Hi Frenz. Looking for equipment recommendations -

[Rafal Gan Ganowicz]

So KungFlu panicdemic has kicked my ass. Gyms all closed, drinking too much, etc. Went from 6 days a week in gym to 3 months of potatoe. Lost about 12 lbs muscle mass and gained a gut.

Looking for recommendations on home gym. I have some fucked up joints, so while I do normally do freeweights/ bars/ kettlebells, I can't depend solely on them. Need to find a home gym that does everything, preferably a cable/plate machine with an adjustable/ multiple pulleys.A really comprehensive setup. Cost isn't an over-riding concern. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[KateHikes14]

Almost every exercise done with machines can be done with an Olympic barbell, Olympic dumbells, 600lbish of Olympic weights, a bench, and a squat rack. Even if money isn't a concern I think having the full machine in your house would suck space wise.

 

[Wheezy Asthmatic]

I find myself saying this a lot as of late since everyone's been putting on 5-10 lbs, but the biggest thing isn't really just working out. It can help, obviously, but the OTHER factor people often overlook is just monitoring their caloric intake. I'm definitely guilty of just eating because I'm bored. Pay attention to how much you're actually eating in a day before going big dick on a machine.

That being said, before I give inputs on what machines to get, do you know what kind of body type you have? If you're an ectomorph like me, it's more efficient for burning off fat by just walking an hour a day or running for 20-30 about 6x a week. Couple that with modifying your diet, you should be down to your regular weight within no time.

You could also try intermittent fasting. Switch to a high protein diet & ONLY eat during 6pm - 10pm. It's rough the 1st week, but you'll learn to adapt. I also suggest eating fiber because protein can be not nice to your bowel movements, to put it bluntly.

 

[Rafal Gan Ganowicz]

Almost every exercise done with machines can be done with an Olympic barbell, Olympic dumbells, 600lbish of Olympic weights, a bench, and a squat rack. Even if money isn't a concern I think having the full machine in your house would suck space wise.

Normally yes. Powerlevel here: I was disabled due to military service, and have some quite fucked joints. Ie: a blown out wrist that limits my ability to grip dumbells after a certain point, and a destroyed shoulder that severely limits my ability to control barbells for benches, shoulderpresses, etc. It's like a fucking islamic punishment, right wrist, left shoulder and ankle. LOL. Basically, I can push a whole lot more wieght than I can safely hold above me without a joint failing and injuring me. Hence the need for cables when a joint starts acting up. The space tradeoff is ok by me.

 

[Wheezy Asthmatic]

Normally yes. Powerlevel here: I was disabled due to military service, and have some quite fucked joints. Ie: a blown out wrist that limits my ability to grip dumbells after a certain point, and a destroyed shoulder that severely limits my ability to control barbells for benches, shoulderpresses, etc. It's like a fucking islamic punishment, right wrist, left shoulder and ankle. LOL. Basically, I can push a whole lot more wieght than I can safely hold above me without a joint failing and injuring me. Hence the need for cables when a joint starts acting up. The space tradeoff is ok by me.

Really sorry to hear about that but I'm not all that surprised. Do you mind answering the questions I asked before though? Given your injuries, maybe walking is the best thing for you (provided you have some good shoes for it).

Did you attempt to go to physical therapy at all or did the VA not cover it? Have never heard good things about how the VA treats vets tbh.

 

[Rafal Gan Ganowicz]

Really sorry to hear about that but I'm not all that surprised. Do you mind answering the questions I asked before though? Given your injuries, maybe walking is the best thing for you (provided you have some good shoes for it).

Did you attempt to go to physical therapy at all or did the VA not cover it? Have never heard good things about how the VA treats vets tbh.

I walk a ton. That's not the issue. The issue is I went from being extremely fit gym monkey to all the gyms being closed for months. I'm in Canada, so VA doesn't apply. Yeah, Veterans Affairs is extremely helpful, but these are irreparable, and I'm left to work around the limitations, hence why I want the home gym. Diet isn't a real issue either, I'm well versed. It's the lack of a gym that is the problem. Hoping to qualify for Invictus Games next year, even if only to call Harry a simpering cuckstain to his face.Thanks for your suggestions, though, they are good ones.

 

[Wheezy Asthmatic]

I walk a ton. That's not the issue. The issue is I went from being extremely fit gym monkey to all the gyms being closed for months. I'm in Canada, so VA doesn't apply. Yeah, Veterans Affairs is extremely helpful, but these are irreparable, and I'm left to work around the limitations, hence why I want the home gym. Diet isn't a real issue either, I'm well versed. It's the lack of a gym that is the problem. Hoping to qualify for Invictus Games next year, even if only to call Harry a simpering cuckstain to his face.Thanks for your suggestions, though, they are good ones.

Hmm.. noted. Personally, always used Bowflex since they're smaller & easier to work with but I had to get rid of my machine after moving from a house to an apartment. It was like this but it had a longer bench previously. Even though it was relatively compact, it just wasn't reasonable to keep it. Fortunately, the gym in my building as well as the pool have been open for a month so I'm dropping my COVID 5 already. Only problem is that I also have the cursed Popcorn Knees so I've had to start taking supplements in order to not completely get rekt.

 

[Rafal Gan Ganowicz]

Hmm.. noted. Personally, always used Bowflex since they're smaller & easier to work with but I had to get rid of my machine after moving from a house to an apartment. It was like this but it had a longer bench previously. Even though it was relatively compact, it just wasn't reasonable to keep it. Fortunately, the gym in my building as well as the pool have been open for a month so I'm dropping my COVID 5 already. Only problem is that I also have the cursed Popcorn Knees so I've had to start taking supplements in order to not completely get rekt.

Cool. Always wondered about bowflex.Did it have good leg components? I've moved way out into the sticks and even when the gyms reopen, it'll be a hassle. How much resistance/weight does the thing offer?

 

[Rafal Gan Ganowicz]

Hmm.. noted. Personally, always used Bowflex since they're smaller & easier to work with but I had to get rid of my machine after moving from a house to an apartment. It was like this but it had a longer bench previously. Even though it was relatively compact, it just wasn't reasonable to keep it. Fortunately, the gym in my building as well as the pool have been open for a month so I'm dropping my COVID 5 already. Only problem is that I also have the cursed Popcorn Knees so I've had to start taking supplements in order to not completely get rekt.

Also, how do you do curls with this?

 

[Cast Iron Pan]

See here for up to date equipment stock:

https://reddit.com/r/homegym/comments/hc2tj9/stock_and_shipping_thread_19_june_2020/

Still most places are out of stock of most things, but stock is slowly starting to reappear.

 

[Wheezy Asthmatic]

Cool. Always wondered about bowflex.Did it have good leg components? I've moved way out into the sticks and even when the gyms reopen, it'll be a hassle. How much resistance/weight does the thing offer?

I think mine went up to 70 lbs on resistance. It was a much older model (picture like early - mid 2000s). Leg component on mine was not that great but it seems like they made this one a little easier to move around.

Here's a demonstration video to show you how to do exercises. There's a bunch of these everywhere on YT if you want to look at em.

This is actually making me miss mine since the pulldown / row machine at my gym is broken...

But yeah, when it came from switching from arms to leg workouts on the older models, I always found them to be a bit tedious, but the newer models look more cleaned up, thankfully. You should look around for reviews though and other demonstrations before making a commitment.

 

[Rafal Gan Ganowicz]

I think mine went up to 70 lbs on resistance. It was a much older model (picture like early - mid 2000s). Leg component on mine was not that great but it seems like they made this one a little easier to move around.

Here's a demonstration video to show you how to do exercises. There's a bunch of these everywhere on YT if you want to look at em.

This is actually making me miss mine since the pulldown / row machine at my gym is broken...

But yeah, when it came from switching from arms to leg workouts on the older models, I always found them to be a bit tedious, but the newer models look more cleaned up, thankfully. You should look around for reviews though and other demonstrations before making a commitment.

Thank you very much!

 

[Cedric_Eff]

I have one of these bad boys, they work on your chest a lot.

https://www.amazon.com/PEYOND-Twister-Strengthening-Home-Best-Swinging/dp/B06X6HKQ3X/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=Power+Twister&qid=1593528722&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzQzY0U0dMQ1o5NVBDJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjg5NDY0MUc2N1hLOUFCWlI4VCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTQyNjkyMzVFQUtIRzc3VTNUQiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

[Still Anonymous For This]

I've always loved kettlebells. They're more fun than barbells or dumbbells and you get a lot of muscle groups moving for simple movements.

At the same time, they will absolutely eviscerate your back if you don't use them right.

 

[Least Concern]

This looks like a good thread to ask this:

While at Walmart the other day, killing time (as one does during the coof), I noticed they had one of those doorway-mount pull-up bars for pretty cheap. Does anyone have any experience with those? How well do they actually stay suspended above a doorway? The box says the weight limit is 300 pounds, which I'm nowhere near, but I still just imagine the whole thing falling down on my head the first time I try to use it.

 

[MerriedxReldnahc]

This looks like a good thread to ask this:

While at Walmart the other day, killing time (as one does during the coof), I noticed they had one of those doorway-mount pull-up bars for pretty cheap. Does anyone have any experience with those? How well do they actually stay suspended above a doorway? The box says the weight limit is 300 pounds, which I'm nowhere near, but I still just imagine the whole thing falling down on my head the first time I try to use it.

My family has one of those and it's stayed in place for all the years we've had it. It doesn't get a whole lot of use (I think we all came to the realization that we can't do pull-ups for shit) but I would think that it would be fine even with frequent use. It's very sturdy and doesn't wiggle around at all while you're using it.

 

[Least Concern]

My family has one of those and it's stayed in place for all the years we've had it. It doesn't get a whole lot of use (I think we all came to the realization that we can't do pull-ups for shit) but I would think that it would be fine even with frequent use. It's very sturdy and doesn't wiggle around at all while you're using it.

So I actually went ahead and picked it up after your post, and I'm glad to report that I'm now up to being able to do two pull-ups - chin to over bar height - consistently.

That doesn't sound that impressive, and I remember being able to do at least a dozen in junior high, but considering that when I first bought that thing all I could do is just hang there feeling like a fat asshole that just wasted $30, it's measurable progress.

Is… is this "gains?" Am I gains-ing?

(It really does feel like it's about to rip out the whole top of the door frame and crash down upon my head every time I use it, though. But I guess if it hasn't happened already…)