You can make your own power rack .I got the plans for making a power rack that also included a lat pull down , low pulley row ,t-bar row and calf raise attachments for $15.95 from GettinHuge.com .I have not made it yet ,instead I bought a combination bench -squat rack with a leg curl ,leg extension and preacher curl attachments .It has safety catches which eliminates the need for a spot on my squats and benches .The safety catches has helped me great deal since I can push my self harder since I train at home alone .You can buy a power rack with optional safety catches plus use the safety pins also for pin pull deads and use them in place of the safety catches when squating in the rack and benching in the rack .If you do not want to build your own .I would highly recommend buying a power rack along with a good bench .I bought my Golds Gym XRS20 bench at Wal-Mart for $134.95 .It was one of the best investments I have ever made .I still want to build my own power rack or just buy a basic power rack and add accessories as I can afford them .If you are planning on spending $5000 ,buying a power rack and bench would well fit in your budget with money left over for other equipment such as a lat pull down attachment for a power rack .I want to get a tread mill so I can do my cardio when the weather does not permit me to go outside for my cardio .In addition to the above naturally you will need a good set of Olympic weights and dumbells with plenty of extra plates for both the barbell and dumb bells .If you build your own power rack that I suggested you will also need extra plates for the optional attachments that you can add to it also .Working out at home has its advantages and disadvantages .I have my equipment in my living room since I have a rather large living room .I just find it more convenient to workout in my living room since my music equipment ,Tv and PC are near by .It makes it a lot more comfortable to listen to my music while I workout plus with PC and desk nearby I can keep-up my workout log easier .I have quite bit of info downloaded about all the different exercises for all the body parts that I reference quite often when changing some of the exercises from time to time so my routine does not get stale and or too boring doing the same old routine all the time .The the kitchen is nearby also if I need some water or a during workout drink .Like I said working out at home has its advantages depending on how creative a person can be .I made my own tricep and lat pull down by using some Woody's stretch bands that I bought to use to help me with my bench and squats .They will come in more handy when I add a power rack to my home gym ..I improvised my own reverse-hypers by placing my feet underneath one of the leg curl attachment bars and laying on the preacher curl attachment .
