tl/dr: skip to the last 2 paragraphs.

I had a Golds gym I loved. it was older but state of the art back in the day. it had a series of smaller, more intimate rooms. For example, a serious heavy lifter free weight room, machines in another, timed circuit in another, a separate women's rooms, movie cardio room, etc...

It got bought by OneLife Fitness and they closed it and opened a huge "Mega" gym. I hate it. Except for classes, it's all open air where everyone can see everyone, all the time. It's stupid crowded always and I have to wait to use equipment all the time. I can't stand it so much I find myself going to the gym less. There is another gym in town - LA Fitness. Same issue. Mega gym, open air, stupid crowded.

I have some home equipment but usually only used it in a pinch or on rare occasions. The house I bought also had an arcade from the prior owner - yes, a dark arcade with 5 vintage arcade games, black lights, disco ball and neon paint on the walls. Weird but cool. Kids are grown now and it's just wasted space. We spent the last couple of weeks selling the arcade games and fixing up the room. We are about ready to fit it out. We are going to quit the gym membership and workout at home.

Equipment on hand:
janky old stationary bike
janky old treadmill on its last legs.
free weights with barbell, old bench press that might collapse on you without notice
dumbbell with adjustable weight setting - saves space.
Body bag
Speed bag but it's not set up. (Probably don't want it.)

What I want:
Good stationary bike - looking at a Peloton
Good treadmill
Safety squat rack so I can bench and squat heavy with no one there
I'm good with free weights and my all in one dumbbell contraption but need a new bench
Kettle balls? Never really used them.

Any other recommendations?

I don't know what type of workouts you enjoy doing, but you might consider checking out Street Parking. It's low cost and requires minimal equipment. It's geared toward functional fitness and conditioning but they have tons of programs to help achieve whatever goal you might hope to accomplish. The online community is very supportive as well.

https://streetparking.com/

I have the following and it pretty much lets me do everything I want/need to do:

Squat rack
Adjustable bench
Barbells & plates
Adjustable dumbbells
Kettlebells
Lat pulldown machine with low and high pulleys (not really necessary but it's nice to have)
Sandbag
Wall ball
Assault bike

for the safety squat rack, you can get a rack that has a smith machine and adjustable pulley stations on both sides. That would be ideal if you have the space.

I used to laugh at smith machines, but I wish I had one in my home gym. I can't go past about 2 RIR on bench when I'm by myself, and even then I may only do sets to failure on incline barbell press (where I can set my safety bars where I can easily roll the weight down an inch or 2 to get it safely off my chest).

What are you looking to spend/price point? If price is not an issue, then the next question won't matter as much, but what do you plan to bench/squat and/or what do you hope to bench/squat? The amount of weight will impact the price of the equipment that you'll feel most safe using.

For the rack, I would first figure out what kind of footprint you want, whether you want to bolt it into the floor or not, want a wall mounted one or not, and then look around on Titan, Rogue, and Bells of Steel. Then decide if you think you want a lot of accessories - for example, my Rogue rack I can attach a kid's pullup bar, a dip station, spotter arms; they sell all kinds of stuff. The other brands all have their own add-ons, all the way to certain kind of cable machines and lat pulldowns and what not.

For the bench, if you plan on using it in the incline position at all, consider buying a nice one that you can use for your flat bench as well as the incline work. If you plan to bench heavy using a flat bench, you can probably get a cheaper incline bench for any incline work.

Also, almost every thread on this subject recommends the installation of the rubber horse mats or whatever they call them for flooring.

CC09LawAg said:

---

Also, almost every thread on this subject recommends the installation of the rubber horse mats or whatever they call them for flooring.

---

Love these. They used to be cheap at Tractor Supply, but it's been 8 years or so since I bought mine so I'm not sure what they cost now.

The prior owner had these mats all over my barn, garage, and basement. I currently have them in several stacks over my head in my basement. I'll make a corner of the gym where the free weights are with these.

CC09LawAg said:

---

What are you looking to spend/price point? If price is not an issue, then the next question won't matter as much, but what do you plan to bench/squat and/or what do you hope to bench/squat? The amount of weight will impact the price of the equipment that you'll feel most safe using.

For the rack, I would first figure out what kind of footprint you want, whether you want to bolt it into the floor or not, want a wall mounted one or not, and then look around on Titan, Rogue, and Bells of Steel. Then decide if you think you want a lot of accessories - for example, my Rogue rack I can attach a kid's pullup bar, a dip station, spotter arms; they sell all kinds of stuff. The other brands all have their own add-ons, all the way to certain kind of cable machines and lat pulldowns and what not.

For the bench, if you plan on using it in the incline position at all, consider buying a nice one that you can use for your flat bench as well as the incline work. If you plan to bench heavy using a flat bench, you can probably get a cheaper incline bench for any incline work.

Also, almost every thread on this subject recommends the installation of the rubber horse mats or whatever they call them for flooring.

---

I'm in my mid 50s. That affects 2 things. 1. Price isn't really an issue. 2. I will be lifting heavy for me, but I'm not going to be breaking any records.

I'm not near here now but could see me getting back to the neighborhood below. I care less about lifting heavy and more about moderate strength and more emphasis on fitness and mobility.

For Goals, I can't see going much over this in reality.

Bench ~ 185
Squat ~ 225
Deadlift ~ 300

Oh, and I forgot to mention - I have a pull up/dip combo stand alone rack.

The prior owner had a Marcy Smith Machine in the barn. I sold it because I didn't like it and the barn is too hot/cold. I'm more of a free weight guy. While I have space for it in the new room, it would take up a lot of it. Looking more for a cage. I've seen Rogue at gyms. I may look into that. Thanks for the recommendation.

get a bench that inclines
i love my peloton, but keep in mind you have to get the membership which I think is around $40 a month you could get other bikes

I have the Rogue Monster Lite RML-3 bolted into concrete. The most I have racked on it is 365 pounds and it barely moves. It's a little smaller inside the cage due to space constraints in my garage so you might want to look at a larger one. But if price isn't an object and you just want a sturdy MFer, Rogue is quality stuff.

Assault bike! Good recommendation.

Also, never used a sandbag. I bought a weighted vest for rucking and it's a good workout. I may have to look into that.

To add to that, look into getting a sled. Great for cardio & strength training.

Preferably one that you can both push and pull.

GeorgiAg said:

---

Assault bike! Good recommendation.

Also, never used a sandbag. I bought a weighted vest for rucking and it's a good workout. I may have to look into that.

---

Admittedly, I don't use the sandbag very often, but every once in a while I'll get on a sandbag kick and use it a bunch. It's a useful tool in my opinion and can be a fun way to change things up.

TRX or Rings that you can easily mount to the ceiling or high bar on the squat rack. Adding a weighted vest to this type of training creates an amazing amount of options with minimal space needed.

Quote:

---

For Goals, I can't see going much over this in reality.

Bench ~ 185
Squat ~ 225
Deadlift ~ 300

---

If this is the case I think an actual squat rack may be overkill. Maybe just a solid squat stand with some good spotter arms and leave more open space for rings or the TRX like another poster suggested.

You are probably right, but I think it's worth it to have the full rack or at least one that attaches to the wall. Gives you a pull up bar and is just much more stable. Sounds like he's got plenty of space and budget.

10andBOUNCE said:

---

Quote:

---

For Goals, I can't see going much over this in reality.

Bench ~ 185
Squat ~ 225
Deadlift ~ 300

---

If this is the case I think an actual squat rack may be overkill. Maybe just a solid squat stand with some good spotter arms and leave more open space for rings or the TRX like another poster suggested.

---

I have an OK squat stand now with safety arms. I could get by with this but at the gym I use the cage and definitely feel safer when doing squats. I have a bum shoulder but the spotter arms are fine for that. I'll look into rings/TRX.

We moved during the beginning of the COVID lockdown and the new house had a bedroom I converted into a gym. Here's my setup:

Flooring: 3/4" horse stall mats
Power rack: Titan X3 - 3' depth 90" height, added a multi-grip pullup bar and weight plate holders, it's large enough that it doesn't need to be bolted to the concrete. It's heavy AF, especially with the weights mounted on both sides (if money is no issue feel free to upgrade to a higher quality rack from Rogue or one of the others but Titan was a good price and has suited my needs)
Bumper plates: Titan fitness
Barbell: Fringe fitness
Bowflex selecttech 90 lb adjustable dumbbells (I prefer power blocks but got a good deal on these)
Bowflex adjustable bench - I'd like to replace but nice adjustable benches aren't cheap
Several kettlebells from Rogue, you can do a lot of different useful exercises with kettlebells
Lots of different resistance bands that can be used independently or in conjunction with barbell exercises via pegs on the power rack.
Gymnastic rings - much cheaper than TRX and you can do the same stuff

If I had more space I'd get a rower because it's one of the few cardio exercises I enjoy, I don't care for treadmills or stationary bikes but I can zone out on a rower for a while.

It took time to put all that together during COVID thanks to logistics and availability but that shouldn't be a problem now, but pricing I guarantee is higher than it was in 2020.

If you workout at home I recommend getting a good fitness app to build workouts and track your progress. I've tried several and for me FitBod has been the best one since you enter in all your equipment and it builds the workouts for you and tracks it all.

Anyone on here with experience with Rep Fitness?

Moving semi soonish and wanting to get a home gym setup when I do. Really like their rack plus functional trainer type options.

Their quality is great. Up there with Rogue.

The items I've bought from Rep Fitness have been great but I have no experience with their racks and benches and such. I've bought wall balls, ab mats, plyo boxes, and things of that nature from them though and they've held up really well.

I have a rep bench. Quality is great. My buddy has a cage from them with quite a few accessories and he really likes it. No complaints there. If you get something from them, it'll serve your needs to questions asked, and their customer service is good if something isn't quite right (they replaced a grip on my adjustable bench no questions asked.)

They're a Colorado based company, but I think a lot of their stuff is made overseas, versus Rogue, which makes all their stuff in Columbus, if that's important to you.

From what I saw on Rogues website they don't have a comparable product, so I guess end of the day product available trumps production for me.

I think I have a work trip that will put me near Reps CA showroom in January, I'll try to post pictures here if I remember.

CharlieBrown17 said:

---

Anyone on here with experience with Rep Fitness?

Moving semi soonish and wanting to get a home gym setup when I do. Really like their rack plus functional trainer type options.

---

I have a Rep rack, bar, bumper plates, and bench. I like everything. They were based in Denver so before they moved this warehouse to CA they would give locals a price break. That helped sway me quite a bit when deciding who to buy.

Starting to accumulate for my garage gym and the REP Pinnacle Bumper Plates are high on my list!

Second Street Parking! Love their programming and everything it stands for!

Any reason in particular for these?

I am looking to get another pair of bumper 45s and hoping to eventually replace the ones I have now (they're cheaper and wider than I would ultimately like). I want to eventually transition my cheaper ones to use them outside for farmer carries and sled work and what not.

Just the REPutation that REP has and the design is pretty sweet. Used to live in Colorado, so anything taking me back to mountains has a place in my heart.

However I still have the Vulcan Alpha bumper plates as option 1 for the time being due to some of the reviews of how they bounce (or don't bounce as much and noise level) as well as slightly less than 3" wide. Ultimately have a goal to stay at or under $2 per pound.

GeorgiAg said:

---

tl/dr: skip to the last 2 paragraphs.

What I want:
Good stationary bike - looking at a Peloton
Good treadmill
Safety squat rack so I can bench and squat heavy with no one there
I'm good with free weights and my all in one dumbbell contraption but need a new bench
Kettle balls? Never really used them.

Any other recommendations?

---

If you want to skip the monthly membership the Concept 2 Bike and rowers are awesome and easy to move around.

Treadmill I have been using a NordicTrack Commercial 1750 since COVID that has worked well but it does need an iFit membership to truly leverage all its capabalities similar to a Peloton. So if you want the Peloton programming or iFit programming, I'd recommend getting matching iFit capable bike and treadmill or Peloton bike and treadmill, so you only pay for one membership.

I am not a runner at all but have started researching a basic treadmill I can use to just move more consistently. I like walking forwards and backwards at an incline.

Came across the Sole F63 in some of my research. Seems like a decent machine with lifetime frame/motor warranty but need to continue looking.

https://www.soletreadmills.com/products/sole-f63