I’m planning to upgrade my home gym and I have the following four things in mind:
Safety squat bar
50 mm adjustable dumbbells
Football bar
Chains
Any experiences with the following things and a priority list Perhaps? I’m thinking that SSB and dumbbells are om the top for me, with SSB being an lower body speciality bar and dumbbells an upper body speciality thing.
Your plan sounds good. I have adjustable dumbbells (Ironmaster) and the SSB (Kabuki Transformer). I had the dumbbells first, but if I were starting again and had to choose maybe I would get the SSB first. I now use it for all of my squatting and in a home gym it’s more challenging to get the lower body variation. I’ve never used a football bar, but dumbbells seem more versatile. Chains seem like fun.
Not on your list, but I like the dip attachment. It’s a one-trick pony but not too expensive and it’s absolutely incomparable with rigging up thin barbells in the rack.
Yeah, my idea was the SSB aswell, simply because it’s easier to vary your upper body exercises. I alread have a dip attachment, but thanks for your suggestions.
A second barbell might be something to consider eventually if you are crunched for time and want to superset. It’s on my list.
I don’t have an SSB yet. But after doing my homework, it seems like the EliteFTS yoke bar is the way to go if cost is a concern. If you sign up for their email newsletter, you might catch it on sale. They offered a pretty good discount last Black Friday.
Dumbbells are great because of the variety of movements you can do with them. I have Ironmaster adjustable dumbbells as well. I like them, although quickly swapping out plates between sets can be a bit of a chore. Keep in mind they only go up to 75lbs unless you get the extension set.
A football bar would be a good idea if you have an elbow tendonopathy. The Archron muligrip bar is much less expensive than the Rouge version, and it gets good reviews. Austin used the Rouge version while rehabbing his elbow issue. I would be interesting in hearing about his experience with it. But I’d prioritize a SSB and dumbbells if this isn’t an issue for you.
I’m using bands instead of chains as they’re less expensive and easier to store. I also use bands for face pulls and ab crunches. I also bought a cheap EZ curl bar early on, which I use for skull crushers and curls. But you can do curls with dumbbells, or chin ups if not – and you already have the dip attachment.
Finally, my most recent acquisition was a cheap pair of 45lb bumpers to help deaden the noise while deadlifting. They help but aren’t necessary.
Hope that’s helpful.