Weider Ultimate Body Works Black/Red, Standard

UPDATE: January 2018 - Still using the Weider 3-4 times per week with no issues. Still feels brand new. Just to start off, I want to say that we have used this equipment for over 6 months with moderate to heavy use (minimum 3-4 days a week by myself and wife) and we love it. I did not buy this product and wrote a review just because, it has been used every week for the past 6 months. Honestly, there are a lot of hokey gym equipment out there that anyone can buy and most of them are all useless (push up devices? sit up devices? come on now). Seeing the Total Gym on t.v made me laugh until I actually tried it out in person. My younger brother had one in his home gym and I decided to use it for stuff and giggles and to my surprise, I wanted one right away. It was perfect for anyone wanting to build there own home gym and this was a much needed device. Why did I choose the Wieder Ultimate Body Works over the Total Gym? First is the cost --- it was half the cost of the Total Gym and did practically the same thing. Second was storage --- it can be lowered down and adjusted to smaller dimensions. Third was the resistance band --- 4 bungee cord systems that can attach to the lower half and can be adjusted upwards to an extra 50 pounds, the basic Total Gym did not have this at all. The basic Total Gym does come with easier height adjustments and also glides a lot smoother while in use. Not a big difference in my opinion though, considering the cost of the Weider over the basic Total Gym. Why would I buy a cable/pulley system for my home gym? 1) cheaper than real cable/pulley systems that Big Gyms have. Most folks don't realize this but those Gym's that have cable systems can run upwards to $600-1000 bucks and are huge, where are you gonna store or place that equipment in a house?. 2) Perfect for folks who how have muscle injuries/need physical therapy --- I have shoulder and back injuries from deployments in the military and have issues using dumbbells and heavy weights. This is perfect for my body. 3) You can virtually work on almost every muscle group with this equipment alone. Granted you won't get huge, cable systems in my usage are mainly for stretching/low weight-high rep work outs/ and also for my wife. She doesn't like using weights and this is also perfect for her. What kind of exercises can I do with this? Use your imagination or google/youtube some videos. I've seen some comments here stating that the package came with no instructions on how to use it. Yes that is true but you can google/youtube videos and descriptions on what to do. There are literally hundreds of videos on youtube show casing what exercises you can do with these equipment. There is no need to buy the exercise chart unless you have extra cash on hand and just want it. Pros: 1. Cheaper than Total Gym 2. Resistance Bands 3. Stable, won't move around while in usage 4. Good Cable system, no kink's or problems with mine. 6 months of moderate/heavy usage 5. Storage Cons: 1. Not as smooth as the Total Gym 2. Handles might need to be upgraded (cost considered, this isn't a big con) 3. Height adjustment is not as good as the Total Gym. Uses a pulley on side which might be harder for folks to adjust All in all, this is a good buy if you are looking to add something to your home gym or just need something to begin with. If you liked my review on this product, please press the Yes button below so that I will know what to review again next time. Thanks! --JY

Your browser does not support HTML5 video. First off about myself, the target consumer: I am 6'3" 175 lbs. I was a skeptic about these types of machines and I thought it was a gimmick ever since seeing Chuck Norris on those infomercials back in the day. I bought this for a couple of reasons. I live in an apartment on the 2nd floor, we have a gym at my apartments but it not that great to be honest. I work full time and go to school so I don't have the time to go to gyms as well so convenience is a huge factor for me. I saw this, figured for the price, might as well see if I like it, on Amazon, I can return it if it sucks. Now time for the product review. (If I have the time, may try to get a video added to it as well, I don't see any on Amazon for it). Set-up: It takes a little common sense to put it together. Not much to it really, couple of pins here, slide this in there and viola, within a half an hour its set up. Package: Its rather heavy, there is a reason it states team lift as with the bulk, etc. you need 2 people to carry the box. Types of work outs: You can look online at some Youtube Reviews for the Total Body Works 5000. Its the same machine basically and they are informative. You can also buy the fitness charts. Upper Body: You can do a variation of the chest press. Lie down on your back, angled up and motion is just like the bench press. The only problem is that you can't get a full extension due to the design. Curls- you face the top, and basically do curls with both arms. You can lower the angle to lessen the resistance. Row- Same position as curls, but just pull back to your sides. Chin-ups- You can do over, under, and the middle bars. This is not as hard as regular chin ups however, it will help your form, you can do more reps, increase tension with cables, and it will help your core slightly as well. You can see in the video how it works. Legs: This machine is not that great for legs. You can do squat variations and leg presses, but its suspect and you are better off with something else. Machine Quality: Like I said, I live on the second floor and you would think with the way the board slides it would be thumping the ground hard, which it will if you are not easing yourself down. However, if you are doing it properly, there is no ground movement as its stabilized across 6-8 ft of ground and it makes less noise than a person walking so the neighbors likely are not bothered very much if at all. The sliding motion does make some sounds, however you can add some oil and its not that loud, probably would have to turn the tv up if you were watching it a couple of notches but its not that bad. Durability- the pad is actually so far very good, only have had it about a week but you can till that it will hold up. The metal, I have no questions about so far. Would it be easy to pull in and out before and after use? Doubt it....... its rather long however it would fit under a high clearance bed. I just leave mine out. Overall: This machine will not get you bulked up like body building, and thats not the point of it. This machine will get you fit, tone and healthy. It will strengthen you in proportion to your body weight plus 50 lbs with the tension cables. It will also increase some core strength as you have to stabilize a little bit with your abs and lower back with exercises and if you do the chin-ups. It also uses movements so the joints are strengthened as well which is a plus. If you mix in sit ups, bicycle kicks, etc. with this you will get very fit. I love it personally. I have torn rotator cuffs and this machine works great to limit the strain on those isolated spots. Also, I get bored lifting weights and the movement of the board is actually fun. Bonus: I can take 25 minutes straight from my home and get a great work out. Bottom Line: This machine is challenging if you do it properly and you get more than just a bench, curl, or rowing machine. You get a bit of everything. If you want to build up to strength training, this will get you there. You could also mix in weights to build up later as well. For $150 you can't go wrong, that is the price of 3 months with start up fees at the gym and you get to keep it it. It is definitely worth the investment if you use it every other day.