How To Get Six Pack Abs

Review by nhbfreestyle:

I’ve had this home gym for a few months now and am finally submitting a review. I wanted to put some miles on it as well as see if the novelty would wear off before rating. Overall, I am still very satisfied and thrilled with the purchase. It’s been worth every penny not having to spend money on gym memberships, time, and gas (which = more $).

I did alot of comparisons before and after the purchase. I can honestly say – for the value, quality, versatility, and convenience – you just can’t beat it.

I chose this gym for the following main reasons:

1. Well built.

2. Comes with most of the main components (especially cables) already assembled. You will need a helping hand to lift, move and hold a section or two while you fasten them together. My 10 year old son was perfect for the job.

3. Most versatile – in terms of types of exercises (especially when you get creative and add certain attachments to it). Fully adjustable for fit and comfortability.

4. Iron stack (not cement blocks). Plus you can purchase and add more weight to the standard 160lbs that come with it.

5. Relatively small footprint. I had a leverage bench press machine (used only for chest exercises) that took up more space than this gym that practically works out your whole body.

6. Much easier than adding and removing free weight plates when changing exercises. On this machine it’s a matter of pulling and setting a couple of pins and clips and jumping right to the next workout. No lagging! Because of the ease resulting from the clever design, I find that it’s more fun and addictive to use.

7. Looks a lot nicer than most home gyms.

8. Allows me to be home with my family after work and still get in a great workout.

My friends love it and always get on it when they’re visiting.

Recommend if:

You want to stay healthy, develop strength, stamina and endurance, build toned muscle, and have a good physical appearance.

Bottom line is: I LOVE IT; I’m glad I got it, and would recommend it without hesitation. It’s a home gym and a great quality home gym. Don’t expect a super-heavy-duty industrial-grade one-excercise-specific piece of commercial-gym equipment.

PS> Instead of a rubber mat, I bought a six-piece foam puzzle mat set to put under it; and works just fine! Put money saved towards other fun attachments – like the rope attachment for tricep pulldowns!

Review by Dina Garabedian:

I have been researching home gyms for quite some time now. I quit my membership 2 years ago and purchased a bench and some bowflex dumbells.

Although this sufficed, it got very boring and I really missed the feel of gym equipment.

I looked at the bioforce contraption, it was better than the bowflex but still so cheesy. There is nothing like the feel of “real” weights.

I purchased this machine mainly because it was 90% built. It took us about 2 hours to put it together. Amazon delivered it in 5 days. I orderd the leg press through mercantila ( amazon did not offer it).

It does not take a lot of space up and is built so much better than any piece of junk you would find at sports authority.

I hope you find this review useful and best of luck on your fitness goals!!!!!!!!

Review by Bob R.:

I’ve been working out with weights for 15 years but have been out of the game for the last several due to personal reasons. A few months ago I was told by my Dr. that I need to lose about 25 lbs. so I decided to get back in the game after a 2 year hiatus. However, because of my very limited time and having 2 young children at home, I did not want to go back to the gym at this time. I’m away from my kids enough during my work day so I decided to set myself up at home. The problem was, as it is with most people, I have very limited space and certainly don’t have a large extra room I can dedicate as a home gym.

I bought this bench because the price was appealing and because I needed something that would fold up and take up less space since it’s being stored in our bedroom. I was actually surprised at how sturdy it is for a folding bench. The bench is solid and folds up and stores very easily in a small corner of our bedroom. The mid width is perfect for my 6′ bar. It will handle 6′ and 7′ bars but you won’t be able to use it with a bar less than 6′ long (the distance between the uprights is too wide for shorter bars). It’s very stable and wide enough that you don’t pinch your hands when re-racking the bar. It’s not as heavy duty, stable or wide as an olympic size bench but it’s less than half the price of a good olympic width bench and takes up much less space as well. And there are no folding olympic width benches available that I know of (not to mention I don’t have the room for a bench that wide). The uprights have a good range of adjustment heights and can be turned around to do squats. The adjustment pins seem a little thin to me but this isn’t a gym quality olympic bench and it is not rated to hold a dumptruck like those benches.

On the down side (and the only minor reasons that I did not rate it a 5), the back rest pad is spaced a little far away from the seat pad making for an uncomfortable gap under your lower back when doing flat presses. It’s not detrimental to the exercise as your lower back doesn’t touch the pad when doing flat presses anyway, you just need to make sure that you slide down far enough toward the leg developer so that your butt is fully supported by the lower pad. The backrest pad really could have been moved a little closer to the lower pad to close up this gap some and decrease the overhang of the pad at the top end (see comment about squatting). With inclined presses, it’s not an issue, only when laying flat on your back. Also, the top of the backrest pad extends a little to far past the uprights and is partially in the way when aproaching the uprights from the top end for doing squats. Ideally, you should pivot the backrest up and out of the way to use the bench for squatting, a minor inconvenience.

One other downside is that the owner’s manual does not tell you what the weight capacities of the bench are. This information is not posted on any web sites I visited when shopping for a bench either so I had to contact the manufacturer to get this information. Incidentally, the maximum weight for the uprights is 300 lb. and the maximum weight for the leg developer is 100 lb. I think the weight capacity for the leg developer is a little low but when using the heavier weights one could always do one leg at a time, effectively doubling the weight capacity per leg. I think this is a minor compromise considering the low cost of the bench.

Assembly was very easy and took only about 45 minutes. They even give you the tools you will need to assemble the bench. The assembly instructions were pretty good with only 1 or 2 minor discrepancies that anyone with any type of common sense could figure out. Bolt holes all lined up, the finish is very good and there are not a lot of parts to get lost.

Overall, I would rate this bench as an excellent buy. For people looking for a good quality stable bench for the home that does not cost a lot, takes up little space when stored and can handle a full 300 lb. load, this bench fits the bill very well. Of course if you are a serious bodybuilder who needs to squat 500 lb. you will need to look at full sized olympic benches and cages, but you should already know that. This bench was not designed to do the work and hold the weight of a full cage, but it doesn’t take up the whole room either. This bench was designed for the average person looking to get/stay in shape at home and it meets that goal very well. The average person working out at home typically won’t need to load more than 300 lb. on the uprights.

I would not hesitate to buy this bench again.

Review by Michael G.:

This bench is great for those without a lot of space. It folds up real nice and stays that way with a locking pin that pops in, plus a manually installed pin underneath that you can add also. It was easy to put together, comes with the tools you need (but use your own if you have them) and is a sturdy bench. I use mine with a 6-foot, 15-lb aluminum bar (200 lb load capacity) and together they make a perfect home workout center. Comes with leg extension/hamstring curl attachment which is easy to get on/off (but you need tools for the nut/bolt that holds it in place). Finish is a nice satin gold color (looks good) and quality of manufacture is good also. The supports are wide enough so that one person can load weights without the bar tipping.

Only two nitpicks: #1: the weight supports wobble some at the higher settings,and at the highest setting – for squats – it is just right for my 5’8″ frame; taller folks will bend down some to get under the bar.

#2: the gap between the seat and back support is too wide (on my bench, it is exactly 3 and 3/4 inches). It should really be no more than 2 inches. But although the large gap is a little annoying, it does not bother me. Taller/shorter people may be bothered by it, though.

Review by Livin’ In Paradise:

It would be nice if there were more than one size, because they tend to shift around on my ankles. I had to cut the cuffs off a pair of socks and wear them to protect my skin from the rubbing. But, I really like using these in the pool and if something happens to them, I would buy them again.

Review by Joy Bramble:

August 4, 2008

I first began doing this workout in December of 2007, well before I was familiar with the concept of functional training (that is, workouts the contain moves that mimic moves performed/strengthen the muscules used in every day activities). Now that I have incorporated Tracie Long Training functional training workouts into my regime, I realized when I did this great workout yesterday that it has some of the elements of functional training. While I wouldn’t term it a functional training workout, it is a very, very good, all-arond workout with a good mixture of basic (e.g., tricept kickbacks, squats, lunges), aerobically challenging (e.g., agility moves, mountain climbers, squat thrusts), and straight up strength and balance moves (e.g., pushups with lat rows). Patrick is fun/silly/giggly/engaging and the time flies by. He’s not a workout automiton; you can see him struggling to keep his balance the same as you. It’s a great workout to slip in periodically between heavy/serious weight training workouts or to do regulary if you prefer middle-of-the-road moderate weight workouts only. A hard core 17-year Firm vet who now, thanks to Jillian’s 30 Day Shred, works out daily, this and Patrick’s Hard Work Conditioning are welcome additions to my workout rotation.

Review by Joy Bramble:

This is a great all-arond workout with a good mixture of basic (e.g., tricept kickbacks, squats, lunges), aerobically challenging (e.g., agility moves, mountain climbers, squat thrusts), and straight up strength and balance moves (e.g., pushups with lat rows). Patrick is fun/silly/giggly/engaging and the time flies by. He’s not a workout automiton; you can see him struggling to keep his balance the same as you. It’s a great workout to slip in periodically between heavy/serious weight training workouts or to do regulary if you prefer middle-of-the-road moderate weight workouts only.

A hard core 17-year Firm vet who now, thanks to Jillian’s 30 Day Shred, works out daily, this and Patrick’s Hard Work Conditioning are wonderful additions to my workout rotation.

Review by Dr. Keith Shenberger:

This book is a superb introduction to the use of kettlebells. It is well illustrated and the exercises are all well organized and explained. I have been using kettlebells for 3 years now and this book has broadened my approach and added new and different approaches to my workouts. Bellomo shows in this book that he is an experienced master with this form of training. Highly recommended.

Review by David Pulizzi:

Before kettlebell training became the latest trend in gyms across the country, Dave Bellomo had long been extolling its many virtues. How nice to see then that one of kettlebell training’s preeminent masters has finally penned a well-written, richly illustrated, surprisingly entertaining and–for both beginners and seasoned athletes–entirely helpful book on the subject. Whether your interest is in a particular sport or in general fitness, where kettlebell training is concerned, this is surely the best book currently on the market. With close attention to detail and occasional flashes of good humor, Bellomo lays out in clear, plainspoken language the definitive guide to a highly effective type of workout that has suddenly become very popular. For those wishing to do kettlebell training right, Bellomo’s book is ground zero. Highly recommended.