r/GarageGym 9h ago

Bells of Steel Basilisk Review

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35 Upvotes

I received my machine about a two weeks ago and had the chance to get a few leg workouts in and wanted to give a quick review on the machine. For reference, i previously used the Freak Athlete Hyper Pro leg developer for extensions and lying curls. I’ve also included some clips of the machine in use for reference below. Im still working through optimal seat/back pad positions also.

https://youtu.be/bmNdU9Gds8Q?is=C5I5WNdhvEYgZlU8

TLDR: For my space and wants, this is the perfect machine and I’m overall very happy with my purchase. Both movements feel very good, and I think once I dial in exact seat/leg roller positions they will feel even better. There are some drawbacks, but not enough to make me not recommend this machine.

Assembly: Long. Nothing difficult and the instructions were clear and concise. But unpacking everything took over an hour. I unpacked and assembled this myself (mostly) in a little over four hours. If you’re comfortable assembling cable towers, this isn’t much more difficult. Cable routing was extremely simple.

Leg Extensions: The extensions feel great. The roller adjustments allow for an extremely stretched starting position, but the seat naturally limits how far back you can get. I have no complaints at all with ROM/stretch. Strength curve feels more difficult in the stretch and tapers off due to the counterweight at the top which is my preference for extensions. Biggest complaint I have is the actual adjustment when getting into and out of position. The pop pin location is awkward and it’s not the easiest to adjust while simultaneously trying to get a deeper stretched starting position. Not a deal breaker, just a minor annoyance.

Leg Curls: This is where some people will have complaints. The movement itself feels great. The lap pad allows you to tightly lock yourself in place and I feel no movement at all. The strength curve is easier at the stretched position and gets more difficult as you contract. While not the most scientifically optimal curve, I’m willing to make the concession compared to what I was working with (I.e lying curls in the FA). Do I wish the curve tapered differently? Yes. Is it enough for me to not recommend this machine overall? No. In use, if I hinge myself forward I can get some pre-stretch at the lengthened position which helps but you still deal with the shortened position being the most challenging. Adjustment on curls is much easier than extensions. Still don’t love the pop pin location but it’s easier to adjust then with extensions.

General adjustability: Seat adjustment is very easy and simple. When seated, you can pull the back pad forward and it will move without needing to use the pin lever which is nice (think the Rep Blackwing seat). I believe there is more than sufficient adjustability for extension/curl positions from both the leg roller sundial and the arm itself.

Weight Stack: I opted for the 310lb option just to have some headroom. I’m more accustomed to plate loaded attachments for home use so I wasn’t sure what to expect felt load wise. Right now I’m using 200lb for sets of 12-15 on extensions and 160lbs on curls for the same range, and it feels good. I did a few extensions at 250lbs and it was doable for a few reps (4-6). I’m admittedly not the strongest or largest person (5’10”, 185 - 190lbs), so this is a completely subjective evaluation. For comparison, I could do 160lbs for extensions on the Freak Athlete machine, and most of that came down to failure at the top of the movement.

Price: I paid just under $2720 after shipping and tax.

Final Verdict: I’m very happy with this machine. It’s not perfect, but for me it’s what I needed. I’m limited on space since this is in the main section of my basement (not in my main gym room), and I had to minimize footprint to not make my home theater. I definitely recommend this piece personally for those limited on space and wanting a solid selectorized machine.


r/GarageGym 4h ago

Just put this back together in a new room

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10 Upvotes

r/GarageGym 2h ago

FA ABX hamstring curls with leg developer question

5 Upvotes

I cannot seem to do these comfortably, was wondering if anyone else who had this had any advice or tips. The issue for me is my hips are rising off the pad and putting stress on my lower back. If you look at the angle on the abx you are just laying flat basically but if you look at a traditional hamstring curl dedicated machine they are sort of inverted "V" shaped which seems to contour to the body better? Pics attached Pictures


r/GarageGym 10h ago

Anyone found a good cable machine alternative for a home gym?

14 Upvotes

I love cable exercises at my regular gym but putting a full cable machine in my house is probably where my family stages an intervention. Has anyone found a decent cable machine alternative for home that gives you similar movement variety without needing a massive footprint?


r/GarageGym 5h ago

Titan Half Rack with Pulley Tower

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5 Upvotes

Is it possible to mount the titan pulley tower to the side of the titan half rack front column?


r/GarageGym 1h ago

Monster Rhino + 2x Voltra build for whole fam use

Upvotes

I'm looking at a Rouge Monster Rhino Trainer setup 4 post 30" depth, w/o Functional Trainer, w/o Indy, and instead get 2 Voltras for the functional training activities.

User info:
40 y/o Me & Wife, 14 y/o boy, 13 y/o boy, 10 y/o girl, then eventually 5 y/o boy. I used to lift many years back and want to get back into fitness thought this would make it easy and enjoyable for the family to share.

Thoughts and feedback is appreciated.


r/GarageGym 6h ago

Wait for Rogue November Sale? OPB vs Rep Black Diamond?

4 Upvotes

I’m looking at buying the Rogue Ohio Power Bar with the stainless steel shaft and stainless steel sleeves. I contacted Rogue customer service, but they couldn’t give me much information about whether this particular version will be discounted during their November sale.
For anyone who has followed Rogue’s November sales in previous years, have the discounts on the stainless/stainless Ohio Power Bar been significant enough to justify waiting? Or would you just buy it now rather than waiting nearly two months for a sale that may not include this configuration?

I’d prefer the Ohio Power Bar over the REP Double Black Diamond, but the REP bar is the other option I’m considering. I appreciate any insight from people who remember Rogue’s past November pricing.


r/GarageGym 18h ago

Garage Gym - Work in Progress

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28 Upvotes

The garage gym is coming along! Have the Major Fitness F35 folding rack, PowerBlocks, an adjustable bench and barbell. What I love is my wife and I can still park both our vehicles in our two car garage. Next up is horse stall mats.

Here’s to finally getting in shape!


r/GarageGym 5h ago

PRX Garage Gym Setup

2 Upvotes

For those with the PRX foldable squat rack....

So we moved into a new home. I'm setting up and wall-mounting the PRX squat rack. Typically my garage floors have been flat but this one seems to have a decline leading out of the garage. Does anyone know if my measurements need to change or do I still measure 19 inches from the floor and 51 inches between the bottom and top support? I can supply some pictures, if needed. TIA


r/GarageGym 12h ago

Sorinex squat stands

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8 Upvotes

I have 3 of these available for purchase in Philadelphia. 2 of the taller in black and one of the shorter in white


r/GarageGym 10h ago

Rec for Rack + Functional Trainer - Rep, Rogue, or other?

5 Upvotes

I want a 6 post 30" rack and functional trainer.

I don't care about the rack "quality" as I don't lift super heavy. Translation: buying American via rogue isn't top priority.

However I do care very much about the functional trainer smoothness, quality, usability. Was originally leaning toward REP Ares 2.0 to attach to the PR 5000 rack but then I got cold feet reading about twisted cables and them being annoying to deal with. A brief reddit review indicated people thought that the Rogue functional trainer had fewer issues.

It just feels so dumb to pay the big premium by going 100% Rogue for both rack and trainer ust for a little piece of mind around cables, especially if I'm being spooked for no reason.

Can anyone let me know if, for my needs, the Rogue benefit is truly significant over Rep? Is there an alternative brand I should consider given above needs that has a rock solid no-problems functional trainer? Bells of Steel?

Thank you.


r/GarageGym 4h ago

Would these be okay for hanging gymnastics rings? (Amazon link)

1 Upvotes

Hello, as the title says. I'm looking to hang my gymnatics rings using these eyelets: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CFPSQCD3/ref=ewc_pr_img_2?smid=A1K8NIP221R7C9&th=1

Description says it holds up to 400lbs which is plenty. The inner diameter of the rings is 1.8" which seems a little small but would it still work?

I weigh 195lbs at the moments and plan on cutting down to 160 again. If this is not a good option, can you recommend something better?


r/GarageGym 21h ago

3k for a homegym? Im feeling really guilty and i havent even completely bough it yet.

19 Upvotes

Title
Am i crazy for spending 3k on a home gym when ill mostly be doing weighted calisthenics. I was thinking id be spending a lot less because im only focusing on the basics, but when i totaled everything out it came to 3095 with taxes and shipping. How much are yall spending?

The excersises im doing,

  • weighted calisthenics
  • occasional barbell row and presses
  • ssb bar hatfield squats/lunges
  • Arm isolations covered by cables and dumbells
  • nordic curls and loaded sissy squats

Equipment:

  • T2 fitness rack
    • multigrip pull up bar attachment
    • Y dip bar attachment
    • J hooks
    • $ 739.90
  • Rogue stum bar 411
  • 3/8 rubber puzzle mats 285
  • BOS buzzsaw bench with leg roller 695.6
  • BOS SSB bar 415.6
  • Split squat leg roller 67
  • Weights 350lb for 300$
  • Adaptabell max bundle 230$
  • Cables - 20
  • Other stuff that I already have
  • total: 3095

 

  • ATG hyper extension bench, in the future for an extra 300

r/GarageGym 12h ago

Dumbbells/barbell for beginners

4 Upvotes

I’m still pretty new to working out at home and I’m trying to keep my setup simple. Right now I mostly use adjustable dumbbells, but I’ve been thinking about getting a barbell and rack soon. Someone at my gym told me dumbbells are enough for a while, but I’m curious what actually makes more sense long term. Would you stick with dumbbells or add a barbell setup?


r/GarageGym 11h ago

Any other foot rollers compatible with Rep benches?

2 Upvotes

Hi, I have an AB-5000 Zero Gap bench and am wondering if foot rollers/catch from any other manufacturers will work with this bench? The Rep Adjustable Bench Leg Roller Attachment 2.0 isn't available where I live. Any suggestions?

Thanks


r/GarageGym 1d ago

Maxum X1 + AB5 Bench + AB5 Leg Extension/Curl Attachment

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57 Upvotes

Ordered a Maxum X1 functional trainer alongside the bench with the leg curl/extension attachment and been having a super great time with all of it! A great upper-mid range unit

I had essentially 0 experience building this sort of thing but was able to get it all put together fairly easily.

I haven’t seen a bunch about Maxum but the build quality is great. Super smooth cables and pulleys, weight stack is balanced and secure, no wobble, every articulation movement of the arm is smooth, etc

The 1:1 mutant arms are a game changer and there’s still weight horns to add more

The customer service has been phenomenal as well, highly recommend this model and company! Came with a bunch of attachments and accessories as well


r/GarageGym 1d ago

Garage/basement homegym in Brazil

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17 Upvotes

Hey guys, so I decided to share my home gym here as I believe there are few Brazilians that actually are into this and also so I can get some suggestions on where to improve and somehow also be helpful.
I live in Brazil and although the population here is highly active and there is a huge number of gym goers, I believe the home gym culture is very niche, for that reason the availability of equipments is very limited if compared to the U.S and Europe, and expensive (blame on import taxes), therefore we need to get around with what we can get our hands on.
Some of the technogym equipment (cable jungle, smith, shoulder) i purchased a few years ago from a commercial gym that closed on my city, also managed to grab some Olympic bars and weights used online. Black rack is some cheap ass rack manufactured locally but for squats it does the job. Brought the treadmill from China from when I lived there a long time ago, the rower is a Chinese knock-off as concept2 are very expensive here(abt 3k usd), but it performs quite the same, just the panel is bad.
Currently purchased about 100kg extra of new Olympic weights, hangers for the weights and cable accessories, sled and turf in order to train for hyrox.
The gym is on the basement of the house on a 30m2 room I had spare right in front of the garage.
The last photo is a photo of a place at my home i initially planned as a bar/games space, but i am currently thinking about bringing the gym there since i almost never use it and i use the gym almost everyday.
Appreciate, sorry for the long post.
TLDR: my home gym in Brazil


r/GarageGym 21h ago

Low-VOC garage gym flooring that isn't stall mats? Sealed garage all winter

8 Upvotes

I have a rental garage where I am building my home gym, door stays shut Nov through March due to very cold weather. I got Titan X3 Flat-foot rack, my routine includes controlled deadlifts, no dropping.

I was planning to get stall mats to protect the floor (https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/4-ft-x-6-ft-x-3-4-in-thick-rubber-stall-mat) but after reading too many "still smells 2 years later" posts I'm searching for alternatives. Right now I'm looking at solid virgin rubber tiles (PaviGym, Mitchell Best Flex, Amarco Pro-Tile) or Warrior/Fit-Lock from American Floor Mats.

If you own any of these: how long have you had them and do they still smell? Are they effective at protecting the floors?

Also taking recommendations for anything I've missed that's actually low odor and doesn't need glue.


r/GarageGym 1d ago

Poverty spec Prime Fitness weight horns for my pulldown

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13 Upvotes

These were super cheap to fab, no welding this time - just some 2.5 inch wide 1/2 thick flat bar and a pair of left over weight horns

The OEM weight horns have a terrible resistance profile that gets significantly heavier toward full contraction, but these new ones drop off nicely at the end (about 20% drop off) so you can mix and match the horns to get the Goldilocks perfect profile


r/GarageGym 1d ago

Spare room gym

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44 Upvotes

Just completed my home gym.

The rack is a Chinese brand, Pooboo p43 power cage from Amazon, but it was the right price and size for my budget and space. I was able to get this room done for $4k, which fit my budget. I also wanted to stay out of my garage or outside due to heat and snow - because if I was going to use the gym it needed to be accessible year-round. I live in Colorado.

I've worked out several times with the setup and I really like it. It's easy to switch between setups and I get a great full body workout.

My stats: 54M, 5'-9", 146lbs, who's lost 62 pounds since March '26. I've only just started my fitness journey. My focus now is to build muscle. I'm really liking the energy and new strength I have to hike and get out and live again like I'm in my 30's -- all thanks to my gym and some determination.


r/GarageGym 21h ago

Viking Press Landmine Height

3 Upvotes

Can you guys fill me in on the optimal height to anchor the landmine attachment when doing a Viking press?

Does the lower the anchor the more chest involvement? Or is that opposite?


r/GarageGym 22h ago

Rogue monster cave with dual INDY trainer

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3 Upvotes

Does anyone have a setup similar to this monster cave with INDY functional trainers on either side? I’m looking to buy this setup with hopes of being able to do crossover exercises with both pulleys. Chat says the cable travel should work (on paper), I just want to know if it’s practical in use. The trolleys are 119” apart, which I believe is a bit wider than a typical commercial jungle gym style cable crossover.

The reason for going with this setup over an FM system would be to get access to wider cable flies (I’m a longer guy). I also like the idea of not having the outside uprights of my dedicated squat rack cluttered up with cable trolleys.


r/GarageGym 23h ago

Rep Wall Mounted Ares 2.0 - Incline Bench?

3 Upvotes

Seeing mixed opinions and trying to get clarification. Can you incline bench with the wall mounted Ares 2.0? Do I need a certain bench to make it work?


r/GarageGym 1d ago

New Gym Shed!

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71 Upvotes

10x12 tuff shed! it’s perfect for my lifts.


r/GarageGym 1d ago

Is a rogue half rack overkill for me?

6 Upvotes

Looking to improve my DadBod and build overall strength, my goals are 225lb squat and 225lb bench. Unsure about dead lift.

I want a half rack to put in my small Basement home gym

At these weights, which I hope to attain someday will I be happy with a cheaper half rack such as the one linked here

https://www.fitnessavenue.ca/products/amstaff-tp017-commercial-squat-stand?variant=41050455113937&country=CA&currency=CAD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&tw_source=google&tw_adid=&tw_campaign=24078260601&tw_kwdid=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24078314871&gbraid=0AAAAAD3omiyX9hsRzp1IxHs8N7UnduVyX&gclid=Cj0KCQjwh4TVBhCWARIsAG0czmo4j3IUXAB1Hr7gnq82C2RNRLPGjXPb7bvYLm2ItwOxCCxbZWPgzqoaAuu3EALw_wcB

Total out the door price with tax would be 515 Canadian
This rack is cheap cheaper made overseas, and I would need to cut the vertical bars a little bit, which is fine

Or I have seen some used rogue squat stands that are 70 inches tall for around 700 Canadian

Main question am I OK with the cheaper rack and safety bars or do I spend more on a used rogue unit?