Weight lifting equipment

[Trigger Mike]

I want some basic work bench and weights.  My son says the ones at Walmart are cheap junk, but he is known to be snobbish about things.  

 

What is a good source for quality weight lifting equipment that will ship and not break the bank?  Not only do my sons need it but I thought it'd help my diabetes. 

[Shooting Bull]

Your son is wise.  It's the same philosophy here as with your competition guns, buy once cry once. 

 

With a power rack and adjustable bench you can work your entire body effectively doing squats, pull ups, barbell rows, regular and incline bench presses and military (shoulder) presses.  I'd skip the lat pulldown attachment.  You're already able to do pull ups on the rack so a pulldown is redundant and a waste of $$$.  

 

This looks like a fantastic basic unit for about half what I've seen other racks go for.  Amazon rack and bench

 

Then throw in a basic Olympic bar with plates and you're good to go. Amazon weight set

[bgavin]

I have a client who is a type 1 diabetic.
He manages this through body building.
He say, "bulk up.  Muscle burns more glucose than lard."

I am decades beyond the strength of my youth.
I have a pair of old-school hand weights that work for me.
The collars were never secure, so I have hose clamps in place to keep the weight secure.

No plastic, no computer.

[Chief Rick]

Lots of exercises can be done with just body weight and items you already have around the house/farm.

 

I looked into buying quality equipment that I could use at home.  Then I priced a monthly membership at the gym.

 

I pay $20/month for gym membership - primarily use the stationary bicycle.  I alternate between machine weights and dumbbells, depending on how my shoulder feels.

 

Also depends on what you're trying to accomplish.  Me, I just want good cardio and range of motion exercises.  Not trying to bulk up or get "cut".

 

Dumbbells give the greatest variety of workouts IMO.

[Pat Riot]

I have one of these. It's like a Total Gym only better.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gr8+flex&crid=3RJYSQRMXC5PC&sprefix=gr8+flex%2Caps%2C108&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/GR8FLEX-Total-Luxury-Your-Style/dp/B079L5MS1V/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3RJYSQRMXC5PC&keywords=gr8flex&qid=1654785484&sprefix=gr8+flex%2Caps%2C108&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyTTkxNkpEOUdIRlhaJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTE3NjMzMldGQjNFM0lFTE8wRyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjI1OTU2MktIMVIyUUpZTE9FMyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

[Rip Snorter]

Try the used sporting goods stores, people buy stuff, don't use it and are embarrassed to have it around.  You can also do a lot with a cheap exercise ball and yoga mat from Wallyworld. Truthfully the best option is to go to a club. The equipment is there, you are on a schedule, and other people are around as a further motivation to push yourself.  Unfortunately an option I do not have.

[Pat Riot]

15 minutes ago, Rip Snorter said:

Try the used sporting goods stores, people buy stuff, don't use it and are embarrassed to have it around.  You can also do a lot with a cheap exercise ball and yoga mat from Wallyworld. Truthfully the best option is to go to a club. The equipment is there, you are on a schedule, and other people are around as a further motivation to push yourself.  Unfortunately an option I do not have.

You make a good point. Often there are good deals to be had with gym memberships.

 

That unit I posted above is $700. There is a fitness center near me that is giving free summer memberships and after that one can sign up for around $20 per month.

That $700 is probably 3 years worth of memberships depending on gyms in your area.

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

1 hour ago, Chief Rick said:

Lots of exercises can be done with just body weight and items you already have around the house/farm.

Add resistance bands to the mix and a homemade pull up bar out of the way in the barn and your good to go. A set of dumbbells and a 36” exercise ball for sit-ups and bench press are great. Dip rack if your shoulders can take it. I used to wear two 45# plates on a belt and do three sets of 8 dips (290 lb total weight) but that would wreck my shoulders now.

Back about 20 years ago the best thing I did to improve shoulder strength and pecs was to bench press dumbbells from an exercise ball. Kinda weird to get into position, especially with 90 and 100 lb dumbbells, but it really works those muscles since you’re constantly off balance.

Pushups on those are challenging too.

Flexibility and endurance are far more appreciated as I get older than sporting 18” biceps and a 32-33” waist.

[Rip Snorter]

Suggest replacing the bands regularly, have had them snap!

[Dusty Devil Dale]

I have a good weight machine that I seldom use, since retiring from a mostly desk job -- now many years ago.

 

 Instead I solo-manage/operate a 15 ac pecan orchard and a separate 120 ac working timber ranch and small milling operation. 

A couple days a week I drive up to our nearby cowboy range and move steel targets and stands around and pound anchor stakes to set up our monthly matches.  Then when time permits, I work as a volunteer with the staff of the range that hosts our club on their general  maintenance and construction.  

IMHO, when it comes to workouts for the combination of  fitness, tone and strength, there is very little that beats good old fashioned, abundant  work.  And little else is more satisfying or supportive of a good night's sleep. 

 

You might just consider using the time/energy you would spend in an exercise machine or gym to assist actively in the pre-match physical work of the club(s) where you enjoy shooting.  (Perhaps you are already doing that).

 

[Shooting Bull]

1 hour ago, Dirty Dan Dawkins said:

 I used to wear two 45# plates on a belt and do three sets of 8 dips (290 lb total weight)

 

 

Note to self:  NEVER piss off Dirty Dan Dawkins! 

 

(At my strongest ever I'd wear one #45 plate for a total of 305 but I couldn't do more then two sets at that weight.)

[Chief Rick]

2 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

You make a good point. Often there are good deals to be had with gym memberships.

 

That unit I posted above is $700. There is a fitness center near me that is giving free summer memberships and after that one can sign up for around $20 per month.

That $700 is probably 3 years worth of memberships depending on gyms in your area.

I'm with Planet Fitness and with their black card membership (the upper tier membership) I can use any of their gyms in the US.

 

The other benefit to using any of their gyms, I can take a shower when on the road/camping.

[TN Mongo, SASS #61450]

The power rack Shooting Bull listed looks like a good deal.

 

As an old broken down college football player and retired high school football coach,  I always had access to a good weight room.  Now that I'm retired, I go to my local Planet Fitness.  You get the use of a great facility for $10 a month.  Now that I'm on a Medicare Advantage plan, it cost me nothing.

 

Chief Rick beat me to the punch by a couple of minutes.  My free membership, through my Medicare Advantage plan, gives me the Black Level membership.  The Black Level has some excellent massage bed/chairs available for free.

[Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381]

Eleiko is the way to go, but the sets are pretty pricey, as in 4K pricey. They are nice though.

 

Vulcan is more the working man's set. Very good quality, and made to IWF standards. A 415 lb. Olympic set is only 1K, ships for free, and military gets a discount.

 

Going cheaper, Dick's Sporting goods has Weider 300 lb. barbell sets on sale right now for $300, regularly $400. Good quality.

 

Dick's also has a host of benches.

[Shooting Bull]

1 minute ago, Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 said:

 

 

Going cheaper, Dick's Sporting goods has Weider 300 lb. barbell sets on sale right now for $300, regularly $400. Good quality.

 

 

 

Dang, that's a great price.  My rack and weights are all Weider that I got from Costco about 20 years ago.  They're all still going strong..............even if I'm not. 

[Tennessee williams]

Or, y'all could quit all this silliness and go get ya some ice cream!

[Shooting Bull]

13 minutes ago, Tennessee williams said:

Or, y'all could quit all this silliness and go get ya some ice cream!

 

Will that make me shoot as fast as you? 

[Tennessee williams]

1 minute ago, Shooting Bull said:

 

Will that make me shoot as fast as you? 

What it WILL make, is both of us happier because we're eating ice cream! 

[Chief Rick]

34 minutes ago, Tennessee williams said:

Or, y'all could quit all this silliness and go get ya some ice cream!

I have ice cream at least once a week!  Sometimes three or four times.  And I eat it out of the 1/2 gallon tub.

 

I go to the gym so I can eat what I want - within reason. 

 

Not all can, but I'm fortunate in that I can eat what I want as long as I eat it in moderation and exercise reasonably.

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

My idea of weight lifting involves a fork truck and/or a crane ......   

[Tennessee williams]

5 minutes ago, Chief Rick said:

I have ice cream at least once a week!  Sometimes three or four times.  And I eat it out of the 1/2 gallon tub.

 

I go to the gym so I can eat what I want - within reason. 

 

Not all can, but I'm fortunate in that I can eat what I want as long as I eat it in moderation and exercise reasonably.

I'm on vacation right now. Been here since Sunday. @PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L sent me a picture of some nanner pudding ice cream a while back. I've been looking for it ever since. Low and behold, they have it by the scoop across the road from me. I've had 3 scoops twice per day since I got here. I figure PWB has cost me $142.00 so far this week.

[TN Mongo, SASS #61450]

My wife says my favorite exercise is 12 ounce reduction curls with a good IPA.  I like to do 6 sets, but my wife always wants to limit me to 2-3 sets 

[Eyesa Horg]

Haven't found bar bells per se, but the bench thingies and stationary bikes show up at recycling regularly. Folks find they take up too much room and they stopped using them within a couple weeks and can't find anyone else to buy em.

[Rip Snorter]

3 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Haven't found bar bells per se, but the bench thingies and stationary bikes show up at recycling regularly. Folks find they take up too much room and they stopped using them within a couple weeks and can't find anyone else to buy em.

IMO, it ain't the space, it's the daily confrontation with failure of will!

[Eyesa Horg]

That'd be me.

[bgavin]

I have the $49/year forever full membership at 24 Hour Fitness, but have not been back since Covid arrived.

[Utah Bob #35998]

I curl whiskey bottles.
 

[JD Lud]

For the best bang for the buck (quality) that you can sell and recover the highest amount initial investment of I would look at Rep Fitness.  They have some nice power racks and adjustable benches, barbells, bumper plates etc.  Rogue is great stuff made in the USA and primarily what I buy, excellent customer service.  Titan fitness is ok but the budget versions of many things.  Kabuki Strength is an expensive brand but I visited their facility in Portland and they were top notch people, they all use their own products.

 

I will say that GarageGymReviews tested the cheapest rack on Amazon at the time dropping a barbell with 700 or so pounds on the pin safeties and it held.    I would check out their site for knowledge, they review a lot.  The problem with buying cheap is sometimes it’s worth nothing when done.

 

If you are serious about getting into it, you will want at least one adjustable bench and maybe a flat bench as well, a power rack, a barbell, some bumper or iron plates and more from there.  You’ll need space and flooring, stall mats or rubber mats.  You could check out “Starting Strength” book and actually find it online for free, or something like Stronglifts if you haven’t lifted before for plans but it’s a fairly basic linear progression.

 

I have a rogue monster lite 690, a few barbells, a couple benches, full dumbbell set, treadmill, rower, rackable curl bars etc.  I probably have 10k worth of stuff but it’s a great hobby and my wife and kids can use as well.  Be careful, it’s addictive like guns….except you may spend too much time in the gym and not enough shooting.   Honestly though it’s money well spent, investing in your own health and quality of life.  
 

I LOVE having my own home gym, takes away every excuse and something primal about deadlifting or bench pressing etc.  Good luck!

[Dusty Devil Dale]

When it comes to weight lifting equipment, I've found squares and diamonds to be the heaviest and circles to be lightest.  Cowboy, buffalo and other cut-outs are somewhere in between.  

 

Regarding target support  stands: multiple plate racks and bird throwers are usually the heaviest.  Shotgun stands are next heaviest and  single plate  stands are generally lightest. 

 

Pounding anchor stakes is a great deep knee bend and forearm workout, especially with a 4 lb hammer.

 

All of that can get a cowboy pretty tired until he gets himself in shape. But after doing it for a few matches, a fella can work up to where match set up only takes a couple hours. 

 

The gym fees are real cheap -- they're generally  included with the annual club membership.  

 

 

[Trigger Mike]

I had thought of the gym membership but sometimes I just need a fast workout and my sugar drops.   Last night I gave into temptation and had Chinese food.  My sugar went to 320.  I could not get it down.  I rode my atv some but that didn't work this time.   Finally at bed time I did some flutter kicks and push-ups and my dexcom kept going off jy sugar was dropping fast.   I dropped 100 points in 20 minutes from those exercises.  I figure a simple set of equipment might be all I need.