As I’m trying to lose weight–and I really don’t think of it as a diet, it’s more a eating healthy as part of a Strategic Calorie Reduction Plan (it seems more easier put that way)–I need to exercise more. I already have a couple things I can do for aerobic exercise (I’ve got the DDR mat and I can always work more around town) but I don’t have any good way of gaining muscle mass. As I can’t afford anything like a weight machine, a nice set of free weights and a decent bench seems like a good starting point. Consumer Reports doesn’t seem to have any ratings, so I’m turning to you guys for advice. It’d be nice if the bench adjusted for various exercises and to have both a bar with some plates as well as a set of dumbbells. I don’t have to buy it all at once–I could get the dumbbells now and the bench and bar and bigger weights later, for instance. Heck, I probably can’t buy everything all at once, as I’m trying to buy it with the extra $50-$100 I’ve found in my budget per month.
This stuff you need to get at the same time:
light weights-most of your muscle groups won’t be able to do very much to begin, and you can put more of them on later.
barbells-These you’ll need in two different sizes- short bars for the individual hand exercises and longer ones when you’re using both arms at once. Get a few plates with fairly low weight and collars so they don’t slip off.
Initially you’ll want to exercise one muscle group, wait a few days, and then do another.
dead lift-barbell in both arms, bring from floor to waist
bench press-on your back, lifting from your chest to full extension of your arms
squat-bar on you shoulders, squat and get up again
curls-bar in your hand, bend over slightly and get a grip on some thing for balance and leverage, and basically bring your elbow to a right angle and down again
flies-on your back, weights in your hands. Arms are initially straight out and down. Bring the weights up while keeping your arms fully extended and perpendicular to your torso.
weight bench-you’ll need for bench press and provides handy support for curls.
For the bench press and squat, especially since you’re not using a machine, YOU MUST HAVE SOMEONE ELSE THERE TO SPOT YOU. IF YOU LOSE CONTROL OF THE WEIGHT, YOU CAN GET SERIOUSLY INJURED. I know I’m shouting and I’m doing that for a reason: free weights can fall and really injure you. If you don’t have anyone available to watch you, go to a rec center and use their machines.
Disclaimer: I am not a personal trainer-the above is based on my dad’s twenty-odd years of experience lifting weights. You’ll need to talk to someone in the field if you want decent results.
Actually, you need to talk to someone professional anyway; this is kind of like legal or medical advice in that I’m not really qualified to advise you and you can get in deep shit from faulty recommendations. I just figured it was better for you to have some idea of what you probably need.
Sears seems to have some reasonably priced gear. Weight benches for $150 and under, depending on how many different exercises you want. They have a 200lb olympic barbell set for $120. Stay away from the plate style dumbbells, it takes forever to change weight, you have 4 sets of plates to change, and they have to really be locked into place tight before use.
You can also check out craigslist for a used set.
You’d be a lot better off getting a membership at a decent gym, as that $50-$100 a month will get you access to a lot more equipment than you can buy yourself. If you must buy your own equipment, get the cheapest stuff you can find. It’ll last through a beginner’s workouts. The Sears stuff is probably good.
That said, if you had to buy only one piece of equipment, I’d recommend a dragging sled. Load that bad boy up with a couple hundred pounds of iron and drag it the length of a football field a few times, and you’ll get stronger.
Freecycle might be a possibility as well.
Don’t buy a cheap bench! Get something sturdy, with widely spaced crutches. I have a Body Solid bench, and it has been terrific. That crap you typically see in Sears won’t save you anything in the long run.
Get a nice bench, 300 lbs of weights (Olympic bar) and keep adding to your dumbbells. Get a bench with a leg extension apparatus, with an adjustable bench, and make sure the crutches can extend to do inclines and squats. You’ll be able to do an awesome work-out, every body part.
I agree with ultrafilter here. 50-100 a month will get you a gym membership and if you can get closer to $100 you can get a personal training/coaching services at the gym as well. You might look into the city park and recreation department and see if there is a rec center near you with a weight room. They’re typically very inexpensive. My wife and I got a year’s family membership for $300 and that gets us into any one of ten different weight rooms around the city. A community college, if you have one nearby, may offer a weight training course you can take after hours or on weekends as part of their continuing education programs. This way you get instruction on how to train as well as access to equipment. I looked at my local community college and you can get a three-month pass for $45 to their fully-equipped weight room. They have a continuing education weight training class from 5:45 - 7:05 PM two days a week. A ~ four month semester’s course fees are $36.
I’m not sure what’s available in your area, but with the budget you have I think you’d be better off getting a membership somewhere, preferably with a coach/instructor/trainer available.
Enjoy,
Steven
Look on Freecycle and at garage sales. The number of people that buy the equipment and then give it up (cough) me (cough) is great. Weights are generally $1/lb., you can get them dirt cheap from people who want to get rid of the clutter.
(By the way, I do pick mine up periodically. What I really need, though, is a treadmill. 
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Wait until Spring, & go garage sale-ing. (All the New Years’ pledges will break by then.)
BTW–consider buying a bicycle. Great exercise, & if you fit a basket to it, a way to save on gas for short errands.
Do you have any used sporting good stores in your area?
We have Play It Again Sports out here. Cheap, good, used benches. Free weights 50 cents a pound. Not sure how much plates are but I believe they’re the same.
I agree with needing a spotter though. The cheaper the bench, the MORE need for a spotter. I personally would not put my neck under a 200# weight and hope my arms or a cheap crutch would keep it up without someone there to un-pin me.
This little product gets my seal of approval. I’ve used them for awhile at home. Basically an entire set of dumbbells up to 52.5 lbs each in one dumbbell. You dial in the weight you want with the dumbbell on the base, and it only picks up the weights that it needs. So, if you want 25 lbs, dial it to 25. Then, if you want 30, put it back in the slot and dial it to 30. Not cheap, but cheaper (and less space) than all those dumbbells.
Getting quality home equipment will cost you. I’d estimate that getting a gym membership at $100 a month would break even with good home equipment at around 3-4 years. My last gym membership in the US cost $35 a month and they upgraded some of their equipment in the 3 years I was there. In other words, it is unlikely to be cost-effective for you to buy your own stuff unless you are really sure you’re going to use it and will want to keep it for a long time without upgrading.
I’ll give you a set of dumbells 110 lb Marcy olympic set. You have to come pick it up. A tenant of mine left it behind, so first caller gets it. See the Free section of Craigslist.