Buying a set of free weights

EmiLouize
EmiLouize Posts: 29
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone, I'm currently looking at alternatives to going to the gym for weight training. I've found that I can buy a barbell, dumbells and 35kg of weights for £40 to use at home. Would it be worth it? Would I be able to strength train sufficiently?

I'm new to this stuff. :P thanks.

Replies

  • Shropshire1959
    Shropshire1959 Posts: 982 Member
    Sure and you can always buy more Plate.

    But you'll miss out on all the grunting folk (male and female!!) at the gym :-p
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    absolutely!
    youtube has a lot of strength workouts specifically for women - I really like the Hasfit ones and also Jessica Smith has quite a few. You will get great results - I am so pleased with my muscle tone in general and my stats ( waist now 26" + hips 35.5") - I started strength training more than a year ago and also jog 5 days/week for 3 - 4 miles :)
  • EmiLouize
    EmiLouize Posts: 29
    Haha I'm not sure if I would be 'missing out' as such. ;P I don't even know if 35kg is a good amount of weight for me. There's another set with 25kg, would that be too light?
  • Lottiotta
    Lottiotta Posts: 162 Member
    Why different videos for women? The only difference I know of is some women menstruate some of the time?
  • Lottiotta
    Lottiotta Posts: 162 Member
    Haha I'm not sure if I would be 'missing out' as such. ;P I don't even know if 35kg is a good amount of weight for me. There's another set with 25kg, would that be too light?

    I want to know this too. I am a person with very little testosterone and plenty of oestrogen and progesterone, and I bought a set from John Lewis - pairs starting at .5kg x2, working up to 4kg x2, and even the 4kg x2 was too light for me, and I've had CFS for 6-7 years!

    ETA: I'm not even sure why they would sell them at such small weights.
  • DjinnMarie
    DjinnMarie Posts: 1,297 Member
    Haha I'm not sure if I would be 'missing out' as such. ;P I don't even know if 35kg is a good amount of weight for me. There's another set with 25kg, would that be too light?

    Depends. How much do you currently squat, deadlift, bench? How much do you want to be able to squat, deadlift etc? I would definitely go with the 35 kg. I would also invest in a rack. A rack, bench, dumbbells and an assortment of plates is really all you need. I workout exclusively at home.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    your probably going to want a bench to go along with it.

    if you don't have a squat rack, its probably going to be difficult or impossible to get enough weight on your shoulders to challenge yourself in a squat.

    you'd want to know the assortment of plates. if the heavier set has a greater selection of plates, its going to be a little more versitile and perhaps worth it for that alone.

    25 is like 55 lbs? a traditional bar is 45 lbs, so you will likely out grow it quickly. you'd also want to know what the bar weights because that will effect how much additional weight you need.
  • EmiLouize
    EmiLouize Posts: 29
    I've never done any weight lifting of any sort before. I just feel like I'd be more comfortable getting started on my own at home.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Hi everyone, I'm currently looking at alternatives to going to the gym for weight training. I've found that I can buy a barbell, dumbells and 35kg of weights for £40 to use at home. Would it be worth it? Would I be able to strength train sufficiently?

    I'm new to this stuff. :P thanks.

    I'd get a good barbell, one that can hold 100kg+ without bowing. Those will run you in the £100 range or more just for a decent barbell.

    I've been looking at what I would spend for a barbell, sufficient weight plates, floor padding, a squat rack, a bench, and dumb bells, and my cost is probably about $2k USD at the moment, and that would cover me for now, but I'd need to buy more weights in about a year.
  • EmiLouize
    EmiLouize Posts: 29
    Eeeek. I can't afford anything like that haha. I'm on a gap year between A Levels and university at the moment (no fancy holidays or volunteer work, I need to earn and save some money) and at the moment I only earn like £100 per month. So even £40 is a huge chunk of my money that I'm trying to save! :0
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Eeeek. I can't afford anything like that haha. I'm on a gap year between A Levels and university at the moment (no fancy holidays or volunteer work, I need to earn and save some money) and at the moment I only earn like £100 per month. So even £40 is a huge chunk of my money that I'm trying to save! :0

    Honestly, I'd try to pull a few more work hours, and spend some cash on a decent gym. Building your own is cool and all, but going cheap just means down the road something will probably fail, you'll run out of stuff, etc. Besides, stuff like that takes a lot of room.

    There's a reason I've not bought my own stuff yet. I'd rather spend $2k on a scope for my rifle, and just work out at the gym.
  • EmiLouize
    EmiLouize Posts: 29
    But I hate gyms. :(
  • cdoesthehula
    cdoesthehula Posts: 141 Member
    Join your local Freecycle/Freegle type group. I ran one for a while; they take up a lot of room and people actually beg to get rid of them.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    Buy the Olympic weight set of free weights. Having your own workout stuff is much more cost effective than a gym membership.

    29509743.png
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Buy the Olympic weight set of free weights. Having your own workout stuff is much more cost effective than a gym membership.

    29509743.png

    Potentially accurate.

    If you use your gym for weights only.

    Gym quality equipment costs money.
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
    Look on Craigslist, you can find some great deals for this kind of stuff. I've got a full gym in my basement that I filled with stuff I got on CL mostly for dirt cheap (like 10 cents on the dollar compared to new cheap). I got over 400 lbs of weights, a bench, preacher curl, squat rack, heavy bag, rowing machine. pullup bar, curl bar, adjustable dumbells, rubber flooring, pushup bars, and more. I think I probably put in about $300 total and I've been training at home 90% of the time since 2008.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    the most versitle, least expensive resistance training solution is the TRX or any of the suspension trainners.

    the other cool thing about them is that they basically force you to do effective exercises. i could be wrong, but i don't think you can just set it up to do curls, its aways some push or pull exercise that envolves multiple muscle groups.

    looks like the trx is 170 ish. but there are other lesser known brands out there that are probably just as good but cheaper
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    obviously if you do not have the money then thats going to limit you. but if its ever a question of 'is it worth it', thats going to be answered in how much you use it.

    if you are 20 something and you spend $2,000 on a home gym thats everything (or nearly everything ) you need, and you use it well into your 60s then its very cost effective indeed.

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