# Workout equipment



## Dmoney (Apr 28, 2011)

I'm home for the holidays and working out at my old gym which is loads better than the gym in my condo. I'm looking into possibly buying some workout equipment with my main constraint being space. 

I'm considering a bowflex or similar, or a set of adjustable dumbbells. 

I think with dumbbells I can likely get a pretty good workout with 90-100lbs. The bowflex adjustable dumbbells go up to 90 so should be decent.

Has anyone ever used a bowflex? What did you think of the power rod resistance? Did it give you a workout comparable to free weights?

Has anyone ever used adjustable dumbbells? My worry is that they aren't as sturdy as regular dumbbells and I don't want to have a 100lb weight fall on me in the middle of my workout.


Anyone else have advice on setting up a frugal and effective home gym?


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## mind_business (Sep 24, 2011)

At home we have:

treadmill
bike trainer
few free weights
gym mats
skipping rope (best exercise equipment you can buy)

You'd think I'd be in better shape 


The only advice I can offer is to decide what you want to buy ... wait a week before going back to buy it. During that week, try envisioning yourself using the equipment for more than 3 months before getting bored of it. Most people waste their money on home equipment because they never use it after the 'honeymoon' period.


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## jcgd (Oct 30, 2011)

I did some research into adjustable dumbbells and I learned that many people have had issues with the blowflex brand. From what I could gather, many people regard the powerblock brand as the best.

If I was setting up my own room I would get a set of the powerblock adjustable dumbbells (on some sets you can add additional blocks when you get too strong), a basic adjustable bench and a power cage with weights. The cage allows you to safely do nearly all free weight movements without a spotter as it acts as a catch for you. 

The biggest issue with home weights is the requirements for compound movements that should be the core of your training such as squat, dead lift, bench press, cleans, presses, rows, etc., etc. Many machines are only effective for isolation exercises which are much less important to the beginner. A home gym that has these capabilities is worth it's weight in gold, IMO.


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## ddkay (Nov 20, 2010)

Adjustable DBs are generally safe if you check the pins/collars are locked properly and use a good mat. Fitness Depot south of Yonge and Lawrence sell PowerBlock DBs that do .5-50lbs per hand, and up to 130lbs per hand with add-on sets. Usually there's a few you can try in the store. No idea about Bowflex.


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## bbsj (Aug 26, 2010)

I have a tread mill and a home gym, and use them every day. I bought the equipment about 13 years ago, so it has paid for itself many times over as I do not need a gym membership. Further, I have no risk of catching some bug from the gym crowd/equipment.


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## slacker (Mar 8, 2010)

I promise myself that I wouldn't buy any equipment or join any gym until I can do 100 pushups.

http://hundredpushups.com/

I'm at 11 right now.


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## el oro (Jun 16, 2009)

I bought a set of weights on kijiji for $20. There are plenty of people out there with unused exercise equipment sitting in the garage/basement. Just wait until one of them needs some extra room and gives it away for next to nothing.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

Ive used the bowflex system before,its ok but its just not the same.Its decent for general tonning but you just dont get the same qualities compared to free wieghts(push harder on last reps ects,grind it out better without a machine)

From a personal standpoint-i like the gym better for the motivation aspect and it keeps me more focused(energy in the gym)plus the social aspect.

Imo...money aside i think a healthclub membership trumps a home regime anyday but i see the positives behind machine wieghts.


Ymca is actual very resonable(top of my head i believe i pay about 480 a yr)and there is access to a pool....the eye candy doesnt hurt either lol....a bowflex is prob equal to about 2 yrs @ a gym....and those machines always have kinks that start and then you got to try for warranty ect....I know thats not the question but thats my 2 cents


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

You could get the book "You Are Your Own Gym". It's by a guy who trains army people of some variety. He swears that you can become as strong using bodyweight exercises as using weights. It has tons of different exercises and suggested routines for different levels. I got it from the library and then bought the iphone app for like $5 or something. 

If you do decide to go the equipment route, definitely look on craigslist or kijiji for used. The depreciation on that stuff is huge.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

oooo! iPhone app for YAYOG? 

My vote, equipment-wise, would be for chin-up bar (takes NO space), resistance bands, TRX and kettlebells. 

You can do a lot with a static weight (not adjustable) - just make your exercises progressively more difficult or have them take place over a longer time (i.e., from kettlebell rows to Turkish get-ups; from goblet squats to Bulgarian split squats). 

One of the women I train with regularly wheels a wheelbarrow of sandbags around with her on errands. No one ever steals it, and people just assume she's a handyperson - but it's a way to get a workout in while doing routine errands.


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## Dmoney (Apr 28, 2011)

The gym in my condo has weights up to 50 lb dumbbells, which works well for most everything except chest/back/legs. 

A trainer at my old gym suggested buying resistance bands which I could either use on their own or add onto the dumbbells (ie do bench with 50 lb dumbbells and run the elastics under the bench and hold onto the bands as well as the weights when doing reps). 

If I buy dumbbells I'll probably need a bench as well which will just add to the cost. If I can get some cheap resistance bands I'll likely give it a shot and see how it works out.


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## ddkay (Nov 20, 2010)

lol that's pretty crazy you need more than 50 a hand, I'm picturing Dmoney as one of those huge club bouncers. Most fully loaded adjustable db's are about the size of four double stacked shoe boxes. Sears has benches for a couple hundred that you can store upright in a closet, if you have enough storage space in your condo. If you're lucky you can find benches used for a little less or really old ones next to free. Give those resistance bands a try though, that's for sure the cheapest option.


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## Abha (Jun 26, 2011)

slacker said:


> I promise myself that I wouldn't buy any equipment or join any gym until I can do 100 pushups.


When you can do 100 consecutive pushups, you won't need a gym membership anymore, so your goal has an essence of duality to it.


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## jcgd (Oct 30, 2011)

For the average joe it would take about a year of quality training to get into good enough shape to start specializing in something like endurance, bodybuilding or powerlifting. Someone in good shape could probably hit 100 pushups with a couple breaks.


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## Spidey (May 11, 2009)

I have a universal-type machine and a bench with free-weights but that wouldn't work out too well in a condo. If I was starting out again, I would get a "Smith"-type machine where you load the plates on. (Available at Costco.ca.) But those take a fair amount of room, as well. A Bowflex may be okay, but I prefer actual weight resistance to flexible rods. Probably the best-bet is a bench with individual dumbbells, but if I was tight for space I would probably just go for a membership at the "Y".


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## Dmoney (Apr 28, 2011)

ddkay said:


> lol that's pretty crazy you need more than 50 a hand, I'm picturing Dmoney as one of those huge club bouncers.


Not even close... I was bigger and stronger when I was in high school and was working out 5x a week, and even then I wasn't particularly huge. 

50lbs isn't much when you consider that most people should be able to bench press their body weight (would imply ~200lbs for me). 

I think I'll likely go with resistance bands as they are the smallest option and I can probably use them with my current gym's equipment. Even a bowflex wouldn't likely fit in my condo (1 br + den, den has desk/computer in it) so that's probably out until I get a new place.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Eep! Pressing bodyweight is NOT something "most" women can do - it's considered the accomplishment of an elite lifter: 

http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/BenchStandards.html

My strength coach (although I am not training right now, but she's been my lifting coach since 2010) can press 200 lbs at a bodyweight of 145, but she's been training for that goal for six years and she holds the Ontario women's pressing record. 

This is what a woman who can press her own bodyweight looks like:









(That's my coach, Krista Schaus)


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## ddkay (Nov 20, 2010)

I could do my body weight in barbell squats, but I wouldn't bench press my body weight with free weight dumb bells's I'd probably crush myself, I need a catch for when I wear out. Most people that can curl 50lbs+ a hand are huge.

@MoneyGal wow, shes pro


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

MoneyGal said:


> (That's my coach, Krista Schaus)


Of Stumptuous.com? If so, that's really cool. I remember reading Stumptuous back in the late 90's.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

No, Krista Scott Dixon (of Stumptuous fame) looks totally different (she usually has purple hair, and she's tiny, and she's not a powerlifter). Krista is my nutrition coach, though: both my coaches are Kristas. 

Here's KSD:


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

That's funny they're both Kristas. I forgot what she looked like, haven't been to her website in years.


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## Square Root (Jan 30, 2010)

We have ellipticals, stationary bikes, spinning bikes, free weights up to about 50 lbs, mats, bands, swiss ball,etc. All our places are equiped with a training room that we use every day. Especially enjoy working out outside at the cottage in the summer. Have a set of "The Block" adjustable free weights and they work just fine. They don't use up much space to store. I would be skeptical about bowflex given the advertising.


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## Dmoney (Apr 28, 2011)

MoneyGal said:


> Eep! Pressing bodyweight is NOT something "most" women can do - it's considered the accomplishment of an elite lifter:


Well maybe most men... I had heard a few times that a good indicator of strength is the ability to bench your body weight and squat 1.5x your weight. I've got the bench but am still off on the squats as I'm trying to get my knee back into normal shape. 

Also, this would be flat bench and not dumbbells. Much more challenging with dumbbells. 



ddkay said:


> Most people that can curl 50lbs+ a hand are huge.


I'm doing 6-9 sets, 6-8 reps of various curls (regular, hammer etc.) with the 50's at my gym and my arms have gotten smaller 
And they weren't particularly huge to begin with. 

I seem to be at an age where the strength comes fairly easily but the muscle mass lags far behind. If I take a few weeks off I lose a noticeable amount of mass but the strength stays. 

If I take several months off I lose a large amount of weight (10-20 lbs) and that's when the strength starts to fall. 

At the gym two days ago I did dumbbell press of 90 lbs 4 sets of 8. Hadn't lifted that weight since Thanksgiving when I was last at a real gym. 

I want to get a better workout at home but it needs to be convenient and ideally would be cheap.

Does anyone know where I can get cheap resistance bands? Can't find any on Kijiji


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Dmoney said:


> Well maybe most men... I had heard a few times that a good indicator of strength is the ability to bench your body weight and squat 1.5x your weight.
> 
> ...
> 
> ...


Dude - that's why I linked the strength standards for men and women. For men, pressing bodyweight is considered a "novice" achievement. For women, it's considered an "advanced / elite" achievement. 

What's up with your knee? I had mine rebuilt a few years ago and squats were a huge part of my prehab (before surgery) and rehab (after surgery). I still really only do front squats and goblet squats though. 

As for resistance bands - I don't know that you can find them cheaply. People sell that tubing stuff and I used that for rehab - but the bands I use now (for assists during chin-ups - I'm not yet doing unassisted pullups and chinups) are like giant rubber bands, and I paid about $100 for a set of 3 (and I use them all the time).


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

p.s. Dumbbell press of 90x4x8 is quite an accomplishment.


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## Dmoney (Apr 28, 2011)

ACL, MCL and meniscus tear. Have yet to get surgery, but I have the fitted Donjoy brace and have been able to run, jump, play squash etc. with it. 

Did all the physio and am just waiting for a break in work to get the surgery done.

I'm doing squats and lunges holding 2x 50lb dumbbells, but that's not a challenge. Also doing a leg press machine with one leg at a time which is a pretty good workout, but I'm approaching the highest weight so I will outgrow that soon.

Fitness depot has 25m of elastic bands for $62. Is this a good deal? Are there any places in downtown Toronto for fitness equipment? Anything south of Bloor would be ideal.


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## Dmoney (Apr 28, 2011)

MoneyGal said:


> p.s. Dumbbell press of 90x4x8 is quite an accomplishment.


 Thanks

Been trying to crack 100, did it a few summers ago (topped out at sets of 105) but then got lazy/busy


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Move on to Bulgarian split squats. There are a lot of ways to make this more and more difficult and to build the weaker leg. (i.e., doing the squat at a deficit - with both the lead leg and the trailing leg elevated on benches. Whether you hold the dumbell in one hand or the other or in both hands will also affect the difficulty). 

Weighted lateral squats will also help, as will one-legged squats (pistols - very, very hard even unweighted...I can't do pistol squats). 

I tore my ACL, MCL and two bucket-handle tears in November 2009 and had them all repaired in April 2010. My surgery and rehab went really well (but my physio bill was really insane, ugh). Good luck! When is surgery?


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## jackie055 (Jun 29, 2011)

I usually use at home:

- bike trainer (really great for your condition)
- barbell
- dumb-bells
- ski pole
- expander (my favorite thing for light bodybuilding)
- rowing machine

my small gym


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