmill and stationary bike not shown and I could still fit 2 cars if needed without touching anything else.

 

[mmb617]

bassJAM, I like the simplicity of your setup. It's similar to what I have now. Some weights, a squat rack, bench and some floor area for deadlifts are all I need. I also still have a Roman chair as I like situps on that for my abs. We used to have a lot more equipment back in my younger days but over the years most of it fell into disuse. Now I'm back to the basics.

 

[Rick Mendy]

You got awesome setup. I am just getting in love with it. As a NBA coach I am an admirer of home gym setup. Soon, I will create my own home gym setup. Currently, it is in initial stages as unfortunately I have limited salary so I have just waited long to put my own setup but thanks God it is been started. I will share my setup pics soon.

Cheers.

 

[givemethewillys]

I agree. I really wish I woud have looked at them a bit closer before I bought. Slick way to go for limited space and totally functional.

I bought a traditional power rack a few years ago, and I REALLY wish these were more prevalent then. I've been contemplating ways to modify my rack uprights to pivot up into the wall. It seems like a pretty simple project, if only I didn't have 100 other projects on the list!

My garage gym corner has sort of gotten overgrown in the past year, with it becoming the drop corner while I rebuild my willys cj5. Even with that, I've lost 13lbs. Right now 5'8", 172lbs. Diet (keto and myfitnesspal calorie counting) has been the most important part of my weight loss. Even better than the 5-per-week workouts I was doing pre-covid.

 

[B T C]

@PhilJohn - How are you liking your Rogue Echo bike? Any thoughts you care to share regarding your rack, attachments, benches etc. after a few months of use? Anything you would do differently? Did you get the short trolley arms. I'm thinking you did based upon the pics, but pics can be deceiving. Have you converted your RM-4 to the six post rack? I'm thinking about the RM-6, partly because I'm considering the Rhino. You could analyze & think about this stuff forever.

 

[drivesitfar]

My gym gas a new dumbbell set but don’t get much use til summer is over cause carrying mixing and pouring these 80 pound concrete bags is plenty while sun is shining this summer. My inversion table gets use daily.

 

[B T C]

Where did you find the dumbbells?

How do you like the Teeter inversion board?

 

[drivesitfar]

Craigslist find on Ivanko barbell dumbbells and Maxicam rack (2 sellers).

I LOVE my teeterup LX9 inversion table. I started hanging on an Invertalign inversion table (now owned by teeterup or maybe always was their high end version) in 2006 or 2007 and haven't taken advil for back issues since. my great chiropractor I saw almost every week or two before I started hanging offered free treatments since and i've always passed cause I didn't need his help. he did mention when I started to hang not to hang more than 5 minutes at a time cause it might damage my tendons which was great advice cause when I moved the inversion table into my gym I couldn't hear the microwave timer I used to set as an alarm and ended up hanging too long for a few days and damaged my achilles (I hang full hang off my ankles) so now I use my iphone timer and all good.

Ivankobarbell.com used to sell chrome dumbbells, but not sure they still do cause I bought a clearance set years ago that I traded for ironmasters.com 165's. another quality dumbbell you can maybe find used or if you have deep pockets is Hampton fitness (hamptonfit.com) and for some other specialty items ironmind.com has a few and I like their captain of crush grippers.

good luck with your gym and in the meantime do planks, pushups and chin ups or by a TRX straps and put a hook up cause using your own weight is maybe the best way to get in shape. YOGA is maybe the hardest best workouts if you do them correctcly for maintaining muscle and getting fit.