Equipment You Need - The Dos & Don’ts of Lifting

<p><span style="font-weight: 300;">Scott & Matt discuss what you have to have, what you should have, and what is nice to have in the world of strength training.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 300;">First--it’s nice to have a home gym. It provides flexibility and convenience, though it admittedly takes an initial investment of money to get a functional gym. If you’re working to create a home gym, this is what you should have:</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 300;">Get a 20kg or 45lb bar of relatively high quality--you can get a used one. They discuss all the details here. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 300;">Get 500+ pounds of weight, including 8x45lb, 2x25lb, 2x5lb, 2x2.5lb, 2x1.25lb plates (2” holes). Olympic bumper plates are really nice. Iron is economical. Consider what you’ll be lifting on--if you’re lifting on a well-made platform, bumper plates are not necessary if you don’t plan to do lots of Olympic lifting.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 300;">A power rack is better than a squat stand. This has 4 upright, safety pins or catches, j-hooks. It often can also come with attachments (pulley attachments, dip attachments, pull up bar, etc.). You want 1” spacing around the bench press height.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 300;">Regardless of if you lift in a public or home gym, you need shoes. This is the first thing you need. Don’t get a CrossFit trainer. They discuss lots of good options.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 300;">A belt is the next thing. You can get really strong without a belt, but most people end up getting a belt, as it adds weight to the bar and you want to get stronger. Dominion belts are great.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 300;">Chalk is necessary as your pulls (deadlift, row, clean) get heavy. You probably want blocks of chalk to paint your hand. If your gym doesn’t allow chalk, that’s a good indication that your gym stinks and you should look elsewhere.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 300;">Finally, here are nice-to-h