Bodybuilding home gym equipment may be fairly expensive depending on your needs and body building goals. Is bodybuilding home gym equipment better than obtaining a gym membership?
Well the answer to that is yes & no. For some people it's not an option to join a gym. If you live in an area that's too far away from a good body building gym then you don’t have any choice.
The only downside is that it can be expensive if you're not careful. Here we will discuss what you need for a good bodybuilding home gym and hopefully save you money in the process.
To get started, andbefore you buy any bodybuilding home gym equipment you must first determine your body building goals, both long-term and short-term.
For this discussion, and to make it as simple as possible, we'll assume you are interested in adding lean muscle and building a muscular and lean body.
Now, make a list of the bodybuilding home gym equipment stores in your area. You need to check out all of them because prices can vary greatly.
Then go to all of the bodybuilding home gym equipment stores in your area to see what they have available. The first thing you'll notice is the extremely high cost of most of the bodybuilding home gym equipment at each store.
If you can afford all of the bodybuilding home gym equipment you need then make a purchase and get started. However, most people involved with body building can't do that.
So one of the best and most over-looked places to find bodybuilding home gym equipment is actually online. More often than not, online exercise equipment stores have great deals and excellent payment options.
The big drawback is that you can't try any of the equipment before you order it to make sure it will suit your needs.
This doesn't mean that you shouldn't try your local exercise equipment stores; it's just a good option to keep in mind.
Another alternative are the many "used" exercise equipment stores that seem to be popping up almost daily. Since gym quality body building equipment is made to last a lifetime, you may be able to get what you need at a very reasonable cost indeed.
In cases such as this you'll find near perfect bodybuilding home gym equipment that was originally purchased by body builders who now wanted to join a gym for various reasons or body building enthusiasts who thought they would try body building to see what it was like only to realize it wasn't something they wanted.
Now let's look at the types of bodybuilding home gym equipment you should be considering.
The bodybuilding home gym equipment you need #1: Free Weights
Free weights are the most basic, most cost effective and most results effective and best home gym equipment options for all aspects of body building. Free weights of course consist of barbells, dumbbells and weight plates.
The main reason for being called free weights is due to the fact that they are not restricted by cables, pins or pulleys and you can perform an unimaginable number of effective body building exercises with them.
Now you need to be aware that free weights typically come in both "standard" & "Olympic". While the Olympic weights will cost you a little bit more they are well worth it.
You simply can't compare the two when it comes to body building. Standard free weights just won't hold up. They're not strong enough and therefore can be dangerous for most involved in body building.
So do yourself a favor and stay clear of the "standard" free weights. They are not worth it and will not give you the results you're looking for.
You can easily tell the difference between both types. The Olympic bars are thicker with a much thicker end piece and the weights for this bar have a larger hole. The standard bars are thin and use plates with a small hole.
Olympic bars are usually 4 to 7 feet long and can weigh 15 to 45 pounds. There are also many "specialized" Olympic bars available on the market as well.
These "specialty" bars are designed for specific muscles such as biceps, triceps, trapezius muscles, etc.
The weights are held on by collars or sleeves. And yes, you can find "fixed weight" bars but this is not effective for most bodybuilding home gym equipment as you can't change the weights.
Olympic bodybuilding home gym equipment bars can hold up to 1500 pounds so they will last you for a long time. Very few in body building have ever done a lift of 1500 pounds.
You will need all of the most basic increments of weight plates for your Olympic bars. This will consist of the following (remember, you need an even number of each weight):
- 2 1/2 pound plates
- 5 pound plates
- 10 pound plates
- 25 pound plates
- 35 pound plates
- 45 pound plates
In most cases, both in online stores and in traditional bodybuilding home gym equipment stores you'll find package deals that include an Olympic bar, various weights and collars for a reasonable price.
But unfortunately they usually don't come with a bench and you'll definitely need one. This doesn't mean that they never include a bench, just check around both online and off. You'll be surprised a what offers come around now and then.
The bodybuilding home gym equipment you need #2: A good multi bench.
As with the free weights, you'll find a lot of different types of benches. Make sure you get an adjustable one and one that's rated for heavy weights.
By adjusting the incline or decline, you'll be able to perform quite a number of different body building exercises. It's also good to get one that either contains a squat attachment or buy a power rack in addition to the bench.
The body building home gym equipment you don't necessarily need (unless you have a ton of money to spend): Multi-station Machines.
Unfortunately all body building equipment of this type is very expensive. The good news is that if you can afford it, you should get it. Multi station bodybuilding home gym equipment can very effectively add to the success of your over-all body building program.
Most of the exercises performed on this type of body building equipment add tremendously to the free weight portion of any body building programs.
With the multi station machines you can perform leg extensions, curls, lat pulldowns, triceps pushdowns, cable flyes, and the list goes on.
The downside to body building home gym equipment like this is that it will take up a tremendous amount of room. So even before you decide that you have enough money – decide if you have enough room.
If you and a body building partner will be exercising together then it makes a lot of sense.
The body building home gym equipment you don't need: Variable Resistance Machines
What are variable resistance machines?
Anything that resembles a Nautilus® or Bowflex® product. These offer an alternative to weight training for some but not for body builders.
There are no advantages for body building. You need free weights and possibly some multi station cable machines if you want to succeed.
Now we'll get off track a little bit here because the above mentioned machines do have some good fitness benefits – just not for the dedicated body builder.
The main exercise advantage is that your muscles are reported to be under continuous stress for the entire range of movement. This is effective in exercising your muscles in order to see a physical improvement.
This type of body building home gym equipment will permit you to determine the exact amount of weight you desire.
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