r/homegym

Where I train. Quite a beginner. Just added a treadmill

I need some help so I have a commercial squad rack that has the bar so I can go landline rows as well as a pull-up area and the extended so I can do like bench press, other than just squat I also have a stationary bike a treadmill I do wanna upgrade the treadmill, because the one I have is like one of the deer run ones but I want everyone’s opinion on what more I would need to really complete my home gym. I have it set up in a two car garage so corner is taken by storage, but I bought some shelves and some totes so it’s pretty well organized and doesn’t take up a crap on her room. I also have an Olympic bar 45X2 LBS plates 25X2 LBS plates 10 X2 LBS plates two 55 pound dumbbells so let me know you guys’s opinion. I’m setting it all up this weekend just because I’ve been cleaning and getting the garage ready.

I live in a small apartment so I’ve been trying to build the most space-efficient gym possible, well my husband is actually doing the work Im helping with equipment selection.

The biggest problem was always the bench because most foldable benches are still bulky.

So I ended up using an ultra slim foldable bench mounted on the wall together with dumbbells. I know selectorized dumbbells would be better but they are too expensive.

Still deciding whether to add a folding rack or a lat pulldown next. And also to put the dumbbells on the wall.

Got the B52 Pro on memorial day sale. No more waiting for the squat rack.

Made me some dumbbell racks, $20 including paint for the pair.

Per rack...

- 3d printed, dumbbell hooks. (2 per dumbbell), could also use u-bolts mounted at an angle.

- 1x 2x4 for main support (mine are 40" to fit under my stored bench)

- 2x 3" 2x4 for spacing off wall

- Black spray can of paint

- 4x 1" wood screw per pair of hooks

- 2x 4" wood screw to mount upright to wall spacer

- method to Mount to wall (I used 2x 100lb drywall anchor per block)

So back in November, I really wanted to add a chest-supported row. Back in college I used the crap out of chest-supported rows and really wanted to add one despite knowing that it would take up a ton of space in my gym. I looked around and only really found one company that made a machine that I liked from an aestetic stand point. I emailed for a quote and got a price that I mostly expected, however, the shipping portion of the quote floored me...It was $200 more than the cost of the machine itself. About the same time, I saw a Massanomics YouTube video discussing their experience purchasing an Alibaba dumbbell rack. This was the push I needed to begin looking into what China was producing. I ended up finding this machine and began peppering the DMs with questions regarding their product. Long story short, their customer service has been superb, and I ended up putting in an order knowing full well it would be almost 6 months till I would take shipment (I got update picture of the entire process as it was being fabricated). Anyway, here is the fully assembled piece. It came with zero instructions and not a single extra bolt. The crate was massive, and the packaging was amazing. Ok, some things that I would like changed: The machine doesn't come with a hook or perch for the bar. I am using a 5/8 inch hitch pin that is mostly doing the trick. Second, I am 6'2 with long arms, and I can hit the cross portion at the bottom where the bar moves down towards. To make it better I have relocated the pad as high as possible in order to extend my ROM. This change, I think, slightly throws off the angle for the bar. In an overhand grip this has no noticeable change, but in a narrow grip pulling where the hands face inwards, the angle changes just slightly, making it somewhat problematic. I think if I extended the bar 4-5 inches, I think the angle would make up for my pad adjustment. Lastly, it was interesting to find that the front foot on the chest supported row has 1" holes. I tried a few different times to get the shop to fabricate the machine with 1" holes, but was told that the machine was already set, unless I wanted 10 or more machines. All in all, I'm happy with my purchase. I've gotten a few workouts in, and it's super nice just to jump on the machine, vs setting up blocks for my fee and then getting the bar loaded into the Landmine etc. Anyway, can think of anything else I would need from Alibaba, but I definitely would hesitate as long as you know things may not be 100% perfect right off the bat.

I set up a small garage gym about 3 months ago and needed a bench that could do more than just flat/incline press. My main constraints:
- Budget: under $200
- Space: small garage, can't have a huge bench rack taking up the wall
- Features: wanted leg extension/curl for leg day without buying a separate machine

I went with the OPPSDECOR adjustable weight bench with leg extension. Here's my honest take:

The good:
- The no-rack design is genuinely space-saving. When folded, it tucks into a corner. I can fit my whole setup (bench + barbell + plates + dumbbells) in a 6x8 ft area
- 800lb weight capacity — I was skeptical at first but it feels stable. I'm 185lb and squat/bench/leg curl on it with no issues
- Leg extension/curl works well for home use. It's not a commercial machine but for maintenance work and isolation it's more than enough
- The preacher curl pad is a nice bonus I didn't expect to use much but actually use for hammer curls and concentration curls
- Wheels make it easy to move around for cleaning or repositioning
- The decline position works for sit-ups and decline press

The meh:
- The padding is firm. Not uncomfortable, but definitely not as plush as a $500+ gym bench
- Leg extension range could be slightly better for very tall people (I'm 5'9" and it's fine)
- The fold mechanism takes some getting used to — first few times I struggled
- Minor cosmetic issues — a couple of scratched paint spots on arrival

Compared to what else I considered:
- Flybird adjustable bench: similar price but NO leg extension. Would have needed to buy a separate attachment
- Amazon generic benches: cheaper but 500-600lb capacity and no leg features
- Rep Fitness AB-5200: amazing bench but $500+ and no leg extension built in

Bottom line: For under $200 with leg extension/curl, 800lb capacity, and space-saving design, it's hard to beat for a home/garage gym. Not perfect but punches above its weight class.

Happy to answer questions about setup, space requirements, or comparison with other benches.

Titan t2 rack- 83 inches
Rogue Ohio bar
Iron master bench (not a fan)
Resistance bands +fat grips
Homegrown lifting weights
Horse stall mats
Pilates station for the wife
Treadmill on the way
Bout 120 sq feet

I’m very happy with this little setup I just finished today. I have e few accessories (grips, sleeves, rings, TRX etc.) I can attach to the pull up bar making it really versatile for a mix of many different workouts. I’ll be adding some kettlebells as well for some weighted squats and so on. But I’m really happy with so far… I have no excuse now, have to learn that clean muscleup🥵

I used 10x10cm beams 3,6 m length, painted with wood protecting paint. The ones that hold the pull up bar are 120cm in the ground. All beams in concrete in the ground. The flooring are rubber tiles ment for outdoor use (kinda like fitness flooring)

Finally found a good deal after searching marketplace for weeks. Got everything in the picture for $375 including 465lbs of plates. It’s not much, but I don’t have to drive 25 min to the gym anymore.

Built a cart on castors for my reppins. Bought a synergy post and had a plate welded on said post. Pics are the end result.

There aren't many reviews online about this function trainer so here's to hoping some people find it useful.

Premise: I have a small basement gym in a small basement; my ceiling height is a little over 7 feet so that's really limited the equipment setups that I could actually fit in there. I wanted the most compact functional trainer with articulating arms. I've tried using pulleys on my half-rack but it didn't work out great b/c they had limited range of motion due to how low the pulleys were hanging.

Initial Search: I was originally browsing through traditional weight stack functional trainers but the footprint was just too wide. I did find a select few that met my height limit but if I put it in my basement, I'd have little room for anything else. I did look at some of the portable cables (e.g. Voltra) but my only option was to attach it to my rack and I'd end up running into range of motion issues again. Plus, my rack is already overcrowded with stuff on it, so I didn't have room for the cables.

Digital Resistance Trainers: my search eventually took me to equipment like Tonal; small footprint, articulating arms and low ceiling height friendly. My biggest issue was that Tonal needed to be attached to a wall (semi permanent) and a lot of devices were attached to subscriptions. I'm an old school lifter so I didn't need some online trainer to show me how to lift; I just needed something basic that was as close to a gym function trainer as possible. By pure chance, I saw the FitTransformer Titan.

Considerations: The Titan had a lot of things that met my criteria and I could move it around if I wanted to. The biggest hurdles for my purchase were 1. I've never used a digital resistance type machine for normal workouts, so I wasn't sure I'd like it. 2. Who the heck is FitTransformer. The company has little to no reviews online and a very small social media presence. I'm all for trying things but flushing $2500 down the drain on a functional trainer that I may or may not like was a huge dice roll.

Call it free will or adult money but just loaded it in my cart and hit purchase. I was obviously nervous about what I did but I was hoping for the best. A few days later, I got a call to setup a drop off for the unit. The shipment was in 2 boxes and looked to be coming from China. A few days after that, a large box truck shows up at my house and unloads the Titan in a huge box on small pallet. The digital resistance unit itself was in it's own box.

Setup: I think the unit itself weighs around 260lbs. There's not much that's actually needed to setup the unit; just bolting the tower into the base and attaching the cross bar to both. I recruited a friend to help me lug it into my basement afterwards.

The Titan: the gas can looking box at the base of the unit is the digital resistance mechanism. FitTransformer claims it goes up to 264lbs of resistance. I can't say I've used that much but I have gone up to 120lbs per cable arm. The unit installs into the Titan in less than a minute but it also must be plugged into wall power. The entire unit is run by small control box where you can dial in the weigh resistance. The control box also has a workout timer, rep counter and a gauge readout to show you the approximate amount of force being exerted for each rep.

The Feel: digital resistance definitely doesn't feel like a traditional weight stack. There's no momentum advantage when lifting so the translation is that the weight feels heavier than you're equivalent weight stack weight. In my opinion, this is perfect for controlled reps. You can't just jerk the weight on initial pull and have momentum work for you. I've been working out at home and in traditional gyms for over 2 decades now and using the Titan feels good to me. My workouts feel the same on it as if I were using a commercial gym.

Pros:

1. Offers a lot of digital resistance. Caveat: I don't go anywhere near the max (I don't deadlift or bench press on it).
2. Compact and the arms offer many levels of articulation. You can angle them vertically from almost straight up to straight down. You can move the physical pivot point from around 3ft high to 5ft high. And the arms can pivot horizontally.
3. It folds up. I added a picture to show how it can fold up. It's still sizeable but at least you have the option to do it. The unit also has wheels under the base so you can easily move it around. To situate it in your desired spot, you just lower the base and it has adjustable feet with very wide pads on the bottom.

Cons:

1. Right now, you can only adjust the weight increments by 10lbs. This can get annoying if you're not ready to make a 10lb leap in your lift or if you doing a movement that doesn't require a lot of weight. However, there is a workout mode where the unit can detect you're struggling and it'll automatically reduce the weight.
2. It's a little loud. The digital resistance unit has a very loud fan on it. You can still hold a conversation when near it, but not at normal levels. It's not so loud that you're yelling though.
3. Time limit. The instructions say to use the unit for a max of 30 minutes when in strength mode. I'm assuming it's so that the digital resistance device doesn't overheat. I can personally say that I've gone over this 30 minute limit many times and nothing happened and the machine's performance was unaffected.

Considerations:

1. You have to stand on the unit when lifting. This probably isn't a deal breaker for many but it leverages the user's weight to stabilize the machine.
2. No monthly fees/subscriptions. If you just want to lift, this right here is it. If you want training or coaching, this definitely isn't it.
3. Because the company and unit is so new to the market, I can't comment on it's longevity. the cables in the machine look like reinforced braided nylon instead of the braided steel in commercial gyms. Maybe it'll wear out, maybe it won't.
4. There's no way to replicate heavy, lateral pull downs. This is the same as any other function trainer at commercial gyms. There's no apparatus to keep you grounded. Also don't expect to try to do pullups on the articulating arms.

Closing Thoughts: I'm very satisfied and happy with the purchase. I was like a kid in a candy store when I first powered the whole thing on and started lifting. I felt that there are little to no sacrifices made between using the Titan vs a commercial gym function trainer. I was annoyed that it didn't come with a solution for all the attachments; so I added my own magnetic hooks. The unit itself comes with these oddly small carabiners but you can just throw on normal sized ones. The company also markets this as a ski-erg; I'll be honest and say that I have no desire in my life to use one so I will never be able to comment on its ability to...ski...erg.

TLDR: FitTransformer Titan is an expensive but versatile unit. It delivers as advertised. If you have a premium on space with budget to spare, strongly consider this. If you're looking for guided workouts, this is NOT the trainer for you. If you want a "basic" trainer with no monthly fees that let's you do full body workouts, this IS for you.

I live in an old apartment building, so noise was the main thing I was worried about. The top is fixed into a main ceiling beam, and after trying out a few different tension cords, it’s quieter than expected. Most of the sound is just the ball itself.

The ball still moves more than I’d like, but making it tighter adds too much vibration.

Bit of a Frankenstein setup for now, but it works.

If you own the MX100s, I recommend this dumbbell stand from Amazon. I love that you could adjust the height of the trays and they swivel 90°. You could set them up to where you could stand in between the dumbbells. Makes it a lot easier to pick up when lifting heavy. The center height rod has 14 holes, so plenty of adjustment. I was going to buy the eisenlink dumbbell stand but it's twice the price and has no height adjustment. This one is around 100 bucks.

I was so stoked when acquiring this property that had a detached garage - 14 x 25ft, my wife and I instantly agreed it would become our first home gym. It’s budget, the BOS equipment is great so far, the front facing all in one trainer is perfect for this space.

The Nuobell adjustable dumbbells up to 80 are great as well, very sturdy and good build, the grip is amazing.

We were aiming to build an all-around type of gym with pretty limited space in terms of machine capacity + we upgraded the sauna in the meantime and moved it outside for more stretching and mobility space.

Thanks for checking out my gym!

(When its nice out)

- KB’s (two of which are adustable)
- pullup bar
- rings
- XPO sled with milk crate for carrying accessories (kb, h2o, chalk, etc)

Theres a nice big hill for the sled right up the block too.