is this worth buying

[/\/\@rk]

hi i have been finding it hard to get to the gym for the past few months due to college commitments. i finish college in June and will have quit the gym by then (due to the fact the gym is closeish to my college, but no my home) the gym in my local village is pretty small and cramped + im off to university in october so don’t want to have to commit to a gym until then (at which point i get free access to one of the best gym facilities at a university in Britain 4 free) so basically in between the time of finishing college and starting uni + summer holidays when im off uni i need something to use at home.
My parents have a few bits and bobs (pilates machine, stomach cruncher and something called a power rider http://www.3suisses.be/FRONT/DE_CN/I.../1/7/89171.jpg) how ever i was thinking of getting a bench and sum weights. However i didn’t realise how expensive this was and i am a poor student tht cant afford much :P therefore hoping to get something off eBay. Was wondering if you could take a look at some things for me and make a judgment. My max spend is £200 ish but want this to include weights ( as you can see i aint going to get much with this money but hears hoping)











http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRAND-NEW-MARCY-WEIGHT-BENCH-WITH-50KG-BARBELL-DUMBELLS_W0QQitemZ120118675372QQihZ002QQcategoryZ1 5281QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

good points - incline flat decline positions
- comes with 50kg of weight
- delivered
- 5 year warranty
- Relatively cheap

bad points - doesnt do military press
- doesnt say but dont think it will hold much more than 120-150kg inc user
- has fly, lat and leg attachments which seem flimsy
- think i will grow out of the weight it can carry quite soon








http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-MULTI-GYM-HEAVY-DUTY-WEIGHTS-EXERCISE-BENCH-RRP-395_W0QQitemZ250112137138QQihZ015QQcategoryZ15281Q QcmdZViewItem

good points - Maximum Weight including User - 400kg
- also seems to have incline decline flat and military (but doesnt say so if any one noes it would be a grate help)
-has a 2 year warranty
Bad points
- cant put away
- quite expensive it normally sells around 120 + pp = 35 therefore cant get much weight



or ones off people selling theirs (this means i can only do local thereofre i have the choice of below)


eBay.co.uk: **heavy duty olympic weights bench with 7 ft barbell** (item 320112990780 end time 13-May-07 23:32:32 BST)

good points - reckon it will go for close to £100
- Flat incline decline positions
- Heavy duty

bad points - doesnt have military position
- no weights included
- no guaranty included


eBay.co.uk: weights bench plus weights and bars (item 320111700586 end time 12-May-07 11:21:11 BST)

good points - probably go for a £100
- flat incline position
- comes with a 100kg of weight
bad points - no decline /military
- looks flimsy like the pure fitness one
- no guaranty


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/weight-bench-plus-weights_W0QQitemZ110124080894QQihZ001QQcategoryZ15 281QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

good points - relatively cheap
- 90kg weight
bad points - far away
- flimsy looking
- no decline /military position


thre is also these weights for sale

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/olympic-barbell-and-weights_W0QQitemZ250113647849QQihZ015QQcategoryZ44 083QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

which i could add to any purchase without weights if it goes for more than a £100 can get i can get them for cheaper else where.

Any help choosing would be much appreciated or if you have any other advise or possible purchases tht would be helpful also

Cheers again mark

[AlexMK]

It's only 3 months in between finishing college and going to uni (which uni are you going to?). I'd suggest you join that local gym but try to negotiate a 3 month membership deal. Most gyms will cut deals if you offer £75-£100 for 3 months upfront cash they should say yes. I've negotiated with Cannons, Holmes Place & Fitness First before and an independent gym. Only company to say no to me was Virgin Active.

If you do want to buy your own stuff then try the local paper for 2nd hand stuff, just concentrate on getting a decent set of weights first. Second hand weights are normally quite cheap.

[tim_mcf]

Just get a couple hundred pounds of sand, seperate it out into 25 lb bags (contractor garbage bags), and get an only duffel bag. Cheap, easy, portable, will give you a better workout than the iron will anyway.

[/\/\@rk]

but the thing then is if im paying 100 every time i come home from uni which could be any wear from 4-7 times ive got nothin at the end of it equipment wise, i will still be depednet on the gym. couldnt i get just as good a work out from having a bench some heavy weight and doing sum cardio ( due to the fact i cant think of many chest exercises which u can do without a bench or speacil equipment, but can do most other body parts just uisng weights.
The sand idea is pretty good the only problem i can see is the old saying wich weighs more a ton of lead or a tone of feathers. oviusly if i get a 100kg of sand wouldnt it take up a hell of alot of space where as iron is alot more dence so a heavier mass to size ratio. I may be wrong and 100kg of sand mit not be as much as first thought.

cheers for the advise

mark

[LiftGirl]

Originally Posted by /\/\@rk

but the thing then is if im paying 100 every time i come home from uni which could be any wear from 4-7 times ive got nothin at the end of it equipment wise, i will still be depednet on the gym. couldnt i get just as good a work out from having a bench some heavy weight and doing sum cardio ( due to the fact i cant think of many chest exercises which u can do without a bench or speacil equipment, but can do most other body parts just uisng weights.
The sand idea is pretty good the only problem i can see is the old saying wich weighs more a ton of lead or a tone of feathers. oviusly if i get a 100kg of sand wouldnt it take up a hell of alot of space where as iron is alot more dence so a heavier mass to size ratio. I may be wrong and 100kg of sand mit not be as much as first thought.

cheers for the advise

mark

You should check out our spring newsletter. Maverick wrote a great article on how to make your own sandbag and train with it. I think it would be just the thing for you.

If you go with free weights, you're probably going to need some kind of power rack in addition to a bench for squats, DLs, rows, etc.

[tim_mcf]

My 200 lbs of sand fits into 2 army surplus duffel bags, which can be stacked on top of each other in the corner of a room. Bench, bar, plates, plate storage rack (I have all that too) take up considerably more room.

Overhead presses will do nearly as much if not as much for you as presses lying flat on your back. If you also have the capability to hang a pullup bar and some rings you have just added pullups, dips, muscle-ups, and ring pushups (there's your chest work), and it's a heck of a lot cheaper. You're talking about a brief period of time, and you want the most bang for your buck...sandbags, pullup bar, and homemade rings should come in around $50 maximum, less by far if you live close to the beach. (I don't know what that is in pounds and I'm too lazy to figure it out.)

A workout routine using what I have laid out will keep you in plenty good shape for the 3 months you're gymless. Afterwards you may even decide to keep saving your money and continue to stay away from the gym.