Any recommendations on affordable, somewhat compact, not total crap home gym equipment? I’m looking for a squat rack (likely half cage) with a pulley system. I’ve been inundated with ads from Major Fitness (Gwen Jorgensen is now one of their athletes) and a few other brands. I’m getting overwhelmed trying to sort out what is decent and what might be crap. I like the price point on Major Fitness but it’s hard to find real reviews, their marketing machine is in full force.
The wife and I are looking to build overall strength. We also have 3 kids who swim and would like to get into a more focused dryland routine.
I was a doubter for years but got one early this year and have been loving it. Both my wife and I use it just about daily. Both of us have never been stronger and more consistent with lifting.
We’ve looked at the Tonal, it is expensive, plus the ongoing membership, but it is a space saver. Do you find it gives you enough for deadlifts and squats?
Rep fitness and Titans fitness are great. You should checkout Garage Gym Reviews (website and youtube). It’s more information than you’ll need but he gives really good detail.
I purchased pieces off FB marketplace and put together my own based off Rogue pieces.
There were lots of people who bought large racks the downsized parts of them and sold off the pieces they didn’t need for cheap. I started with some uprights and then just kept adding as I went
Unless you’re the size and strength of Dwayne Johnson you’re not going to come close to maxxing out the weight. I’ve put it on max weight before and couldn’t even budge the bar… and I’m no lightweight and no stranger to lifting.
Yes, the unit itself is expensive. We bought ours as a refurb unit and saved around $800. Same warranty and so far no issues.
The ongoing membership is $60 for the household. That’s significantly cheaper than a monthly gym membership that we barely used. Now, I use it 5-6 days a week, my wife uses it 4-5 days, our daughter who lives with us maybe 1-2 days, and our son at college uses it when he’s home plus the “off” Tonal workouts a few days a week while he’s at school.
I’m not the biggest guy out there but I don’t see in my lifetime ever being able to max out any of the squat or deadlift moves. For most movements, I’m sitting around 25-40% of Tonal’s max.
Tonal has a no questions asked 30 day return policy. Like I mentioned earlier, I was very skeptical of it. But, my wife was enthusiastic so we got it with the understanding that if it wasn’t something we both loved by the end of the 30 days, we’d send it back. Obviously, that never happened.
Btw, don’t worry about any remnant damage to your wall if you do return it. It’s basically mounted with four heavy duty screws into wall studs similar to a large flat screen TV. Repairing those holes would take maybe 10 minutes.
Have you already decided you need/want to go the machine/rack route? I have free weights (barbell, dumbbells, plates) only, with no bench, rack or machine and I’ve found that to be plenty of equipment for quality lifting.
You can get used free weights and plates for cheap quite easily and they are super durable.
After COVID I started putting together a garage gym. I got most of my stuff off Marketplace piece by piece. When I wanted new equipment I went with Titan Fitness. I built a platform out of plywood and rubber horse stall mats. I have a rack with cable, bench, leg press/hack squat, pec deck, plenty of plates, and a dumbbell selection that rivals that of a commercial gym. I can do about 80 percent of what you can do in a big gym. I’ve trained exclusively at the house for over four years. I built it around the exercises and movements I prefer. It’s got in the summer and cold in the winter. It has become my favorite place to train.
Another vote for Rogue equipment, a little pricey compared to crap that’s out there. Check local Facebook market place etc for a design that fits your space.
My home garage setup is from Rep. It does the job, but I think the Rogue stuff may be a little nicer. I’m about to head out for a short run and then 30 minutes with weights.