Can I lift at home ? supplies!!!

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leahloves2run
leahloves2run Posts: 43 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I wanna do some weight training at home and I need to know the basics on what supplies I need. There's not much room to work with so just the basic and few essentials please . Thanks!!!
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  • kmkgurl
    kmkgurl Posts: 321 Member
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  • Azra124
    Azra124 Posts: 39
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  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    I wanna do some weight training at home and I need to know the basics on what supplies I need. There's not much room to work with so just the basic and few essentials please . Thanks!!!

    A nice bench with a squat rack (and knee extension/hamstring curl) would be a good start with an Olympic bar and some plates. Hand helds are a good way to start and you can work all muscles with them. They usually sell for around $1 a pound, so you buy and add as needed. An exercise mat to place under your bench and main sweat areas to protect your floor.

    4231710440_af36809f22_n.jpg
    HomeGymWeights

    4230942813_22d935654e_n.jpg
    HomeGymBike

    I started with a few hand held weights and a treadmill 20 years ago when I lived in an apartment. Now that I am in a house with a generous basement, I have slowly added things as I could afford and needed them. I tried a gym, but the monthly membership was too much. In fact, even after buying 2 benches, the Olympic bar and plates, exercise bikes - I am way ahead at this point compared to what I would have been paying in gym memberships. Plus, I save on gas by not having to drive to and from my workouts. Home gym'in it since 1995.
  • leahloves2run
    leahloves2run Posts: 43 Member
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    I wanna do some weight training at home and I need to know the basics on what supplies I need. There's not much room to work with so just the basic and few essentials please . Thanks!!!

    A nice bench with a squat rack (and knee extension/hamstring curl) would be a good start with an Olympic bar and some plates. Hand helds are a good way to start and you can work all muscles with them. They usually sell for around $1 a pound, so you buy and add as needed. An exercise mat to place under your bench and main sweat areas to protect your floor.

    4231710440_af36809f22_n.jpg
    HomeGymWeights

    4230942813_22d935654e_n.jpg
    HomeGymBike

    I started with a few hand held weights and a treadmill 20 years ago when I lived in an apartment. Now that I am in a house with a generous basement, I have slowly added things as I could afford and needed them. I tried a gym, but the monthly membership was too much. In fact, even after buying 2 benches, the Olympic bar and plates, exercise bikes - I am way ahead at this point compared to what I would have been paying in gym memberships. Plus, I save on gas by not having to drive to and from my workouts. Home gym'in it since 1995.
  • leahloves2run
    leahloves2run Posts: 43 Member
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    This looks great but I was thinking more along the lines of maybe two sets of dumbbells and a bench ...so basically as many items that would fit in a laundry basket ;) Thanks anyways.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    This looks great but I was thinking more along the lines of maybe two sets of dumbbells and a bench ...so basically as many items that would fit in a laundry basket ;) Thanks anyways.

    Yes, that's all you need. I had hand held weights (still have them) that came with various plates so you could change the weight on each for your needs. They are a very small footprint for an apartment and you are able to get a full workout with them. I did a full body circuit of about 17 or 18 exercises for 10 years in an apartment with the handheld weights. My treadmill folded up and had a small footprint in the apartment. With the handheld weights - you really don't need a bench. I simply showed that over the past 20+ years, I was able to grow my original apartment "home gym" into a bit more thanks to having the space.

    Here's all you need. You really don't need a bench.

    12363386233_da64b7d840.jpg
    stock-photo-cast-iron-dumbbell-and-weight-plates-on-wooden-deck-home-gym-concept-121469107

    The plates allow you to easily adjust the amount of weight and provide a smaller footprint for your apartment than getting a bunch of these at various weights and taking up too much space...

    12363710854_351d93574c_n.jpg
    20-lbs-dumbbell

    http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/08/01/dont-be-a-dummy-how-to-get-a-full-workout-with-only-dumbells/

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/rudy6.htm

    http://www.dumbbell-exercises.com/
  • DJMIKEY1
    DJMIKEY1 Posts: 523 Member
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    Basically all I have are Resistance Bands and a small flat bench and a Large Balance Ball. Training can be done at home with some creativity.
  • FitWarrior7
    FitWarrior7 Posts: 332 Member
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    Get yourself a set of Bowflex Selectech weights with the stand. They go from 2.5-52.5 and work great. Also grab yourself a bench that inclines, declines and goes flat. Lastly pick up an olympic weight set with the barbell and 300 pounds of weights. I picked up the bench and the weight set from Sports Authority recently. They had a 20% off fitness coupon, I got outta there for $280 for a 300 pound Marcy Olympic weight set and a bench with full decline, incline, and flat bench capability. And the rack for the bar can be used for a squat rack as well.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I lift at home in our spare bedroom which has 3 big shevels and a desk in it along with my wine fridge...space is limited for me.

    I have a bench and my husband and son built me a squat rack for safety.

    I started with 1 barbell and about 100lbs in weights.

    I have since gotten 2 more bars (1 standard and 1 curl) for my birthday and I have a few extra plates from my husbands set and I was given some for Christmas.

    IMHO there is no point in investing in dumbells if you are going to be lifting...invest in a standard or olympic bar and a bench with a few plates and buy as needed looking at craigs list etc...
  • paygep
    paygep Posts: 401 Member
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    Home gyms are the best! Here's what's in mine:

    Adjustable weight dumbbells *ESSENTIAL
    Yoga mat *optional
    Exercise ball *optional, but nice to have in place of a bench

    Besides that you just need a lifting plan :)
  • leahloves2run
    leahloves2run Posts: 43 Member
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    This looks great but I was thinking more along the lines of maybe two sets of dumbbells and a bench ...so basically as many items that would fit in a laundry basket ;) Thanks anyways.

    Yes, that's all you need. I had hand held weights (still have them) that came with various plates so you could change the weight on each for your needs. They are a very small footprint for an apartment and you are able to get a full workout with them. I did a full body circuit of about 17 or 18 exercises for 10 years in an apartment with the handheld weights. My treadmill folded up and had a small footprint in the apartment. With the handheld weights - you really don't need a bench. I simply showed that over the past 20+ years, I was able to grow my original apartment "home gym" into a bit more thanks to having the space.

    Here's all you need. You really don't need a bench.

    12363386233_da64b7d840.jpg
    stock-photo-cast-iron-dumbbell-and-weight-plates-on-wooden-deck-home-gym-concept-121469107

    The plates allow you to easily adjust the amount of weight and provide a smaller footprint for your apartment than getting a bunch of these at various weights and taking up too much space...

    12363710854_351d93574c_n.jpg
    20-lbs-dumbbell

    http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/08/01/dont-be-a-dummy-how-to-get-a-full-workout-with-only-dumbells/

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/rudy6.htm

    http://www.dumbbell-exercises.com/
  • leahloves2run
    leahloves2run Posts: 43 Member
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    Ok this is encouraging thank you! and the links will be especially helpful too :)
  • leahloves2run
    leahloves2run Posts: 43 Member
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    I'm glad I asked, thank you everyone!
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Or you could do body weight exercises and not really need anything expect maybe a pull up bar.
  • leviclampitt
    leviclampitt Posts: 67
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    For you:

    + One 20-32 lb kettlebell
    + A 20 lb weighted vest
    + A chinup bar that fits in the doorframe + some resistance bands (to help you do them)
    +And a short EZ bar and weights once you need to level up.

    This is a Non-Gym set up (what it seems like you need/want). Here is a short article on how it differs from the traditional home gym: http://www.withoutagym.net/gyms/
  • wannaBrunnner81
    wannaBrunnner81 Posts: 107 Member
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    I have an adjustable bench, nothing fancy, just one that goes from incline to decline and straight, and then a set of the bowflex adjustable dumbells. All in all it was about 400.00 for everything.
  • sjp_511
    sjp_511 Posts: 476 Member
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    I am working on building my home gym. I got a treadmill last fall. I recently purchased weights from the used sorting good store. I got a bar and some dumbell bells that use standard weights (not Olympic). Next I will be getting an adjustable bench and a power rack. Some day I will grow out of standard weights and need to upgrade to Olmpic, but I have a ways to go. If you do buy a standard bar, make sure that it is long enough for a rack if you choose to get one. From the shopping around I did, standard bars come in all sorts of lengths and I read reviews that some are too short for racks.
  • marypatmccue
    marypatmccue Posts: 521 Member
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    I have the following at home and it works really well:

    * A step class step setup that I use as a bench, due to space requirements.
    * 3 sets of resistance bands with door anchors.
    * 1 set of power block weights that go up to 90 pounds (I think 45 would have been plenty sufficient... I'll never be able to get up to the 90's for what I use them for!)
    * 1 set of various weights (Four 10 pounds, four 5 pounds, and four 2.5 pounds) with a bar, so that I can bench press, squat, deadlift, etc.

    All of them stack really nicely and leave lots of space. I do MOST of my weight training at home. This spring I'll graduate to the NROL4W or SL5x5 and will head to the gym for complex lifts at heavier weights.

    :smile:
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    A rack doesn't have to take a massive amount of room.

    As well as my full 'power cage' (DIY effort) I've got one of these:
    sebr2461-bodymax-cf415_squat_rack_with_spotters-2.jpg
    If you get one without the catchers it's even less space. But a squat rack like this means offers of working muscles with a fair bit more weight. Both because you can use barbells and because you can use them SAFELY - because it's got the catchers to make sure you don't crush yourself if you drop it.

    While it's not small, if put in a corner there's actually only one protruding bit.

    If you want to go really 'light', then reistance bands can offers loads of force to fight against, but they work a bit different to weights because the resistance gets harder as you stretch them. In some cases this is good, others less so.
    You can do reasonably heavy squats with them, but I'd think you'd need to play about a bit to get it working nicely.

    If you do go down the 'real weights' route, definitely look second hand. I got my rack above for either £60 or £75, I forget - they do lighter versions as well, but I wanted the 250kg capable one. A basic bar bell setup can be got for not much second hand.
    I got a fairly heavy duty incline/decline bench secondhand for £50, but you can get them for a fair bit less.

    I only use the bench for bench press and decline weighted situps (could do normal situps with more weight instead.)
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    A TRX strap will fit in a laundry basket with room to spare. There are also cheaper suspension straps that come with great reviews.

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