I ordered this product after seeing an infomercial for a similar product endorsed by a celebrity notorious for his "roundhouse kicks to the face, beard rubs, and inability to fail or die". This product was mainly purchased for my fiance, as she is wanting to exercise more, and was really turned away by the large price tag of the endorsed product. I am a larger framed man so I am challenging the limits of this piece of equipment, but even still, it performed well when tested. Several reviews were dismayed with the prices of replacement parts so I went into this purchase with a few things in mind. If things do break, I am pretty sure it will be due to wear. That being the case, I will typically look to change things in my own way, so they will last longer, be more economic, and easier to use. The system is simple, and built well. Upon looking things over, there are very few things that seem that they could have issues in the future. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is that I am a bigger guy and if I had done more weight lifting in the past, I would more than likely be over the weight guidelines for this equipment. However, for most people, this wouldn't be an issue. I would highly recommend this product to people looking for a good piece of exercise equipment that is different. I actually find it fun to use, and the ability to change things up on the fly makes it possible to do several different muscle groups at once. I find it is fun to do leg lifts or flutter kicks while doing upper arm exercises. It helps get the heart rate up, and makes things a little more lively and less boring than the typical exercises.
Let me start by saying that I like the compactness of the product. It is very versatile and there are so many exercises that can be done on this one piece of equipment. It is also a very sturdy piece of equipment so both men and women can use it safely. The only complaint that I have about the product is that the foot plate is not very wide so when I use the machine for doing squats I can't place my feet as wide as I would like. I would also have liked a video demonstration of the product showing how to adjust the machine for the different exercises.
This thing weighed a ton, had to be dropped off by 2 man UPS team. Solidly built, great bang for the buck. Don't hesitate. Unless you live in a really small apartment or don't have the space to really let this thing stretch its legs because it is big. There are countless excercises you can create forget about the chart it comes with. There are four resistance bands as well, that actually do a good job.
For the price this is one of the best pcs. of equipment you can buy. It is an all in one, no weights to pick up and you can easily go from one excercise to the next. I was always sceptical of products like these, but honestly you get a great workout and you can develope your body just as easily as using free weights if not better. Why buy a Total Gym when you can get the same thing for more than half the cost, and with the extra 50 lbs of resistance this is an around better deal.
This is a great product! The first time I spent a good amount of time on it... I felt like I had a real workout! And was sore for several days!!
