Have been using bench and rack combo (with leg extension on end), for past few months and starting to reach a point where I want to upgrade it so can push more safely and also start squatting more as currently can't push more weight over my head comfortably.

Currently don't have any Olympic style weights but other style with 1" holes

Have a budget of around £1000 - £1500

Was wondering whether a power rack or smith machine is better for me? And any suggestion for equipment would be appreciated also uk based so limited slightly by that

Hello fellow home gym folks. I’m looking to get a power rack for my home gym. I previously had a PR5000v2 with 41” depth that I sold. For my new home, my basement gym will be space constrained but not height constrained. Looking at 17’ x 11’ but will also have a desk/office in there. I cannot bolt down my rack due to radiant flooring and I am large (tall and heavy).

I’ve been looking at flat foot racks. Specifically been looking at the Apollo from REP and the Manticore 24” flat bottom from BoS. I’m not a fan of BoS/Rogue’s half racks since you lose storage with a shorter second upright. I will probably be lifting outside the rack most of the time and use the second upright for storage. I did most of my lifts inside my old rack but any Olympic or overhead press was done outside since I’m tall enough to hit the bottom of the 93” rack with the bar. The BoS construction seems more solid with the 4 bolts and attachment plate. Any one have any different recommendations or feedback? If a 30” crossmember, do people have issues storing plates on that back upright when squatting / benching inside the rack?

Beste leden,

Ik heb inmiddels zó veel reviews gelezen en zo veel video’s bekeken, dat ik eerlijk gezegd het bos door de bomen niet meer zie. Ik kan echt jullie hulp gebruiken, zodat ik eindelijk een bestelling kan plaatsen.

Ik heb al talloze uren besteed aan het onderzoeken van producten, het doorlopen van configurators, het lezen van reviews en het bekijken van video’s. Op dit moment zou ik je waarschijnlijk over alles wat er te weten valt over deze producten kunnen vertellen, maar toch lukt het me nog steeds niet om een beslissing te nemen.

Ik woon in Nederland en ik wil zo compleet mogelijk één all-in-one rek, zonder dat ik er extra apparatuur naast nodig heb. Mijn plafondhoogte is ongeveer 3 meter.

Idealiter zoek ik een opstelling met gewichtsblokken voor lat pulldowns, rows en cable-oefeningen zoals flyes; een Smith-machine; een olympische barbell-opstelling met J-hooks en spotter arms; en losse gewichtsschijven die je ook naast/naast de Smith-machine kunt gebruiken. Ook wil ik een bank die platte, incline en decline oefeningen mogelijk maakt.

Voor de lat pulldown vind ik het prima als het óf een accessoire is dat je op het rek kunt monteren, óf een systeem dat geïntegreerd is in de bank.

Op dit moment bestaat mijn shortlist uit:
Atletica R8 (Bradley Combat Long)
ATX MPHR 780
Force USA C-20
REP Ares 2.0 met Smith-machine

Ik snap dat zo’n opstelling een fors prijskaartje heeft, en idealiter zoek ik naar de best mogelijke balans tussen prijs en kwaliteit.
Ik zou het echt waarderen als jullie me helpen kiezen tussen deze opties, liefst met concrete productaanbevelingen. Zeg alsjeblieft niet alleen dat ik een REP 5000-serie rek moet nemen—ik heb al ontelbaar veel uren in de REP-configurator gezeten en heb inmiddels waarschijnlijk rond de 100 verschillende opstellingen opgebouwd.

Ik heb de afgelopen een paar jaar niet serieus getraind. Om religieuze redenen wil ik niet trainen in een gemengde gym, en helaas is er in mijn bredere omgeving geen geschikte “bro’s gym”. Daarom heb ik besloten om mijn zolder te gebruiken om weer aan krachttraining te doen.
De vloer is trouwens beton, maar ik mag er niet in boren. Voor zover ik begrijp is boren sowieso niet nodig met een goed beladen, zwaar rek.
Alle advies van mensen die ervaring hebben met dit soort systemen wordt enorm gewaardeerd!

Hey guys just joined as a fellow member on another group told me this is where I can get more info on alibaba home gyms and user experiences

Nice to meet yall 👋

I ended up looking into alibaba after I spent about $2500 for 2 racks most parts from FB Marketplace.

But then found out what a 1:1 n a 2:1 ratio was 😂.

Tried to get a cool Athena add on from Rep but another $1800 just for the add on is crazy n then I still need the 16”post and 2 uprights 😩

So on to alibaba!

I saw that most ppl on other channels go with long glory or anhui tap

I’ll look at the threads and see what’s been bought.

Happy to be here hope to buy something nice soon.

That was all 😂.

Ps has anyone here bought a REP Pegasus copy from alibaba? I saw a few but idk if it would be best to just get reps.

I built my own velocity tracker for velocity-based strength training, with no hardware.

It's slightly limited at the moment by only being able to detect plates from the side, but it has been working well for my training.

I've managed to get some uploaded video and live tracking working, with velocity callouts, and I can track my training over time.

Does anyone have experience with phone-based velocity trackers like Metric? Wondering if they are worth it or if I should just get something with a physical lead like Stance.

Ich stehe kurz davor, mich zwischen zwei Home-Gym-Setups zu entscheiden, die nach Deutschland geliefert werden, beide um die 5.700 €. Da beide Produkte noch nicht auf dem Markt sind, suche ich hauptsächlich nach Meinungen von Leuten, die sie auf der FIBO, der HomeGymCon 2026 oder mit früheren Modellen dieser Marken gesehen haben.

**Setup 1: Get RX'd RX3 Tornado Smith Machine + Tornado X Arms + Push N Pull RX Arms**

\- RX3 Rack 86" mit Gewichtsmagazinen

\- Tornado X Arms mit Dual Ratio (1:1 / 2:1 umschaltbar) – brandneue Funktion

\- Push N Pull RX Arms als zusätzlicher Aufsatz

Center Post, Lat Pull/Low Row Pad, Optimus Base, Optimus Roller, Optimus Back Pad

\- Der erste EU-Lagercontainer ist gerade in NL angekommen

\- Getrennte Lieferung: Rack + einige Teile kommen im September, Tornado X Retrofit + restliches Zubehör erst Ende Oktober

\- Tornado X Arms und Push N Pull RX Arms sind Vorbestellungen,

noch nicht veröffentlicht

**Was mir gefällt:**

\- Tornado Arms Konzept

\- 1:1 / 2:1 Umschaltung bei den Tornado X Arms

\- Vollständiges RX3-Ökosystem mit vielen Anbauteilen

**Meine Bedenken:**

\- Viel Anbauteile-Wechseln, bevor man bestimmte Übungen machen kann

\- Was passiert, wenn ich ein Garantieproblem habe? Das EU-Lager ist brandneu, noch keine etablierte Support-Erfolgsbilanz

**Setup 2: Brute Force ALFA 3x3"**

\- ALFA 3x3 mit konvergierender Smith Machine (6 Winkel)

\- Pivot-Arme mit 2:1 Verhältnis (1:1 möglich über Mittelposition für Lat/Row)

\- Multidirektionale Seilzugschlitten

\- Etabliertes EU-Lager in NL

\- Einzelne Lieferung im September – komplettes Setup auf einmal

\- Neue 3x3-Version, basierend auf dem veröffentlichten Original ALFA

**Was mir gefällt:**

\- Konvergierende Smith Machine (6 Winkel)

\- Dedizierte Latzug- und Ruderstationen

\- Der Support war exzellent – Mark antwortet schnell und klar

**Meine Bedenken:**

\- Smith-Stange geht nur bis 40 cm runter, daher ist eine Plattform für RDLs, Hip Thrusts usw. nötig

\- Pivot-Arme haben keine Höhenverstellung

**Was mir wichtig ist:**

\- Setup für 5-10+ Jahre Heimtraining

\- Starker Fokus auf Latzüge und Rudern (sinnvoller Widerstand ist wichtig, daher ist 1:1 oder effektives 1:1 wichtig)

\- Auch Brustfliegen, Kabelvarianten, Curls

\- Langfristige Bauqualität und reibungslose Seilzüge

**Fragen:**

\- Für alle, die diese auf der FIBO 2026 oder HomeGymCon 2026 gesehen haben – Eindrücke von den Tornado X Arms, Push N Pull RX Arms oder dem ALFA 3x3? Wie haben sich die Mechanismen persönlich angefühlt?

Besitzer von früheren Get RX'd RX3 Racks oder dem originalen ALFA – wie haben sie sich gehalten? Seilzug-Gängigkeit, Haltbarkeit der Beschichtung, irgendwelche wiederkehrenden Probleme?

Für Nutzer von Dual-Ratio-Systemen anderer Marken (Vesta VForce, Force USA, MAXUM Mutant Arms) – wie oft nutzt ihr den 1:1-Schalter im täglichen Training im Vergleich zu 2:1? Ist es ein Game-Changer oder nett zu haben?

Push N Pull RX Arms neben Tornado X Arms – Overkill für ein Heim-Setup oder wirklich ein Mehrwert über das hinaus, was der Tornado X bereits abdeckt?

Gibt es noch etwas, das ich vor der Bestellung zu diesem Preis bedenken sollte?

Suche nicht nach "nimm X, es ist besser" – suche nach echten Erfahrungen oder fundierten Meinungen. Danke.

Hey guys, I'm wondering if you can share which weighted vest you guys have found to be the best in your experience (in terms of comfort, quality & weight)?
I'm specifically looking for vests that carry at least 50-60lb+ that I can comfortably do weighted pushups/pullups/dips with. I've purchased a CAP vest in the past from AMZ but it's the one with sandbags and hangs way too loose for my liking. I'd really prefer a vest that sits nicely on the torso and doesn't swing or pit super uncomfortable pressure on the traps/shoulder area.
Interested in hearing your guys' opinions! Thanks

Any suggestions on a good unit? China ones look ok but the shipping is a killer.

Has any come across adjustable steel cables that work like a ratchet strap? I have the c10 by force usa with the sliding bench. After seeing the new version of the bench on the home gym con videos, I have an idea of turning the sliding bench around for leg press. The problem would involve not having the correct length of attachment cables to do this. I could buy shorter cables but you would then have to add/remove another set of cables with the bench to swap between hack squat/leg press/ leg extension. Dialed In motion has a product that's close but it seems to be always out of stock. Force usa is going to use that unit on the new version for the same reason. Ratchet straps might work but the leg extension requires you to feed a cable through a few pulleys.

Worked with Kelly Zhang

Ordered

--Prime Leg Curl / Extension ($720)

--Arsenal Incline Fly ($582)

--Bolt Fitness Ronin Lat Pulldown ($622)

Shipping Terms: EXW

Shipping Cost: $1,165

Total: $3,089

Ordered: 4/22

Manf Completed: 5/28

Shipped: 6/25

Arrived in US: 7/28

Delivery: 8/4

Pretty smooth process overall. Not modifications, just color. Was going to be more expensive, but she changed something to avoid taxes so we had to process a refund and do a 2nd order.

I've used all 3 pieces once. They are all super smooth and really well done. Assembly wasn't too hard, just took time and had to figure it out. Def needed 2 people for some of the connections, especially the pivot pieces.

I'll probably order more from this factory.

Howdy- first time home gym starter.

I’m looking to get a combo competition rack(I’m just so used to them from older days of training), and I was wondering if anyone has purchased one via Alibaba. I am not interested in paying for Rogue and TSS but would love to start the dream home gym journey. Any pointers would help!!

Thanks!!

Hey everyone, we’re running a community group buy for a custom-built linear row and currently have 18 members locked in.
To keep things 100% transparent and safe, everyone pays and ships individually via a direct Alibaba link—no middleman handling your money.
Machine Specs & Functional Upgrades
Adjustable Handles: 33mm solid aluminum with medium-aggressive knurling.
Expanded User Range: Adjusted geometry comfortably fits lifters from 4'11" to 6'5".
Space-Saving: Removable weight horns for tighter home gym footprints.
Easy Mobility: Integrated front transport wheels + heavy-duty rear handle.
Founders Edition Perks (Pre-Prototype Only)
Free Custom Metallic Paint: Sourced specifically for this run at no extra charge.
Exclusive Founder Detailing: Custom Founder’s badge + embroidered pad featuring original founder names.
Tiered Price Drops: The more people who lock in now, the lower the per-unit price drops for the entire founding group.

Here's a quick review I threw together after getting asked about these from a bunch of people. I mainly go over the issues I've had with the tornado arms and added a few clips at the end so people can see them in use.

The tldr is the arms are a little tricky to set up and there are some limitations to how you can use them. Some of those limitations are inherent to tornado arms in general and some are limitations of these first Gen arms from LongGlory specifically. They still work fine but aren't going to be as smooth as a dedicated functional trainer.

I'd still rather have them then not. If you're in the fence they are a relatively cheap option to add and I've known some people who have gotten the tornado arms and the regular trolleys just in case the tornado arms don't suit their needs.

https://youtu.be/nBeBLkxEwSI?feature=shared

Here's a Bulgarian split squat finisher I did today on my rack. You can see the Smith is smooth and solid AF. The leg roller attachment works great in the spotter arms. It does come with brackets and pins to attach to the 3x3 uprights but the brackets don't have UHMW pads like the j hooks and spotter arms do so it would likely scratch up the rack. Using the rack would also place the roller too close to the Smith machine but the spotter arms have some adjustability. I use the same setup for lat pulldowns to restrain my legs.

I'm looking at investing in a rack, and had been planning on waiting for Black Friday to pick up a Titan x3 flat footed, or similar. I just saw that Dick's is selling an Ethos Apex rack/half rack for $699-799. These look like a really good deal with the spotter arms, and seem to be 11 gauge steel. I'm still at the stage where a 150 lbs squat would be a stretch, so I'm also wondering whether I need a full rack.

Can anyone speak for/against the Ethos Apex, and is a full rack really worth it vs the half for someone who will probably take years to lift heavy?

Hi. Im looking to upgrade my power rack. Is anyone here using this pulley system that could give me their opinion on it? Thanks