I’ve improved the home gym situation somewhat.
Decided I’m not getting any younger and wanted a proper barbell setup with a squat rack and bench so, after searching around for options, settled on the Gold’s Gym XRS 20 bench and rack set. Purchased from homedepot.com for $180.49 shipped directly to Pambulon Heights HQ, which I consider a fair price for what it is. Took delivery on 2019-10-03, spent a few hours working on and off to get it assembled and cleared out the room in which it is located.
Now I can do a proper weight-lifting routine with bench-press and back squats. I would prefer if it did not have the leg attachment apparatus since I have no use for it but, unfortunately, it’s integrated with the rest of the bench.
Two other annoyances with the bench/rack:
- The bench is about four inches too high off the ground so I can’t plant my feet while laying back on it as in a bench-press position. I can, however, place my feet on the front floor support so not all is lost.
- The uprights on the rack can shift laterally a small amount due to the upper guide holes for the mounting bolts and screws being slightly too large leaving some room for play. Fortunately, it seems that this will not be a safety or durability issue in normal usage.
Also, the welds do not show the best workmanship, some parts are lazily tack-welded, others are just sloppy welds. Still, not really anticipating a durability or safety issue. And finally, the self-reaming/tapping screws failed to properly ream/tap the screw holes. It was *very* difficult to get the screws to fit into the holes due to thick powder-coating and very close tolerances of the drilled holes themselves. Would have been much easier had I drilled out larger holes and used different self-tapping screws but, alas, I had no drill or bits handy.
So, there it is. Already did one proper workout with it which went very well. Can’t wait to do more.