Home Fitness 101

I am interested in the BodySolid EXM3000LPS and BodyCraft K1 home gyms and I’m looking for first-hand accounts (not links to sites, unless they are reviews) from people who use these gyms and what they like and dislike about them. Some questions:

Does the machine give a full-body workout or do certain muscle groups feel neglected? If so, which ones?

Are there a good variety of exercises or is it fairly limited?

How difficult was the gym to put together? How easy is it to operate?

Do you feel that the gym has enough weight/resistance that you will still be challenged by the gym many years from now or do you consider this a stepping stone to a more intense home gym?

Is there anything in particular you wish you had known about the gym before you bought it?

Can you really do squats using the BodyCraft K1 or do you find yourself relying more on free weights for squats?

Feel free to add more information if you feel there is something else worthy of mentioning. Thank you.

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/health_and_fitness/home-gym-reviews/
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/health_and_fitness/home-gym-reviews/reviews.html

I haven’t tried either or, because I just have a bars and stuff at home.

My family and I are looking for a home gym that gives great and fast results, but that is also reasonable in price. Any ideas?

Nothing will get you fast results, only great ones.

The total gym is what I suggest (you know, the one Chuck Norris helps advertise on tv). Not only will it help strengthen your muscles, it is also a therapeutic and rehabilitation machine for when you injure yourself.

I used to have free weights but they are too bulky and I was never able to push the limits because I never had anyone to spot me. I know you cant get the same work out from a machine as you can from free weights but it is the same principal; instead of gravity and a weight providing resistance a machine can simulate the same kind of resistance. My question is what is the best home gym? I have a budget of roughly $800.00 and the two gyms I am currently looking at are the Bowflex Blaze and the Bioforce home gym. What’s better? Bowflex looks good but I hear that the power rods eventually loose their elasticity over time and I tried both out at a store and it didn’t seem like it was consistent resistance from start to finish. Bioforce on the other hand seemed to provide pretty consistent resistance through start to finish but I am concerned about the hydraulics because it will be in my garage and it gets cold, hot (45 degrees in the winter and 90 in the summer) and dusty in my garage and I am concerned how that will affect the hydraulics. What do you think; are they good, or is there something better out there? I want to have a machine that can hit all the muscle groups but has a small footprint.

Get a rack and you can go to your limit safely with free weights.

Home gym will never get you in shape. I work out so much harder at my gym because between sets I’ll glance over and some young bombshell is jogging on the treadmill. Or once in a while theres a muscle girl or an older guy lifting and I look at their lifts and I’m like dang I need to up my game. The biggest part of getting over going to the gym is realizing there will always be people bigger and in better shape than you, and people more out of shape than you there. So you also can’t gauge your body by the strongest or best looking person. You have to set realistic goals for yourself.

I’m looking to buy used, but it’s difficult to find a good resource to compare different models

I’d suggest checking here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref_%3Dnb%5Fsb%5Fnoss%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3Dbowflex%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps&tag=clogui-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957

No one really answered my last question, so i wanna know,

What home gym do you have? Do you have a bowflex and which one. Be specific please!!
Was it worth it and does it take up alot of space? Do you think of any better models/types??

Just tell me anything you know about Bowflex and home gyms, personal experience would help me…

Thanks!!!

I got a Blowflex Sport for $700 flat off of Amazon with no tax and free shipping over 6 months ago. It has a total of 210 lbs with all rods combined. Can be upgrade with 2 more 50 lbs rods.

It takes up a moderate amount of space. It is about the length of a twin bed and the height of a door.

Yes, it was worth it. My muscles really hurt the first time, but after that it felt great and got bulkier. I workout for about an hour with the bowflex and another hour for cardio. I do it 3-4 times a week and consume 1g of protein per lb of weight. Make sure to work out the muscle every other day.

I got one of the cheapest bowflex but it was all i needed. There are some $2000+. You can check it out at the bowflex official site.

The AXT-4 Free Movement Gym offers 360-degree rotational “free-form” press arms with independent movement allowing the user to define the exercise motion. This innovative design simulates lifting free weights while providing safety and ease of use.

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Visit: http://www.fitness4homesuperstore.com/HomeFitnessEquipment/HomeGyms/TuffStuffAXT4HomeGym/tabid/132/Default.aspx

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benoit isthe better wrestler

I’m hoping you can help resolve a disagreement I’ve been having with some people at the gym. Because of work pressures I plan to cancel my gym membership and buy a bodyweight type home gym like the Total Gym (www.totalgym.com) or Bodyrail (www.bodyrail.co.uk). The guys at the gym think I’m mad for doing this because they claim these bodyweight type gyms are gimmicks. They think that anything other than iron plates is a gimmick. Why can’t you use your own bodyweight instead of lumps of iron? Will your body know the difference? It’s ok for people to use pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, leg lifts etc, which all use your bodyweight as resistance, and yet when a product comes along that lets you use the same type of resistance for bicep curls, tricep extensions, shoulder presses, etc it’s considered a gimmick. Without spending a fortune, I’d like to buy an exercise machine that has the safety of a machine but with the benefits of free weights.

New BowFlex with weird circular resistance plate thingy.

Amazing…I bought a home gym and was given a manual for assembly, but not for using it. IronMan tells me it’s because of liability issues, but I’ll bet their liability would be greater if I were injured because they didn’t provide adequate instruction. If this is common practice, can anyone recommend an exercise resource manual (other than a personal trainer – I’ve got one coming over on Saturday). THANKS!!

no they arent.