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Posts Tagged ‘Weider Fitness’

The Weider Max Home Gym

January 15th, 2010 Johanna No comments

Finding the best home gyms and deciding which one is right for you can be a intimidating task. You want to get the most bangs for your money as well as find the best deal in a quality system that will last for years. There are a lot of company who claim that their machine is a system that helps in saving your time and money.

There’s never been a more exciting time to purchase a home gym to improve your strength and overall fitness; they are more compact, more versatile, made with better quality components, and best of all, even with all the advancements in design, they have never been more affordable than now.

The Product

The Weider Max Home Gym is one of the more popular products sold by this company. The Weider Max provides resistance training on many levels with one machine. The machine uses pulleys and cables to provide two hundred forty pounds of resistance. You can also upgrade the system to four hundred forty pounds for a more powerful work out.

The bow cross gym Weider makes is now known as the Weider Max.  The popular Weider cross bow home gym comes complete with everything you need for a full body workout.  It is versatile enough to accommodate people of all fitness levels.

The Weider Max Home Gym is unique because it uses a patented compound resistance system composed of bows, to provide resistance for strength training exercises.  The six bows are attached perpendicularly to the tower at the end of the bench.  It is made from a rigid material that resists bending; these bows provide resistance via cables (instead of lead weights, as other home gyms use).  Varying the amount of resistance as you change from one exercise to another is as simple as switching the clips at the ends of the bows.

Weider Max – Best Rated Home Gym

The thing we like best about the Weider max home gym is how easy it is to use.  It is a great gym for beginners as well as the more experienced trainer.  It comes with a detailed instruction manual and the suggested exercises are easy to perform.  It’s easy to learn to use the Quick Change Resistance System and with more than 65 different exercises to choose from, you won’t get bored.

The bow cross gym Weider or simply the Weider Max often compared to the Bowflex home gym, because the two gyms are very similar.  The Bowflex offers a few additional features, but at nearly double the price.  Weider gyms are our top rated gyms, because they offer the best value for your money. To learn more about the Weider Max Home Gym, or to purchase the Weider Max at a very low price, just follow the links provided.

Best Features of Weider Max

Impressive features of the Weider max home gym include:

  • Patented compound resistance system (CRS), which provides resistance without the use of lead weights.
  • Quick Change Resistance System, which allows you to change resistance from a minimum of five pounds up to a maximum of 240 pounds (upgradeable to 440 pounds) in seconds.
  • It’s easy to go quickly from one exercise to the next
  • Four position padded bench for maximum comfort.
  • Rowing seat for cardiovascular exercise.
  • Lat tower, preacher curl station, extended six-roll leg developer, and waist band and ankle straps.
  • Because there is no weight stack, the entire gym is lightweight and easy to move.

It comes with lifetime warranty on the bows and a five-year warranty on the rest of the equipment.  You’ll probably never need the warranty because the equipment is very well made, but it’s nice to know it’s there just in case.

Exercises on the Weider Max

The bow cross gym Weider offers is easy for beginners to use, but provides all the features needed by even the most experienced trainers.  You can perform more than 65 different exercises on the Weider max home gym, including both strength training and cardiovascular exercises.  Exercises include:

  • Bench press
  • Leg curl
  • Arm curl
  • Lat pull down
  • Triceps push down
  • Shoulder press
  • Chest fly
  • Rowing
  • Other strength training and cardiovascular exercises

Combining a compact, vertical design and resistance-rod technology, the Weider Max Home Gym packs more muscle-sculpting power into every square inch than other weight systems — guaranteed. It allows for fast weight adjustments, and with an easily-removable seat you can move from one exercise to another quickly. It’s the perfect environment for circuit-style training.

Weider Max Home Gym includes:

  • 240 lbs. of Quick Resistance: The rod system provides up to 240 pounds of resistance that can be adjusted quickly, so you can move from one exercise to another with ease.
  • Vertical Bench: This comfortable bench is padded and can be adjusted to the perfect height.
  • High Pulley (15+ exercises) and Low Pulley (40+ Exercises): Pulleys have no real set path, which makes them very versatile, so you can perform a number of exercises to target some of those harder to get areas.
  • Four-Roll Leg Developer: Build and develop quads, hamstrings, glutes and hip-flexors.
  • Ankle and Hand Straps: Get the most out of the high and low pulleys.
  • Exercise Chart: Learn which exercises focus on what muscle groups and how to perform each exercise most effectively with this step-by-step chart.
  • Exercise DVD: Comes with a special DVD that will demonstrate the system’s full potential, so you can get the most out of every workout.

The Weider Powermax

January 15th, 2010 Johanna No comments

Have you been into dilemmas about your weight and health condition? Well, plan to have fitness equipment at home without spending so much space and wasting so much time for maintenance. It would be helpful to find out all about Weider Powermax. This might be the answer to your problem.

The Weider Powermax is a group of Weider fitness equipment intended to give you a hardier workout; this would help you lose even more. The kit includes a multi training door attachment that takes seconds to place above your door. There are also rotating push up bars to help sculpt the arms and shoulders in a much leaner tone. In addition included are dual abs and core straps that work with the multi training door attachment. This piece of equipment develops a powerful abs and midsection.

The Weider PowerMax system is a complete system for going “old school” in your training. Using just the weight of your own body, and a minimum of simple equipment, you can pursue the art of bodyweight training. It’s not only fun and highly effective, it is the least expensive form of strength training there is.

Introducing the Weider PowerMax gives a very great opportunity for people who are seeking an effective gadget in aid of their losing weight and maintaining healthy lifestyle. This system is the 3-in-1 Ultimate Home Training Kit that gives you everything you need to build lean, powerful upper body. Moreover, because it’s so easy and effective, you will be amazed at just how quickly you’ll start seeing results.

The Weider PowerMax gives you everything you need to build lean, powerful upper body. This incredible kit features a Multi-Training Door Attachment, Rotating Push-Up Stands and Dual Ab and Core Straps, combining the best in fast, effective strength training.

Weider PowerMax as the fitness equipment also offers a variety of home gyms. The Max Strength System focuses is a high intense pulley system workout. Use the ankle and hand straps to configure over 40 different exercises. The compound resistance is guaranteed to tighten and tone areas of the arms, legs, and back.

The System

The Weider PowerMax system consists of three separate bodyweight training tools to work the upper body. The push-up stand serves as a bench press, the ab straps for leg raises, and the bar for a variety of exercises including pull-ups and chin-ups at the top of the door, and dips and sit-ups when placed at the bottom of the door.

The Weider Power Max includes:

  • Doorway Pull-up Bar
  • 2 Rotational Push-up Stands
  • A Pair of Ab Straps
  • Max user limit: 300 lbs

If you’ve ever worked one-on-one with a fitness trainer, you know that they like to assign bodyweight exercises. The reason for this is that these workouts are more effective at building core strength and overall muscle development. Using your body, and gravity, the muscles are loaded continuously throughout the entire range of motion. Why this set of three tools? Trainers will tell you that push-ups are better than bench press and pec flys; pull-ups are better than lat pull downs and biceps curls; and captain’s chair leg raises are better for the abs/obliques than any ab machine. What looks like children’s monkey bar exercises are actually an advanced form of strength training.

Instead of using a straight bar crammed between a door frame and scratch the paint, the Weider PowerMax system uses a unique design for the pull-up bar: it hangs over the top of the doorjamb on one side, and rests against the door frame on the other. The attachment fits doorjambs 34″ or smaller.

The ab straps drape over the doorway bar for targeting the abs/obliques while doing hanging knee lifts. These inexpensive comfy straps and the Weider PowerMax pull-up bar together, effectively replace a padded VKR Power Tower system which would cost you $200 or more!

Lastly, the rotating push-up handles take the strain off weak wrists and elbows so that you can use the principles of biomechanics to engage more muscles in the arms, shoulders, chest, and back. The rotation allows your wrists to twist naturally as you push. Try these handles once and you’ll never want to do a “conventional” push-up again.

Basic Features of Weider Powermax Equipment

Ultimate Design

Easily stores in closets and under beds, the PowerMax Kit is perfect for any home. The attachment fits doorjambs 34″ or smaller and doesn’t require damaging screw holes for installation.

Ultimate quality

The PowerMax is built to handle the most intense workouts for users up to 300 lbs. The sturdy construction will take everything you can give it and won’t give out. It’s the quality you expect from Weider

Multi-Training Door Attachment

This versatile attachment connects to the top of your doorjamb in seconds, allowing you to perform muscle-blasting pull-ups and chin-ups. Or, simply place it near the floor for dips and ab-sculpting sit-ups.

Rotating Push-Up Stands

Now you can build explosive arms and a chiseled back and chest with these Rotating Push-Up Stands, which offer adjustable resistance for customized training. And, with non-slip bases, these stands will stay put.

Dual Ab & Core Straps

Get ripped abs and a strong, powerful core with these durable straps that easily are machine-washable and slip easily on and off the door attachment.

Having fitness equipment is very helpful and convenient. You don’t need to drive away from home just to go to a gym. Having such equipment at home gives comfort and security as well. All in all, at home fitness equipment is a good idea.

Weider Total Body Works 5000

January 13th, 2010 Johanna No comments

Weider produces several weight training equipments for your home gym. Whether you are looking to build muscle or slim down they have a product that will help you achieve you goals.

All of the products Weider offers are constructed for maximum impact. The products use multi-position weights and benches to offer several different exercises with just one product. This makes their products more versatile. They have a lot of styles and machines to choose from with regards to your needs.

If you are looking for a total body slim down the Weider Total Body Works 5000 is a great product to buy. This machine uses your own body weight and adjustable power bands to maximize your work out. There are one hundred different work outs that this product uses to slim you down and shape your body.

The Weider family of products range in price from one hundred dollars to eight hundred dollars, thereby allowing you to find a product that fits your work out needs without having to spend a ton of money.

You can do over 100 different exercises with the Weider Total Body Works 5000 Home Gym. Resistance is provided by your own body weight, plus the Gym allows you to add more bands for up to an additional 50 lbs. of resistance. The cable and pulley system provides greater versatility and range of motion than some other systems. This allows you to vary exercises and develop greater flexibility.

The Weider Total Body Works 5000 is a home gym similar to the Total Gym. You can do more than 100 exercises to train your arms, shoulders, back, thighs, calves and core. The unit consists of a movable bench. You can increase the angle of the bench to make exercises harder, or swap out the adjustable power band for one of the three that gives more resistance. This design means that you do not need heavy weight stacks like you do with other home gyms.

Total Body Works 5000 also comes with what they call bungee cords (4 of them). These are used to increase the resistance as well. There is a bracket in which the cords slide. The more resistance I wanted the more cords I would slide into the bracket. These bands equal the equivalent of fifty pounds of resistance.

Benefits of Weider Total Body Works

The Weider Total Body Works 5000 home gym can accommodate over 100 body shaping exercises and it features a body weight resistance design with additional bands that add up to 50 lbs of additional resistance to your workout. The cable and pulley system allows for greater versatility and a greater range of motion for varying exercises, so you can increase your strength and flexibility.

This device has a frame Construction and is made of steel, a heavy-duty material used to provide durability to your machine, while helping to resist flexing while exercising. It has adjustable seat height as well that enables users of various heights to perform exercises properly.

It has also Manufacturer Warranty, Warranty on Frame, and Warranty on Parts, which all covers a 90-day warranty.

Features of Weider Total Body Works 5000

Over 100 Body-Shaping Exercises

This versatile system offers 100+ exercises to define and shape your arms, shoulders, back, abs, hip, thighs, and calves.

Four Adjustable Power Bands

These durable resistance bands increase weight resistance beyond your own body weight, giving you up to 50 lbs. of additional resistance.

Space Saving Design

This Total Body Works 5000’s convenient slide away technology allows for quick and easy storage.

Workout Guide

Learn which exercises focus on what muscle groups and how to properly perform specific exercises, along with additional exercise suggestions, with this helpful workout guide.

Product Specifications

Body Weight Resistance System

The 5000’s innovative resistance mechanism turns your body weight into natural resistance for a wide variety of exercises.

Flexibility-Strength Training

An unrestricted cable and pulley system gives you greater versatility and greater range of motion, allowing for a wider variety of exercises that strengthen muscle and increase flexibility.

Adjustable Incline

Easily increase or decrease the intensity of your workout by simply changing the incline of the Body Works glide board, giving you seven, easy-to-change incline.

Here are some simple steps that will guide you and help you along the way.

Seated Row

Step 1

Pull out the black pin on the side of the Weider Total Body Works 5000 and lower the bench to the lowest angle. Push the pin back in to secure the bench in place.

Step 2

Kneel on the bench facing the top of the machine and sit on your calves. Grab a handle to each resistance cable with your palms facing downward. Sit up straight and look straight ahead. Straighten your arms, which will make the bench slide downward.

Step 3

Bend your elbows and pull your arms back in a rowing motion. This will cause the bench to slide upward. Keep your elbows raised so that your arms are parallel to the floor. Pull your shoulders back and keep your spine straight. Row your arms back slowly in a smooth movement and exhale.

Step 4

Straighten your arms and inhale to complete one row.

Step 5

Do one or two sets of 15 to 25 reps if you are a beginner. Raise the incline for your next set if your back and arm muscles are not fatigued by your 25th rep. Do two or three sets of 12 to 20 reps at a higher incline or with a higher resistance band if you are an intermediate exerciser.

Squats

Step 1

Adjust your incline to the desired angle. Try 45 degrees to start.

Step 2

Lie back on the bench and place your feet hip-width apart on the squat stand at the bottom of the machine. Position the bench so that it is under your back, shoulders and neck. Hold onto the sides of the bench.

Step 3

Bend your knees and lower yourself slowly toward the floor as you inhale. Stop when your knees make a right angle.

Step 4

Push your legs straight to raise yourself upward and exhale to finish one squat.

Step 5

Do one to two sets of 15 to 25 reps. raise the incline for your next set if your leg muscles are not fatigued by the last rep.

Weider Fitness Powerbell Kettle Bells

January 13th, 2010 Johanna No comments

Russians have been developing stronger, fitter bodies with kettlebells since olden times.  There’s a new calisthenics ramble that involves using Russian kettlebells.  This impressive fitness tool, which looks like a small cannon ball with a handle, left its mark in American homes and fitness centers in recent years.  More recently, kettlebells by Weider Fitness have been created with an even more efficient kettlebell design and it is now adjustable.

Weider Powerbells are all-in-one workout products for building strength. They are modeled after kettelbells, which can be found in gyms all over the world. The problem with kettelbells is that in order to get a grand workout, you often want to use multiple weights and sizes. In a gym this is no dilemma. Though for home use this can pose some storage issues. Weider developed a product that will offer all the paybacks of a complete kettlebell workout without wasting space.

Features and Functions of Weider Kettlebells

The Weider Powerbell is very easy to adjust from 10 – 40 lbs which is fine range for anybody from beginners through reasonably seasoned trainees. The shape of the Powerbell could take a little bit of getting used to if you are already accustomed to using solid kettlebells as it isn’t quite as round but after a few workouts it feels just as natural as a solid kettlebell. The Powerbell is the priciest adjustable on the list, but it comes complete (no additional weight plates required) and it is the most user friendly in terms of speed and ease of weight adjustments.

Weider Powerbells are designed to take the place of a complete set of kettelbells. They provide the user the ability to change the weight fast and without hassle. It is a space saving system that is just as efficient as the regular kettelbells.

The weights offer all the benefits of dumbbell training. The super thick levers challenge your grip, and the position of the weight in relation to the handle works your core extra hard. Best thing about kettlebells is that they are flexible. They’re ideal for volatile exercises that work major muscles, burn body fat, and build power. However, they also add a new facet to classic moves like chest presses. Additionally, you don’t need a wall-length rack of them to get a great workout. A pair will suffice for this schedule. Use them regularly and you’ll see the body you’ve always wanted.

The effortlessness and expediency of the kettlebells by Weider are absolutely an enormous bonus but the results that these kettlebells can produce are even more astonishing.

When you go after the workout DVD that comes with the Weider kettlebells, you’ll be trained to the proper forms and techniques to achieve your desired level of fitness.  Once you’ve attained that level, you’ll want to continue your Weider kettlebell exercises to stay fit or get even fitter.

Why It Works

The weight of a kettlebell hangs a few inches below its handle, which makes it more difficult to control. Everything from your grip to your core has to work harder than if you were using a dumbbell, so you get more out of even standard dumbbell moves. This extra muscle activity means your body burns more calories. Double that with exercises that target the whole body and you have a potent formula for significant fat loss.

The Weider Kettlebells Difference

What makes kettlebells by Weider unique compared to other kettlebells?  With most kettlebell sets, you have to completely switch units when you want to go from one amount of weight to another during exercise sessions.  With Weider kettlebells, however, an entire set of weights is combined within a single unit!

Kettlebells by Weider means no more wasted time spent searching through a number of kettlebells to find the size that you need!  Weider kettlebells are so easy to use.  Each Power Bell includes seven individual weights per unit.  The small Weider kettlebell consists of a 5-pound handle and six 2.5-lb. weight disks for a total of 20 pounds.  Simply pull the lock and twist to add or remove a weight disk!

The space-saving design of the Weider kettlebells makes it easier to keep your workout area tidy and free of clutter.  With these adjustable units, you do not need several weights lying around, taking up valuable space as they await use.

Two Variants of Weider Powerbell

The Weider Powerbell comes in two different variants, a 20 lb max and 40 lb max weight, each with six weights to add or remove depending on your preferences. One thing o keep in mind is that Both PowerBells come with a workout.

The 40lb PowerBell will run you $249.95 while the 20lb PowerBell goes for $119.95. Now before you think about the cost, think about the money you would spend on 7 kettlebells and the space you’ll save by having this all-in-one Power Kettle.

Weider 20 lb PowerBell

This is a five pounds handle with 6 2.5 lb weights. It combines 7 kettle bells in a single convenient set. The weights quickly adjust from 5 lb. up to 20 lb. to personalize your workout. Kettle bells are versatile enough for numerous workouts.

FEATURES:

  • Weights Quickly Adjust from 5 lb. – 20 lb.
  • SpaceSaver Design.
  • Workout DVD
  • Elite Fitness Journal

SPECIFICATIONS:

  • 5 lb. Handle
  • (6) 2.5 lb. Weight Plates

Weider 40 lb. Powerbell

The 40lb PowerBell has a 10 lb handle and 5 5lb weights.  This combines 7 kettle bells in one convenient set. The weights quickly adjust from 10 lb. up to 40 lb. to personalize your workout. Kettle bells are versatile enough for numerous workouts.

FEATURES:

  • Weights Quickly Adjust from 10 lb. – 40 lb.
  • SpaceSaver Design.
  • Workout DVD
  • Elite Fitness Journal

SPECIFICATIONS:

  • 10 lb. Handle
  • (6) 5 lb. Weight Plates

The included DVD on every Powerbell features Michael Skogg, a former U.S. Special Forces member and a professional kettlebell trainer. The PowerBell also come with a guide to healthy eating and a fitness journal. What it doesn’t come with is ambition, you’ll have to provide that yourself.

Weider X-Factor First Impressions

January 12th, 2010 Brian 1 comment

My Weider X-Factor just arrived last night after waiting for about a week or two to have it delivered. I was very anxious to finally receive the X-Factor, but I did order it over the Christmas/New Years holiday, so of course it took longer than it probably would normally to get it shipped out. If you order the Weider X-Factor, you should know that it will probably be at least a week to ship to your house, possibly two.

The equipment ships in the same kind of box you’ll find in stores probably later this month or year anyway. It’s exactly what you would expect it to be. It’s the two sets of 3 resistance bands attached to pulleys and the door anchors. It has the leg straps as well as the handles to use both arms or legs with the X-Factor.

The three included DVD’s seem to be pretty good quality. Last night I watched the Explosion Workout DVD. If you compare it to P90X, it’s not as intense of a workout tempo. That’s not to say that you won’t get a great workout doing it. It’s just that the pace of the workout is more designed to teach you how to do the exercises. For beginners or people who haven’t used the X-Factor before, this is awesome and a great place to start.

The exercise chart is huge. Seriously, this thing is massive, which I love because it really gives you a ton of great ideas for what you can do with the X-Factor. Just looking at everything you can do with the X-Factor my mind started reeling with the possibilities. I just had to attach it to a door and try it.

I live in a very old house with old doors that aren’t always the standard size. That being said, the Weider X-Factor was incredibly easy to setup. They aren’t joking when they say it attaches to the door in about a minute. You literally just attach it to the bottom corner and then pull up to place it on the opposite corner of the door. It’s just about idiot proof.

BowFlex Revolution
Current Price: US $1,200.00

The only problem I encountered thus far is that when you take the X-Factor off the door sometimes the resistance bands can get twisted a bit, but it’s very easy to fix. Not a big deal.

Now, on to the real question. Can you get a great workout with the Weider X-Factor?

Yes, you can.

This machine is awesome. As I said, I watched the Explosion training DVD last night and so this morning my workout was based around the moves I saw in DVD. I used my Timex watch to setup a 1 minute timer for each exercise.

Holy moley, this thing is a workout. Admittedly, I’m not in any kind of “peak physical condition”, but I’ve done my share of Football and distance running training and let me tell you, this thing is a great workout.

What I would suggest is picking a 4 or 5 exercise circuit and do 1 minute for each exercise with a little break in-between. This is similar to what you would do for P90X. In fact, I might just have to try using the X-Factor for some of the P90X workouts instead of free weights.

Anyway, doing 3 or 4 circuits would give you a straight up awesome workout in probably 20-30 minutes. A lot of te exercises work both your upper body, lower body, and core all at the same time, so you don’t have to spend a lot of extra time targeting specific muscle groups unless you want to.

So, after one day do I think that it was $100 well spent?

100% yes. For sure.

The Weider X-Factor is a great piece of equipment. It’s super duper versitile and it really works. My muslces are tired and I feel great. It’s definately something I’m going to be using on a regular basis, and even when I travel to visit family, I’ll probably take it with me just because it’s so convenient.

So those are my first impressions of the Weider X-Factor. I’ll probably wait a few weeks before I give it a “full review” because I want to try the other workouts as well as just to see what kind of weight loss/fitness benefits even a month of training with the X-Factor will bring.

This is going to be fun.

BowFlex Revolution
Current Price: US $1,200.00
Bowflex Extreme
Current Price: US $350.00

The Weider X-Factor

December 28th, 2009 Brian 8 comments

The Weider X-Factor is a new piece of exercise equipment from Weider Fitness. Weider Fitness is a very well known name in the world of fitness equipment, so any time they design a new fitness product, I tend to stand up and take notice.

The X-Factor is one of a somewhat new product category in the realm of fitness equipment. It is what I would call a door gym. It is not the first product in this category, but it looks like it might be the most intriguing of the bunch that I’ve seen.

The first door gym that I’ve seen is actually the Tower 200 by Body by Jake. Both home gyms work basically the same way. You attach a series of resistance bands to a door via some mechanism and you do a series of resistance exercises using a combination of both the upper and lower body.

The total amount of resistance for the Weider X-Factor is 210 lbs. With the extra resistance band kit you can increase the total amount to over 300 lbs. That is far more resistance that most people will ever need. Think about it, when you do bicep curls you use what 25 to 45 lbs. most of the time? If 210 lbs. isn’t enough to give you a good workout, you probably aren’t in the market for a consumer-grade workout system, much less a door gym.

That being said, I think that most people will probably be able to find a good workout using the X-Factor gym. Since this is a new product I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, it’s still on order, so I don’t have firsthand knowledge of the kind of workout you can get.

However, if you go to YouTube, you can find some really outstanding “behind the scenes” videos of how the 2 minute national commercial for X-Factor was made and those fitness models were really working hard. Some of the videos showed models who were sweating hard and could barely talk. This was not people being doused with water right before they start to film. Real sweat, real shortness of breath. Seemingly a real workout.

The price seems to be the real factor that puts the X-Factor into the “must buy” category for me. At $100 plus shipping, you can’t beat the price. I’ve looked into Bowflex or even the Weider Max systems and even used that would have been $200-300. Those systems deliver a similar amount of resistance and even similar exercises, yet they cost 2-3x as much used. New machines cost $300 – $1,000+. At that kind of investment I could buy a X-Factor for a lof of my friends and relatives.

Another great thing about only spending $100 on the X-Factor is that if it doesn’t work or you don’t use it much, you aren’t out a lot of money. A monthly gym membership costs say $30-80 a month, so $100 is only a few months worth of membership fees. In this recession economy, that’s a big win no matter how much you slice it.

The closest competitor to the X-Factor is the Tower 200 by Body by Jake. There seem to be two major differences. The first difference is that the X-Factor is cheaper. If you buy the Tower 200 outright, I believe it costs about $160 or so, depending on what discounts you can get, I’m not sure. The X-Factor is $100+ shipping, so that’s about a $50-60 dollar difference.

The second difference between the X-Factor and the Tower 200 is how they attach to the door. The X-Factor gets its name because it has 4 corner door connections that connect at the corners to create an X shape with the resistance bands. The Tower 200, by contrast, has a kind of metal plate support system that goes on the top and bottom of the door keeping the resistance bands in a vertical posistion.

From what I can tell, the X-Factor is probably a little more portable than the Tower 200. Both are obviously a lot more compact than your traditional gym like a Bowflex or even a Total Gym. However, the support system of the Tower 200 is bigger and bulkier than the X-Factor gym is. I’ve seen some blog comments elsewhere that seem to verify this assumption.

The last thing worth mentioning as far as the X-Factor goes is that Weider has put together a 3 DVD workout set. The DVDs cover Explosion training, Total Body training, and Ab training. Without using any of these DVDs I can’t really say much of anything about them. They were designed by Michael Skogg, a MMA trainer/coach as well as a former special forces soldier. That’s pretty cool, but like most workout DVDs, they only work if you use them.

A workout chart is also included which will show you how to do the different exercises. With a door gym the exercises are limited more by your imagination than anything else. I believe the 200 in the Tower 200 stands for the 200 different exercises you can do with it. I don’t know if there are 200 completely different exercises you can do on either machine, but that’s not the point. If you can have 10-20 excellent exercises that you do in a circuit, you can make a pretty killer workout out of that.

As I mentioned earlier in this article, I just ordered my Weider X-Factor, so I’m waiting to see how it goes. Once I get the X-Factor maybe I’ll put together a weekly diary of progress and such. It couldn’t hurt right? I’m pretty stoked about the X-Factor and based on my past experience using resistance bands, I have pretty high hopes that this will be awesome. Let’s hope that Weider doesn’t let me down!