I’ve got 600 dollars saved up and I want to start off my own home gym.
I want to get an olympic barbell, squat rack and as many lbs of bumper plates as I can get.
Do you know any good websites?
check out craigslist in your area
[quote]1morerep wrote:
check out craigslist in your area[/quote]
Already tried that.
Hordes of treadmills and bowflexes but not much else.
Try Kijiji, it’s the same idea as craigslist but their might be more listings.
Some of the best prices for new equipment that I’ve seen… 600 really isn’t gonna get you much though.
Alright I got a connection. I’m getting a good old bar for 50$ from my coach’s gym.
So I’ll have 550$ to get weights and a rack with. I could even build the rack if I rent a welder.
How necessary is a platform? For Oly lifts.
Kijiji is a funny place. People in my area are trying to sell plastic Chinese dumbells for 100$. I think they’re 20$ new…
www.fitnessfactory.com is a good place. They don’t carry bumper plates unfortunately.
Wichita Falls Weightlifting/Pendlay Barbell has good deals on bumpers, probably the best value you’ll find. The Hi-Temp bumpers are ugly, but they are tough and all but indestructible.
http://www.pendlaybarbell.com/
Another site that often has good deals is Rogue Fitness. The shipping can vary a lot, depending upon where you are living and where the shipment is coming from (they ship bumpers from two different places, if I recall).
As for a platform, I’ve found that 1/2" or 3/4" thick plywood 4’x’4 with the equivalent thickness of rubber or super dense EVA mats 2’x4’ on each side can work. Better would be a 8 foot long platform, obviously.
As for a squat rack, some have suggested saw horses as an economical solution. I have not tried it, but makes sense to me.
Man, definitely Craig’s list, you just have to be patient and ready to buy quickly. If you are, you can get some great deals. I got a squat rack for $75 and found a squat rack, 300+ pounds of olympic weight/bar and a bench for $150, just didn’t have the money at them time.
Heres a couple of cheap squat racks. They should be fine unless you’re using monster weight. They adjust down low enough for benching too I believe.
Here’s instructions for building a platform:
ironmind.com/ironmind/opencms/ironmind/Main/homesweathome6.html
And some rubber mats for the platform (you’d have to cut):
About needing a platform, I o-lift and don’t use one. Where I lift has several foot thick of reinforced concrete as floors. I guess it just depends on where you lift.
I’ve had good luck at the used
sports equipmrnt stores like
“Play it Again Sports”
Or, If you’re good with a welder…
Replay Sports
Ebay- I bought a BodySolid power rack and adjustable bench for $250.00
I will sell you a Smith Machine with a 300lbs weight stack for a couple hundred if you can get around Lake Placid Florida. IF so email me jfansler@lppd.com