Chapter 20: Designing a Home Gym 321
use the heavier Standard or Olympic bars. The problem is, you can’t clip on
weight plates, so you have to buy several bars to accommodate your various
muscle groups. They’re not cheap either: A 12-pound Body Bar runs about
$35. Plus, these bars don’t come in heavy enough weights for many interme-
diate and advanced exercisers.
Weight benches
When you buy dumbbells and/or barbells, buy a bench, too. A bench lets you
do many exercises that you couldn’t do otherwise. Doing free-weight exercises
while lying on your back on the floor is difficult; your elbows may hit the
ground before you complete the movement. You also can do several exercises
while sitting or kneeling on a bench.
If you’re lifting dumbbells lighter than 30 pounds, you probably can get away
with a plastic step platform rather than a full-fledged weight bench. With two
sets of risers underneath, the platform is high enough and sturdy enough for
light dumbbell exercises, but you may want to pad the step with a towel to
provide cushioning on your back.
If you’re lifting heavier dumbbells or using barbells, buy a real weight bench.
A bench is higher off the ground and more stable. We recommend benches
that can be easily adjusted to incline or decline so you can challenge your
muscles at different angles.
Look for a bench with a thick foam pad covered with Naugahyde or imitation
leather. The pad should be sturdily bolted to a steel frame and legs. A bench
should be at least a few feet high and shouldn’t wobble when you get on and
off. A basic flat bench goes for $50 to $300, depending on the quality and
thickness of the padding, frame, and legs. We recommend paying a bit more
for one that can be set at various inclines because it gives you the ability to
vary your exercises. York and Hoist make good ones, but we really love Tuff
Stuff benches (from $150 to $450) because they both incline and decline; most
benches do one or the other, in which case a bench that inclines is more ver-
satile than one that declines.
Multi-gyms
Multi-gyms are those contraptions that look like a bunch of health-club weight
machines welded to each other (see Figure 20-2). Multi-gyms take up a lot of
room — usually more than a stereo wall unit — and most require at least 7
feet of vertical clearance space. But many people prefer multi-gyms to free
weights or bands because they’re so safe and easy to use. Most multi-gyms
come with instructions — some even come with videos demonstrating all the
different exercises you can do.