Tips on picking a home weights machine?

lornamarie57

In Sept I'm hoping to buy a home gym. Things to look for? Things to avoid? Anything you wish you knew before buying?

Courtscan2

What are you goals? What are you planning to do? If you are looking at just getting started with a bit of strength training, you can't go wrong with a variety of dumbbells and a bench, along with a beginner's weightlifting program to start with. If you have more specific plans.....what are they?

MikePfirrman

Agree with above. The most important thing with any home gym is that you will use it. In my honest opinion, people make weight lifting too hard. It's not that hard and doesn't require all that much equipment, especially for beginners.

If I were starting all over, knowing what I know now, I'd get a bench (doesn't have to be too fancy - I own a Nike type bench now, like the ones they use at Orange Theory). I'd get a good pair of adjustable dumbbells, like the Bowflex ones -- I have those and they are great. Use them all the time. I'd get a set of resistance bands - the ones without metal grommets - those can be dangerous. I also have an XBar knockoff. XBars are great for deadlifts, but are way overpriced. Amazon has some nice knockoffs for around $100. Basically, it allows me to do (light) deadlifts with around 140 lbs without the cage, barbell and expensive olympic plates.

If you were to add one more thing, it might be a few Kettlebells. KBs are fantastic and versatile, but you really need to work on the swing first and fully understand it. Doing it wrong can be dangerous for your back and knees.

slade51

How much space you have to workout also matters. My bench is not gym quality, but it folds up so that I can put the bench and dumbbells in the closet. You can’t go wrong with dumbbells if you’re not sure which way to go.

Also don’t discount walking or bike riding outdoors as the weather permits.

AnnPT77

Courtscan2 wrote: »

What are you goals? What are you planning to do? If you are looking at just getting started with a bit of strength training, you can't go wrong with a variety of dumbbells and a bench, along with a beginner's weightlifting program to start with. If you have more specific plans.....what are they?

In addition to these questions, @lornamarie57, what's your exercise/fitness background, especially recently? Are you an experienced exerciser (doing what?) moving to a home gym environment from a commercial gym, an experienced cardio exerciser (what type?) looking to add a strength component at home, or pretty new to exercise but wanting to get stronger (or other gym goals?)? That might make a difference.

Example: I've gradually accumulated some home gym stuff over the time I've been exercising. (I was active even while obese, so we're talking 20+ years.)

I'm an on-water rower, so my first buy was a rowing machine, because I can't row on water here in Winter. Next was some freeweights (and I took a class to learn how to use them. (It was a class that actually taught regular lifts in standard rep/set formats, not one of those "everyone does lifts together to music, with light weights" classes - those can be fine for particular goals, but not for mine.) I focused a lot at home on upper body push, because rowing neglects that. Later I added a simple bench. I also accumulated things like a pull-up bar, resistance bands, a couple of kettlebells (took a class for that, too). I'd been doing spin classes twice a week for a long time when the pandemic hit, and my gym closed; eventually I bought a stationary bike for home as an alternative.)

I'm not saying you should do that, I'm saying that as an example of how a your personal goals and history would be relevant to what we might recommend to you for a home gym.

Retroguy2000

It depends on your goals. A machine is fine. Personally, I think free weights are much better. They give you more options, and it's easy to keep expanding as you need.

You can probably do more variety of exercises with a set of adjustable dumbbells and an adjustable bench than a weights machine, and you can move it and put it away easier between workouts if you need. There's even a foldable bench option for that purpose.

If you aren't sure about using db's there are countless YouTube vids showing a lot of exercises for each body part.

One consideration before an investment is if you think you'll need more weight in the future. Using one example, Bowflex 552 goes from 5-52.5 pounds per db.

SuzySunshine99

Since people are mentioning adjustable dumbbell sets...my husband just got Core Fitness adjustable dumbbells. They are less expensive and actually had better reviews than Bowflex. They go from 5lbs to 50lbs. He loves them so far.

lornamarie57

TO answer the questions about my goals and fitness...I have a treadmill and an elliptical already. I walk/run daily and bike with my kids on weekends. I have a few handweights but don't love them. I do some basic curls. I remember years ago doing pull down type exercises with a machine and liking that. I also liked doing leg exercises - neither of these are done with hand weights. I have a weaker back so am very cautious about form (see physio and do exercises for it).

Oh I have a step - like a plastic step - in my office that I use in winter.

I'd like to add strength training into my regular workout because my cardio is well on track. I've been tracking all food for 8 months and am feeling ready for something new.

Retroguy2000

If you don't think you'd enjoy using db's then that's reason enough to favor machine.

Fwiw, there are plenty of exercises for the legs you can do with db's, and many are light on your back, e.g.:

Goblet squat
Bulgarian split squat
Lunges, forward and reverse
Romanian dead lift
and more

Note that the quads option on a home gym machine is likely leg extension, which can be hard on your back. I've never been a fan of that exercise even when I had access to machines in the gym.

For your weights machine, you should be able to do pulls (like the pulldown you mentioned, or rows), push (forward for chest, upward for shoulder), adduction for chest and core (pulling cables across your body), be able to swap out the pulling bar for other attachments like rope, d-grip and v-grip handles (may be sold separately), and it should have enough weight for you in the long term, or be expandable if needed.

lornamarie57

Thanks retroguy. That gives me something to hunt for. I’ll be starting shopping in a few days once the kids are back in school