Hi guys, this is my first time in this bodybuilding tread, hope you guys can guide me, nice to meet you.

I'm a 25yo skinny guy, I've only got one 5kg dumbell from my parent when i'm in secondary, i'm not sure i've been training the right way or not, I can do 100times each hand on 1 go(i not sure whats the workout name). So only my hand is abit muscular, other then that i'm very skinny. So I'm thinking of buying myself a budget home gym for this new year to get some body shape.

I saw the online catalog on fitness concept and i plan to buy a few simple items for my home gym. Click to c the items, please give some suggestions or recommendations.Thanks.

1. Adidas/ Reebok Workout Glove (dono which to choose)

2. Gym in the pocket(Blue color) resistance band

3. Dumbell x2

4. Weight Bench


And i also have quite a few questions that really need answers.

1. I've been training with a 5kg dumbell all my life, how to know if a pair of 10kg dumbell is suitable for me?

2. Anyone got these gloves?which 1 last longer and comfortable?

3. How many resistance band do i need? normally 1 or 2?

4. Is this one on one training bench good? I don't really understand how the bench work from the image, does this bench have a place to hook legs when doing sit ups? what is Flat/Incline/Decline means?

5. Did i miss out anything necessary?or the items i choose not good and should change to other items?


I'm going to get all these items on this saturday, so need suggestions and answer urgently. I never gone to a gym b4 and also first time buying these kind of stuff, so hope you guys can help me out here. Thank you very very much.

1. You will need to increase resistance as you train, so you will definitely need heavier weights.
4. Incline/decline works your muscles at different angles.

That being said, why not join a gym ? A gym has way more equipment, olympic barbells, squat rack, shitloads of dumbbells, proper benches, not to mention different types of machines.

i always working overtime, so joining a gym will only waste money. plus joining a gym cost way more then buying myself a home gym, and i can train on my free time.

Is these items enough for a simple home gym, what else did i miss out?

5kg 100times? WOW thats really, i dont know what to say!

Whoa!!! 100 reps on a 5kg dumbbells.ur an animal bro.keep it up

1. Adidas/ Reebok Workout Glove (dono which to choose)
ans: no need to get expensive one,just aslong as it have leather palm lining,the one from the hypermarket also works RM40 only

2. Gym in the pocket(Blue color) resistance band
ans : waste of money,once u adapt to the resistance u'll throw it away coz it s not challenging anymore

3. Dumbell x2
ans : a must in bodybilding,get also the barbel (long straight one) so u could do more variant of weight training

4. Weight Bench
ans : another must buy,get the one that can be adjusted

thats funny, cos i'm have a gym membership because its cheaper than to build a home gym.

breakdown of your stuff:
gloves: not needed, if you really want one, just get the cheap ones from any fitness stores, no difference. unless you're brand conscious(?)
bands: yeah, sure. but instead of limiting to six exercises, i would buy more weights and use db's instead
db's: yes
bench: yes

answers:
1. the only way your muscles can grow bigger is you stress them by continually lifting progressively heavier weights. normally at 8-12 reps per set for beginners
2. not using gloves, no comment
3. not using bands, no comment
4. it works by you sitting on it. from your pic, no it doesnt have a place to hook your legs. if you need an explanation on whats incline, decline, and flat, find a dictionary or google.
5. IMO, if it was me, i would just buy the db's, bench, and more plate weights. but thats just me

.

This post has been edited by hoxy: Jun 13 2012, 08:44 PM

Actually i was thinking of mixing and alternate between band & dumbell, Dumbell weight is actually quite expensive to buy separately, so i was thinking of adding a resistance band together with dumbell to increase resistance. Is it doable?

Beside the one on one trainer bench, which bench is quite good and also around my budget (400++ maybe)?with a place to hook my leg(is it even necessary?) I not sure about buying a barbell+ etc, because i'm staying at a rented house and i don't want to buy too many items. + i learn martial art so i dowan my body shape to look like a muscle builder.

If i'm aiming to get a nice body shape + abs, is my items doable?

Watch out when you're using the resistance band. It is different from weights and has the potential to
hurt your tendons a bit. I'm currently using the green one(highest resistance).

Yes you can loop a band over the dumbbell for added resistance.

Ultimately I think dumbbells or barbells are better and gives you a more... "accurate" workout.

If i don't get the resistance band, what else can i get to improve my workout? Just a bench and dumbell is enough? From 5kg jump straight to 10kg is it a big gap? is it better if i use the money on the band to get some extra weight?

I hear some forum saying that dumbell train muscle mass, but band train your strength, so its better to train alternately. Is it true?

bro, why dont u buy DB with additional weight plates like 0.5, 1.25, 2.5 kg..
so that u can increase ur DB weight when u are ready for the next poundage..
dont need jump straight to 10kg..

Get yourself a barbell and some plated weights. I have those in my own room.
To protect your floor just stack some rubber mats (the ones used in cars, tesco sells them cheap).

There's lots you can do if there is enough space.

Get dumbbells that has plates. So you can progress slowly up to its maximum 10kg.

A band can train you in all the wrong ways if you're not careful. It is not static weight. Imagine your curl starts at 1kg and slowly increment,
then at the peak of the curl it feels like holding nothing because of the angle. Finally when you're going down there could be a rebound, where the
band suddenly tug your hand downwards with too much force.

get yourself a pair of DB + an adjustable bench. gao dim!

lol ya i know, but must make my house feel abit like gym, more feel if more items lol.

I'm thinking maybe i cut the resistance band, and use the money to buy a Barbell(click to c the barbell i planning to buy, is it better then straight barbell?), but can i fit all my dumbell weight (total 12 piece of weight) into the barbell. Or i need to buy a few piece of heavier weight? How many piece of weight can fit in barbell normally? How much a barbell and some heavier weight cost in fitness concept?

The barbell you've linked is fixed weight. Look around and find yourself a barbell that allows you to load
in weighted plates.

For barbells and plates, go hunting in tesco/jusco for deals.

If you find a barbell that can fit your dumbbell weights then even better.

So all you will need is 2x dumbbell and one empty barbell to start. Later on you can buy more weights.

Ya thats exactly what i plan to do. The link image is to show the shape of the empty barbell i plan buying, is it better then straight barbell handle? The dumbell i'm buying have 6 piece of weight that total 10kg, so mean i need to fit 12 piece of weight on the empty barbell, but can a barbell fit all 12 piece means 6 piece on each side? How much does an empty barbell cost in fitness concept? Not sure if i buy everything in fitness concept can get discount.

imo, since you're just starting out, just buy db's + plates first. learn the proper form and technique for various exercises. what you can do with a barbell, you can do with a pair of db's. you can buy a barbell later and use the same plates for your db's to load up the barbell.

and you shouldn't be very concerned on how your home gym LOOKS like.

edit: and buy the bench, of course >.<

This post has been edited by mikehuan: Feb 16 2011, 07:05 PM

Thanks alot for all the info guys.

below is what i have...
a rack (for pullup + dips)
a pair of dumbbell
resistance band
barbell
an adjustable bench
with some plates

at the end i only used dumbbell (when i bought i was working. now i'm studying so i joined gym..next year go back to work so no more gym then i have to use above equip)

btw i did a testing for u. for an ez curl barbell, one side u can load [2.5kg x 2], [5kg x3], [1.25kg x 1]

I just did some research on dumbell vs barbell, and for my condition i think maybe i'll give up barbell, because barbell is use for training core muscle. What i aim is pure strength + a nice body shape, not muscle mass. I'm afraid that i only will use dumbell for the wide range movement like what Joe said. Maybe i'll just get a pair of 10kg dumbell, adjustable bench & a resistance band. What else do you guys recommend for strength training?