OK so to cut a long story short, I used to go to the gym and it was a painful experience to say the least. Not physically, just crowded and full of wankers. So after a couple of years of doing nothing I really want to get into it all again. Ive been looking into buying one of those big ass multi station things, as they look like they would have more than enough for the average joe looking to tone up. Are these actually any good?

Heres an example of what im looking for:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-2009-HOME-GYM-B...id=p3286.c0.m14

Im not set on anything as of yet but if i do go down this track, would one of these eBay specials like above suffice? Or should i head into a Amart all sports ect and see what they have?
(this will be done in conjunction with some daily cardio if that matters much?)

Also, i have somewhat of a physical job that leaves me tired and feeling like shit when i come home. Now if i add this soon to be extra exercise on top, i think my body might just give up on me. I usually have a 500mL energy drink during work, but are there any high energy foods ect that could help me get through all this? My diet right now is not too good, but when i undergo this new workout system i will be turning to alot more healthy foods. Will this change of diet to simple healthy alternatives be enough to give me the energy im going to need?


Many thanks in advance, fitness guru's.

$800 paper weight if you ask me


I suppose these machines are ok for the average person training....


So I'm guessing you dont want to join back up at a gym?


but on energy, eat more food -----> have more energy

Id prefer to not join a gym at this point. I was hoping to use something like that multi station to get me to a point that its no longer effective, then start hitting the gym if im still serious about it or still looking to get bigger.

As for the food thing, is there any truth to eating more meals with less quantity, rather then the 3 big main meals?

it should be alright then, I saw this one that was yellow, apparently it's pretty good, I'll try and look for it.



with the more meals a day thing, what a lot of people that starting doing miss the point on is not eating the same amount each meal, they still have their "main" meals but then have snacks in between which is missing the point.


say you are having 2500 caloires a day over 5 meals, you'd have 500 per meal, well try to anyway, these no way in hell you're going to be accurate up to the calorie.


I found it made a difference, with metabolism and protein absorption etc.


I've been eating every 2-3 hours for so long that if I go 4-5 hours without eating my stomach starts growling and i'm hungry as shit lol

If i do go ahead with one of these machines, do you think the ebay specials are just as good as the store bought items at double the price?

Ill really and try and get that 5 meal a day thing happening, and stick to the same amount each meal. Even if it only helps with metabolism and protein absorption, thats still better than what im like now.

honestly I dunno about these machines much haha


he's the ones I was talking about though

http://www.fitness-superstore.ca/workbench...3c98906fac8a255

http://www.fitness-superstore.ca/wbms-work...3c98906fac8a255

Is there any medium that doesnt include me joining a gym?(just yet)

train at a friends house or a home personal trainer or something?


aren't there places where you can rent stuff from?

My friends only have a bench press and some dumbells(which i already have also.) What would a personal trainer be able to provide without any equipment around?(serious Q here, sounded abit sarcastic when i read it back to myself. )

I havent really looked into renting anything, because that would limit me to how quick i move with it all. e.g. if for some reason i cant work out for a while im paying to rent something im not using.

a barbell and dumbells are all you need imo ( and something to rack the bar on I suppose lol)


an when I said home personal trainer I meant those trainers where you go to their house and train haha the ones that run a business from home

Hmmmm. Well i currently have an el cheapo bench press with 50KG of weight, two dumbell bars and the usual bench press bar thingo. I was thinking of simply buying more free weights and just using that, but i thought one of those machines would allow me to do alot more exercises?

Oh i didnt know trainers ran out of home? Might look into that one day.

Trust me you get the best gains from free weights, so try to stick to them more, and there are more exercises you can do with free weights

here's a link for all exercises for each muscle group. I'm always on it looking at different exercises which I could do at home.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm

Beautiful, thanks. Now to buy some free weights that cost more than diamonds these days...

No probs mate

I know what you mean they cost an absolute fortune, but hey look at it like this, they won't decrease in price so if you do end up selling them you can get your money back pretty much and they don't break.

Have you considered buying a power rack/cage instead of a 'home gym'?

Most of them are upgradeable and you already have a bench. Also alot better in the long run.

Hit up the trading post and the weekend classifieds, there are always people selling old free weights.


This would be my advice too. So many things can be done with just a power rack and some free weights, and far more beneficial than a machine station.

You will seriously have to start to eat properly, especially if you are already physically drained just from work. You will be surprised just how much more energised from an improvement in diet you will feel.

Keep us posted how you progress, and what way you go with it all.

Excuse my ignorance, but what the fuck is a power rack?

Only reason i have been looking at those machines, is because i thought thats what i was limited too. But apparently not.

a rack which makes you powerful




a power rack is like a squat rack but with more features and is more diverse

anyone got a link to one?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/POWERTEC-Power-Rack...bayphotohosting

I only skimmed through that, but does it actually come with any free weights? or is that just for the setup and get your own weights?

http://www.gymandfitness.com.au/gym-equipm...ks-c-45_52.html

explained all here.

Most of them usually dont come with a bar + weights. But they are worth it if you have the room.

As you can see the basic cage by itself is $600. Once you buy your bar + weights should work out to be roughly the same price as a home gym, if not cheaper.

What are your goals? what are you trying to achieve? if its toning and abit of confidence boost then the machine will do the job. But you will need to weight up the cost machine vs free weights vs gym.

Ive been using a machine similar to the one in ur first post for 3 months now. I feel great in all aspects, mind and body. But if you to challenge yourself go free weights as stated above.


GL

Price difference of around $1K between that one, and the one Imp posted. Are they all much the same or would a store bought(usually more $$$) be better then a eBay/online item? How do i know what bars ect i need? the more a read into this the more types of bars i come across


My goal is to eventually get some serious muscle mass going on. I understand that a gym would be far more appropriate for this but its not going to happen overnight, and i rather get a kick start in the comfort of my own home.

The one Imp posted comes with lat pull down machine, also has chinup bars e.t.c (stuff you don't really need)

You just need the basic cage really. You want to buy an olympic barbell (any size, as long as it has the free - rotating ends, the smaller size would proabably be better unless you want to get into power lifting)

http://www.australianbarbellco.com/barbell...icbarbells.html

I wouldnt get anything smaller than a 7 foot 20kg olympic bar that has thrust washers.

you need to sped atleast $300 for a decent one

OK time for a bump/update.

I havent started this as of yet, as my jobs been abit 'in the air' so to speak. Not sure if i wanted to quit or not, and if i did, i couldve used the possible $1K-$2K in things other then gym equip.

Well i may have the option to drop down to working a 2-3 day week. First question is, will 4 days a week be enough to see improvement/muscle gain? As ill be doing 4 days of workout straight, followed by 3 days rest.(the 3 days i work). Ive heard that you should work out certain muscle groups one day, and then another group the next day. Seeing as ill only have about 4 days a week to do anything, that would put me at about 2 days a week on each muscle group at the most. Would this be enough or could i do everything for the 4 days. Seeing as ill have 3 days of rest i shouldnt have to worry too much about over working anything.


If i take this on, this is what im looking at getting:
(pro's, con's, opinions?)

Power rack:
http://www.gymandfitness.com.au/bodymaker-...lley-p-328.html

Weight set:
http://www.gymandfitness.com.au/175kg-rubb...-set-p-774.html

both the links are to a bar and weights...lol


make sure the bar you get is good

Try that now lol.

How do i know if the bar/s are any good or not? Those should be good for what its going to cost all up hah.

a good 7 foot 20kg bar should be around 300-400 by itself. but just make sure that you can grip it well, and it has thrust washers.

it should be strong enough for what your doing, it's just alot of the cheap bars bend under heavy load, and some stay bend.

ahh ok. Well im not exactly going to be putting up crazy weights to start with, but when i get abit more built and move into the bigger weights then ill put out for a quality bar.

Anyone else got details on my little update above?

Well there's no point having a rack if you have no weights for it.

But if you don't buy one, you can't really do squats. (you can do everything but though)

Buy the bar/weights, save up and then buy the rack, you could probably learn squat technique on a empty bar anyway, until you save up enough for a rack.

Im looking at a rack and weights as per the links above and ive got the money to buy them both. Was more curious about whether or not my 4 day on, 3 day off would see any results ect?

ahh woops sorry.

yeah, it will work, just make go for a 4 day split

i.e
Mon: chest/triceps
Tues: Back/ Biceps
Wed: Shoulders
Thurs: legs
Fri/sat/sun: off

Or possibly upper lower split
Mon/Wed: upper body
Tues/Thurs: lower body

Aye bro check my thread out im selling equipment

Also i can train you aswell