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Comment by dhr | Hacker News Reader

I'm planning out a home/garage gym now. Is there any equipment you recommend? Or ones that people should stay away from?

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My living space is limited, so I bought a pair of adjustable box dumbbells (5-75lbs) and a skookum collapsible bench. The stowed combo occupies less space than a chair and they give me serious workout mileage: bench press, flies, rows, sit ups, skull crushers, military press, curls, lunges, deadlifts, etc. It's a great starter gym for us mere not-power-lifter mortals. I WFH and can do sets during breaks and boring meetings.

Skookum?

Rogue is the gold standard but I honestly haven't seen any deficiencies with other smaller brands like Rep or Titan Fitness. I don't know your fitness level, but if you have the space I always recommend the basics: squat rack if you have the time (can also function as pull-up and bench), dumbbells, curl bar if possible, and free weights. I'd keep an eye on used/craigslist listings as well, with the pandemic lifting, a lot of people who spent a lot of money on excess equipment will be looking to unload extra equipment.

I've picked up a bunch of things from Titan the past year. The weights and equipment themselves seem fine and will probably stand the test of time.

The one issue I have had with their weight lifting subsidary is shipping Can be a clown show - really banged up boxes, sometimes with holes punched through.

That may be the case with others too - large and heavy items are a problem at FedEx UPS. In fact, my FedEx delivery guy is required to be able to lift more than the people in the distribution center who end up handling these items more times en route. Another issue with shipping is the tie down straps. Titan tapes them over which means the large awkward packages are more difficult to move.

Also, Titan appears not to have any way to send you parts should something have gone missing. I bought a bench (its really nice, love it) and the box was hammered on the way. Though it initially looked like everything inside survived, one small metal plate was missing but absolutely necessary for assembly. After a week Titan sent me an entirely new bench and I had to send the first back. Definite PITA and so wasteful of time/money for all involved.

Rep has been fine for me as well. And much cheaper than Rogue.

Just built out a whole Rogue setup last October: rack, bars, bumper plates, bench, etc. Would never recommend anything else. It's the "Apple" of equipment. Yes, its expensive but it will last forever.

I live in NYC and don't have the space to build out a home gym, but if I could the two things I'd love to get would be a heavy bag [1] and a gymnastics stall bar [2]. I have some kettlebells and thicker muay thai jump ropes I'd throw in there too. Practicing on a heavy bag for a even a few rounds is a crazy workout, and there's a lot you can do on a stall bar [3].

[1] https://www.boonsport.com/collections/heavy-bags/products/co...

[2] https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-stall-bar-3-0

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvfi4hWw5tw

There's a pretty good design for barbell training in Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. Basically, you need a bench and a squat rack, and a platform between the equipment and the concrete floor. He makes it easily out of plywood sheets and horse mats, and off-the-shelf rack, bench and weights. You can also form the rack out of steel channel, wood and bolts, with off-the-shelf pins.

If you buy bumper plates, an olympic barbell, and a decent bench, you won't regret it (if you keep lifting). For about 90% of people, the program in the book is pretty good, too. For guys like me, we probably should use something more like a 50-60% 1RM with more reps, because I plateau really quickly on his program. The descriptions of the exercises are really good, and there are also lots of coaches who will teach it.

As mentioned by others, a full rack is the best get to start with. I long ago got a half rack which is fine for benching alone (has spotting arms) but not for serious squats.

Advise making sure whatever bench you buy to make sure the height off the floor is comfortable for you. I had one that was a little too tall and believe that contributed to some lower back stress.

I'm in a rural area now and once again stuck with no spotter, also older with assorted old lifting and snowboarding injuries. I picked up a hack squat machine to enable me to safely work on squats again while also not having the load sitting on top of my spine.

I've been considering the Rogue SML-1, which I think is not considered a full rack.
What's wrong with with a half rack with spotter arms for squats? Is it a matter of not being able to handle very heavy weights?
Thanks for the input, btw - super helpful!

https://www.roguefitness.com/sml-1-rogue-70-monster-lite-squ...

My half rack spotting arms are really only meant for benching, quite short. The advantage of a full cage is safety in multiple directions.

This guy has a good write up of the plus/minus of the different types. https://www.setforset.com/blogs/news/squat-stand-vs-half-rac...

If you don't train to failure and know how to dump safely, or you always train with a spotter, you can get away with just a squat rack and bench. If you want more safety though you probably want a power cage.

It's expensive but hard to go wrong with Rogue. I've used their stuff in gyms and at home. It's solid. In my experience, great customer service as well. So, if you plan to use that home gym over the long run - invest in high-quality stuff that you won't need to replace after just a couple of years.

I've gotten a ton of mileage out of just a dumbell set. I do all the things most people do with a full bar: squat, bench press, etc. Dumbells are a lot safer for solo workouts.

Using dumbbells instead of a bar also builds stronger stabilization muscles, and doesn't let your strong side compensate for weak side.

True but once you start getting heavy it can be difficult to get into the proper starting position for some lifts as well finishing safely. YMMV.

That is definitely true! Very useful in the "I want to start developing stronger functional muscles" context, but will only get you to a certain point

If memory serves, last time I was lifting weights regularly, I could bench 225lb with a bar, but only 140ish (2x70lb) with dumbbells.

Honestly, even though I have my own home gym, I would recommend getting a Tonal if you have the money for it.

While I have Rogue stuff, I think the REP Fitness racks and benches end up being a better deal for what you get quality wise.

Sorinex is who I went with.

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