looking to buy weights for the house

I bought my stuff on Craigslist - so many people buy stuff and then quit - like new equipment & low prices. You want a bench, rack and probably about 200 lbs of weights. Not that you need it but I have 3 bars & two benches (one for doing bench presses and inclines and then another that I use the rack for squats and have the bench to the side for bench-only exercises. At least one of the benches should have a leg attachment and a curl attachment. The rack on the second bench has a lat attachment and a row attachment. One bar sits on the bench for bench presses, one on the rack for squats and the other on the floor for deadlift. This makes it easy to transition from one exercise to another without having to re-position plates, bars and benches. It all sits in my basement.

I bought all of the above and 510 lbs of Olympic plates on Craigslist for $450 (three separate purchases). If I had paid retail, I would have spent more than $1,200 for all of it. I didn't rush -but, set alerts for "Weights" on Craigslist - they go fast, especially if they are priced low like the ones I got. I snagged all of this over about a 4 month period -patience. Each piece of equipment was basically, "like new".

What are your goals? The equipment you get should fit what you want to accomplish. If you want to build strength while you work on weight loss, I’d get a barbell with something like a sumo rack (this one is smaller that those previous linked). http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000R46L20/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2MB6TZRGMYLBE&coliid=I2PIN4QFBK6XZX

If you’re interest in building functional fitness, you could go with a set of kettlebells.

I purchased a body solid power rack, oly bar, plates (bar + plates = 500 lbs), 6' 15lbs training bar and free shipping. I got a great deal on this from them (<$1200 for everything), but I contacted a bunch of different makers. Powertec, rouge, body craft, dark horse, new york bb, etc. and hunted around for the best deal. Where we lived before we purchased our home we had a height issue so that limited some of the equipment.

I recommend determining what you really want and then directly contacting a number of companies and seeing who will give you the best deal. Sometimes you can find stuff on CL but I find it's either gone by the time you contact them or they want almost the same price you can get for new. Plus CL offers usually require you to pick up and transport. Buying a new rack with free delivery was a big plus.

Also, read the forum over at bodybuilding.com on power racks, weights and barbells to determine companies to deal with. They usually will have contact names and will give a discount to people from that site. I got an extra percentage off just by saying I was sent there from bb.com.

Also, if you're in an apartment, make sure you put down some high density plywood plus horse stall mats prior to placing your rack. You'll be happier, your floor will be happier, your landlord will be happier and your neighbors will be happier. If you have a garage, place it there.

Best of luck.

Personally, look around see what you like, try to figure out the basic set-up, then honestly I recommend going out on Craigslist and similar sights and seeing what people are trying to get rid of, and 20 to 30 cents on the dollar. Some of what people are selling is junk, but the majority of it, is stuff, they bought , never used and want to get rid of. But having an idea of what you want to start with will help you.