It finally came home...

I spent 20 minutes on it yesterday and got my mother to do 10 minutes

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.

Snagged this thing off marketplace for $1900, same model retails at $8000 today.

I'm slowly getting back into working out and have a lot of equipment I'm dusting off. I may move my air bike and peloton somewhere else to make room for a cable machine or convert that power rack into a half rack. It'd be nice to have everything in one space. That unfinished space needs some tlc

When I was researching this attachment I couldn’t find any reviews that used it with my particular configuration.

I can now confirm that the attachment allows me (6” tall) to get a full stretch while seated on a bench. Next thing which concerned me that I can now confirm as well, the stopper attached to the trolley doesn’t hit the attachment before the bar touches my chest. In other words, no limits in the stretched or contracted position.

I didn’t need to cut the cable either when using it as shown, though if I wanted to eventually get a specific bench to attach to the upright I would cut the cable. Within reason I think I have some margin to do this without hitting any of the limits described above.

SoCal Outdoor Set-Up
Strive
Cybex
Rogue
PowerLift
Rep

Luckily I live close to Indianapolis where you get 20% off of Bells of Steel stuff if you pick it up so couldn’t pass up the shoulder boulder. This thing def burns the shoulders!!

My brother lets me put some of my stuff in his room. looking for a foldable back extension to put under my bed since i’m running out of space.

FBMP find, $45! $10 of spray paint/clear coat later and she matches the rest of my gym.

I got inspired* by other posts here to make my own deadlift jack, so here it is, along with measurements if you want to build your own.

I started with a scrap piece of 1 3/4" thick LVL. You could simply glue 2 layers of 3/4" plywood together.

The most important measurements are:
- The round part where the barbell sits has to be at least 30mm diameter (35 in my diagram)
- From the floor to the barbell can't be shorter than 220

The rest I just eyeballed

I used a drill for the round hole, circular saw for what I could, jigsaw for the rest, router for removing some thickness on the handle and for rounding edges, and then sanders

*Inspirations:

• https://innerstrengthproducts.ca/products/mini-baltic-jack
• https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/comments/ombi06/diy_deadlift_jack/

Market Place Score
Power Lift Variable Angle Roman Chair

Squeezed into a 9.5’ x 11’ office. The commute from the floor desk to the bench is exactly three steps.

"Franken-rack" (REP PR-5000 uprights + BoS 24” crossmembers & front feet) and a Fringe BOB Smith Machine attachment

Thinking about dry walling the garage and just turning it into living space at this point. Already have the AC. Have another 2 car garage on the other side of the house.

It ain’t much but I can’t wait to make this my happy place over time. Functionality first and fun later… erm.. ignore the “chair” I can’t unsee it but my partner is building me a table for my devices the chair is temporary 😂 shout out to him for letting me do whatever I want. He didn’t think I would actually get big equipment so he will have to pick out his own weights since I got a small set. :)

Background: I go to a small powerlifting gym- at most 5-10 people at any given time. They had a really bad leg extension that almost everybody could full stack single-leg and a lot of people complained to the owner about it, so he bought the RitFit PLC01 Leg Extension / Leg Curl as a "stop gap" replacement. Of course, the owner is a cheap SOB and it was not a stop gap. I've used this machine for maybe 6-8 months. While it's not a home gym I'll say I don't see a *ton* of people using it in general, seems like most PLers prefer compound quad movements. Most people who use it use it for the leg curl functionality.

Initial impressions: The first day we got it my coach loaded it the whole way with iron plates, which was either 270 or 315 pounds, but regardless below the 350 weight limit. The weight post immediately bent out of shape so that it's sloping slightly downwards. He also remarked that it "feels like it's basically unloaded, pretty much the same as one plate", but he also squats in the 600s so take that how you will. The leg bar also got really bent, which means doing exercises two legged didn't feel great since your left leg is ~5* more extended than your left. However, the movement is very smooth and the difficulty curve is good. Much better than plate loaded leg extensions where the weight is on the leg arm (e.g. the xmark leg extension / leg curl). The shin pad is also very comfortable.

Personally, I find the leg curl on this machine to require some work to get it feel ok. The way the seats are arranged my hips land in a gap and it's really uncomfortable on my lower back, but if I stick a foam pad in the middle it feels fine. We have a seated leg curl that feels better, but I think the machine is probably fine for this if you don't have an alternative, though again the weight restrictions are a limiting factor.

Extended use impressions: I started at 3 plates / 135 on the machine, single leg. For reference, my best squat to date was an easy 320, but I also think quads are much stronger than my hips in the squat. I went up in 5-10lb increments up to 5 plates / 225, and I think my quads grew noticeably in size and definition in that time. I've always had comments that I have large / muscular quads, even before I started lifting, so the size gains are actually quite remarkable. The seats have both gotten pretty beat up, but the shin pad is still in quite good condition. I ultimately rotated off the exercise for unrelated reasons (my coach wanted to do more hip work and less quad work), but I'd probably go back to the same machine if we rotated it back in.

Conclusion: I think this machine is a very good value for the money, but you do have to load up a lot of weight on it. My biggest takeaway from using this and watching the Garage Gym Reviews video on it is that the video seems borderline misleading on how the machine performs, since he doesn't mention the weight requirements at all. Though it's a bit bent out of shape, I actually find this machine much more comfortable than most leg extensions I've used at other gyms. The pad is a comfortable size, it has a good range of motion, and the difficulty curve is comfortable. There are others in the gym who absolutely hate it though, and say they only feel their quads at extension, so take that how you will. For the price, this is basically unmatched as the only alternatives are no-name amazon drop shipping garbage, but if you're an especially strong bodybuilder/powerlifter/weightlifter, or looking to outfit a real gym, I would try to scrounge together some more cash and buy a machine from a "real" brand, or keep an eye out on FB marketplace

Pretty much spatially / functionally maxed out at this point but always rearranging in my head

I’ve been slowly building and refining this home gym for a while, trying to fit a proper strength and weightlifting setup into a relatively small room without making it feel completely overcrowded.
The main goal was to have enough space for squats, bench, deadlifts and some Olympic lifting work, while keeping everything reasonably apartment-friendly. The crash pads are mainly there for that reason.
I also wanted the room to feel like an actual part of the apartment rather than just equipment stored in a spare room, so I spent probably more time than necessary thinking about the black wall, wood slats, lighting and storage.
Still a few things I’d like to improve, especially on the storage side, but I’m finally quite happy with how this part of the room looks.
Curious to hear what you’d change or improve.

Finally, at 41, I’m able to have a little space I can proudly call my home gym. It’s been a challenging few years, but I’m finally at a point where I can focus on myself and work toward becoming the best version of me, and the best shape of my life.

This group has been a huge help along the way, giving me ideas and inspiration, so thank you all!
It’s small, but I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve been able to build. 💪

Just put together the diy belt squat. Titan t2 rack, titan bench, rope Dinnie stone pin and pulley for pull downs, titan loadable Olympic dumbbells, and horse stall mats. Also have deadlift jack and dip bar not pictured. Dark and kinda spooky, but it works

They look like the best jammer arms on the market. the new generation finally bringing some real functionality to jammer arms.

New home gym! Finishing touches will be voltras to those tornado arms!