best home gym equipment for the money??

[atavist Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close atavist]

The girlfriend and I have decided to convert my small 10 x 10 guest bedroom into a home gym...

we know for certain that we will be getting a Precor Elliptical... and that we want a cable crossover machine... which will basically be the center piece of the room... an adjustable bench, lots of dumbells or PowerBlock, dip wrack in the corner... should be able to do a lot at home, which will mean no drive to the gym paying the rising gas prices, which for me will mean working out twice a day definitely and her a lot more than she does at the moment...

Looking at cable crossover machines the best value I'm finding for decent quality is the Body Solid Deluxe Cable Center (the Sears brand)... it's like $1200 roughly.... not commercial grade obviously but not going to break the bank and seems ok ....

anyone have recommendations on a better cable crossover for the money, or any other best value for the money equipment?

cheers.

[atavist Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close atavist]

So I take it no one here has a home gym?

[daron_e Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close daron_e]

Well I have a great home gym and not to put down your choices at all but a cable crossover would be the last thing I would want for gaining muscle. Not sure what your goals are but I have the Powertech dumbells (5-95 lbs.), Leverage tech freeweight system with over 1000 lbs and you can do all the major exercises on it., a couple of other pieces that can cover the entire body and provide a lot of variety. Shopped around for a while and got everything for about a grand.

[atavist Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close atavist]

I was unable to find the "Leverage Tech" brand freeweight system.... are you talking basically like a "Powertech Leverage Gym" system? ... those look pretty nice....

... I use the cable machine for a lot of stuff... a pull up station, curls, presses, rows, cable crunches, pull-overs... most of my workout in the gym hovers between the dumbells and the cable machine... ... Think I'll head to Dick's this weekend in my workout gear and try out one of the leverage machines... see how I like it... might be a good home alternative...

this is exactly he type of input I'm looking for....

Thanks daron...

... C'mon guys... all input appreciated..... maybe it will help if we shift the focus... ignore my Q on best cable machine for the money....
Lets go with:
What do you have in your home gym?

[DiscoDino247 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close DiscoDino247]

Push up bars, wrist roller for forearm exercises, medicine ball, stretching mat, rubber bands.

[daron_e Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close daron_e]

Yes. sorry, Powertech leverage machine. Love it!! Been beating on it for several years. Stands up to alot of abuse. Can use alot of weight through various ranges of motion. good luck. And I went to Dick's also and tried it several times and finally bought it. Good investment. Got it on sale for 600.

[sixteentons Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sixteentons]

I no longer have a home gym. But 6 years ago I found a guy on craigslist who closed down his gym and was selling everything off. For $200 I got 25lb to 85lb dumbells plus xtra plates and handles, a power rack, adjustable bench, olympic bar, 600lbs worth of pro plates, cable lat pull down machine, preacher bench with ez bar, and a punching bag. You can barely get a new adjustable bench for the same $! So check craigslist and ebay - you can find some great deals.

[ScubaKen Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ScubaKen]

atavist,
I purchased a Marcy SM4000 on Craigs List for $375.00, not to many people really use the stuff when they buy it, maybe for a month or two. This was like new, I can do just about all I need to with it. Plus we have DB's 5-45 and just over 400lbs of olympic weights and bar.

[atavist Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close atavist]

That prospot machine is pretty high speed... don't even want to ask what they cost.... .

... the Marcy looks very promising... how do you feel about it's durability?

... most people who put together a home gym are indeed wasting their money... my dad is a great example... he bought a $3000 commercial treadmill adjustable bench, lots of dumbells and it all just sits... pretty sad...
... I'm pretty religious about my workouts... having the equipment at home will make me nearly obsessive and keep me from having to spend money on gas to go to the gym.

[ScubaKen Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ScubaKen]

We have the Marcy in the basement along with three pieces of cardio, dumbbells, pretty much a full gym. The Marcy is built tough it'll be able to handle what I through at it. Some say the smith is not that good because it doesn't have the linear bearings but it works great for me, I use it for squatting thats it. I have no trouble with it, I love this piece of equipment. With anything, as long as you do regular maintenance on it, it will last.

[cmagdy119 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cmagdy119]

I've been using a BioForce for the last 3 years and never had any issues with it. Keep in mind, i only use it when i don't go to the gym, about 5-6 days a month but my wife uses it every day and she hasn't had an issue with it. We also have the bowflex dumbells (both 52.5 and 90 lbs).