Home Gyms. Any good?

[Willie Trombone]

Agree with cerebus. Add to that compound movements rather than concentrated ones - things like deadlifts, front squats, etc. are way better than leg press, etc. Movements that use more muscles generally promote better muscle health and core strength - and improved testosterone production which is good for your goal of building muscle and strength. Sixpackshortcuts incorporate a lot of core strength exercises - good for doing life.

 

[Sensorei]

Agree with cerebus. Add to that compound movements rather than concentrated ones - things like deadlifts, front squats, etc. are way better than leg press, etc. Movements that use more muscles generally promote better muscle health and core strength - and improved testosterone production which is good for your goal of building muscle and strength. Sixpackshortcuts incorporate a lot of core strength exercises - good for doing life.

Leg Press is a compound exercise though.

 

[Piesank]

No jokes man.There is about 100 functional exercises you can do with just a kettlebell,and because the weight is not balanced like a dumbbell/barbell, its activates muscles you didnt even think you had.You end up looking like a lean machine instead of a muscle head.

>no jokes
>buy 1*16kg kettlebell

 

[Noob-Noob]

Agree with cerebus. Add to that compound movements rather than concentrated ones - things like deadlifts, front squats, etc. are way better than leg press, etc. Movements that use more muscles generally promote better muscle health and core strength - and improved testosterone production which is good for your goal of building muscle and strength. Sixpackshortcuts incorporate a lot of core strength exercises - good for doing life.

I HATE deadlifts, i can intensely do weight training for an hour, no problem, 10minutes deadlifts = Im farked.
But non the less, extremely good workout that targets a lot of muscles, i'm a firm believer that if you do deadlifts, then squads are not necessary.

 

[Piesank]

I like deadlifts and squats for that matter, still working on my squats as I feel like I'm not going low enough, but I hate bench press, my left shoulder starts to hurt in my second set and I feel like I'm not making any gains. . .

 

[RandomDesign]

If you're doing 100 press ups you're already fairly strong,

false...anything over 20 reps per set is pure endurance work and it's a stretch to call someone strong because they can manage 20 pushups. how many one-arm pushups can anyone do after reaching 100 pushups? answer: none (OP can feel free to confirm this)

Leg Press is a compound exercise though.

huh? you talking about the kind where you lie in the machine and press your legs upwards? what muscle groups besides legs are used? abs?

but I hate bench press, my left shoulder starts to hurt in my second set and I feel like I'm not making any gains. . .

that's because the benchpress is far and away the best move you can do to wreck your shoulders. if you don't believe me despite your personal experience, go to any gym you like and find some guys who've been benching more than a couple years... see how many you can find that have not had some kind of shoulder injury.
you can probably play the same game with guys that do the 100-pushups thing, that's also a great scheme for wrecking joints

OP that bench looks flimsy no way I'd load all those weights+body on it

 

[Willie Trombone]

Leg Press is a compound exercise though.

Hardly - even straight squats are better since it engages your core better. Front squats are better. Leg press is good specifically for bodybuilding and for people who have hours to spend in the gym. Way less bang for your buck.

 

[Willie Trombone]

I HATE deadlifts, i can intensely do weight training for an hour, no problem, 10minutes deadlifts = Im farked.
But non the less, extremely good workout that targets a lot of muscles, i'm a firm believer that if you do deadlifts, then squads are not necessary.

Yeah - I struggle with deads too, but because I have naturally low bloodpressure. Squats and deadlifts get done seperately and usually first for me otherwise I can't cope with a full body session.

 

[Willie Trombone]

I like deadlifts and squats for that matter, still working on my squats as I feel like I'm not going low enough, but I hate bench press, my left shoulder starts to hurt in my second set and I feel like I'm not making any gains. . .

Hack squats have their place. The thing about squats is you should have a spotter or a good rack... BUT... check that workout I posted earlier - that's your solution for working out legs alone. I promise you will have a better workout with that (and a fraction of the weights) than a heavy squat session if you don't have a spotter.

 

[APoc184]

Like I said. I'm a total noob regarding all of this and I value all the opinions and input.

Only reason I do 100 pushups is because I started getting fitter and fitter every week and by then I could manage 100 pushups before being really tired. So I think it was more of a fitness thing than a strength thing to be honest. And this is part of the reason I decided to start looking at home gym options and head over here.

Re: The bench. I'm buying it as a package so not really a choice and not complaining about getting it. I will test it out and if it seems unstable I will make the call to either get a new one, reinforce it or even build my own. I have a manufacturing workshop and one of the guys there will definitely be able to build me something decent.

Look. I will start off slowly. No way I'm going to lift close to 100kg any time soon I think. I'm not even sure what I'm capable of or what is regarded as average. This is just a starter set and I will expand from there.

 

[Hemps]

Like I said. I'm a total noob regarding all of this and I value all the opinions and input.

Only reason I do 100 pushups is because I started getting fitter and fitter every week and by then I could manage 100 pushups before being really tired. So I think it was more of a fitness thing than a strength thing to be honest. And this is part of the reason I decided to start looking at home gym options and head over here.

Re: The bench. I'm buying it as a package so not really a choice and not complaining about getting it. I will test it out and if it seems unstable I will make the call to either get a new one, reinforce it or even build my own. I have a manufacturing workshop and one of the guys there will definitely be able to build me something decent.

Look. I will start off slowly. No way I'm going to lift close to 100kg any time soon I think. I'm not even sure what I'm capable of or what is regarded as average. This is just a starter set and I will expand from there.

I can vouch for that bench to start out with, mine when I went heavy I spruced up with thick cable ties for ease of mind, even though those bolts I doubt will break anytime soon, I have since bought a better bench though.
It's a good deal that doesn't break the bank.

Add those pushups after you have exhausted your pecs on the bench or other chest exercises for a nice pump.

 

[Sensorei]

Hardly - even straight squats are better since it engages your core better. Front squats are better. Leg press is good specifically for bodybuilding and for people who have hours to spend in the gym. Way less bang for your buck.

Obviously squats are much better but there are still multiple muscle groups involved in leg press so it is a compound exercise even though it is quad dominant. Don't make yourself look like a total noob.

 

[Willie Trombone]

false...anything over 20 reps per set is pure endurance work and it's a stretch to call someone strong because they can manage 20 pushups. how many one-arm pushups can anyone do after reaching 100 pushups? answer: none (OP can feel free to confirm this)

Strong is a general word. It can be applied to resistance as well as endurance.

OP that bench looks flimsy no way I'd load all those weights+body on it

That's not a lot of weight - that bench is suitable even though it's small. I've used one.

 

[Willie Trombone]

I can vouch for that bench to start out with, mine when I went heavy I spruced up with thick cable ties for ease of mind, even though those bolts I doubt will break anytime soon, I have since bought a better bench though.
It's a good deal that doesn't break the bank.

Add those pushups after you have exhausted your pecs on the bench or other chest exercises for a nice pump.

Agree. Pushups have their place. ANY exercise can be done with relatively low weight or bodyweight and turned into a serious workout if supersetted. Here's a good example - I guarantee you, you will NOT need much weight by set 2 if you gave 1 all you have.

[video=youtube;PserUqF1jV4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PserUqF1jV4[/video]

 

[xrapidx]

Obviously squats are much better but there are still multiple muscle groups involved in leg press so it is a compound exercise even though it is quad dominant. Don't make yourself look like a total noob.

*nods*

 

[APoc184]

Seeing that I have a good group of people here who obviously know a lot....

We are starting tonight already. Wife said she will join me.

I would like to exercise 4 times a week at least. It will probably be 5.

Do you guys split muscle groups into separate days? And if you do. What muscles are good to pair together for a session? (I hope that sounds right).

To give you an idea. I have very broad shoulders and arms are definitely not twigs. I am however relatively flat-chested and my calves and upper legs can certainly do with some more bulk and definition.

If somebody could give me a guideline of where to begin I would appreciate it.

PS: Those sixpack videos look insane and I will certainly be incorporating that into my program when I am up and running with the whole gym thing.

 

[xrapidx]

Lookup StartingStrength, 5x5, etc.

And don't be sacred to try maxes with your wife as a spotter, my wife spots me on bench attempts almost twice her body weight.

 

[Willie Trombone]

Seeing that I have a good group of people here who obviously know a lot....

We are starting tonight already. Wife said she will join me.

I would like to exercise 4 times a week at least. It will probably be 5.

Do you guys split muscle groups into separate days? And if you do. What muscles are good to pair together for a session? (I hope that sounds right).

To give you an idea. I have very broad shoulders and arms are definitely not twigs. I am however relatively flat-chested and my calves and upper legs can certainly do with some more bulk and definition.

If somebody could give me a guideline of where to begin I would appreciate it.

PS: Those sixpack videos look insane and I will certainly be incorporating that into my program when I am up and running with the whole gym thing.

There are pros and cons of each. I'd say go for full body workout with fewer sets for the first couple of weeks, then target groups. Pair like muscles for a month, then switch it up and pair opposites.
Like = Triceps and Chest
Opposites = Biceps and Chest
PM me, I may have something useful if you're interested.

 

[APoc184]

Okay. That bench is okay but will definitely have to go soon. I'm a bit to tall for it and it gets uncomfortable after the 2nd set.

This is my setup now. Sorry for the bad photo. Had no energy left to fetch the DSLR.



I started out with 3 sets of 15 reps for each of these.

Bench press
Lateral dumbbell raises
Bodyweight squats
Stiffleg deadlifts with the dumbbells
Bicycle crunches
Bicep hammer curls with the dumbbells.

I finished off with 5 hard minutes on the Orbitrek.

Phew. Exhaust but I feel good.

 

[Willie Trombone]

Well done - good workout
I'm have to klap it tomorrow