buying barbells and plates

Obsessed · Oct 17, 2011

What are some good barbell/plate brands that can generally be bought in brick-and-mortar stores? Id like to buy some to have at home, without spending a fortune or paying for shipping.

The reviews Ive seen online for some of the lower-priced sets are pretty shaky. For example, Ive seen more than one review stating that the 45 lb. bar weighs less than 45 lbs.

York is one option, if m willing to drive 3 hours each way to their store in PA. Any others?
Thanks.

noahpictures · Oct 17, 2011

I recommend checking Craiglist first. Searching for "crossfit" might be helpful.

Leonard1 · Oct 18, 2011

Craigslist. You should be targeting $.50/lb for weight plates. Sometimes, you can find a steal and get them at $.25/lb or lower. Watch Craigslist to see what the common "brands" are for plates in your area - "standard", "Max", "nautilus", "Key". Then, build a plate set on those, so you can expand the set as you find more plates.

Also, when you buy a set with a bar, bring a scale along with you to weigh the bar. Weigh yourself with the bar then subtract your weight = bar weight.

RaisingTheBar · Oct 18, 2011

Play it again sports sells oly plates for something like 0.45/lb. Best try them for plates. Don't cheap out on a barbell though. a difference of a hundred bucks could be the difference of a bar that will last you a year or two to a bar that will last you a lifetime.

PozzSka · Oct 18, 2011

RaisingTheBar said:
Play it again sports sells oly plates for something like 0.45/lb. Best try them for plates. Don't cheap out on a barbell though. a difference of a hundred bucks could be the difference of a bar that will last you a year or two to a bar that will last you a lifetime.

+1 to the bar...

check Craigslist and keep your eyes an ears open for schools and universities that are upgrading their facilities...I paid $0.20 a pound at a Univ. in Cleveland area because they had recently upgraded all of the rec facilities.

dpmtherrien · Oct 18, 2011

If you're going to be looking at regular stores, if you have a Dick's sporting goods near you, they have a good selection.

DogHair · Oct 19, 2011

Just to get started you can probably find a 300 lb set with a bar on sale for around $150ish at someplace like Dick's. Ive seen them at Play It Again for around $100. Not high quality but they work. Plates are plates. You can add a nicer bar and more weight as needed.

Obsessed · Dec 5, 2011

So I ended up finding a 300 lb. set pretty cheaply a sporting goods store near my house. The bar doesn’t weigh 45 lbs., but I discovered to my surprise that it’s not supposed to: the set comes with 265 lbs. of plates, so a 35 lb. bar gets you to 300 lbs. It's strange, given that the dimensions of the bar are the same as a standard 45 lb. bar, but the set was inexpensive enough that I don't really care. When I need to lift 310 lbs., I can invest in a new bar.

RaisingTheBar said:
Don't cheap out on a barbell though. a difference of a hundred bucks could be the difference of a bar that will last you a year or two to a bar that will last you a lifetime.

I know, I know, but I just wanted a cheap set for now.

ouch · Dec 5, 2011

I just use car axles, usually with the car still attached.

The Nid Hog · Dec 5, 2011

Obsessed said:
So I ended up finding a 300 lb. set pretty cheaply a sporting goods store near my house. The bar doesn’t weigh 45 lbs., but I discovered to my surprise that it’s not supposed to: the set comes with 265 lbs. of plates, so a 35 lb. bar gets you to 300 lbs. It's strange, given that the dimensions of the bar are the same as a standard 45 lb. bar, but the set was inexpensive enough that I don't really care. When I need to lift 310 lbs., I can invest in a new bar.

Did you get a bench or a squat rack--any cool gear like that?

DogHair · Dec 5, 2011

ouch said:
I just use car axles, usually with the car still attached.

Pics?

Obsessed · Dec 5, 2011

The Nid Hog said:
Did you get a bench or a squat rack--any cool gear like that?

No. There's not very much room in my garage, and there's enough I can do with just the bar (and no spotter) for now.

Doc4 · Dec 5, 2011

ouch said:
I just use car axles, usually with the car still attached.

DogHair said:
Pics?

He drives a Prius. :scared:

superbleu · Dec 5, 2011

These are spendy, but awesome.

http://www.powerblock.com/blocks.php

Bellac · Dec 5, 2011

To be practical, weights are essentially heavy metal blocks. When I was in high school, I couldn't afford weights so I just used buckets of sand. The important part is the bars. You should definitely invest in some quality bar, but stick with one size. Standard bars have a one inch diameter and olympic bars have two diameters. The types of bars aren't important, but staying with one stops the need of buying two sets of the same weights. As for some nicer gears such as a squat cage, they are not necessary. Provided you are doing your workout in a safe manner, you really only need a bench and a pullup bar to really work all the muscles in your body.

DogHair · Dec 5, 2011

superbleu said:
These are spendy, but awesome.

http://www.powerblock.com/blocks.php

Those are great. I've always wanted a set but the price always put me off. Someday maybe.

jjfar · Dec 6, 2011

I use an old golds setup and walmart weights.
I'm 63 and can bench press my weight (150 at 5'6")
and deadligt 200lbs.
Its the attitude not the label.

noahpictures · Dec 6, 2011

superbleu said:
These are spendy, but awesome.

http://www.powerblock.com/blocks.php

Bellac said:
To be practical, weights are essentially heavy metal blocks. When I was in high school, I couldn't afford weights so I just used buckets of sand. The important part is the bars. You should definitely invest in some quality bar, but stick with one size. Standard bars have a one inch diameter and olympic bars have two diameters. The types of bars aren't important, but staying with one stops the need of buying two sets of the same weights. As for some nicer gears such as a squat cage, they are not necessary. Provided you are doing your workout in a safe manner, you really only need a bench and a pullup bar to really work all the muscles in your body.

I have some and love them. They are much better than the Bowflex, which are too wide. I bought a 5-50 pound set directly from Amazon, then I bought the upgrades on the Powerblock site also at a good price. This method was much cheaper. I ended up with a pair of 75 pound adjustables.

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buying barbells and plates

Obsessed

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RaisingTheBar

PozzSka

dpmtherrien

DogHair

Obsessed

ouch

Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd

The Nid Hog

DogHair

Obsessed

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather

superbleu

Bellac

DogHair

jjfar

noahpictures

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