Multifunctional Workout Station

Let me state that I'm not exactly the most mechanically inclined person. I bought this because its been hard as heck getting to the gym and, with my job and other responsibilities, it seemed like a no-brainer to use the space in my basement for exactly that reason. A home gym! I have some stuff but considering I had a gym membership, I didn't have a lot. My gym has a lot of Body-Solid products that I was familiar with and used, so I knew that they made some good stuff. So it was between this product and Body-Solid Exm 3000 Home Gym The 3000 is a nice gym but a lot bigger. Its also commercial grade, which I liked. But knowing I was going to have to put it together on my own...whoosa! About did me in. Plus, it was a matter of space. While I have a decent sized basement, This worked way better than the 3000 in terms of space. Anyway I ordered this one because cost was good as well as size, and it leaves me room for a squat rack. It came via UPS freight which had a lift gate. I didn't ask for one but honestly if you don't know if your UPS guys have one, you may want to go that route. The driver was very sweet, and pushed the pallet all the way down my very long driveway to where it meets the grass of the back yard. Of course, the pallet was beat to hell and back and some of the weights were not boxed. But its freight..things happen. Anyway the pallet is big, the boxes are big, and they're heavy. I'm not a big girl, but I'm moderately strong. But still, if you can, have someone help you. I had to schlep the boxes across the backyard with a hand truck, then down a bunch of steps to my basement , so in all, about 45 minutes to get them in the basement. The next day I started to lay out all the parts. Listen, I don't care what anyone says, label all your parts, you'll thank yourself later. Post-it notes became my best friend! I can't just eyeball a screw or bolt and know what size it is. They have a very nice measuring area in the instructions pages, and that proved to be really great for me. I also made sure to count all the pieces to be sure I had all of what I needed. I'm particular that way. If you have some basic tools like a couple of different sized socket wrenches, and/or a ratchet set like BOSTITCH BTMT72286 Pass Through Socket Set, 21-Piece , you'll be able to put it together. I didn't have rubber mallet, so I used a regular hammer wrapped in a old t-shirt. Instructions were just pictures, but weren't the worst I've ever seen. I've set up office furniture with way worse images, and I'm sure more than a few of us have seen those before! If you took your time prior laying out all the stuff and marking it, you could easily figure out which parts went where, you just have to take your time. In all, it took me 8 hours split over 2 days. I was missing some of the weights, (to which I contacted the vendor and they replaced without issue) and, I only had like 2 pieces left over (I think they send a few extra plastic closure pieces in case some break) Caveats: Yes its true what everyone says; don't tighten the pulleys until they're threaded. There were a couple of pieces high up that I could have used help on but I managed to do it by myself with the use of a step ladder. If you don't have to do it alone, don't the higher up pieces are a bit awkward. The weight stack is a bit of an issue as I can't get the last weight in the stack to take the pin. I don't know why that is but at the moment its not terribly important. If I EVER get to the point of using the entire stack, I'll worry more. You will need some sort of WD-40 for the weight stack poles, and between the cables and pulleys to help them move smoother. I had a can laying around so I used a tiny bit everywhere. Build quality is really really good the white metal parts are not flimsy at all, and the seats are comfy. They even came with all of the handles that you need, so no need to buy any. While not exactly commercial its very close to it, so I can see it being around for a very long time. I bought some 8mm rubber floor squares to put over the concrete for better stability, but even the cheapy foam stuff will work for that. I just like the rubber a bit better as flooring cover since it covers a good deal of my basement now. In all, its been an experience! I like it, it works very well, and now I can get a workout in whenever I want. Its not the only tool in the belt, but it really helps me to get what I need done without stressing out about it.

Great system. Well made. Glad it’s at least made in Taiwan as opposed to China. Takes a while to assemble but the instructions are clear. Download them from their website for better instructions than come with it. Also had an issue with one cable a few weeks in. Contacted the distributor and they replaced it right away with no problems. Very satisfied!

Overall this is a very solid machine. I gave it 4 out of 5 because of the setup/instructions. I really like the pec station and the range it gives you is nice. You do not find this on cheaper machines. When ordering I was a little hesitant based on the weight stack only being 210lbs because for some exercises that doesn't seem like enough weight. However, so far I am pleasantly pleased with the weight and resistance of the machine. With free weights I can bench over 300lbs, sets of curls with 75lb dumb bells and etc. I bring that up to point out that benching on this machine (because of the pulled back arm position) offers nice resistance and makes the 210lb weight stack feel more comparable to 300lb's. The same could be said for leg extensions. The 210 lb weight stack is much much heavier based on the pulley design and resistance it gives you. So my reservations about the 210lb weight stack were unfounded. Nothing can replace free weights overall, but this is a very nice machine and built well. You can see the quality for the money. I do wish it had a leg press option, but it certainly wasn't a deal breaker. The flow of the cables is nice and smooth and as a result this is a very quiet machine. The seats and back pads are comfortable for gym equipment. The key/pin locking into the weight stack seems a little flimsy to me, but it holds just fine. I guess I'm used to other machines where when you put the pin in place it locks and doesn't feel loose. The variety of exercises you can do in a short amount of time is perfect for circuit training. It's an easy way to get a solid workout in for those of us who work all day and have families. As far as putting this beast together I have to agree with most of the other reviews. Carve out a block of at least 5 or more hours (get you a few cocktails) to get this thing setup. It's not that it is overly difficult it's just the instructions are not very good. It's basically 7 pages (duplex) of exploded diagrams and parts lists. TIP: Before I got started I separated, bagged, and marked all the nuts, bolts, washers, and etc to make it much easier. This helped out A LOT. There were two main areas that I thought could have been explained much better if at all in the instructions. For the weight stack selector (the long rod that the key/pin goes into) you have to attach the steel cable to it with that bushing piece. (I forget the part # since I don't have it in front of me). Getting the ball end of the steel cable in the bushing and locking it with the allen wrench bolt was fine, but I had issues getting the bushing to sit snuggly and correctly at the top of the weight stack rod. What I found out is I did do it correctly and when I finally tested the bench press with really heavy weights it forced it to lock in place and now fits snug. There is no mention of this or tips anywhere that I found. The other area that could have used a little more clarification was how you should fasten the end of the steel cable to the leg extender. You have to fasten it from inside the tubing (I had already put on the end cap first not knowing this) and there is very little room to do so. Everything else was pretty straight forward for the most part. TIP: Leave all pulleys loose and unfastened until you are completely done threading them. This will save you a lot of back and forth. So overall I am very pleased with the purchase. My wife loves it and can work out a lot easier on this as opposed to free weights. She has had knee issues from an accident when she was younger so certain leg exercises bother her. This machine doesn't bother her at all. It allows us to spend time together and helps out her technique a lot more which gives her confidence compared to free weights. My wife uses it to supplement her cardio. Hey when your wife tells you she wants a weight station so she can get her SEXY on with you it's a pretty simple decision to make!

I ordered this very recently from Fitness Factory. There were no problems with shipping and the item came with all the parts, which is unusual these days. The quality of the parts are extremely good and they all fit together perfectly. I am also extremely proud of Body Solid for doing such a caring job of packaging. As other reviewers have already stated, you have to finger tighten the pulleys because when you go to installed the cables, you have to remove pulleys as you go in order to get the cables routed around them. Seems unusual but don't be put off by it. I don't think it would be possible to improve the design. Its already excellent. By the end of the day, once I got this thing put together, I was amazed by how smooth it works and the exercises target the desired muscles perfectly. And you can do nearly every exercise you could want. Just make sure you that when you go to put it together, place the main frame where the gym will stay. It gets really heavy as you put it together and becomes difficult to move. I wouldn't recommend sliding it on carpet because it may cause it to shift. So get it right after you start assembly! Leave plenty of space around it because you will be doing exercises standing and sitting next to it and you need the extra room. My only complaint is the lack of information included with the gym. I could only speculate how to use the straps that came with it. Plus there were a few extra items such as a very small end cap, some double sided foam tape, and a bag full of sticky numbers. No clue what thoses things are for. The instructions didn't require them. Otherwise, the best home gym on the planet for under $1000.

We’ve had this machine set up for a couple of weeks now and are very happy with it. It functions exactly as expected and offers a wide variety of exercises.

This is a very well made piece of equipment. Before assembly I organized all the parts according to the materials list and in the same order as shown on the paper. Then, when a specific bolt/washer, etc was required, I knew exactly which one to get. I worked on this after work a couple hours each day for about a week... it was fun to assemble. Although the directions are diagrams only, they were detailed and I had no problems. Everything fit together perfectly. After it was finished I was very proud of my accomplishment and tried it out right away. I am still impressed with how smooth it works. All the parts are high quality... there is nothing cheap or flimsy about this gym. I get a great workout on it and you can build strengh easily (my husband now calls me "Hercules"). Since you cannot buy add-on attachments, I will probably get a standalone VKR station... costs about the same anyway. I highly recommend this gym and probably any product made by Body Solid.

After way too many hours ( approximately 20) I finally finished the assembly of this item. I have assembled many products in my life and I consider myself proficient at assembly however this one product wins the most frustrating and challenging I’ve to encounter yet. While the unit is solid and well built, the effort in getting it completed is absurd. The only assembly help included in the packaging was picture illustrations which were too small and inadequate in many cases. I was able to download a PDF onto my tablet and use it. But the PDF instructions were poorly done as well and illustrations did not show enough detail in many cases. In addition to assembly challenges was the fact that it was delivered with packages torn open and parts bags torn open and missing parts. I contacted the manufacturer and they shipped the items that I requested but this added yet another headache. Today I have finished assembly and I can only hope that it will provide us with the sturdy results that we expect. One request I have for the manufacturer….. please rewrite your instructions and show better detail and sort your parts ( bolts, nuts, bearings, etc) in bags and boxes identifying them. We your customer should not have to tear open one large common bags of hundreds of varying parts and sizes and attempt to identify them so we can use them in proper assembly.

This is a good home gym with a lot of exercises supported. The construction is solid and material quality is high. I'd give it 5 stars except for 2 issues: 1 - The weights don't return to their stack (resting position) as easily as I'd like. It's possible that this is intentional to avoid slamming the plates together too hard but it's a pain if you want just 10 lbs for something (with the friction of pulleys, 10 lbs is actually more than 10 lbs). For example, if you only use the 10 lb top plate then it won't slide all of the way back down on most of the exercises. It's simply a friction problem. Each pulley is high quality but still adds some friction and some exercises go through 6 - 10 pulleys. Then there are the silver bars which the weights slide up and down on. The top plate has a plastic barrel through it on both sides which fit very tightly around those poles. So there is quite a bit of additional friction there. I'd cleaned those barrels and used a ton of silicone spray and the top plate (10 lbs without any other weights) still won't go all the way down unless you press it with your hands. Add 10 more lbs or more and it's fine. So this isn't a problem for adults but it could be an issue for younger teenagers, like I have. 2 - Assembly is a real @#$%. Most of the steps in and of themselves are simple enough. However, you get 12 pages of instructions for assembly and no words - just pictures. And they're not as clever as IKEA with their pictures. There is no granular sequencing so you'll have about 20 things to do on each page and it's just a single diagram with a ton of parts. Sometimes it just shows 1 item and says "x2" in the diagram and you have to figure out what that means. For example, it showed a pulley, bolt, and nut where the nut and bolt said x2. It was because they wanted you to use those same parts to put a second pulley about 12 inches away in another set of holes. No visual indicator. The disappointing part is that they could solve this problem by simply providing better documentation. A couple of tips which may save you some time and frustration during assembly: - Take the time to carefully inventory ALL of your parts. There are bolts which are over 2" long and only 1/4" different in length. So it's very easy to eyeball them and throw them all in the same pile, then realize 3/4 of the way through assembly that you were using the wrong ones. Not me, of course ... I have this friend. They give you a measuring picture on one of the parts pages and I highly recommend that you use it for every bolt. Then it will save you time if you just lay down some sticky notes on the floor and label them with their IDS (A1, A2, etc). The other non-bolt parts are easier to distinguish. - When you put in the pulleys, leave the nuts loose at first. You'll end up removing about 1/2 of them later when you run the cables since the ends won't fit through. - BE VERY CAREFUL with those long silver poles, which are the guide rails for the weight plates. The top plate fits so tightly that even a small "ding" on those poles could hinder the motion of the top plate and therefore cause the weights to stick a little. With perfect guide poles and some silicone, it works pretty well. I misunderstood how one of the parts fit on there and ended up creating a screw mark on one of my guide poles, which caused the top plate to stick on it when returning to resting position. However, I was able to take that back apart and flip the pole to put the flaw so high on the pole that the top plate never hits it. - You'll need sockets/ratchet and wrenches from 9/16" to 13/16". I had 2 "all in one" socket sets but neither had 13/16 in there (too big). Fortunately, I also had some 1/2" drive sockets that I'd purchased individually a while ago so I was set. You'll also need a mallet or hammer (mallet would be far better) to band in the end caps and one other part. No other special tools are needed. They give you all of the hex wrenches that you need. - Leave enough space for the rowing station. You need to sit on the floor out away from the base of the gym to use it and it's difficult to move once you have the weight plates on there. I would absolutely recommend this home gym. For the money, you get a lot of exercises and what seems to be very solid construction. I suspect that it will last a long time. Just be prepared to spend several hours putting it together.