Lets see those garage gyms!

[RagingBITCH]

Finally got the rack up. Titan T-3 21.5" folding rack. Folds in and away - only takes up 4" of wall space. (Installed on 6' 2x10 stringers on the wall)

Bought those Tractor Supply horse mats someone else mentioned prior - works great, and that 3/4" thickness is awesome. CAP Beast barbell, 50lb CAP kettlebell, FringeSport Speed Rope, and FringeSport OneFitWonder bumper plates. (260lb starter set) Nothing fancy. I will say, the T-3 has a 2" bar - I had been working up to fingertip pull-ups on a standard bar size, but it will take some adjustment. Also have a LifeFitness T3o treadmill inside the house, the "gym" setup is in the garage though.

Anyway, finally glad it's up. Hoping to outlift the starter set pretty soon.

 

[iluvdeal]

Finally got the rack up. Titan T-3 21.5" folding rack. Folds in and away - only takes up 4" of wall space. (Installed on 6' 2x10 stringers on the wall)

Nice, that's a great solution if you're tight on space. I hear ya on the pull up bar diameter, your grip definitely makes a difference, the thinner the better for me.

For lifting at home, I'd recommend adding spotter bars or straps like these to protect yourself in case you fail a rep as it could save your life: http://www.elitefts.com/spud-inc-suspension-straps.html

 

[deadlyapp]

Nice, that's a great solution if you're tight on space. I hear ya on the pull up bar diameter, your grip definitely makes a difference, the thinner the better for me.

For lifting at home, I'd recommend adding spotter bars or straps like these to protect yourself in case you fail a rep as it could save your life: http://www.elitefts.com/spud-inc-suspension-straps.html

If you know what you're doing, you should be able to dump a lift no matter what you're doing. The only time where that's not possible is bench pressing where you likely can't get the range of motion you want anyways with safety catches.

 

[moonbogg]

Finally got the rack up. Titan T-3 21.5" folding rack. Folds in and away - only takes up 4" of wall space. (Installed on 6' 2x10 stringers on the wall)

Bought those Tractor Supply horse mats someone else mentioned prior - works great, and that 3/4" thickness is awesome. CAP Beast barbell, 50lb CAP kettlebell, FringeSport Speed Rope, and FringeSport OneFitWonder bumper plates. (260lb starter set) Nothing fancy. I will say, the T-3 has a 2" bar - I had been working up to fingertip pull-ups on a standard bar size, but it will take some adjustment. Also have a LifeFitness T3o treadmill inside the house, the "gym" setup is in the garage though.

Anyway, finally glad it's up. Hoping to outlift the starter set pretty soon.

Hell yeah! Look at that thing. That's nice. Regarding barbell sleeve play, mine does it too. The sleeves shift about 1/8" inch side to side. At first I was disappointed and didn't like it. But then one day I was benching without clips and after my set I noticed the weights had shifted about 5 inches to one side and I didn't even notice. So my concern about the 1/8" play went right out the window, lol. It doesn't bother me anymore.
With doing oly lifts the bar will be louder than an expensive bar. The sleeve bearings are not machined to close tolerances, so there will be some clanking going on. If you can deal with the clanking, the bar should last a good while in terms of durability from what I understand.
Also, regarding your lack of safety arms and getting stuck under a bench press lift, I used to bench at home without any safety catches. I maxed out and pressed to failure all the time. Its no problem. Simply do the "roll of shame" (google it to see videos). It works with any weight, including your max (provided you don't get stuck under 400lbs of course). Even then you can probably roll it off or just dump it off to the side.
The biggest danger is dropping it on yourself by losing your grip. If that happens, you are totally screwed. I need to be careful with that even when using my power rack, because the safety pins are low enough for me to get a full rep all the way down to my chest. So if I drop it, the bar will smash me for about an inch or so into my chest, which would totally suck, but its better than smashing me completely and thrashing my rib cage. I think I am supposed to arch my back more and raise the pins up so if I drop it my body remains below the pins, but I haven't done that yet.
Anyway, your setup looks perfect. Nothing like working out at home with good gear. Congrats.
Also, one of the biggest benefits of a garage gym for me, other than working out, is that is has motivated me to keep a very clean garage. My workout space is always kept clean and the surrounding areas are kept clean for a clutter free work area. Notice all that open space around your workout area? Most people's garages are filled with CRAP from floor to ceiling, so this is a good thing. Nice setup.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Hell yeah! Look at that thing. That's nice. Regarding barbell sleeve play, mine does it too. The sleeves shift about 1/8" inch side to side. At first I was disappointed and didn't like it. But then one day I was benching without clips and after my set I noticed the weights had shifted about 5 inches to one side and I didn't even notice. So my concern about the 1/8" play went right out the window, lol. It doesn't bother me anymore.
With doing oly lifts the bar will be louder than an expensive bar. The sleeve bearings are not machined to close tolerances, so there will be some clanking going on. If you can deal with the clanking, the bar should last a good while in terms of durability from what I understand.
Also, regarding your lack of safety arms and getting stuck under a bench press lift, I used to bench at home without any safety catches. I maxed out and pressed to failure all the time. Its no problem. Simply do the "roll of shame" (google it to see videos). It works with any weight, including your max (provided you don't get stuck under 400lbs of course). Even then you can probably roll it off or just dump it off to the side.
The biggest danger is dropping it on yourself by losing your grip. If that happens, you are totally screwed. I need to be careful with that even when using my power rack, because the safety pins are low enough for me to get a full rep all the way down to my chest. So if I drop it, the bar will smash me for about an inch or so into my chest, which would totally suck, but its better than smashing me completely and thrashing my rib cage. I think I am supposed to arch my back more and raise the pins up so if I drop it my body remains below the pins, but I haven't done that yet.
Anyway, your setup looks perfect. Nothing like working out at home with good gear. Congrats.
Also, one of the biggest benefits of a garage gym for me, other than working out, is that is has motivated me to keep a very clean garage. My workout space is always kept clean and the surrounding areas are kept clean for a clutter free work area. Notice all that open space around your workout area? Most people's garages are filled with CRAP from floor to ceiling, so this is a good thing. Nice setup.

Thanks man. I really don't mind the CAP as a whole - haven't noticed any real lateral play. Figure once I start really hitting the oly lifts (right now working on form and technique) I might invest in something better with more whip and better overall quality, but it's hard to beat it for $115 shipped!

For the bench issue - I've read many people say spotter arms aren't recommended for the folding racks. (Titan or Rogue) Something about the length of the arms and the potential torque dislodging the racks from the stringers. I haven't gotten a real definitive answer on safety, but as you mentioned, the side dump is probably what I'd use. It also came with 4 J-hooks, so could set a second set at a safety level in case I can't make it all the way back up.

And the only reason there is open space is because I back out my car the mornings I set it up...otherwise there is a car right above the mat. There is enough space otherwise to stack up the plates vertically and keep it relatively tidy. Anyway you are right in that otherwise, the garage used to be a mess of boxes and other crap piling up!