Building my home gym

sjp_511

Hey all. I posted this in the NROL4W group but would also like to get opinions from here. I just got the NROL4W book and I am excited to get started. I have been adding equipment to my home gym and I am now on the market for a power rack.

At my local new & used sporting goods store, Play it Again Sports, they have 2 options.

The first option is a used power cage that has the lat pulley system. It comes with an incline bench that also has a curl attachment. The only thing missing is a pull-up bar. It is the Image 5.5 system. Very little information exists about this on the Internet. The price is $350.

The second option is to get the Cap Barbell Deluxe Power Cage - brand new. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00I04Z52G/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1421549459&sr=8-1&dpPl=1&dpID=41fnce6-YRL&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SY200_QL40). The store has it for $250 - $50 less than Amazon. I would then have to buy a bench separately. The reviews on Amazon are pretty decent. This system does not have the lat pulley system - which is needed for NROL4W.

I am undecided on which one to get. I like that the Image 5.5 has everything I need, but I am nervous about spending so much money on something that is used and I don't know anything about the quality of the product. What would you do?

Sarauk2sf

I would not get the second one - safety bars are not long enough.


Is the first one like this?

http://fitness.manualsonline.com/manuals/mfg/image/imbe39400.html

Never heard of it but it looks decent from the diagram.

The other option is just to get a basic power cage and a bench. You should be able to adapt the routine - for example, get a pull up bar and do pull ups and chin ups (or negatives if you cannot do them - which is most women).

sjp_511

Sarauk2sf wrote: »

I would not get the second one - safety bars are not long enough.


Is the first one like this?

http://fitness.manualsonline.com/manuals/mfg/image/imbe39400.html

Never heard of it but it looks decent from the diagram.

The other option is just to get a basic power cage and a bench. You should be able to adapt the routine - for example, get a pull up bar and do pull ups and chin ups (or negatives if you cannot do them - which is most women).

That's the one, except the pull-up bar is missing. I am not too sure why I am so hesitant to get it...

heybales

There's not much to be "used" on it. Abuse should stand out, like safety's with dents in them, or catch holes badly enlarged that no longer hold what they are supposed to.
Once metal and welds have gone past a certain point of confirming they are good, they'll be good. If there was bad quality, prior owner would have discovered it quickly.

Stack some weight on the lat pull-down and confirm it's still smooth bearings in the pulleys.

Once you get it on your floor, you may want to loosen all the bolts a tad, confirm plumb with a level (incase floor is slanted), and then tighten the bolts from the ground up, just in case it was put together and tightened top down.

Pull-up bar could easily be added to it also, if not already an available option you just may need to get later.

ScientificExplorerGirl

I just replaced a CAP FID Bench with and XMark 7604 bench. I would never by anything from CAP again. The bench was cheap and unstable. I felt that it might collapse under me at any time. The new XMark bench is as solid as a rock and very comfortable. $350 for the first setup is an excellent price and the bench looks very similar to the XMark. Good luck!

sjp_511

After discussing with my husband, we decided to spend bit more money and get the Powerline PPR200X with the lat attachment. Thanks for the advice.

scooterjay_wwis

the Play it again sports store near me doesn't have any power racks. (oh, they could order me one new) so I'm building my own from lumber and 1 inch pipe. I found plans online.

heybales

scooterjay_wwis wrote: »

the Play it again sports store near me doesn't have any power racks. (oh, they could order me one new) so I'm building my own from lumber and 1 inch pipe. I found plans online.

Kinda what I did, but not even a power rack for savings of space. Squat stands attached to bench stands, the safety level for both matches, so protected. And various sized gas pipe used to hold the plates that gives stability.




But I realize now, the power rack would have been easier at this point, even if a tad deeper.

DopeItUp

heybales wrote: »

scooterjay_wwis wrote: »

the Play it again sports store near me doesn't have any power racks. (oh, they could order me one new) so I'm building my own from lumber and 1 inch pipe. I found plans online.

Kinda what I did, but not even a power rack for savings of space. Squat stands attached to bench stands, the safety level for both matches, so protected. And various sized gas pipe used to hold the plates that gives stability.




But I realize now, the power rack would have been easier at this point, even if a tad deeper.

Yeah I seriously considered that route but given the hassle and such it didn't seem worth it. A half rack or even squat stand with safety bars will be just as small, relatively inexpensive and minimal work to set up. Plus all of the add-ons you can get greatly increase the functionality aspect (and actually result in a smaller overall footprint).

Sumiblue

I found this used on Craigslist. In great shape and came with Oly bar and weights, bench. It has a small footprint because it's more vertical. My ceiling is low so I can't do great pull ups but still try. So far it's been awesome!

Sumiblue

heybales

Sumiblue wrote: »

I found this used on Craigslist. In great shape and came with Oly bar and weights, bench. It has a small footprint because it's more vertical. My ceiling is low so I can't do great pull ups but still try. So far it's been awesome!

Can you reverse that pullup bar area to make that easier? Just flip it right around so it dips down instead of up. If short enough, may not even matter to feet hanging.

Sumiblue

I don't think so due to how it attaches to the frame. I could probably use the straight bar in the back, though. Just have to change the position of the power cage around.