Pffffuu.. It took me all day to put this beast together. Went to Dick's and got Marcy MP -3105 on sale, and got 300lbs of Olympic weights with bar. Got the whole thing together. Just got done.

This is probably basic home smith machine but it's good enough for me for now. Max weight on the bar is 300lbs which is plenty for me.

It barely fit in my basement! It's just temporary location anyways. Once I get my 2nd bedroom converted to gym ala John Stone.

I didn't do anything on it yet, just few benches, and I have to say, this thing is SMOOTH. When I was putting it together, I was thinking " This is piece of junk! Everything looks so soft and wimpy" but, once I tighten everything together and all the pieces were in, this thing is very stable.

Benching on it, it very smooth too!

What do you guys think?

Looks sweet! :tucool:

Thanks Cramp!

I just did chest and biceps...(easy exercises) to test this thing out. I am so happy with it! I did flat bench press, incline, decline and use those pull things in the back... don't know what you call it :lol: .

I got a gym quality workout out of this thing. I love it! I feel safe on it, it doesn't wobble, the bars are stable and move smooth and quiet. I believe it will last me for a while and I don't see myself outgrowing it anytime soon :lol:

I am glad I picked up 300lbs Olympic plates with bar. Marcy game without plates, so it was pretty much given.

Total was $480 with tax for everything from Dick's Sporting Goods. Beats paying for gym $40/month! I can finally wake up at normal hour and do my lifting in the morning! I am super excited...

What do you guys think?[/quote]

I think you just bought a ticket to man town buddy! :tucool:

It's cool to see how folks start out, add accessories, and customize the gym to suit them.

Let us know how your workouts go in the coming days. Pro's and Con's with the new equipment, etc..

Bravo sir.

Well, I been working on this thing for 3 days now. I have to say, I am VERY happy with it. For the price and the quality of workouts that I get, you can not beat that.

Yesterday I did back. I got an awesome workout. Marcy held up pretty damn good, no wobbling.. and all my exercises were done to failure. I really had gymlike workout on this thing.

Today I am sore. My back feels tight and I can feel that I had good workout.

Today is chest day, so I will put the bench section to the test. I can't wait to see how that goes.

Overall, I am extremely happy with Marcy MP-3105, but as always, when you buy something, you want more lol... I need few more things:

1) Weight stand so I can have all the plates organized
2) Mirrors
3) Dumbbells with stand (15lbs, 30lbs and 50lbs for starters)
4) Rubber mats maybe...
5) Boombox or something.. anything that plays music
6) A hot supermodel trainer...

1) Weight stand so I can have all the plates organized
I just lay my 25's, 10's, 5's & 2.5's around the rack. the 35 & 45 lean against the wall behind it on both sides. I thought about a plate organizer, but this seems to work fine for me. 1/2 on one side, 1/2 on the other side. Cost = $0.00

2) Mirrors
I need mirrors too. My basement is unfinished though so I don't know how I'd mount them.

3) Dumbbells with stand (15lbs, 30lbs and 50lbs for starters)
I have a 3 tier rack that goes from 5lb to 40lb. I also have a small weight set with dumbell bars for anything higher. You might want to just start with a set like that. Cheaper and easy to setup between sets.

4) Rubber mats maybe...
Old, sh1tty carpet for me. All of the rubber mats I've seen just stink. I have no idea how long the smell lasts, but blah...

5) Boombox or something.. anything that plays music
Tunes are a must. I need music to get pumped up. I have an old computer in the basement that I use just for music and tracking my program. Gimme some Maiden.

6) A hot supermodel trainer...
I don't think my wife would approve. I'm not even going to ask. :blank: Let me know how it works out for you.

1) Weight stand so I can have all the plates organized
I just lay my 25's, 10's, 5's & 2.5's around the rack. the 35 & 45 lean against the wall behind it on both sides. I thought about a plate organizer, but this seems to work fine for me. 1/2 on one side, 1/2 on the other side. Cost = $0.00

I did this for a while too, but my fiance bought me a weight tree for my birthday a few years ago. I have to say, having them neatly stored in the corner is a lot nicer than having them sitting around the room, leaned on the walls, etc. Cost= $40

2) Mirrors
I need mirrors too. My basement is unfinished though so I don't know how I'd mount them.

In my unfinished basement I used a special mirror epoxy. It is STRONG and I've never worried about my mirrors falling off the wall. Now that I'm finishing up my basement, though, they are going to have to stay on the walls because I can't take them off without breaking them. :bang:

4) Rubber mats maybe...
Old, sh1tty carpet for me. All of the rubber mats I've seen just stink. I have no idea how long the smell lasts, but blah...

The smell lasted about a month. I've loved them the whole time though, the smell just never seemed to bother me. I like being able to drop weight on the ground and not worry about cracking my floor.

Maxxym, your gym looks great! Mine has really been lacking for a squat rack or smith machine to do leg work with. I'm envious!

Hey guys..

Well, I been working with this thing for 2 solid weeks..I have to say I LOVE IT! It does every exercise that I need. It's very stable.

I picked up few things

I went out and bought weight plate stand. It worthless if you have only one 300lbs set of plates because you constantly switch plates from one exercise to another, so I just throw them on the floor durring workout, but it looks nice and organized when it's cleaned up.

Today I also picked up dumbbells, 2 of each of course 20,25,30,35,40,45 and 50.

Got few accesories for the Smith machine, bar foam, triceps rope and single handle.

Oh.. and I picked up Sony boombox from Walmart for 100 bucks.

I am all set.

It would be nice to have few things like "captain chair" to do leg pull ups when working on abs. That will come with time.

Next, I think I will pick up one of those big exercise balls. It's cheap and you can do some killer abs on it.

I need to let my bank account recover a little :whistle:

I am freaking HOOKED!!! I have to say, it is soooooo much better to workout at home than at the gym. I save loads of time not driving back and forth to the gym, not to mention, paying for it.

Maybe in 2-3 years, I buy me a Titan :) That would be nice.

Total for my home gym setup:

Smith - 350
Weights - 100
Stationary bike - 250
Plates stand - 40
Dumbbells - 230
Boombox - 100
Accessories - 40

Total - 1110

That's 2 years worth of gym membership for me over here. Not counting time and gas spend actually getting there.

1110 reasons NOT to miss workout!

maxxym
I just saw one on ebay for $499 shipping included. good deal? Can you give me the workouts you can do and do well? I saw the pictures of the exercises it shows it can do but just wondering if it is a good piece of equipment and you can really do them all. I know you seem high on it but curious. Also, what is the approximate room needed to set up? Are you just getting going in lifting or a vet? Thanks

If you got Dick's Sporting Goods around you, they have them on sale for 350, but no weights. 100 bucks for 300lbs olypic weights and you have everything you need.

I am not a vet... I am starting. 300lbs bench potential on this machine is PLENTY for me.

You can do all the exercises that they show.

Think of it as a Smith machine with extras.

If you don't have a spotter, then smith machine is for you if you like to do your workouts to fail.

499 is little steep, you can get it cheaper. They are coming out with a new model so this one should be on sale in many sporting goods places.

Hey Maxxym,

Thanks for the post! I went out and got one and absolutely love it too! I got my weights at sears. 300 lbs for $189 (on sale this week). They are weider and have the cutouts so you can lift the weights easily and the outside edges are rubber coated. I would post a link but their site is down for upgrades right now it seems.

The only thing I didnt like about the Marcy was when you do lat pull downs, there is nothing to tuck your knee's under like at the gym, to stop you from getting pulled up.

HERE IS THE SOLUTION:
Lower the smith bar to a level that is just above the bench. Load it up with a ton of weight and sit on the bench with your legs right under the bar. If you are too large and cant get a right fit, try a chair or something that will line up with the bar. It works perfectly. Let me knwo what you think!

Hey Maxxym,

Thanks for the post! I went out and got one and absolutely love it too! I got my weights at sears. 300 lbs for $189 (on sale this week). They are weider and have the cutouts so you can lift the weights easily and the outside edges are rubber coated. I would post a link but their site is down for upgrades right now it seems.

The only thing I didnt like about the Marcy was when you do lat pull downs, there is nothing to tuck your knee's under like at the gym, to stop you from getting pulled up.

HERE IS THE SOLUTION:
Lower the smith bar to a level that is just above the bench. Load it up with a ton of weight and sit on the bench with your legs right under the bar. If you are too large and cant get a right fit, try a chair or something that will line up with the bar. It works perfectly. Let me knwo what you think!

Glad you like it!

Hey, Dick's Sporting Goods has 300lbs of Olympic weights with a bar for 99 bucks.. that's where I got mine. They have square edges instead of round ones like they show on the display. Just throwing it out there...

Good idea with a bar! I was thinking the same thing too... when I was doing pull downs, it almost lifted my ass of the bench....I have to try your suggestion next time! (Monday :) ) I got bar padding, so it will make it little easy on my legs...

I might pick up the preacher addition to the bench...it would be nice to have one

I didnt get the preacher but I got a leg extension attachment. The guy said it wasnt meant for the Marcy but it would fit. I got it at Dick's too for $39.99. Let me know what you think about lowering the bar for the lat pull downs.

I didnt get the preacher but I got a leg extension attachment. The guy said it wasnt meant for the Marcy but it would fit. I got it at Dick's too for $39.99. Let me know what you think about lowering the bar for the lat pull downs.

Dude, your trick works awesome! We did back yesterday and we put a bar with 45lbs plates on each side...what a difference! It's much better and I got much better exercise out of pull down without my body being pulled up.

Thanks!

How is Marcy treating you? :D I still love mine! She is good to me! I am discovering some more exercises on it. I love it.

Thanks for the tip again.

Hey maxxym,

That's awesome. I am glad it worked as well for you. I am still loving it too. For the price, you can't beat it. Plus, I am only 5'10" 165, my long skinny arms will never come close to pushing 300lbs on that bar anyway.

I found another cool exercise with it. I take the smith bar and go under it, facing the back of the cage(where the pull down weights are). I put the bar medium height, put my heals on the ground and do rows on the bar. It works really well.

Now if I could only figure out some way to rig up a base so I can lay on the floor flat and do leg presses. I am thinking about buying a set of car jack stands to lay beside me so i can set the weight down safely. I dont think there is a safe way to hook the smith machine onto its pegs with your feet.

What other cool exercises you figure out! You da man for recommending this and posting info on it.

THanks again!

Yeah I was thinking about the leg exercises... actually, you jack idea sounds pretty good lol.. once again... lol


Need to rig something up with handles...so you could just push the handles while you are laying on your back on the floor... and then some kind of safety clip would hinge the bar on the hook.

I bought a rope so I can do few extra things.

Try this on your arms day. You need a rope though.

Hook up a rope to the bottom hook. Stand up straight and pull the rope up. At the end of the motion, spread the rope, left arm to the left side, right arm to the right side. Don't go all crazy on weight. Form is everything, especially with this exercise. Keep your back straight, and don't sway...keep your elbows steady too... don't pull them up when you are pulling up the rope.

Do this as your very last set for your biceps. I promise you, your arms will be numb when you are done :)

I do triceps using the rope as well. Hook it up to the top hook, turn around away from the machine (back to the Marcy logo) and pull the rope above my head.

Nothing new there, but it works great when you have a rope.

Did you try any of those sets they have on that poster?

Oh I found out something.. lol... you can not put different weight on the back weight stack thing. lol...uuhmmm .. she won't slide :( Need to have same weight on both sides...I was little lazy and thought I could just put one 10lbs plate on one side instead of 5lbs on each side :)

looks pretty cool. i will have to go to dicks and check out their selection. i was thinking about getting some new equipment..that looks like you can do a solid workout on it

So Marcy continues to impress me. I did cable crossovers yesterday and got a great pump (on top of everything else I did on it). I also have the rope and did some great exercses with it for Tri's.

Today I am off to the hardware store to find some way to rig up a leg press attachment.

I am thinking a piece of wood 2 1/2 feet wide, some u shaped bolts and some wing nuts. I will put the u shaped bolts around the bar U shape on top, put the wood up against the bar facing the floor (pre drill some holes) and secure the wood to the bar by using the u bolts and wing nuts. I will make feet holsters out of some rubber and staple them into the wood. To protect myself I am going to look at some jack stands to support the bar on the way down.

I know, many of you are probably thinking "why didn't this idiot just buy a smith machine with a leg press attachment??". The simple answer is, the Marcy system was a great bargain and after having a kid 4 months ago, money is pretty tight. So I need to improvise.

I am not sure if the jack stands will go as high as I need them. That may be the only issue. Not sure if I will get it together today, but when I do I will post some pics if it is worth while.

So I went to the store and jack stands just wont cut it. They dont go high enough. Back to the drawing board in that department. I did see the U bolts I will need and I still think that half of the equation will work. If anyone has ideas on how to twist the smith lever to lock it in place while your feet are attached to the bar please let me know.

If not, I will keep at it and post if I figure something out.