Welcome to a week of “how-to’s”:
Tuesday: How to Program Strength Into CrossFit
Wednesday: How to Properly Work Up to a 1 Rep Max
Thursday: How to Make Paleo Pumpkin Muffins
Friday: How to Become a Member of “The Garage”
The Method:
First Stop: Craigslist
bumper plates are not easily come by these days. I think the type of people who buy bumper plates are relatively serious about working out and are less likely to get rid of them. If you find anyone selling bumper plates below industry average…DON’T HESITATE!!Tips for Craigslist:
- Don’t get murdered (be safe)
- Always negotiate (low ball ’em)
- Be patient
Second: Dicks Sporting Goods
- Option 1: Fitness Gear 225 lb Olympic Weight Set
- Option 2: Fitness Gear 300 lb Olympic Weight Set
Ok, pay attention here and quit skimming, this is important. First, do you have a Dicks Sporting Goods in your local area? If you do that is awesome. Second, we are looking for deals here. If you have been shopping for weight you already know that for the amount of weight this is a good deal.
I bought option 2 last year on sale for $115! That was a great find. This is why I love when the “big boys” get involved in any industry, things get cheap. However, I broke the bar. That’s right, I broke the bar. I had to take it back, and the manager assured me that it was very uncommon. I returned it anyway. But I should have not returned it. I have a good bar now that won’t break, but I really wish I had the weight back. I am about to buy the same deal again and it is only for the plates. The bar will be nice, but I need more plates. This is a great deal for extra weight!!
Third: Keep an eye on Amazon
Amazon always has a lot of good deals, but they are not always available. I like to shop around for sets of bumper plates. I have found that to buy individually on Amazon is just like buying just about anywhere else. However, they do have a lot of good deals on sets. Also their bars are pretty affordable. I know you want the amazing eleiko barbell that can hold 10,000 lbs. and is guaranteed to never break. But crossfitters don’t need that. Hell some power lifters don’t even need that. You will be fine with a medium quality bar on Amazon.
Fourth: The Big Boys
In a nutshell:
- Again Faster – Seems to have pretty good quality stuff, but personally I have not used any of it or had any experience with them. Maybe someone can help? Add to comments please.
- The Kettlebell King – I bought the Crossfit Trifector Pack from the kettlebell king. Good quality and very affordable prices. Customer service not good at all. Shipping takes absolutely forever and to get someone on the phone to help you is almost impossible. Took over a month to get my weights. On a good note they eventually got back to me and said sorry it is all on back order and they upgraded my bar for free, which was nice. I think Bert, the owner, is just a little overwhelmed.
- Rogue Fitness – I have had experience with a lot of their equipment. Customer service TWO THUMBS up! And all of their equipment is of the highest quality. If you are just starting out, I would get my bar here, very high quality.
