Bargain Home Gyms...

Greetings,

Lately I've been outfitting things for my new home gym, that's going into the garage of the home I'm trying to get. I bought the following at some decent prices in the recent months, and thought I'd share the large value they have in creating a simple, purpose-filled home gym operation.

Weider 725C Squat Rack, Bench, & Weights: $165 total at Sam's Club - I got a complete squat rack, adjustable bench, plate-loaded pulley system, plus a 300# set of Olympic weights & bar. Also, there's a Smith machine bar system on this rack, too. All in all, in a retail store this would go for $400, so for $147 & a $15 warranty for 3 years on it, it's well worth the price at Sams Club, if you're a member there. In a used sporting goods store, I was shopping for just a 300# set of weights and that as $200 alone, plus $130 for a simple bench. In comparison, the Sam's Club deal is a huge bargain if you have the room for it. Mine's going into the garage.

Perfect Pull-Up: $100 - A little spendy just for a pull-up bar & handles, but when you look at the versatility of it, its a steal. The pull-up bar can be installed into a doorway, and also pivots downward for more vertical pulling with your body at an angle. What I like is that my new squat rack has a pull-up bar straight across, which I can put the Perfect Pull-Up handles on, so you could actually take them to a normal gym with you and use them there.

55# Kettlebell: I got this on sale through Iron Woody Fitness for less than $90, right now its about $110 since the shipping went up. If you are looking at buying any kettlebells, NOW is the time to do it, since I foresee a rise in shipping costs if gas prices keep climbing up down the road. Anyways, this KB is hefty enough by itself to create a workout on its own. This style made by Iron Woody Fitness is bigger than most 55'ers, since they have a size that's the same for the 40 through 80# sizes. They fill this style up with sand/iron balls to get the weight they need, so all the styles are uniform in size.

45# kettlebell by GoFit: $90 - I got this last winter at an upscale sporting goods store, and have been using it extensively in most of my lifts. All-around, a very nice kettlebell, with a vinyl covering on the bottom of it, and an okay handle on top to use.

Perfect Push-Up: $40 - I got this about the same time as the 45# kettlebell. I LOVE THIS DEVICE for push-ups! Simply the greatest little fitness gadget I've bought in years. With this, and its new brother, the Perfect Pull-Up, I'm pretty happy with it. Another all-around solution to upper body training in a pinch.

That's about all I have so far, and about all I have room for, in my new home gym operation. My garage will have plenty of space for all this, which means I can have plenty of friends over to workout, too.

Since the nearest gym is 20 miles away and gas prices being what they are, I at least have an all-around setup for the workouts I need.

If you are tired of travelling to the gym and have room for your own home gym of this magnitude, I highly suggest at least getting the Perfect Push-Up & Pull-Up stuff, plus a kettlebell or two, for an all-around basic workout operation.

Stay Strong,
Coach Rick