Review by C. Trevillyan:

I think this is a great kit with more than I expected. The jump rope is long enough that you can fitit to anyones size and the 2 bands are just the right resistance to give a wide variety of clients a good workout.

Review by AMONT:

Bought these bands a few years ago. You do get what you pay for. When I first used the the bands one of them came apart at the point of connection. The construction method is something to be desired as it is only done with the band doubled over and secured by two small zip ties with a shrink wrap like band over the top of that. With repeated use of pulling/pushing, the bands of course shrink/narrow in diameter and will eventually slip through the zip ties. Makes for exciting times depending on what your doing. Right now I’m considering the Bodylastics. Although more pricey they do seem to be better constructed and have metal clips instead of plastic and a sewn seam at the point of connection.

Review by P. Barker:

Works well, makes your thighs feel the burn. Would have given it 5 stars if it were made more ” heavy duty “. Seems a bit flimsy and like it could break at any time, but it hasnt. I have used everyday for about 3 weeks and no problems at all, and I can see a difference in my thighs already. If your inner thighs need help this is a good product to use.

Review by L. Valentine:

I enjoy this product, My thigh’s are getting tighter and toner and my buns often ache and are feeling tighter.

Review by James R. Schwartz:

I’ve been looking for quite a while for an “all-in-one” home gym, to replace several pieces of gym equipment that I’ve been using regularly for several years: a Weider 8510 pulley-type machine, a Roman crunch bench; a Body by Jake; and free weights.

I looked at the “Total Gym” machine (the one pushed by Christie Brinkley and Chuck Norris). I went to their website and requested their free video; a few days later, I got a phone call from them, telling me that if I bought it that very day, I could save 0. “I want the video”, I said. I never got the video. That sent up “red flags” in my head for the Total Gym people. I resent being hustled.

Then I found this item, the Total Body Works 5000. I could not find a single negative review for it, anywhere.

I bought it. I love it. Even though I’ve been working out for years, I am impressed. It will help free up a lot of space in my basement!

Review by Reticuli:

I’m on my second one, now. The newer versions have thicker board padding, better quality vinyl, and some improvements in the wielding. The corners of the board’s vinyl will eventually start splitting still, but some black tape can solve this. It doesn’t really alter its function if you just let it happen without taping. Every few years the gym needs to be replaced as parts wear, but at these prices you could actually buy a new one each year and still be saving money compared to the competition. Certain parts will not wear, and you can take them off the old one and keep as spares considering how expensive buying each one is from Weider. Some caution is necessary on the single-pole stand. Make sure the peg is always securely in before getting on the machine. Also never let pets or children get anywhere close to that end when you’re using it. Finally, inspect the cable routinely for significant damage and replace it BEFORE the cable actually breaks. Never use it until failure. I do not work for this company, but am speaking from experience.

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 R. D. Harrison:

This twisty exercise is something I’m actually likely to do — it definitely appeals to the wiggly little kid in me The board is pretty small but not too small for me (with size 8 women’s feet), although you can’t really place your feet more than a few inches apart. I didn’t find it hard to balance on at all, as long as you’re careful when you step onto it. It worked fine and I was having fun twisting away, but then maybe only about 20 minutes in, I heard a “crack” and a strange noise — turns out one of the little rolly balls on the inside somehow became dislodged, and now there’s a sort of a “dent” spot in it, and I’m worried that if I keep using it it will actually crack. I don’t know whether this was because of some manufacturing flaw or what. I’m not a small girl — me + the weights I was using are probably nearly 200 pounds taken together — but it seems to me like exercise tools ought to be built for people who could stand to lose a few, you know? I would love this if only it didn’t seem like it was on the verge of breaking. I can’t really say I feel like I overspent though, since it was so cheap to begin with…

Review by Howard E. Adams:

The twist board would be more useful if it were a bit larger. The size makes it difficult to stand on while moving, about another 2-3 ” would help.

Review by J. McDonald:

I’ve read several reviews here with people being confused or disappointed, but I think perhaps expectations were different. First off, I’m not a trained professional, but I’ve been exercising for years and I pay close attention to proper form for the most effective effort. I’ll try to explain how this works and what to expect.

– CORE MUSCLES WORKED WITH AN AB WHEEL:

Shoulders, arms, upper and lower back, abs (all sections)

– WHAT TO EXPECT ON QUALITY:

The quality on these things doesn’t have to be fancy – it has a simple use and just has to be functional. Two wheels are better than one, however. The wheels are solid plastic/rubber and the grips are similar. Are the grips terribly comfortable? No, but they’re not bad either and you aren’t using it for hours at a time -just minutes. Wrap some tennis racquet grip around them for added comfort if you want more, but it’s really not needed. This is a basic tool and doesn’t need to be made of expensive materials. The bar through the middle is solid metal (not sure if there is a weight limit but I’d guess at about 200lbs).

– PUTTING IT TOGETHER:

It arrives in a box as two separate wheels, a metal bar, two rubber handles and a single sheet of instructions. Place the bar through the wheels and center them as best as you can. Then slide/wiggle/twist one handle all the way onto one end of the bar (I didn’t need grease – it went on pretty easily, yet snug). Then try to line up the grip of the other handle and slide that onto the other side of the bar with the wheels in the middle. Push on the ends of the handles to make sure they’re on all the way. You will be able to twist the grips a little to line them up perfectly. Putting it together took me only a couple of minutes.

– USING IT (BASIC):

Using the Ab Wheel is simple, but really works the abs if done correctly. This simple devise helps create the line down the middle of your abs for that nice six pack!

Kneel on the floor with one hand on each handle and the wheel positioned on the floor, centered before you. Without arching your back (keep it straight and keep your head straight too – don’t look up or drop your head down) slowly roll the wheel away from your knees in a straight line before you. Your body moves forward with the wheel, away from your knees – this is KEY to making this move effective! Your weight is supported via your hands on the bar and by your knees (and a straight back). The further you can stretch your arms out before you and the further you can lean away from your knees the more you will work the core muscles in your abs. When you’ve rolled out as far as you safely can, reverse and roll back up to the starting position (this should be hard!). Line your body up facing a wall (knees 2-3 ft from the wall) and roll out toward the wall if you want something there to help you stop rolling. Line up further and further away as you get stronger.

You may not be able roll out more than 2-3 feet at first but that’s okay. (When I stop my abs/hips are about 10-12 inches from the floor. You want to aim for about a 45 degree angle from your knees to your hips and then a countering 45 degree angle from your hands on the ab wheel to your shoulders. Think of making a bridge with your body where your knees are one support on one side of the water and the wheel is the other support on the other side of the river/body of water. Again, the farther you can stretch out, the more difficult the workout, but be careful and don’t push too hard too fast or you’ll tear something! Use your head and be conservative at first.

Beginners should probably start with 1-2 sets of 5-10 reps and work on rolling out further as you become stronger. I’m trying 2 sets of 10 reps and my abs are SORE after 2 days of this!!

It’s IMPORTANT TO KEEP YOUR BACK STRAIGHT and to not arch it as you roll out. You can hurt yourself if you do this move incorrectly. The wheel comes with some basic instructions that show you the proper form. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!

– USING IT (ADVANCED):

Once you get comfortable using it as described above, add a twist and rather than just rolling straight ahead of you, keep your knees still and roll out at about a 25-30 degree angle left or right of center, twisting at the waist. This will really focus on the oblique muscles. I’d suggest alternating each direction during your reps, but that’s just my opinion.

This really is a GREAT ab workout and you WILL feel it if done properly. Good luck on that six pack!

Review by D. Dubier:

Got it at a great price. Nice burn from using it. I don’t know that 2 wheels makes it better, but it does the job.

Only gripe was that it was almost impossible to put the foam handle on over the metal bar, that was a workout by itself, had to use all knowledge of physics and all brute strength in fingers to get job done.

Review by Christopher Marland:

This home gym is small and compact. Designed really for general fitness and strength training, not for huge body-building. It needs assembly but that only took me about 4hrs by myself. The only thing I would say is don’t follow the pulley installation instructions. Place the cable and pulley on the machine in order of feeding the cable, then tighten the pulley bolts to the machine.

This machine does just what you need as a home-fitness gym. It is compact and both my wife and I find it great to maintain tone without wanting huge bulk. It has 150lb in stacked weight which is fine for your general fitness needs. If you want larger weights then I would buy some free-weights but if you want a decent, well put together home gym that works arms, legs & chest then you can’t go wrong with this machine.

Review by Matthew K. Merkel:

I have been using this gym for about three days now and so far i am very pleased. This is a great gym for someone just starting out. the cables are quiet , the only sound i really hear is from the plates moving up and down. Took about four hours to put together with only two tools and the directions are great. Just lay out all the hardware (bolts, washers ect.) before you start , it makes things easier. Make sure your phone number is correct when ordering since a delivery service will contact you for a date of delivery.