Free weights are the best choice for weight training if your goal is to improve your strength. According to the Rice University Fitness Center, this is because you can obtain a better training specificity and use more stabilizing muscles with each lift. If you work out at home and want the strength benefits of free weights but the safety of using a machine, a free weight home gym may be the best choice for you.
Ironmaster Super Bench
The Ironmaster Super Bench looks like a simple adjustable weight bench, but it is packed with features that can help you obtain a total body workout. It contains 11 locking angles to help you work specific areas of your muscles and can support up to 1,000 lbs. It can also be fitted with an additional dip and pull-up bar, which few weight benches are capable of. As of February 2011, the Ironmaster Super Bench retailed for $295.
Body Solid Series 7
Ranked by ExerciseEquipmentExpert.com as the best Smith machine of 2010, the Body Solid Series 7 is a free weight gym that is for serious lifters. It allows you to perform more than 50 exercises, such as squats, bench presses and dead lifts. The frame is angled back at seven degrees to allow greater specificity in your exercising. It also includes a 200-lb. selector weight stack for exercises like lat pull-downs. When purchased directly from Bayou Fitness, the Body Solid Series 7 costs $2,019.99.
Powertech Workbench Multi-System
If you have ample space in your gym and need multiple workstations, the Powertech Workbench is a good choice. According to strength and conditioning coach Matt Weik, the 12 exercise stations on the Workbench allow you to hit all your muscle groups while controlling the weight with plates as small as 2.5 lbs. The leverage system used in this gym never requires maintenance and can take a beating. Three people can exercise on this gym simultaneously without interference, and it can be purchased for $1,349.
Body Solid Free Weight Leverage Gym
Weik also recommends the Body Solid Leverage Gym if you want a versatile plate-loaded gym. It is smaller than the Workbench, but also only allows two people to work out simultaneously. The levers on the gym do not need servicing and have a smooth movement to simulate lifting with barbells. Weik praises the comfortable seating pads on this gym and calls it a good buy, even though it is slightly higher priced than the Powertech gym at $1,579.
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