http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/rexpix/workout/craigl044.jpg


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V13ZOlzpxc4



I was considering a PowerTec WB-LS, but decided to spend less, keep it as simple as possible with less bulky equipment and have fewer moving parts wear out. Plus, I'd still need a pullup station even if I bought the PowrTec machine
I'm planning on doing mostly bodyweight and dumbbell exercises and order a trap bar to do squat/deadlifts rather than using a barbell and then needing a rack.
Of course, I can also use it to do shrugs as long as I have it.
http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/im-0022shr1-ani.gif
I found a store that sold trap bars locally, but it was $189 for a similar bar that's $109 plus freight at newyorkbarbells. Their heavy duty powerlifter-type shrug bar was only $50 more than the one online, but that's bigger than I'll ever need.

I found a discounted display model of a Parabody power tower at a fitness store. Then I found a 300lb rubber Olympic weight set with grips on sale at Sears for $219.99. I also bought an Olympic curl bar, quick connect collars and Olympic weight tree.

The complete rubber weight set with the barbell was cheaper than buying the same loose plates without the bar. I don't need the barbell since I have no bench or rack, so I'll try to sell it and then buy the trap bar.
I also have standard dumbbells and a gym ball and bosu ball that can be used as a makeshift bench for dumbbell exercises.

For cardio, I can do a spinning workout and a boxing/jump rope workout on alternate days.
The biggest problem will be getting back started on chin ups. I used to do sets of 12 two years ago, but now I can't do one.

I also have an evaporative cooler in the garage. It doesn't cool the whole garage down like an A/C, but it changes the garage from a "heatstroke oven" to merely "very warm" and actually feels quite cool if it blows directly on you. It also uses about 1/5th the electric power of an A/C so it doesn't add much to my power bill.

Sounds good. I personally would save the money on the trap bas and just us the Olympic bar for those exercises but that my preference. For the same price as the bar you could get an affordable bench with stands high enough to do squats with. Something like this.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5280822

Sounds good. I personally would save the money on the trap bas and just us the Olympic bar for those exercises but that my preference. For the same price as the bar you could get an affordable bench with stands high enough to do squats with. Something like this.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5280822

The trap bar squats look much safer for my back than doing normal squats with a bar on my shoulders.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QDiK5yhBCA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCGuELwV4dc


You can also potentially get injured by yourself if you get stuck at the bottom and are not be able to get back to that rack to seat the bar. A power cage would eliminate that problem, but my back would still be at risk doing barbell squats even in a cage.
The trap bar also takes much less space than those.

If you are squatting a weight you feel may be difficult to get back up to a rack, how do you intend to be able to hold onto the trap bar? Unless you have the grip of Superman I think you are going to feel limited after a while in the amount of weight you can handle.

I'm not trying to be negative, just pointing out what I see as a potential future stumbling block. If I were you I would hang on to the bar that came with your weight set, just in case. :)

If you are squatting a weight you feel may be difficult to get back up to a rack, how do you intend to be able to hold onto the trap bar? Unless you have the grip of Superman I think you are going to feel limited after a while in the amount of weight you can handle.

I'm not trying to be negative, just pointing out what I see as a potential future stumbling block. If I were you I would hang on to the bar that came with your weight set, just in case. :)

The guy in the second video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCGuELwV4dc was able to hold on to 360lbs for 9 reps with bare hands and I don't think I'd ever go above 300. I'd just go slower and more reps if I ever got to the point where 300 felt easy. I'd also wear gloves, maybe with straps/hooks if needed.
I may stick the straight barbell in a corner for a year in case I ever trade the Chin/Dip tower for a power rack, but right now I don't think that will ever happen.

Like I said, I'm not trying to be negative. If you can do it, more power to you. :tu:

I have small hands and personally find that on a lot of heavy lifts I spend more time concentrating on my grip than I'd like. For example, when doing heavy deadlifts I tend to worry more about my grip at the expense of concentrating fully on good form, particularly my back positioning.

My gym has a bar exactly like the one you've shown and I find it to be a very useful piece of equipment. I must not be the only one who feels that way, since there's usually a line ahead of me waiting to use it. :lol:

I went back to the local store and got them to reduce the price of the shrug cage so it only cost a few dollars more after tax than ordering it from New York Barbells after their freight charges.
I think I'm all set now. All I need to do is come up with a program in then get started.