Soon, regrettably, I will be leaving NYC. I am moving back to Vermont to start law school. For anyone who doesn't know, Vermont is my home state, and is also a very rural area. After much research, there are basically no gyms nearby that are even remotely close to my current amazing facility. So, when I move in with a friend, we've decided to just do it ourselves. This is where MAP comes in. We'll have a whole house with an empty basement, so the space shouldn't be too big a deal- the ceiling is low, but that we will work around. He has a bench, a bar, and some weights already. I want to get a few things, so if anyone has good (read: cheap) sources for quality equipment, I would love to hear them. I'm looking for: (1) Kettlebells specifically, probably 2x 16k to start. I know I can get them online, but the shipping is a killer. Can one get them another way? (On a seperate topic, does anyone use adjustible weight kettlebell handles? I've no experience w/them, but I'm a little skeptical. I like to do some kettlebell exercises that involve throwing, but if the kettlestacks are great, please say so.) (2) Boxing pad(s)/Kickpad(s)- I think holding pads for each other will be good. I'm not too worried about this because I think any MA supply store will have something, but I want a quality thai-style kick pad or two, and those are neither cheap nor easy to find. (3) Maybe, if we go really crazy, a heavy bag. I personally prefer a long kick bag, but I don't know about the logistics of hanging a bag in a basement. This is a little more iffy, and I might just go to a local gym and try to get an old Wave bag off of them or something. Thanks all! (PS- Yes, I saw Socrastein's similar thread about buying equipment. Because I'm mostly interested in kettlebells, I didn't post in his because I didn't want to hijack his thread with kettlebell-maina.)
Ebay store twinsspecial send from Thailand worldwide. Best quality cheap prices just take afew weeks to come.
Wow. Just wow. I don't know which is upsetting me more. That you're leaving New York, or that you're becoming a lawyer? Seriously, bro, we need to do a little something before you go. How long do you have? It took "much research" to realize that there are no gyms in Vermont? Dude, it's...Vermont. Lift a maple tree or something. I have yet to see KB's available in stores, if that's what you're hoping for. I've only seen them online. Also, here's one thread where we talked about kettlestacks. They could be a potential alternative. They just take longer to use, factoring in weight-changing time. A while back, I picked up some gear directly from Fairtex's website. It's quality, and it's an investment. They have a pair of thai pads for $110, so maybe you can get another guy or two to chip in a bit. I've had a pair for a few years, and they're nigh-indestructible. (Side note, I also bought a tape of "official" Thai fight music, loaned it to a guy, and he "misplaced" it. The bum.) I'd consider regularly checking the local Craigslist. Either look in the "Sporting Goods" section, or place an ad (it's free) in the "Wanted" section. I had a friend just get a full home gym set-up, in Massachusetts, of all decent quality stuff from someone about 20-minutes from her house.
Not long. July 7th is my last day at work, and I'm moving out of my apartment at the end of June. I'm out of New York sometime that following week for good... ...*sigh* it's a sad thing, leaving NYC. I'm excited about law school, and VT law school specifically, but it isn't all good. Are you in the city anytime soon? You're at least the 20th person to make that joke. It's always a maple tree too. That or a fat girl- apparently Vermont is regarded as having an excess of both (and, actually, in my experience that is true). As of right now, I'm leaning toward buying cast-iron bells. I was (am still) hoping that someone would come on and say "kettlestacks are awesome...!" but if they don't I'm probably just going to have to suck it up and buy some. I know a friend who owns a gym- are they even sold to exercise supply store by retailers? Is the only way to get a kettlebell to buy one online?! I looked at the Fairtex site, and I'm probably going to end up going that way. A good kickpad is worth it I think. Thanks though, BeWata. FYI- I got some ring music off the web recently. I just googled a bunch of variations of "Muay Thai Ring Music" and looked at what I got. There was a site that had ring music as a free download, 5 rounds worth. The mp3s I got don't have a bell (unfortunately) but I might download a bell sound and throw that on either side.... Craigslist is a great idea! I didn't even think of that. People are always trying to get rid of old exercise crap they don't use. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to include kettlebells.
