For me it's equipment with SUBSCRIPTIONS, I own a Peloton that's getting dust in the GARAGE gym, and I had a Hydrow Rower same thing, I really like them but paying for a subscription after already buying expensive equipment is Overrated.
aman brother! my treadmill that has limited functionality because i refuse to spend $300 a year for ifit. this is my hold up with anything electric/tech like voltra i. what happens when they flip the switch to subscribe or no longer support?
I totally got the Coop's idea but he can say the same for almost all cardio equipment. Imo I think that a cardio equipment is not overrated since there is: bad weather, necessity of time management, family to take care, etc. cardio equipment turns most of the time things much easier.
Basement gyms are closer to the center of the earth and gravity is a little stronger the closer you get to the core, so basement gyms make a bit more gains. Assuming both houses are at equal elevation.
Unfortunately, the opposite is true. Earth's gravity is at its max at the surface. As you go deeper, gravity decreases until you get to the center, where you're at zero gravity. Similarly, when you go higher, gravity gets lower and lower. (For you nerds out there, gravity falls off linearly when going down, and inverse square when going up)
@@larrysanderson9796 It actually slightly raises as you get closer to the outer core maxing at the core-mantle boundary and then starts dropping once the outer core is reached and beyond.
@@VegetaPrinceOfSaiyans wait, are you telling me the earth can't be modeled as a perfect sphere of uniform density? My physicist brain is both baffled and offended! 😂 (Thanks for the info, today I learned!)
The treadmill take was an L. I like in Chicago so with the weather, it is the needed. However, more importantly, I have 3 little kids. The only time I have is early before they wake up or after they go to sleep. I cannot leave the house, but I can go into the basement and get 30 minutes of cardio in.
Personally I wake up before my daughter does. Do a quick 30 min run outside, shower and then she wakes up and I do my dad duties. But we all do what we gotta do
Try a vertical climber sometime. Especially in your situation where you work, have kids with limited time. Its a whole body workout that will kick your ass.
I used to "like" live in Chicago in the Albany Park neighborhood and ran outside year round. It was fun and all but a treadmill is a much better option.
@@treydrier3169not really a good alternative. CLIMBERS are great. However, treadmills can be used for both HIIT and LISS Cardio training and climbers don't have the same versatility.
80 steaming degrees here in NJ today. In the winter it will drop to 20. I have a small house with a 1 car garage which I've made as big inside as possible, especially my pride and joy basement gym. I started a year before covid using a small set of fixed hex dumbbells (thats rt) and an old no name adjustable bench. Over the years I got a standard barbell (from York), standard weights (facebook marketplace), gloves (Dicks), a squat rack (with my bench inside resembles a westside bench), and recently a titan fitness wall mounted pulley tower with 3 attachments (York). I built shelving, painted, moved stuff in every possible configuration and have a place that makes me happy and keeps me fit. I do bodyweight and stretching on my nice floor, bench on my faux-westside, incline dumbbell press, and lots of variety on the tower. Maybe bigger is better but I love my gym.
For me it was 35lb plates. When I started my home gym I thought they’d be convenient but they just aren’t. If I need to load a 35 I’ll probably do a rep with the 25 to warm up and add a 10 for my set.
@@ramtron1775idk, on the one hand they are extremely useless assuming you own 10lbs and 25lbs plates. On the other hand, in a home gym you only need 2 5lbs, 4 10lbs, 2 25lbs And 100 45lbs plates So throwing in an extra 2 45s is not really a big deal imo.
Basement gym here for 29 years. I love it. Perfect climate controlled year round. I'm lucky to have high basement ceilings. It's not musty or dark down there either. Now if my sump pump ever fails, I'll be screwed, lol. I agree with Jammer Arms. I have the BOS lockable Hydra Trolley arms and they are amazing. Gym-pin finally released the Kaizen adapters for them. Mine are in route. Seated overhead press with them is absolutely amazing. It's now my favorite shoulder exercise. Shrugs and chest presses (using the spotter arm mod for better resistance) is also great. As for treadmills, I recently sold mine and got a Blitz bike in its place. I just never used it. I also have a C2 rower, elliptical, and body solid climber which I use all the time.
People here confused about what over rated means. Over rated does not mean bad or useless. Simply that the majority of people would be better off spending their space and money resources on something else. That doesn't mean everyone, and it doesn't mean all the time. It's all a generalization.
What’s nice about the REP plate loaded lat pull down/low row is when I want to upgrade to a stack, the conversion kit is the same price combined with the plate loaded version as just buying the stack version first. At least that’s how it was last time a checked a few months ago
as a person with disabilities, sometimes you need special use equipment for safety. Coops right about these not being for everyone, but they are for someone..
If I had a bigger garage, I would definitely prefer a garage gym. I only have a two stall garage and I live in the mid-west. With our freezing winters, I need the garage space. I like my space in the basement, however, it can be a major PIA to get equipment up and down from there. I have a 450 lb piece of cardio equipment that will NEVER make it's way back upstairs lol.
Basements are way better. I don't have access to one so I use the garage - you have to deal with dust, dirt, bugs, cold, heat, humidity, rust, lack of ventilation and get very few benefits (high ceiling, fresh air sometimes). Basements are far superior
Coop: you are nuts on the loadable dbs and the plate loaded cable machines. There are a gazillion "standard" plates out there. You see them at tag sales, on used goods sites, etc. And a lot of us bought a boatload of them back when they were 50 cents to a $1.00 a pound. I have several hundred pounds of the stuff, from 1.5 lb plates to 50 lb. plates. Use them on dbs handles. Use them on the high/low pully. Barbells. Very useful.
Coop not only disparaged your basement gym, but also a couple other pieces of equipment you have. Yet, he can still only squat 40% of what you can do.....
I've used 1" plates on dumbbells for 28 years. I now have 6 pairs of spinlock handles (York chrome spinlock dumbbell handles are currently $8.29 each). If you've already got plates, they're a great deal. 3 sets of handles can mean you don't need to change weight but once a month or so. I leave several weights set up, unchanged, while I progress reps for a month or so. When rep goals are hit I just add a single 1.25 pound plate to each handle. It's extremely convenient. My 14" handles top out at 91 pounds, which is plenty for me at 66 yo.
I use our treadmill seasonally. I also have two small kids so at times it's tough to go out for a run/walk. Sometime I will use it after the kids are in the bed and it's too dark for me to leave the house.
I went with traditional spin lock adjustable dumbells when I first started my gym like 8 years ago. I was fine with those but always wanted a fixed set. I got Rep's urethane 5-75lb set a few years ago and love them. I still use my spin lock adjustables though for 80lb dbs and higher (up to 100.... wish I could go heavier). I love having the fixed set. It's just so nice to grab and go. But.... they do take up a ton of space. About 2 years ago... maybe closer to 3 years ago now that I think of it... I've drifted away from Powerlifting/"powerbuilding" and have pretty much gone back to my high school "bro" days of pretty much adopting an exclusively bodybuilding style lifting program. As such.... I want machines... all the leg machines I can possibly fit into my garage, haha. So I just stare at my dumbells now and think.... what machine could I put right there instead of these dang DBs? When Pepin announced their collaboration with Rep..... that was all I needed. I plan on selling my set with the racks just so I can swap them out for the PepinxRep adjustable dumbells. They easily look to be the most durable/bullet proof adjustable out there and are adjustable from like 10-120lbs... fucking yes please, haha. Not only that.... at 120lbs... they're SMALLER than fixed 120lb dumbells. Take my money Rep/Pepin. I plan on getting them next year sometime after everyone goes fucking nuts over them when they finally start selling them on Rep's site. Maybe even wait until black Friday 2025. But they will be mine. That said..... even though the adjustable mechanism on the pepins is pretty quick and simple..... I WILL miss my grab and go fixed DBs. But I'm willing to pay that price to add at least like.... 15 more square feet to my garage as my fixed DB setup is about 2.5'x8' (20sqft) and just 2 Pepin dbs will take up all of a 2.5'x2.5' footprint. (6 sqft)... if that. That's freeing up almost a 4x4 or 3x5 area for a machine. I've been eyeballing the company Fettle Fitness' offerings for machines. Their seated leg curl/leg extension combo machine has about a 3.5'x4.5' footprint.... about 15 sqft.... the amount of space I'll be freeing up by going from fixed DBs to the Pepins. Leaving me ample room to get also a pendulum squat.... possibly a leg press... seated calf machine.... and I'd also like to get a pec/rear delt fly machine and possibly a lat pullover machine as well..... if space allows.... maybe even an adductor/abductor machine or multi-hip machine. Like I said... I want all the leg machines. I'm going to try and cram as much shit in my garage as possible. A couple years ago I stumbled on "Home Gym Hacks and Reviews'" channel and that dude can manage to fit like.... 10 friggin machines in his garage and his garage is about the same size as mine. He doesn't have a power rack though (i have the Prime Prodigy selectorized rack) so I'm thinking I should be able to fit 6 maybe 7 machines in my garage fairly comfortably.
Same for me of course for money and space value adjustable are really good but if you have the space nothing beats standard dumbbells in my opinion. And i dont see it as a waste since dumbbells are for me the most important equipment, you can work any muscle with a dumbbell pair.
I did a combo. I have 20’s 35’s 50’s 60’s 70’s and some Peppins on the way with bow flex as my first gym purchase before March 2020 to supplement the missing weight. I think adjustable is nice to save space. But a 3 tier monster storage rack from rogue with the top as a kettlebell lets me split it between kettlebell and mobilityWOD accessories and other things I find useful. One thing I don’t use unless training for Murphy is a weighted vest.
Agreed. Getting a set of fixed REP knurled dumbbells was some of the best money I've spent on my gym. I love the feel of them, and it makes it easier for me to superset at different stations without having to carry the weights everywhere. Plus, it's not uncommon that I'm working out with my wife and kid, so to replace the experience would require 3x sets of adjustables. It just doesn't make sense for me, but I can see how a fixed set isn't the best option for many people.
@@mikeprice3174 Thirded! The supersetting thing is really the thing that puts fixed dumbbells over the top. I have lifted with a buddy from work for the last 4 years. He had 30 through 100 minus 90 and 105, which aren't that big of losses tbh, before I got there. We've gotten it to the point where we have 10-120 minus what I mentioned. After the main lift, which is always heavy compound barbell movement, and supplemental, which is likely a heavy isolation movement or another compound movement, everything gets superset, likely with some lift done on the lat pulldown. Most of those supersets will involve the use of some dumbbell. A fixed dumbbell set is not a waste of space if you have enough of it. The far, far bigger issue with fixed dumbbells is how much they cost at the top end, even if you find some poor schmuck who doesn't understand what he has. For the record, I still want to get 105s but I'm not willing to spend for them yet. Marketplace blows in my area for such items, too.
I had Ironmaster adjustables for about 2 years, they felt great until I got to around the 55-60lb range then the centre of gravity changed the heavier they went, I have a whole fixed set now and they feel so much better in my hands, will only sell them if I move house and need to downsize, so fixed dumbbells = not overrated Also I've never had a problem with plate loaded equipment, stacks though need constant fiddling around with
I had the same thought about treadmills. I had a bike on a Tacx Neo2T trainer, an echo bike and it seemed unnecessary to have a treadmill for the obvious reason that you can run outside. 3 things. 1) It gets my wife to do cardio. She would not run outside alone because she didn't feel safe. She also needs the motivational stuff from iFit (similar to peloton) 2) It makes it possible for me do very specific workouts that are hard to do outside because of the varying terrain. It's a real PITA to stay in Zone 2 for instance if you're in a hilly area 3) In the winter, running outside can be flat-out dangerous some days. Black ice. Lumpy/icy terrain because of frozen slush etc. Also, you don't have to put on all your winter gear, which is nice.
As someone with small calves , having a calf raise machine was MANDATORY. I found a seated one for 100$ commercial grade and never regretted it. My legs have improved so much cause I hit them way more often and I still do standing calve raises after seated 👍
@@davorzdralo8000 yea it honestly is but depending how I position myself I get a good lift in. Then I do standing calve raises and get an insane pump👍. There's good and bad calf raises out there mine is mid-tier. San Marcos metroflex has a badass one..
all calf specific exercises are trash. They'll never grow your calves. The only things that actually work are pulling a sled, or heavy ass farmers carries. Everything else is a waist of time!
Also, have seen recommendations lately to concentrate on the stretched position. Probably will have the most luck standing on the edge of something and lowering from horizontal to fully stretched, vs standing on the floor and raising up like Coop showed.
I’ve got a 6 post for which I use the back posts to both hold weight plates and also my T3 Lat Pulldown/Low Row. So that middle space extended out to the 6 post isn’t being unused, it’s where I can put my legs for the pulldowns/rows which also enables me to use the inside of the 4 posts to place a pin (from a pin/pipe safety) to hold me down for lat puldowns haha My setup enables me to use the inside of the rack for bench, the inside of the rack for squat on the other side, still enables me to do deadlifts and lifts out the rack, and I got a multigrip bar to do pull ups within the rack, too. All in one station, but that wouldn’t be possible within a 4 post without running into issues. And that’s not built in cables like suggested, though I envy an Athena or Aries since they can do what I want with a weight stack instead of plate loaded.
Bought a yoke for 250. Tripped over it in my basement gym for 3 months. Sold it for 250 😂 if I could keep it somewhere set up instead of having to bring it outside every time probably would've used it more. I had wanted one for a very long time.
Basements are climate controlled. Garages you need a mini-split or other ways to control the temperature. I also like to park my car inside the garage during winter when there's snow. Garages also have sloped floors. Team basement all the way!
in my area basements don't count as living space because of water/mold issues. everyone i know with pool tables and fitness areas in their basements has mold/mildew. i put a window ac in my garage (3 car) and insulated the ceiling and it's just as good as my neighbors mini split garage. also added a ceiling mounted fan for when i want to open the door and have wind flow.
I love my basement gym. I have tall ceilings and can fit an 100 inch tall Monster rack in there, if I desire. My basement is heated in the winter. But so too is my garage. But I love parking in the garage in the winter. Because the garage is heated, it can be zero degree outside and my car is 50 degrees in the garage. No cleaning off the snow and ice. No 'warming' it up if I don't want to. Garages are for cars....basements are for gyms!
I'm going to catch hell for this, but hear me out... Landmine attachment. Do like we've always done before landmines were a thing. Find a 90° angle on a piece of equipment (ie: the corner of your rack) and put one side of the barbell in it. If you're worried about messing up your barbell, make a wooden 90° or get a cheap $60 barbell from Academy Sports. Lord knows everyone loves to show off their excessive amount of unused barbells hanging on a wall rack. Everything else in this video I agree 💯. I'll get you started on the most underrated. 1- Pec deck/rear delt machine. You don't see these enough in home gyms. It was the first machine I bought 2- Smith Machines. Although they are getting more traction, they are just as useful as jammer arms on a different scope of exercises. 3- (bonus) Lat pulldown/ mid row, all in one. I haven't seen a home gym version yet, only commercial but I made mine out of an all-in-one home gym, a little creativity and a lot of welding machine 😂. But seriously, nobody wants to do rows sitting on the floor. Manufacturers just need to lengthen the seat and raise the pulley up for it to be a mid row. Keep the videos coming Coop. This stuff has been getting me through my post back surgery where I can't train for a while.
100% agree on the lat pd/ mid row. I got the ultra cheap lat pd off Amazon months ago. I use the lat pd regularly, but never the low row. I hate getting up/ down from the floor. I'm looking to mod mine into a mid row somehow. Maybe mount a pulley higher up and drill a hole thru the tower for the cable to pass thru above the seat.
I strongly disagree with fixed dumbbells. Fixed dumbbells will outlive everything else you own, and will outlive you. You buy them once and never again. They are expensive, but they are eternal. Plus you can find some pretty good deals often if you don’t mind having different brands for different weights and are patient with building the set. Lbs for lbs they are the cheapest weight you will buy if you are smart about it.
Agree on the treadmill unless you're a runner. I'm a runner, so I love it for when it's humid, hot, smokey, cold, wet, damp, foggy... and injury rehab. Also when there's a new episode of 'Chopped'.
Bench with leg curl/leg extension attachment. Maybe the very expensive ones are good but you basically don’t get a really good stretch and range of motion - they don’t work well
Pro tip/hack, from a lifelong fitness trainer, who’s worked out of my garage gym for 30 years… If you have a standard angled hyper extension bench, you can extend it out of the base as high as you can, and you’ll have a great preacher bench. I use it for both cable, and barbell preachers, and it works just fine…
Bought regular jammer arms, thought they were super neat for the home gym. Honestly theyre just a big pain to set up and find the right angle. Honestly never use them
@@Felixthe0o I honestly don't even get the point, what are they for? Every exercise I see people demonstrate would be better without them and just a barbell. Is there anything unique that they do?
Huge plus for fixed dumbbells and an obvious huge drawback of adjustable is if you want to work out with 1 or more people in your gym. My daughter works out with me all the time and the weight we use never overlaps so I really prefer fixed dumbbells for our situation.
Made a garage gym with a dip station, Olympic rings, swedish ladder and plyoboxes. Now I barely use it cause my garage is full of crap. My gym now is whatever I can keep in the hall closet and comes out after the wife and baby goes to bed. Mostly Macebells/kettlebells and my Manduka yoga stuff. Could you please put together a couple examples of home gyms that can fit in a closet? Maybe give yourself just a closet Coop and go through your garage gym and see what you feel is vital enough to go in the closet and use just what you’ve placed in that closet for a couple weeks just to show people it can be done? I’d recommend Jump rope, yoga mat and Macebells to start. Those three things handle SO MUCH for me. Doesn’t seem like you can have a good leg day with a macebell but trust me you definitely can. Let’s get some love for the closet gyms on Garage Gym Reviews 💪
Seated calf raises hit more soleus, standing hits more gastrocnemius. I do standing with an SSB Yokebar, don't tell Dave Tate! I use a 5 foot barbell with a center pad for seated and for hip thrusts. Simple and effective.
Latest studies show no difference in soleus hypertrophy between seated and standing raises so standing is all you need for both max soleus and gastroch growth
Calf raises is one of things that makes the SS yoke bar great. Combine that with handles on the rack and you can put some serious weight into calf raises, no stability issues at all.
When I first went shopping for my home gym, I did a hell of a lot of shopping and research on those power racks. And boy am I glad that I did more research - if you're ready to drop $2,000, just get a functional trainer. You might pass up the perfect bench and squat, but the options for those are adequate, and you get some exercise options that are just flat out fantastic.
i bought advertised dumbbell spotter hooks to accomodate my Snodes and one big reracking miss messed up my left wrist for 6 months. I ended up replacing my squat rack with a power rack along with the proper T2 dumbbell holders and never used those hooks again 😂
I like the Hammer Strength Jammer and you can find used ones for $250 which is great if you have the space, great if you're training to be an offensive or defensive lineman. I would find Jammer arms to be a pain moving on and off a rack. Cold tubs. Back in the day when my son was training for football the cold tub allowed him to be ready to practice the next day. About half of his teammates liked the effect of the cold tube, the other half didn't get benefit so it's usefulness is athlete dependent, in my son's case he loved the cold treatment (just wear neoprene booties). As for cardio a treadmill is fine but cheap treadmills don't last. I'm going to be taking one to the trash this weekend. I think a bike or rower would be a better and longer lasting solution.
I have a very small home gym, but it is packed with great equipment. For cardio I use a bike trainer that I can fold away when not in use. I did get a bunch of hex DBs in the 15 to 25 lb range. It is mainly a convenience for my wife. I wouldn't mind getting an adjustable for heavier weights (I doubt I'll ever go over 70 lbs) to replace my 45 and 55 lb DBs. Also, just a plug, but really try to do cardio (150 min/wk or more) if you're not doing it now - it's pretty important even for those of us who find it incredibly boring (action movies help - at least for me).
I think coops ultimate goal of this video was to push Brandon out of his basement and into his massive garages, where he belongs. GarageBrandon- "back in the garage again " every UA-cam video
@DrDoke I started with one and moved to the garage for several reasons despite i installed a minisplit. You would be right if you have ceiling height and proper air ventilation for appropriate air quality. I had neither so it is so much better in the garage. Just need to be a man and deal with the temperature swings.
Preacher curl allows some nice variation for biceps and bracchialis training. If you have an elbow injury, it helps remove a variable that lead to instability and further injury. It also takes little space.
My treadmill is for safety purposes. I just don't want to be running around in the morning (before work) and there's unlesshed dogs and unleashed people. Also if I have to make a pit stop, the bathroom is 20 ft away as opposed to what , a tree?
Nooooo! Basement gym is the goal, garage is the compromise until I get there! A concrete bunker where you can block out the sun and make yourself deaf with too loud music that just bounces around is ideal :P ...more often than not the sealing is too low so you can't to pullups or standing overhead work though, but that's the only issue. This no natural light thing is not a bug, it's a feature!
My next gym will be a barn for sure because bringing stuff downstairs is quite a hassle! The temperature control environment down here is great though!
I'm going with the TRX. A suspension trainer that costs 4 times the amount as a set of rings that allows you to do less with it. That's not even considering the price of accessories for the TRX as well.
Hi my friend - I'm 40 and starting my small home gym - what is the first thing I should get that will help me with my fitness? Going with minimalistic gym. I'm thinking an air bike....?
Disagree with what you said about dumbbells. I hate power blocks, and any Smartlock Dumbbell Set. They are clumsy, ugly, most of them rattle. They do indeed take up less space and cost less than fixed dumbbells, but I really don't feel comfortable exercising with them. I really stick to my hex dumbbells. Just looking at them makes me happy. Lol
I bought the RML Rogue LT-1 Trolley system for my Titan X-3 flatfoot and I love it. Now I want to upgrade the handles with the Vandetta brackets so that I can adjust them for more hammer strength movements.
I had loadable dumbbells for 10 years. NOW i have 3 couples of fixed weight dumbbells and THAT'S IT. You don't need the entire set, once you're an intermediate/advanced lifter. I literally LOVE my fixed dumbbells. My home gym IS made by those 3 couples of DB, i have no bar, no bench, nothing more than those heavy guys. :D DB oriented training is ANOTHER thing.
Great call on loadable dumbells. I got a pair of olypic size to reuse plates for heavy reps. But they are long and awkward and difficult to position... They don't sit well on your leg.
Great video as always. Presently have a basement gym. Large size allows me to buy/get lots of equipment, so without a space issue, some single use equipment resides here. Wondering about your thoughts on an endless rope? Would like to see a review of different endless rope alternatives.
8:14 In a seated calf raise, the gastrocnemius is actually actively insufficient. It's biarticulate and crosses the knee joint as well so it's length is pretty constant in the seated calf raise. Seated calf raises will train it a little but it will pretty much only train the soleus well. Seated calf raises are simply inferior to straight calf raises. With the knee straight, the gastroc can be stretched and the stimulus to the soleus remains the same (as it only crosses the ankle joint and performs dorsi flexion so knee position doesn't matter.) Unless you have a very specific purpose for seated/bent knee calf raises (I've seen KOT Guy use bent knee calf raises to increase calf mobility dorsi flexion mobility) straight knee is objectively better as far as I know (for hypertrophy at least)
I'm looking for something like the Ares 2.0 with an integrated smith machine that connects to and utilizes the cable weight stack. Do you know if anything like that exists?
With Loadable Dumbbells, say the 20” Titan: They have a 6.5” loadable sleeve length Accounting for thinnest collars, Strength Co Collars 1” each About thinnest plates, Strength co 10lb plates 0.88” each 5.5” is loadable length minus the collar Can fit up to 6 of the 10 lb strength Co plates on each side (0.88” x 6 is 5.28”) 6 plates each side is 120 lbs plus the DB is 12 pounds = 132 pound dumbbells each 12 sets of 10 lbs is $828 + tax/shipping Alternatively: Rogue Peppin Adjustable Dumbbells $899 for just an 85 lb pair $1,099 for 105 lb pair $1,299 for 125 lb pair Almost double the price for not even the weight that 20” loadable can hold, not accounting for an even longer loadable sleeve length. You’re paying for convenience to switch weights but realistically I don’t think most people are switching huge weights between sets like that that often. I’d say loadable are underrated if anything.
This estimate is absurd. I bought a pair of bells of steel adjustable dumbells for $170, from walmart i bought old school cap 10lb plates for $1/lb free shipping. I bought 8 pairs of 10s, 2 pairs of 5s and 2.5s. Total was $200. This means my total amounts to $370 taxxed and shipped. I got any weight i want from 13-93lbs.
Got both, and the 45 degree is WAY more useful and used, so would strongly advice going for that dream first. Preacher curls can be replicated in several other ways than owning the full bench.
Remember the days when Coop was all about budget equipment? I miss that Coop. Knocking Plate-Loaded machines, and loadable dumbells. Are loadable dumbells really rated high? I have never heard anyone hype up loadable dumbells - they're more a necessity due to budget. Same with plate-loaded machines.
I genuinely like them, not just for budget, but also for space saving. I already have a bunch of plates, I just bought a couple dumbbell bars, and I can prepare in advance the weights I need if I want to do a drop set etc. They take so much less space than 20 pairs of dumbbells.
@@davorzdralo8000 Okay, now I have heard of someone hyping up loadable dumbells. They honestly don't seem like a bad idea for someone on a budget that has powerblocks, etc. as some movements don't work with a powerblock, but would with a loadable dumbell.
@@SeanFarrell1 i wouldn't say I'm really hyping them up 😂 but they do have their own unique advantages in price and space saving, so for people on a budget (or who just don't want to waste money) and constrained space, I see them as a really good option. I don't like adjustable dumbbells, too fiddly, easy to break, slow to change, and actually pricey. For fixed ones, they just take way too much space for me, and are also quite expensive. So I just do with loadable ones. I don't do much with dumbbells anyway, so they are fine 🤷♂️
He didn’t knock them. Not in the way you are implying anyways. He made it clear that for budget or just starting out many people get plate loaded machines and dumbbells, but once you have the money and are trying to be more efficient the pre-loaded ones are just better and more convenient. He didn’t say don’t get them or they are garbage. Just that if you’re in a place to be able to get them, they are better.
The best investment I made in my home gym was my multi functional trainer (cable machine) I purchased a mid range commercial grade. I have the space but it’s not too bad on space. As a woman it’s perfect for me. I prefer fixed dumbbells as the ones that increase are soo bulky IMO. I do have a treadmill as I use it daily so for me the space is worth it. For my goals I have the right set up
I'm looking for an affordable rack that has a smith machine and a cable system with a real weight stack for ~$2500. Any recommendations? I almost purchased the RitKeep PMax 5600 then realized the weight stack is made with plastic which doesn't seem reliable with regular use over time.
If I had a large warehouse style garage gym.. then maybe I'd have some of that stuff. Totally agree about the treadmill, jammer arms, and the machines that target specific muscle groups.
I rock fixed up to 50 lbs then have the Ironmasters for anything above. I keep the add on kit on them at all times making them start at 55lbs. I would like to get one more set of adjustable dumbbells like the repins for quicker changes at 55 to 90 but I will never get rid of the Ironmasters. Basement gym over garage gym. I am retired automotive Warrant Officer, the garage is where the welders, tools, and 81 Camaro goes.
What’s that smith machine rack attachment that you have? Can you swap out different bars? A wide pad (I bought a wide blackwing and added threaded inserts to it to retrofit to my rogue 3.0 adjustable bench) with the titan angled multigrip bar is a savior for the shoulders however being able to put that bar on a smith would be even better.
For me it's equipment with SUBSCRIPTIONS, I own a Peloton that's getting dust in the GARAGE gym, and I had a Hydrow Rower same thing, I really like them but paying for a subscription after already buying expensive equipment is Overrated.
My wife has a Hydro. The machine was like $2,500 (or more?) and then it is another $50 a month! I am with you on this take...
aman brother! my treadmill that has limited functionality because i refuse to spend $300 a year for ifit. this is my hold up with anything electric/tech like voltra i. what happens when they flip the switch to subscribe or no longer support?
Yeah, honestly I will judge you harshly if I see that shit in your house.
Totally agree! 2 of my best buddies did the Peloton thing and wanted me to join them. No way. They used it for a year and now it collects dust.
And funny thing, you can buy a concept 2 rowerg for $1100 with shipping and get EXR game for $8/mo if you want it to be a smart rower.
If you live somewhere that has winter, teadmill is not overrated.
or somewhere with 38-45 C.
I totally got the Coop's idea but he can say the same for almost all cardio equipment. Imo I think that a cardio equipment is not overrated since there is: bad weather, necessity of time management, family to take care, etc. cardio equipment turns most of the time things much easier.
I think Coop is from MI
Skis, snowshoes etc. Unless its below - 20 celsius outside cardio in winter is great.
Coop basically said this during that segment.
Basement gyms are closer to the center of the earth and gravity is a little stronger the closer you get to the core, so basement gyms make a bit more gains. Assuming both houses are at equal elevation.
Unfortunately, the opposite is true. Earth's gravity is at its max at the surface. As you go deeper, gravity decreases until you get to the center, where you're at zero gravity. Similarly, when you go higher, gravity gets lower and lower. (For you nerds out there, gravity falls off linearly when going down, and inverse square when going up)
@@larrysanderson9796 It actually slightly raises as you get closer to the outer core maxing at the core-mantle boundary and then starts dropping once the outer core is reached and beyond.
@@VegetaPrinceOfSaiyans wait, are you telling me the earth can't be modeled as a perfect sphere of uniform density? My physicist brain is both baffled and offended! 😂 (Thanks for the info, today I learned!)
The treadmill take was an L. I like in Chicago so with the weather, it is the needed. However, more importantly, I have 3 little kids. The only time I have is early before they wake up or after they go to sleep. I cannot leave the house, but I can go into the basement and get 30 minutes of cardio in.
Personally I wake up before my daughter does. Do a quick 30 min run outside, shower and then she wakes up and I do my dad duties. But we all do what we gotta do
Try a vertical climber sometime. Especially in your situation where you work, have kids with limited time. Its a whole body workout that will kick your ass.
I used to "like" live in Chicago in the Albany Park neighborhood and ran outside year round. It was fun and all but a treadmill is a much better option.
@@treydrier3169not really a good alternative. CLIMBERS are great. However, treadmills can be used for both HIIT and LISS Cardio training and climbers don't have the same versatility.
Save the money and do mountain climbers instead 😂
80 steaming degrees here in NJ today. In the winter it will drop to 20. I have a small house with a 1 car garage which I've made as big inside as possible, especially my pride and joy basement gym. I started a year before covid using a small set of fixed hex dumbbells (thats rt) and an old no name adjustable bench. Over the years I got a standard barbell (from York), standard weights (facebook marketplace), gloves (Dicks), a squat rack (with my bench inside resembles a westside bench), and recently a titan fitness wall mounted pulley tower with 3 attachments (York). I built shelving, painted, moved stuff in every possible configuration and have a place that makes me happy and keeps me fit. I do bodyweight and stretching on my nice floor, bench on my faux-westside, incline dumbbell press, and lots of variety on the tower. Maybe bigger is better but I love my gym.
For me it was 35lb plates. When I started my home gym I thought they’d be convenient but they just aren’t. If I need to load a 35 I’ll probably do a rep with the 25 to warm up and add a 10 for my set.
35s are great for belt squat with a loading pin and dip belt. Standing on 2 cinder blocks.
@@ramtron1775idk, on the one hand they are extremely useless assuming you own 10lbs and 25lbs plates.
On the other hand, in a home gym you only need
2 5lbs,
4 10lbs,
2 25lbs
And
100 45lbs plates
So throwing in an extra 2 45s is not really a big deal imo.
@@martinshoosterman 100 45lb plates??? Please tell me you meant 10.
I use mine all the time. It is great for a warm-up, and if you are not ego lifting, you can still get a great pump.
If 35s are a waste, so are 25s. Have 4-5 pairs of 10s, 2.5s, 5s and then a bunch of 45s.
Basement gym here for 29 years. I love it. Perfect climate controlled year round. I'm lucky to have high basement ceilings. It's not musty or dark down there either. Now if my sump pump ever fails, I'll be screwed, lol.
I agree with Jammer Arms. I have the BOS lockable Hydra Trolley arms and they are amazing. Gym-pin finally released the Kaizen adapters for them. Mine are in route. Seated overhead press with them is absolutely amazing. It's now my favorite shoulder exercise. Shrugs and chest presses (using the spotter arm mod for better resistance) is also great.
As for treadmills, I recently sold mine and got a Blitz bike in its place. I just never used it. I also have a C2 rower, elliptical, and body solid climber which I use all the time.
People here confused about what over rated means. Over rated does not mean bad or useless. Simply that the majority of people would be better off spending their space and money resources on something else. That doesn't mean everyone, and it doesn't mean all the time. It's all a generalization.
What’s nice about the REP plate loaded lat pull down/low row is when I want to upgrade to a stack, the conversion kit is the same price combined with the plate loaded version as just buying the stack version first. At least that’s how it was last time a checked a few months ago
as a person with disabilities, sometimes you need special use equipment for safety. Coops right about these not being for everyone, but they are for someone..
If I had a bigger garage, I would definitely prefer a garage gym. I only have a two stall garage and I live in the mid-west. With our freezing winters, I need the garage space.
I like my space in the basement, however, it can be a major PIA to get equipment up and down from there. I have a 450 lb piece of cardio equipment that will NEVER make it's way back upstairs lol.
A cool basement in a hot muggy summer is nice as well.
Basements are way better. I don't have access to one so I use the garage - you have to deal with dust, dirt, bugs, cold, heat, humidity, rust, lack of ventilation and get very few benefits (high ceiling, fresh air sometimes). Basements are far superior
@@steverapos3904That just means your particular garage sucks. That's not a garage issue, it's a you issue.
Wish Australia houses had basements lol
Coop: you are nuts on the loadable dbs and the plate loaded cable machines. There are a gazillion "standard" plates out there. You see them at tag sales, on used goods sites, etc. And a lot of us bought a boatload of them back when they were 50 cents to a $1.00 a pound. I have several hundred pounds of the stuff, from 1.5 lb plates to 50 lb. plates. Use them on dbs handles. Use them on the high/low pully. Barbells. Very useful.
In todays world, having a fully kitted out bunker/basement might not be a bad idea 😅
Coop not only disparaged your basement gym, but also a couple other pieces of equipment you have. Yet, he can still only squat 40% of what you can do.....
Having a house built with a basement specifically for the gym and theater. I’m with you!
I agree. I have a couple windows in the room along with a TV. Plus you can beat the hell out of the basement and the wife couldn't care less.
Basement gyms are far superior in almost every single aspect.
@@BBQSKI It's all good, different strokes for different folks!
I've used 1" plates on dumbbells for 28 years. I now have 6 pairs of spinlock handles (York chrome spinlock dumbbell handles are currently $8.29 each). If you've already got plates, they're a great deal. 3 sets of handles can mean you don't need to change weight but once a month or so. I leave several weights set up, unchanged, while I progress reps for a month or so. When rep goals are hit I just add a single 1.25 pound plate to each handle. It's extremely convenient. My 14" handles top out at 91 pounds, which is plenty for me at 66 yo.
Coop when is the review on those Griffin 2.0 lever arms coming out?
Haha I’m out here cooking 😁 Can’t wait to show you a jammer that actually does what we all want it to!
I use our treadmill seasonally. I also have two small kids so at times it's tough to go out for a run/walk. Sometime I will use it after the kids are in the bed and it's too dark for me to leave the house.
I disagree with the dumbbells. Best purchase I’ve made.
I went with traditional spin lock adjustable dumbells when I first started my gym like 8 years ago. I was fine with those but always wanted a fixed set. I got Rep's urethane 5-75lb set a few years ago and love them. I still use my spin lock adjustables though for 80lb dbs and higher (up to 100.... wish I could go heavier).
I love having the fixed set. It's just so nice to grab and go. But.... they do take up a ton of space. About 2 years ago... maybe closer to 3 years ago now that I think of it... I've drifted away from Powerlifting/"powerbuilding" and have pretty much gone back to my high school "bro" days of pretty much adopting an exclusively bodybuilding style lifting program. As such.... I want machines... all the leg machines I can possibly fit into my garage, haha. So I just stare at my dumbells now and think.... what machine could I put right there instead of these dang DBs?
When Pepin announced their collaboration with Rep..... that was all I needed. I plan on selling my set with the racks just so I can swap them out for the PepinxRep adjustable dumbells. They easily look to be the most durable/bullet proof adjustable out there and are adjustable from like 10-120lbs... fucking yes please, haha. Not only that.... at 120lbs... they're SMALLER than fixed 120lb dumbells. Take my money Rep/Pepin. I plan on getting them next year sometime after everyone goes fucking nuts over them when they finally start selling them on Rep's site. Maybe even wait until black Friday 2025. But they will be mine. That said..... even though the adjustable mechanism on the pepins is pretty quick and simple..... I WILL miss my grab and go fixed DBs. But I'm willing to pay that price to add at least like.... 15 more square feet to my garage as my fixed DB setup is about 2.5'x8' (20sqft) and just 2 Pepin dbs will take up all of a 2.5'x2.5' footprint. (6 sqft)... if that. That's freeing up almost a 4x4 or 3x5 area for a machine. I've been eyeballing the company Fettle Fitness' offerings for machines. Their seated leg curl/leg extension combo machine has about a 3.5'x4.5' footprint.... about 15 sqft.... the amount of space I'll be freeing up by going from fixed DBs to the Pepins. Leaving me ample room to get also a pendulum squat.... possibly a leg press... seated calf machine.... and I'd also like to get a pec/rear delt fly machine and possibly a lat pullover machine as well..... if space allows.... maybe even an adductor/abductor machine or multi-hip machine. Like I said... I want all the leg machines.
I'm going to try and cram as much shit in my garage as possible. A couple years ago I stumbled on "Home Gym Hacks and Reviews'" channel and that dude can manage to fit like.... 10 friggin machines in his garage and his garage is about the same size as mine. He doesn't have a power rack though (i have the Prime Prodigy selectorized rack) so I'm thinking I should be able to fit 6 maybe 7 machines in my garage fairly comfortably.
Same for me of course for money and space value adjustable are really good but if you have the space nothing beats standard dumbbells in my opinion. And i dont see it as a waste since dumbbells are for me the most important equipment, you can work any muscle with a dumbbell pair.
I did a combo. I have 20’s 35’s 50’s 60’s 70’s and some Peppins on the way with bow flex as my first gym purchase before March 2020 to supplement the missing weight.
I think adjustable is nice to save space. But a 3 tier monster storage rack from rogue with the top as a kettlebell lets me split it between kettlebell and mobilityWOD accessories and other things I find useful.
One thing I don’t use unless training for Murphy is a weighted vest.
My original pepin fast series 120s are still my fave piece of home gym equipment pretty much used every session
Yeah I agree having a set of fixed dumbbells is a game changer
My basement opens up into the garage and then the outdoors. Best of both worlds 🎉
You'll never take my fixed dumbbells! Getting a complete set has been #goals
Agreed. Getting a set of fixed REP knurled dumbbells was some of the best money I've spent on my gym. I love the feel of them, and it makes it easier for me to superset at different stations without having to carry the weights everywhere. Plus, it's not uncommon that I'm working out with my wife and kid, so to replace the experience would require 3x sets of adjustables. It just doesn't make sense for me, but I can see how a fixed set isn't the best option for many people.
@@mikeprice3174 Thirded! The supersetting thing is really the thing that puts fixed dumbbells over the top. I have lifted with a buddy from work for the last 4 years. He had 30 through 100 minus 90 and 105, which aren't that big of losses tbh, before I got there. We've gotten it to the point where we have 10-120 minus what I mentioned. After the main lift, which is always heavy compound barbell movement, and supplemental, which is likely a heavy isolation movement or another compound movement, everything gets superset, likely with some lift done on the lat pulldown. Most of those supersets will involve the use of some dumbbell. A fixed dumbbell set is not a waste of space if you have enough of it. The far, far bigger issue with fixed dumbbells is how much they cost at the top end, even if you find some poor schmuck who doesn't understand what he has. For the record, I still want to get 105s but I'm not willing to spend for them yet. Marketplace blows in my area for such items, too.
I had Ironmaster adjustables for about 2 years, they felt great until I got to around the 55-60lb range then the centre of gravity changed the heavier they went, I have a whole fixed set now and they feel so much better in my hands, will only sell them if I move house and need to downsize, so fixed dumbbells = not overrated
Also I've never had a problem with plate loaded equipment, stacks though need constant fiddling around with
Maybe it's best to get adjustable dumbbells up to 60 lbs then fixed in 10 lbs increments. You can use Plate Mates for smaller weight increments.
@5:50….I feel attacked
I had the same thought about treadmills. I had a bike on a Tacx Neo2T trainer, an echo bike and it seemed unnecessary to have a treadmill for the obvious reason that you can run outside. 3 things. 1) It gets my wife to do cardio. She would not run outside alone because she didn't feel safe. She also needs the motivational stuff from iFit (similar to peloton) 2) It makes it possible for me do very specific workouts that are hard to do outside because of the varying terrain. It's a real PITA to stay in Zone 2 for instance if you're in a hilly area 3) In the winter, running outside can be flat-out dangerous some days. Black ice. Lumpy/icy terrain because of frozen slush etc. Also, you don't have to put on all your winter gear, which is nice.
As someone with small calves , having a calf raise machine was MANDATORY. I found a seated one for 100$ commercial grade and never regretted it. My legs have improved so much cause I hit them way more often and I still do standing calve raises after seated 👍
Just FYI, seated calf raises are thrash, due to calf attachment above the knee, only soleus muscle is working, which is like 30% of the calf.
Basic barbell calf raise does it just as well. 3 sets of 30 will smoke them
@@davorzdralo8000 yea it honestly is but depending how I position myself I get a good lift in. Then I do standing calve raises and get an insane pump👍. There's good and bad calf raises out there mine is mid-tier. San Marcos metroflex has a badass one..
all calf specific exercises are trash. They'll never grow your calves. The only things that actually work are pulling a sled, or heavy ass farmers carries. Everything else is a waist of time!
Also, have seen recommendations lately to concentrate on the stretched position. Probably will have the most luck standing on the edge of something and lowering from horizontal to fully stretched, vs standing on the floor and raising up like Coop showed.
I’ve got a 6 post for which I use the back posts to both hold weight plates and also my T3 Lat Pulldown/Low Row. So that middle space extended out to the 6 post isn’t being unused, it’s where I can put my legs for the pulldowns/rows which also enables me to use the inside of the 4 posts to place a pin (from a pin/pipe safety) to hold me down for lat puldowns haha
My setup enables me to use the inside of the rack for bench, the inside of the rack for squat on the other side, still enables me to do deadlifts and lifts out the rack, and I got a multigrip bar to do pull ups within the rack, too. All in one station, but that wouldn’t be possible within a 4 post without running into issues.
And that’s not built in cables like suggested, though I envy an Athena or Aries since they can do what I want with a weight stack instead of plate loaded.
Bought a yoke for 250. Tripped over it in my basement gym for 3 months. Sold it for 250 😂 if I could keep it somewhere set up instead of having to bring it outside every time probably would've used it more. I had wanted one for a very long time.
This dude sold us on most of this, now, overrated. 😮 wtf?
Basements are climate controlled. Garages you need a mini-split or other ways to control the temperature. I also like to park my car inside the garage during winter when there's snow. Garages also have sloped floors. Team basement all the way!
His argument made no sense. He could have said radon or something. But literally a dumb shit take otherwise.
Basements are also sloped to drain
Living room gym all the way
in my area basements don't count as living space because of water/mold issues. everyone i know with pool tables and fitness areas in their basements has mold/mildew. i put a window ac in my garage (3 car) and insulated the ceiling and it's just as good as my neighbors mini split garage. also added a ceiling mounted fan for when i want to open the door and have wind flow.
I love my basement gym. I have tall ceilings and can fit an 100 inch tall Monster rack in there, if I desire. My basement is heated in the winter. But so too is my garage. But I love parking in the garage in the winter. Because the garage is heated, it can be zero degree outside and my car is 50 degrees in the garage. No cleaning off the snow and ice. No 'warming' it up if I don't want to. Garages are for cars....basements are for gyms!
I'm going to catch hell for this, but hear me out... Landmine attachment. Do like we've always done before landmines were a thing. Find a 90° angle on a piece of equipment (ie: the corner of your rack) and put one side of the barbell in it. If you're worried about messing up your barbell, make a wooden 90° or get a cheap $60 barbell from Academy Sports. Lord knows everyone loves to show off their excessive amount of unused barbells hanging on a wall rack. Everything else in this video I agree 💯.
I'll get you started on the most underrated.
1- Pec deck/rear delt machine. You don't see these enough in home gyms. It was the first machine I bought
2- Smith Machines. Although they are getting more traction, they are just as useful as jammer arms on a different scope of exercises.
3- (bonus) Lat pulldown/ mid row, all in one. I haven't seen a home gym version yet, only commercial but I made mine out of an all-in-one home gym, a little creativity and a lot of welding machine 😂. But seriously, nobody wants to do rows sitting on the floor. Manufacturers just need to lengthen the seat and raise the pulley up for it to be a mid row.
Keep the videos coming Coop. This stuff has been getting me through my post back surgery where I can't train for a while.
100% agree on the lat pd/ mid row. I got the ultra cheap lat pd off Amazon months ago. I use the lat pd regularly, but never the low row. I hate getting up/ down from the floor. I'm looking to mod mine into a mid row somehow. Maybe mount a pulley higher up and drill a hole thru the tower for the cable to pass thru above the seat.
Yeah, I can do anything in my home gym almost as well as commercial, but pec deck is hard to replicate.
@rpromero78
Wack advice
Get a folding treadmill and get a tablet holder. The tablet holder is the greatest piece of fitness equipment ever invented!😊
😅😅
I strongly disagree with fixed dumbbells.
Fixed dumbbells will outlive everything else you own, and will outlive you.
You buy them once and never again. They are expensive, but they are eternal.
Plus you can find some pretty good deals often if you don’t mind having different brands for different weights and are patient with building the set.
Lbs for lbs they are the cheapest weight you will buy if you are smart about it.
IDK if coop knows this, but in a lot of places, Garages are actually IN the basement! Where I live, its like 80%-90% of them.
Agree on the treadmill unless you're a runner. I'm a runner, so I love it for when it's humid, hot, smokey, cold, wet, damp, foggy... and injury rehab. Also when there's a new episode of 'Chopped'.
Bench with leg curl/leg extension attachment. Maybe the very expensive ones are good but you basically don’t get a really good stretch and range of motion - they don’t work well
Hey COOP!!! I'm selling my adjustable dumbbells and going to fixed
I have a Rogue set you can buy next month...comes with mass storage shelf, 3 teir, 10-100's, come get'it
Pro tip/hack, from a lifelong fitness trainer, who’s worked out of my garage gym for 30 years…
If you have a standard angled hyper extension bench, you can extend it out of the base as high as you can, and you’ll have a great preacher bench. I use it for both cable, and barbell preachers, and it works just fine…
Bought regular jammer arms, thought they were super neat for the home gym. Honestly theyre just a big pain to set up and find the right angle. Honestly never use them
@@Felixthe0o I honestly don't even get the point, what are they for? Every exercise I see people demonstrate would be better without them and just a barbell. Is there anything unique that they do?
@@davorzdralo8000 for me it was having more variaty and having a replacement for gym machines, sadly that was only in theory lol
I noticed the hat, you in kc? I'm in olathe! I dig it! Been watching your videos for a while. Good to see a local kicking ass
Green Squallllllllll!! Yup, had them up here in Canada too. Nothing better than running around the rink after hockey with a Green Squall in hand.
6:00 90's kid here! Powerade's "green squall" was the best workout refreshment. Damn shame you can't get it anymore. 😞
Which smith machine attachment did you get? What rack did you install it into? I watch almost all vids did you make one on this?
100% agree on the reverse hyper. I think it cost around $1,400 and I NEVER use it anymore. It's also huge and takes up valuable space in my gym.
Huge plus for fixed dumbbells and an obvious huge drawback of adjustable is if you want to work out with 1 or more people in your gym. My daughter works out with me all the time and the weight we use never overlaps so I really prefer fixed dumbbells for our situation.
Made a garage gym with a dip station, Olympic rings, swedish ladder and plyoboxes. Now I barely use it cause my garage is full of crap. My gym now is whatever I can keep in the hall closet and comes out after the wife and baby goes to bed. Mostly Macebells/kettlebells and my Manduka yoga stuff.
Could you please put together a couple examples of home gyms that can fit in a closet? Maybe give yourself just a closet Coop and go through your garage gym and see what you feel is vital enough to go in the closet and use just what you’ve placed in that closet for a couple weeks just to show people it can be done?
I’d recommend Jump rope, yoga mat and Macebells to start. Those three things handle SO MUCH for me. Doesn’t seem like you can have a good leg day with a macebell but trust me you definitely can.
Let’s get some love for the closet gyms on Garage Gym Reviews 💪
Seated calf raises hit more soleus, standing hits more gastrocnemius. I do standing with an SSB Yokebar, don't tell Dave Tate! I use a 5 foot barbell with a center pad for seated and for hip thrusts. Simple and effective.
Latest studies show no difference in soleus hypertrophy between seated and standing raises so standing is all you need for both max soleus and gastroch growth
Calf raises is one of things that makes the SS yoke bar great. Combine that with handles on the rack and you can put some serious weight into calf raises, no stability issues at all.
When I first went shopping for my home gym, I did a hell of a lot of shopping and research on those power racks. And boy am I glad that I did more research - if you're ready to drop $2,000, just get a functional trainer. You might pass up the perfect bench and squat, but the options for those are adequate, and you get some exercise options that are just flat out fantastic.
i bought advertised dumbbell spotter hooks to accomodate my Snodes and one big reracking miss messed up my left wrist for 6 months. I ended up replacing my squat rack with a power rack along with the proper T2 dumbbell holders and never used those hooks again 😂
I like the Hammer Strength Jammer and you can find used ones for $250 which is great if you have the space, great if you're training to be an offensive or defensive lineman. I would find Jammer arms to be a pain moving on and off a rack. Cold tubs. Back in the day when my son was training for football the cold tub allowed him to be ready to practice the next day. About half of his teammates liked the effect of the cold tube, the other half didn't get benefit so it's usefulness is athlete dependent, in my son's case he loved the cold treatment (just wear neoprene booties). As for cardio a treadmill is fine but cheap treadmills don't last. I'm going to be taking one to the trash this weekend. I think a bike or rower would be a better and longer lasting solution.
The GHR/Revere Hyper combo is worth the space in my opinion, I recommend.. great video 👍👍
I have a very small home gym, but it is packed with great equipment. For cardio I use a bike trainer that I can fold away when not in use. I did get a bunch of hex DBs in the 15 to 25 lb range. It is mainly a convenience for my wife. I wouldn't mind getting an adjustable for heavier weights (I doubt I'll ever go over 70 lbs) to replace my 45 and 55 lb DBs. Also, just a plug, but really try to do cardio (150 min/wk or more) if you're not doing it now - it's pretty important even for those of us who find it incredibly boring (action movies help - at least for me).
Coop, what smith machine attachment did you end up putting in your rack?
Soleus gets hit more on the seated calf raise, not the gastroc
Coops really giving off that “retired fire fighter vibe” with the mustache and buzz cut. 😂
I call it the, "Growing Hair Anywhere and Everywhere I Can Look." - Coop
I think coops ultimate goal of this video was to push Brandon out of his basement and into his massive garages, where he belongs. GarageBrandon- "back in the garage again " every UA-cam video
Basement gyms are superior in almost every category.
@DrDoke I started with one and moved to the garage for several reasons despite i installed a minisplit. You would be right if you have ceiling height and proper air ventilation for appropriate air quality. I had neither so it is so much better in the garage. Just need to be a man and deal with the temperature swings.
Preacher curl allows some nice variation for biceps and bracchialis training. If you have an elbow injury, it helps remove a variable that lead to instability and further injury. It also takes little space.
As a half rack functional trainer combo owner, I've always wanted the strap safeties of a full rack and some other accessories
My treadmill is for safety purposes. I just don't want to be running around in the morning (before work) and there's unlesshed dogs and unleashed people. Also if I have to make a pit stop, the bathroom is 20 ft away as opposed to what , a tree?
Cynophobia?
Nooooo! Basement gym is the goal, garage is the compromise until I get there! A concrete bunker where you can block out the sun and make yourself deaf with too loud music that just bounces around is ideal :P
...more often than not the sealing is too low so you can't to pullups or standing overhead work though, but that's the only issue. This no natural light thing is not a bug, it's a feature!
My next gym will be a barn for sure because bringing stuff downstairs is quite a hassle! The temperature control environment down here is great though!
I'm going with the TRX. A suspension trainer that costs 4 times the amount as a set of rings that allows you to do less with it. That's not even considering the price of accessories for the TRX as well.
Coop, would you include the Gungnir in loadable dumbbells being overrated?
Hi my friend - I'm 40 and starting my small home gym - what is the first thing I should get that will help me with my fitness? Going with minimalistic gym. I'm thinking an air bike....?
Disagree with what you said about dumbbells. I hate power blocks, and any Smartlock Dumbbell Set. They are clumsy, ugly, most of them rattle. They do indeed take up less space and cost less than fixed dumbbells, but I really don't feel comfortable exercising with them. I really stick to my hex dumbbells. Just looking at them makes me happy. Lol
with the GHR you can do GHRs obviously, hyper-extension, several different ab movements, and it can be used as a preacher curl
Review your bolt smith machine add on COOP
When are you reviewing Rogue's FM 6 functional trainer? I just bought the half rack dual weight stack version in rogue red and I'm beyond excited!
Hello! I'm looking at the Amstaff 5000. Do you have any thoughts?
I bought the RML Rogue LT-1 Trolley system for my Titan X-3 flatfoot and I love it. Now I want to upgrade the handles with the Vandetta brackets so that I can adjust them for more hammer strength movements.
I had loadable dumbbells for 10 years. NOW i have 3 couples of fixed weight dumbbells and THAT'S IT. You don't need the entire set, once you're an intermediate/advanced lifter.
I literally LOVE my fixed dumbbells. My home gym IS made by those 3 couples of DB, i have no bar, no bench, nothing more than those heavy guys. :D
DB oriented training is ANOTHER thing.
Great call on loadable dumbells. I got a pair of olypic size to reuse plates for heavy reps. But they are long and awkward and difficult to position... They don't sit well on your leg.
Great video as always. Presently have a basement gym. Large size allows me to buy/get lots of equipment, so without a space issue, some single use equipment resides here. Wondering about your thoughts on an endless rope? Would like to see a review of different endless rope alternatives.
8:14
In a seated calf raise, the gastrocnemius is actually actively insufficient. It's biarticulate and crosses the knee joint as well so it's length is pretty constant in the seated calf raise. Seated calf raises will train it a little but it will pretty much only train the soleus well. Seated calf raises are simply inferior to straight calf raises. With the knee straight, the gastroc can be stretched and the stimulus to the soleus remains the same (as it only crosses the ankle joint and performs dorsi flexion so knee position doesn't matter.) Unless you have a very specific purpose for seated/bent knee calf raises (I've seen KOT Guy use bent knee calf raises to increase calf mobility dorsi flexion mobility) straight knee is objectively better as far as I know (for hypertrophy at least)
Review that smith machine attachment
I'm never getting rid of my fixed Dumbbells or 6 post rack! Granted i have a shop, so there's plenty of room haha
Treadmill and preacher curl/ez curl bar. Two things I thought I needed but never used
I'm looking for something like the Ares 2.0 with an integrated smith machine that connects to and utilizes the cable weight stack. Do you know if anything like that exists?
By far it's the do it all racks with a dozen different attachments and functional trainers built in.
With Loadable Dumbbells, say the 20” Titan:
They have a 6.5” loadable sleeve length
Accounting for thinnest collars, Strength Co Collars 1” each
About thinnest plates, Strength co 10lb plates 0.88” each
5.5” is loadable length minus the collar
Can fit up to 6 of the 10 lb strength Co plates on each side (0.88” x 6 is 5.28”)
6 plates each side is 120 lbs plus the DB is 12 pounds = 132 pound dumbbells each
12 sets of 10 lbs is $828 + tax/shipping
Alternatively:
Rogue Peppin Adjustable Dumbbells
$899 for just an 85 lb pair
$1,099 for 105 lb pair
$1,299 for 125 lb pair
Almost double the price for not even the weight that 20” loadable can hold, not accounting for an even longer loadable sleeve length. You’re paying for convenience to switch weights but realistically I don’t think most people are switching huge weights between sets like that that often.
I’d say loadable are underrated if anything.
This estimate is absurd. I bought a pair of bells of steel adjustable dumbells for $170, from walmart i bought old school cap 10lb plates for $1/lb free shipping. I bought 8 pairs of 10s, 2 pairs of 5s and 2.5s. Total was $200. This means my total amounts to $370 taxxed and shipped. I got any weight i want from 13-93lbs.
I could fit 6 plates on there theoretically. I just dont need that right now lol.
I was interviewed on a podcast recently, forgot when and which one
My dream wish list of single use equipment:
- Preacher Curl Bench
- 45 Degree Hyperextension
The freak athlete Nordic hyper is great. Just throwing but just there.
Just buy the hyperextension and use it like a preacher curl bench.
Got both, and the 45 degree is WAY more useful and used, so would strongly advice going for that dream first. Preacher curls can be replicated in several other ways than owning the full bench.
@@collinsmith1345Damn! Why didnt I think of that🤦🤦🤦🤦 Looking at mine right now and seeing it can be done🤦🤦
@@andersbjrnsen7203 just have to get creative! I use my ghd as a preacher bench.
Would you be able to review the Homegrown Fitness plates and barbell? They seem like a great deal
Man I have the DB 15 and I hate that I even spent the money on them. The stainless ones too. Aggggg. They collect dust now.
ForceUSA all in one trainer worth it or not? I’m looking to start a home gym and want a good squat rack that has pulleys and not to pricey
Coop, need a review of that smith machine add on.... IJS 😎
What do you think about multi-gyms? Along with a bench and dumbbells, they would save a lot of space with many options.
Remember the days when Coop was all about budget equipment? I miss that Coop. Knocking Plate-Loaded machines, and loadable dumbells. Are loadable dumbells really rated high? I have never heard anyone hype up loadable dumbells - they're more a necessity due to budget. Same with plate-loaded machines.
I genuinely like them, not just for budget, but also for space saving. I already have a bunch of plates, I just bought a couple dumbbell bars, and I can prepare in advance the weights I need if I want to do a drop set etc. They take so much less space than 20 pairs of dumbbells.
@@davorzdralo8000 Okay, now I have heard of someone hyping up loadable dumbells. They honestly don't seem like a bad idea for someone on a budget that has powerblocks, etc. as some movements don't work with a powerblock, but would with a loadable dumbell.
@@SeanFarrell1 i wouldn't say I'm really hyping them up 😂 but they do have their own unique advantages in price and space saving, so for people on a budget (or who just don't want to waste money) and constrained space, I see them as a really good option. I don't like adjustable dumbbells, too fiddly, easy to break, slow to change, and actually pricey. For fixed ones, they just take way too much space for me, and are also quite expensive. So I just do with loadable ones. I don't do much with dumbbells anyway, so they are fine 🤷♂️
He didn’t knock them. Not in the way you are implying anyways. He made it clear that for budget or just starting out many people get plate loaded machines and dumbbells, but once you have the money and are trying to be more efficient the pre-loaded ones are just better and more convenient.
He didn’t say don’t get them or they are garbage. Just that if you’re in a place to be able to get them, they are better.
@@Hajiroku So saying that they are overrated, hurt your knees, take so long to change, etc. is not knocking them..? Okay.
What’s your smith machine attachment for your rack?
The best investment I made in my home gym was my multi functional trainer (cable machine) I purchased a mid range commercial grade. I have the space but it’s not too bad on space. As a woman it’s perfect for me. I prefer fixed dumbbells as the ones that increase are soo bulky IMO. I do have a treadmill as I use it daily so for me the space is worth it. For my goals I have the right set up
I saw that clip of the pure torque rotational cable attachment. Is that something you wouldn’t recommend?
I think Coop toured my home gym and made the list based upon what I've got. lol
green squall? Matrix tie-in I believe! Good stuff as always, Coop!
@coop which smith machine attachment are you using?
I'm looking for an affordable rack that has a smith machine and a cable system with a real weight stack for ~$2500. Any recommendations?
I almost purchased the RitKeep PMax 5600 then realized the weight stack is made with plastic which doesn't seem reliable with regular use over time.
Coop what rack are you using now? Looks sweet
Overrated products = just look at your last 20 videos
😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I can’t stop laughing
If I had a large warehouse style garage gym.. then maybe I'd have some of that stuff. Totally agree about the treadmill, jammer arms, and the machines that target specific muscle groups.
i bought an all in one smith machine from major fitness. i love love love it! it does everything i used to do at the gym
In defense of treadmills outside of weather considerations, if you have kids you can’t leave, it’s the only way to do cardio
I rock fixed up to 50 lbs then have the Ironmasters for anything above. I keep the add on kit on them at all times making them start at 55lbs. I would like to get one more set of adjustable dumbbells like the repins for quicker changes at 55 to 90 but I will never get rid of the Ironmasters. Basement gym over garage gym. I am retired automotive Warrant Officer, the garage is where the welders, tools, and 81 Camaro goes.
What’s that smith machine rack attachment that you have? Can you swap out different bars? A wide pad (I bought a wide blackwing and added threaded inserts to it to retrofit to my rogue 3.0 adjustable bench) with the titan angled multigrip bar is a savior for the shoulders however being able to put that bar on a smith would be even better.