I’m finally buying a house this year and wanted to start planning on what to get for a home gym. I figure the ideal set up would be a power rack, Olympic bar with a shitload of plates, e-z curl bar, flat to vertical bench and powerblock dumbbells. Does anyone know a good brand of power rack. I’ve seen the one made by Body-Solid and it doesn’t seem very sturdy. That Fitness Factory Outlet place you see advertised in all the mags is a mile from my house. All of their shit is exactly that.
I’ve used the BodySolid models and they work pretty well for the price - but they won’t be a good choice for powerlifters as I don’t think it can handle the really big loads. Put if you are squatting less than 400 for the most part, you could go with any of the Body Solid squat racks. If squatting more than that or doing much at the rack with more than that, I’d go with a better product.
I would also suggest that you get an adjustable bench. Something like the Atlantis B-177 Smith Bench (flat/incline/staight).
And I agree with Jason in regards to the rack.
Within a month you’ll wish you had at least two olympic bars.
You should check into getting a rack custom made from a steel fabricator. You can get exactly what you need and you wont have to worry about rack failure. I built my own for $200.00.
Add a dip station and a low pulley. I made a dip station out of plumbing pipe, but I still don’t have the low pulley. Many racks have an add-on slider for a low pulley, and it’s one thing you may find that you want in a short time. Also, if you don’t already have one, get a dip belt. The cage I have I got second hand through some local classifieds. Good set-up, and cheap. Might be an option for you as well.
check out the racks sold by dave tate at elite fitness. sorry, i don’t remember the website but you can find a link in the articles he writes for tmag or do a search using google. the racks are a bit pricey, but they are exactly what i needed for powerlifting in my basement. actually, i think he is running a sale right now.