Do any of you own a universal home gym? If so what kind do you have and how much did you spend for it? I don't have a lot of space in my pad, but I need one.

It depends on what your objectives are.

This is what I have in my "home gym", and my only use of it is to build muscle:

* Bench with incline adjustment
* Dumbbells x 2
* Barbell
* Weights plates - a variety of sizes

The only things that you can't do with this are leg work (which you could always go to a gym for, probably cheaper than getting a squat rack) and barbell bench presses (no spotter or other safe way to protect yourself).

It's worked well for me, and I've gained 30 pounds since March, while keeping my fitness.

I'm from Aus so costs for gear probably wouldn't match up, but compared to a decent gym membership, it will pay for itself after about a year or so of working out.

I wish I had the space for a home gym. I'm not a fan of driving to the gym and fighting for equipment. I

I started lifting 10 years ago with a home gym, just a bench and some weights. Graduated to a "cage" for squats with some cables, could do just about all of the main exercises with it. You can do quite a bit with a couple 35 pound dumbbells too.

For my last bjj tournament I trained crossfit and with kettlebells all the time at home. Was in the best shape of my life. Check out crossfit.com lots of stuff you can do in a room or garage.

Thanks for the responses. The problem is I don't have a lot of space in my pad... so I don't think I could bit a bench and cable machine. I'm thinking more like one of those universal gyms... if anyone can provide a link that would be appreciated

I've got my own "gym", but it's really just a weight bench, a barbell, some dumbells and a pull up bar. I do dips on two dining chairs, add in some pushups and crunches and I get the workout I need.

The downside is that I don't have a squat rack so have to keep the weight low enough for me to pick up off the ground, but I compensate by doing high reps. I also keep my bench weight quite low and do the same. But I've managed to get in real good shape this way.

Some people find that going to a gym and meeting other people motivates them, but I'm the opposite. I prefer keeping my workouts private and when my gym is only a few footsteps away, it's easier for me to fit in with my day to day schedule.

I use the following:
-Squat rack
-Bench
-Barbells & plates
-Spotter catchers
-Pull-up bar (clamps to door frame and remove when not in use)

Cost about $400 total and thanks to the spotter catchers it's safe to bench or squat. Takes 8-9 m2 of space.

All a man needs is a power cage, a flat bench, an Oly bar and weights. That's the core of a home gym.

All you really need is:

-barbell
-dumbbells
-bench press
-squat rack
-weight plates

You can get some bench press’s that double as a squat rack which is convenient especially for guys that are limited with space, but lacks in safety.

All that equipment I mentioned will give you the flexibility to do all necessary workouts converted into free weights.

All other equipment is an addition or unnecessary.

Jariel said:

The downside is that I don't have a squat rack so have to keep the weight low enough for me to pick up off the ground, but I compensate by doing high reps.

Click to expand...

Same, I thought I was the only idiot to do this , although I'm planning to build my own squat rack for the fact it's way cheaper & is simple a project, no big deal

Here’s a link to give some ideas
http://www.home-gym-bodybuilding.com/homemade-power-rack.html
if you can’t build this your either not a man or are fvckn lazy

Well according to my point of view, I think that home gym is really nice for us, while sitting at our home we can easily do many exercise, I think that many people like home gym, even I also like to do home gym.