I’m in the market for an olympic barbell w/ weights and I’m wondering if I’m going to be making a mistake buying a cheap-o bar w/ a plate bundle for 160. I already own an even worse bar bent like 3 degrees permanently from the middle designed for standard plates; the kind of bar you actually have to assemble the two pieces in the middle. I’m a little guy and won’t be lifting obscene weights anytime soon so I’m not quite sure it will matter. As for what type of lifting I’ll be doing I do a bit of everything. I’ve seen a lot of nice barbells online while scouring other threads but are they really worth the price for lifting light? Oh yeah, and same question for power racks. thanks
Let me first say your avatar kicks ass! That is the Ohio State kid flipping off team Michigan team isnt it? Go Bucks!
Ok now thats out of the way. I have an olympic set from Dicks sporting goods that was on sale for around 100 or 110. Before that, I had probably the same bar you did, the one you have to assemble. What a peice of garbage. Mine was bent too, definitely upgrade because I am not so sure how safe that is. I am happy with my olympic set, although the most I have ever put on it was about 350. If you are going higher than that, you may want to look into its durability.
As far as benches go, I made a huge mistake here. I bought a $200 bench with a squat rack also from Dicks. I wish now that I had invested in a power rack and a utility bench. Also, I could have paid about another $50 to get a similar bench but with a pulley assembly… As for my bench now, I have have an old spare bench and chair set up as my safety bars for my current rack, which scare the hell out of me. So I am going to be upgrading soon, which means that my current bench is useless. So my advice is try to buy equipment that is upgradable…
For the bar, go to www.jesupgym.com. They have really great bars that will not bend for right around $100. They are more than worth the money.
For weights, find them used in your area. This is the cheapest way to get weights.
For a power rack and/or a bench, go to www.newyorkbarbells.com. Great equipment, cheap prices, and often free shipping (yes, even on power racks).
These are just my opinions. There are other great companies out there too, so look around, but this should give you a good standard to compare other offers to.
If I were you I would go to www.elitefitnesssystems.com and order there package called “So you hate your gym” or something like that.
I beleive it is around $1500.00 which is not much when you consider what you would be spending on gym memeberships over the long term. The package will have every thing you need.
If you have trouble finding it just e-mail me, and I will give you more information. Hope this helps. God Bless
I got a bar with my set from Galyan’s aka Dicks Sports. It bent within a few weeks of initial use.
As for the avatar, it’s some kid in little league soccer. Picture is named “sportsmanship”, heh
Thanks a lot for the input guys. I am still undecided about the bar. My funds are very limited so it may be the deciding factor in the end. I just can’t wait to retire my set. I’ve got to live with a horrible, horrible 80 dollar bench (that INCLUDED weights and the bar) and I just hope it won’t fall apart because I’ve been using a lot more weight than it came with. It’s lasted for a year so I’m hoping it has another few months in it.
I bought a “$150” set from sears. They have rubber protectors on the outsides of the plates to help keep your garage floor from breaking. It comes with either 300 or 400 lbs of weights and there are free plates that you can buy seprately if you will be needing more. I have had no problems with my set and frequently load my full 300lbs on it to do deadlifts. No bending or anything. To be honest, if the bar did bend, you could get just a bar from sears for prolly 40 bucks so if it breaks just go buy a new one instead of going all out. (this is if you are on a limited budget)
As for the power rack, I bought a cheap one as well and while it does the job fine, it is a little narrow and sometimes I wish I had gotten one that was at least a little bigger or wider. but for 150 bucks… I can’t complain. I only bench and squat in it anyways.
Going along w/the guy who discussed Elite Fitness, I would purchase a Texas Power Bar. It costs around $200, but this will probably be the only bar you ever have to buy. One thing I absolutely WOULDN’T skimp on when outfitting your gym is the bar…buy quality stuff and you’ll only but it once.
Stay strong
MR