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newbie home gym setup

if height is an issue chin up bar can be put upside down.
i got the same rack, 2 years old and no issues besides some wear and tear which is normal. i cant imagine ever needing a new one

have the same bar, no issues, not bent at all.
 
Alpha Moth said:
if height is an issue chin up bar can be put upside down.
i got the same rack, 2 years old and no issues besides some wear and tear which is normal. i cant imagine ever needing a new one

have the same bar, no issues, not bent at all.
Click to expand...
Hi Alpha Moth,
That's very good to hear! Do you have your rack placed back right against the wall? I want to know if doing that would stop me from using the rear posts.
 
Hi Ben,

No problem putting the base of the rack touching the back wall.
This will then make the front face of the rear posts 380mm from the wall.
when you add the radius of the barbell shaft, this gives you 400mm distance from the axis of the barbell to the back wall + 20mm if you have skirting boards.
Full sized weight plates are 225mm radius, so you will have almost 200mm clearance between the wall and the edge of the plates when the bar is hard up against the rear posts.
 
The Hulk said:
Hi Ben,

No problem putting the base of the rack touching the back wall.
This will then make the front face of the rear posts 380mm from the wall.
when you add the radius of the barbell shaft, this gives you 400mm distance from the axis of the barbell to the back wall + 20mm if you have skirting boards.
Full sized weight plates are 225mm radius, so you will have almost 200mm clearance between the wall and the edge of the plates when the bar is hard up against the rear posts.
Click to expand...
Sweet! :)
 
warxy said:
Hi,

This is one of those newbie home gym setup thread again. I'm in the process of saving up to build a home gym in my bedroom, which will just be consist of a rack, a bar, a bench and some free weights.

At the moment I'm thinking about sourcing all the items(below) from gymdirect:

150kg bumpers - $749
MMPR power rack - $595
600Kg rated thrust bearing oly bar - $199
commercial flat bench - $295
fractional plate set - $60
pair of 2.5kg rubber coated plates - $14.80




Cheers,
Ben
Click to expand...

The 600kg bar is great
 
warxy said:
150kg bumpers - $749
MMPR power rack - $595
600Kg rated thrust bearing oly bar - $199
commercial flat bench - $295
fractional plate set - $60
pair of 2.5kg rubber coated plates - $14.80
Click to expand...
So i've placed the order for the above items + 3m2 of rubber tiles. bumpers not in stock at the moment so ill have to wait till mid-july...

All together it was a bit over 2k (including shipping). Shipping alone costed $330 :( but Adrian did gave me a better discount because of that :)
 
Just a thought, has gymdirect or anyone that has this rack thought about designing/making safeties similar to the ones on the powertec rack? Eliminating the need of sliding the whole pin out.

Cheers,
 
warxy said:
Just a thought, has gymdirect or anyone that has this rack thought about designing/making safeties similar to the ones on the powertec rack? Eliminating the need of sliding the whole pin out.

Cheers,
Click to expand...

You could get some made pretty cheaply, with pins at either end to hold them up.
 
Update

Hi people,

The rack and everything else arrived last friday in all it's package glory. With my parent's permission i no longer need to place the rack in my room, but instead its going to the carport :D The only problem is that the ground is not completely flat. I dont think its level either..

Started assembling it last night. Here's what we got so far:
IMG_0402.jpg

It's been raining all morning. Still getting a quote on making a cover for the rack. Hopefully that wont take long. If anyone's done this before and like the cover that they've got, please send me a pm.

Now I've discovered a few problems/defects since i unpacked the boxes.
First thing: some of the rings that came with the hex bolts are rusted :(
IMG_0398.jpg

IMG_0399.jpg


second: pull-up handle
The pull up handle/bar is also rusted at the joints with the plate that connects the rack.
IMG_0400.jpg

IMG_0407.jpg

It looks like the rust is coming from the inside of the metal (hollow?)?


This seems to be a lot more serious (though i could be wrong). The welding on this joint is not finished? Im not sure how to describe it, but there is a visible gap on a section of the joint.
IMG_0403.jpg

IMG_0404.jpg



I'm not sure if the rust on the rings and the handle happened during transit but i plan to do what i can to stop it from further rusting. Should i get some replacement rings from bunnings? And what can i do with the rust coming out of the handle, some kind of treatment and then seal it with some sort of paint or coating? :confused:

I also havnt found the tools for assembly yet.

Cheers people,
Ben
 
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Ben looks like a solid starter kit mate, when I had a studio I went a little further out on the bench ($1k) but you can do that down the track!

Definitely look into that rust/weld, gym direct are pretty good so they'll help you out I am sure.
 
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Ben, my rack came with some rust/colour in the same places. Works just fine lol and hasn't gotten worse in the time i've had it. If you keep it outside it's going to rust a bit anyway..
 
I honestly would bother with replacing the washers (rings).

If you desire, you can use ironize, septone rust converter, rusteeter or something similar (a rust converter) and the either paint with an epoxy enamel or spray with fish oil or fishoilene.

Having said that, the whole thing will quickly be covered in light surface rust from sitting outside, so you have to wonder if the effort and $$ is worth it.

That weld is ok - while it isn't complete, it doesn't look like it has been blown out, just unfinished. I would still be personally happy to hang 200+kg off that bar - even if all four anchor points look like that.

If it was me, I'd just try and get a partial refund from gym direct or some store credit.
 
thanks for the replies people. Being inexperienced and a bit of a perfectionist im not sure what i should have expected. I thought they would have at least arrived in better conditions than pictured. I think i will assemble it anyway, and email gymdirect and see what they can do.

Regarding rusting from being outside in the future Rian, i am trying to order a cover for the rack, and hopefully that would minimise or prevent rusting from happening.
 
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solarbear said:
Tbh I would expect a new Rack to be better welded and rust free.
Click to expand...

^^^^^^^^^^ This!

It's a brand new rack, my rack is nearly 20 years old and does not look like that, contact Gym Direct and get them to send out the correct replacement parts.

I would not worry about the washers, just get some from Bunnings or similar they don't cost much.

If it is painted it should not rust, a lot (most)of my gym gear is outside and does not rust.
 
Mate, my rack from GD arrived in good nick. I'd be pretty pissed off to receive it in that condition. You're not paying peanuts and you're entitled to better quality workmanship than that. I'd be discussing your options with them.
 
the bolts have been packed wet.

the bar looks like it could have started rusting after plating (not being cleaned properly)

if the weld is cracked or doesn't bridge both bits of metal... you'd have to ask if it was good enough.

would be acceptable for second hand, but new should be new... jmho..


as for uneven ground, you could shim under the feet with ply/fibro or similar.. or even pack up the rubber mats to achieve same thing
 
I couldnt stand the bits and pieces lying around so i assembled it after uni today. With that are some more bad news..

There was a bad nut and ended up damaging the bolt thread. Had to go to bunnings to get a new one.
IMG_0413.jpg

IMG_0414.jpg

The package was one washer short as well..

Bit frustrated when i found out the bench needs a hex key to tighten the bolts. Might need an other trip down to bunnings again. There are some minor marks here and there. Some were done by me when the wrench slipped out, the others were already there.

The only upside is the rack is pretty sturdy once all the bolts are tighten. Maybe too tight... :p

Mate, my rack from GD arrived in good nick. I'd be pretty pissed off to receive it in that condition. You're not paying peanuts and you're entitled to better quality workmanship than that. I'd be discussing your options with them.
Click to expand...
I've already emailed Lily and Adrian about the problems mentioned in my last post, and pointed them to this thread. Here's hoping there will be some answers tomorrow. It's hard to tell whether the rust happened during transit or before. The package was wrapped up pretty well.

Can you upload some pics of the bench please front on an upside down? Curious on what it looks like.
Click to expand...
Sookie, gymdirect has some pretty good photos of what the bench look like. Im not sure why you want me to post some. I will get some up tomorrow if you insist.

Where do you get your chalks around here? Rebel sports dont seem to have them.
 
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warxy, I wouldn't have assembled the rack mate
If I'd received a piece of equipment in that condition it would've gone straight back to the retailer for replacement.
 
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