Seeking advice on home strength training

dlwyatt82

Hi all,

I'm about to move into a new house with an attached garage, and I'm planning to use some of that space to set up some additional exercise equipment. In my current apartment, I've been getting by with a set of Power Blocks and a swiss ball to save on space, but that is fairly limiting in terms of maximum weight and what exercises I can do (not much going on for my back other than one-arm dumbbell rows, for example).

I've been looking at the StrongLifts 5x5 program after seeing a reference to it on an MFP post. It's a structured barbell workout that starts with an empty bar and adds 5 pounds to each exercise on each new workout. The workouts are (Squats, Bench Press, Rows) and (Squats, Overhead Press, Deadlifts). There are also some optional body-weight support exercises like chin-ups / pull-ups, reverse crunches, etc.

All I'd need to fully support this program is a good barbell / plates, a bench and a power rack. How much would you reasonably expect to pay for this equipment (assume 400 lbs of plates as a start)? What do you think of the StrongLifts 5x5 program in general; would you recommend it, or something different?

I realize it's a little expensive to get this kind of thing done at home, but I stick with it better this way. I've tried going to the gym before. Sometimes the motivation is there, but most of the time, I just feel like the fat guy in a room full of hard bodies.

steveinct

I work out at home too. You might want to think about getting a new set of dumbbells first since they are the most versatile piece of equipment you can own. Think about getting a set of the largest adjustable dumbbells you can afford and keep your smaller powerblocks for the lighter weights. The SelectTech have a set that goes to 90 pounds each. That will keep you in business for a LONG time.

Second - Get yourself a chinup bar.

Third - Think of investing in a split bench so you can do things like incline/decline dumbbell press, etc

Fourth - Education and please don't take this the wrong way. If you are only doing one arm dumbbell rows for your back, you need to educate yourself on some new exercises. You should be doing one arm rows, two arm bent over rows, switch grip bent over rows (palms out), bend over reverse fly (pinky leads), bent over lateral raise (knuckles leads), stiff leg dead lifts, back extensions on your swiss ball, superman, and more.

Maybe you should start with a new set of dumbbells and a chinup bar and then invest in a Beachbody program like Power 90, Chalean Extreme or p90x (depending on your fitness level). I have done Chalean Extreme and p90x (I am a guy and yes, I know CE is marketed to women) and both are great. Chalean Extreme will give you a great foundation (Power 90 would probably do that too) and get you ready for p90x if you aren't in great shape. If you are in good shape, just go straight to p90x. These programs will not only get you in shape, they will teach you some new exercises which will help with the education point above.