La Yunta 75" Strongman Yoke

It may be time to pull the trigger on the La Yunta 75" Strongman Yoke.  I originally wanted to get the 93" as it made more sense for use as a rack and potentially a pull-up implement as well.  As I am purchasing for my basement, I am going to go with the 75" version.  This should still be tall enough.

I did reach out to Raptor Fitness Supplier on a couple of questions

1.  Is is 2x3" or 3x3" 11 gauge steel? - It is 3x3" 11 gauge steel

2.  What is the clearance of the crossbar on the highest setting? - 73.5" on the highest setting, they recommend I get the 93" yoke.

3.  Is it compatible with the Rex Series spotter arms? It is

Otherwise I am ready to go with $135 spotter arms, $425 75" yoke, less 5% with SAVE5NOW and $44.16 in tax for a total of $576.16.

Not cheap, but certainly in the realm of what is reasonable.

The nearest competitor for me is the $259 REP PR-1050 Short Home Gym Power Rack.  It also features a 48"x48" foot print and is 72" tall.  It has 2x2" 14 gauge steel without the bench press spacing, but it does have weight horns for added stability.  I am surprised that it is 144 lbs.  The La Yunta Yoke is 180 lbs and is obviously heavier gauge steel and larger proportions.  The Rep alternative is unfortunately out of stock.

It is amazing to me that my home gym expenditure pre-covid was $1,753 and post-covid has been $2,223.  Granted a big chunk of that was the Concept 2 Rower at $990.  The second most useful piece has been the $150 timer.  The Bumper plates and dumbbells were nice upgrades, but at $563 were more luxuries rather than necessities.  Similarly the Yoke at $532 is a luxury as I can continue to squat and bench in the garage.  Surprisingly, the other nonsense I have purchased adds up to $520 (Steel Mace, Rower Hanger, Curl Barbell, Bands, Flag, Silencer Pads, 20 kg Competition KB and a Plate Carrier).

Considering the only thing I need it for is a squat rack and bench press, I feel like I can get by without those two movements or even opt for a $45/month membership at BeStrong Strength and Conditioning.  I must admit that working and training from home has worked out really well for me.

To share the theme of "If you buy a moose a muffin," now I am obviously going to need another barbell.  But this will be a reasonably priced Rep Fitness 15kg Saber barbell.

10/27/2020 UPDATE:  Upon further consideration, it makes a lot more sense for me to go with a squat stand from Raptor Fitness Supplier.  Although I like the idea of doing yoke carries and loading a stone over a yoke, in all likelihood I will only be using the implement for back squat and bench press.  It is beefy enough to use safely at home.  With tax and free local pick-up, I am out the door at $473.27 ($325 + $135, less 5% + $36.27 tax).  The closest competition is the Rogue SML-1 at $365 + $162.75 for the spotter arms + $89.26 shipping + $27.78 tax = $644.79.

10/28/2020 UPDATE:  Upon much further consideration, I am now considering a custom height 84" Yoke.  I am guessing this will run me an extra $30 for the yoke and put me closer to $600.  I am sure the extra $130 is a bit of a waste, but I can live with that.

10/30/2020 UPDATE:  I pulled the trigger on this.

$485.00    "La Yunta 93"

$110.00    Spotter Arms

   $0.00    Custom Cut 84"

-$29.75    (5% discount)

 $46.92    Taxes

--

$612.17    Total

12/01/2020 UPDATE:  Still no word on delivery