Crossfit Home Gym Build - My Rogue Crossfit equipment finally arrived.

Last Wednesday my Crossfit equipment finally arrived from Rogue Fitness, minus the kettle bells, which are being shipped directly from the manufacturer. On Tuesday I received a call telling me that my equipment would arrive some time the following day. They could not give a specific delivery time and said the driver could be there anytime on Wednesday. Mayra waited for the delivery all day while I was at work but it never showed; needless to say I was bummed. I was starting to think I might have gotten the delivery date wrong, so at 5:00 P.M. I called the delivery company. The operator took a while looking up my information then informed me that my package was still out for delivery.  GREAT!

Normally I’d get a little mad that I had to wait so long, but I couldn’t complain, there were no shipping charges and they had said my package could be delivered “anytime” on the delivery day. Around a half hour later I got a call from the driver that he’d be there in thirty minutes. I wasted no time, I put Montana on her bike and we went to the garage to wait. For the next twenty minutes I stood impatiently waiting, camera in one hand and my HTC Droid (for videos) in the other. I was so excited, wow! All my hard work selling on EBAY was about to pay off.  Finally I’d be able to do a complete Crossfit WOD.

When the truck arrived the delivery driver backed up, popped the rear open, then to my surprise and amusement spent the next thirty or so minutes trying to figure out how to unload the equipment. The entire shipment spanned two pallets and he only had a single pallet jack. There was no way the guy was gonna offload the pallets in one piece, but I have to give him credit for trying. Finally after numerous failed attempts he gave up, he unwrapped the package and I began carrying the shipment piece by piece into the garage. Once he left, Mayra who had joined the festivities took Montana and left me to my new toys.

I had been waiting so long for this equipment that I wasted no time in unwrapping all the stuff. It was like Christmas in September. Most of the items were familiar to me but a few were completely foreign, namely the Dynamax 30lb ball and paralletts. As I unwrapped box after box I kept eying up the largest piece of equipment and the obvious bulk of the expenditure, the Concept II Rower. I’d decided to wait till last to open up the biggest toy. Over the years I’d seen rowers in the gym, but I’d never used one. They usually sit collecting dust. When I found out that rowers are an essential piece of the Crossfit arsenal I was amazed. Most people, including me, usually walk by the strange contraptions and dismiss them, instead opting for a stair climber or elliptical machine. After opening and unwrapping everything else, I moved to the rower. Having never been up close and personal with one, I figured I better read the instructions prior to assembly. I carefully unpacked the box and placed the rower, which came in two pieces, on the floor. Luckily Montana was there, as usual, to lend a hand. Sometimes I wonder how I’ve ever got along without her assistance. The instructions were straightforward and in the end I only had to use eight small screws to assemble the rower. Once I had that done I moved it to its permanent residence, then semi-organized the other items, finding a spot on the floor for each. I spent the next hour or so checking stuff out and shooting photos for the Bilderz blog then called it a night.

Later as I lay in bed reflecting on my new toys and the ways in which they’ll torture me, I remembered the gym was not complete. I’d have to purchase a few more items before it was done. The package from Rogue, while great for the price still lacked some essentials, which I knew about going in.  Basically these items are a squat rack, bench, pull-up bar, Plyo box and a GHD (Glute Ham Developer). I had found packages from other retailers that included these essentials, but they seemed to leave out some items that were included in the Rogue package. There were even a few packages, which included everything you could possibly need for a home gym but at much higher prices. In Rogues defense they did offer a squat rack and bench at a discounted price, but only if I’d purchased them with the package. I really couldn’t afford it this month since I’d spent all my EBAY cash. So I sent Rogue an e-mail asking for a rain check on the rack and bench price, but they said no. Oh well, I figure I can find the pieces on Craigslist easily enough and probably for next to nothing.

I’m well on my way to having most of the equipment for a fully functional Crossfit home gym, but still need to do a bit of construction. This includes adding an exterior door and building a pull-up bar which should be it’s own adventure. Tomorrow I hope to begin learning to use all that I bought. As soon as I test the stuff out, I’ll give you my feedback.

See you in the hills!

Lance