Trying to buy my first “home gym set” and I keep getting stuck between bundles vs piecing it together. Space is about 6×8 ft with a 7′10″ ceiling on an upper floor. Budget around $1,500. I want to do basic strength work (squats, presses, pulls) and add some cable stuff, but keep noise down for neighbors.
If you were in my shoes, which route would you take and why?
- Fold-away rack + barbell/plates + plate‑loaded pulley attachment
- Compact functional trainer (dual cables) + bench + adjustable dumbbells
- Smith combo unit with some plate storage
- Something else I’m overlooking?
Specific questions where I’m lost:
- Rack standards: Is 3×3 with ⅝″ holes the safest bet for future‑proof attachments, or is 2×3 still fine? Any regrets on rack depth for small spaces?
- Cable ratios: For home use, is 2:1 actually better than 1:1 for control and range, or does it just make progression awkward?
- Barbell choices: Center knurl or not for a first bar? Any reason to avoid cheaper import bars if I’m lifting moderate weights?
- Plates: Bumper vs iron vs a mix? I care about noise and floor protection but don’t want to blow the budget or hate deadlift height.
- Bench height and pad width for shorter lifters-what should I look for so my feet plant well?
- Adjustable dumbbells: Are 2.5 lb micro‑jumps essential early on, or fine to skip?
- Floor: Stall mats vs rubber tiles vs DIY platform for upstairs-what actually helps most with noise and vibration?
- Hidden costs: What did you forget (shipping, extra hardware, plate trees, collars, mat tape) that I should budget for?
- Buy once vs placeholders: Which items do you regret buying cheap first (bench? bar? rack?) and which are okay to upgrade later (plates? pulley)?
- Bundles: Which components in “home gym sets” are usually throwaways (bars, benches, J‑cups, pulleys?) that make bundles a bad deal?
- Resale: If I move in a year, which pieces and brands actually sell well locally? Are generic 3×3 attachments easy to offload?
- Noise hacks: Any real‑world tips that made the biggest difference for downstairs neighbors besides “lift lighter”?
- Stability on slightly uneven floors: Do functional trainers or smith rails get weird if the floor isn’t perfectly level?
If you’ve gone from a starter set to a more serious setup, what did you keep and what did you replace? Trying to avoid the “buy twice” trap while still getting started soon.