Body Solid EXM1500S Single Stack Home Gym

The unit is very well built. I do metal work and have experience with this type of fabrication, and the machining was perfectly alined. The assembly instructions list EVERY part and give a good assembly plan. Remember, there is an assembly order that you need to follow. I advise that you put it together according to the instructions. Materials are packaged well and shipping was handled professionally.

It is difficult to build a "stock" unit that can fit "all" body types. So, the adjustment options to fit each body are limited. But, if you're like me, Joe Average, it's a good fit.

As for the gym function, it works great. I have limited space and need to fit gym, spinner, and free weights into one very tiny room. This is the perfect unit for my setting. Small footprint with versatile functions. Pully bearings are sealed -a big plus for those of us who sweat during a workout. Multiple attachments make upper and lower body exercise variation possible. Range of motion when lifting weight is important. The unit allows for a full range of motion for every type of exercise I can perform.

All in all, a good unit for the price.

Like everyone else before me, the assembly was difficult only because of all the parts that came with this set and also the similar size bolts. Take your time to organize the parts and especially the bolts. This will make things much easier. The instructions are not excellent and are a mix of written and drawn examples. Anyone that's comfortable with tools and assembling can easily do this. It took me about 5-6 hours to do. If you have a power wrench set then this real speed up the assembly as there are many bolts and nuts to screw down.

Once done, you will enjoy a very nice home gym set with many different kind of exercises. You'll have to buy some handles to do the more specific arm and ab exercises. I've done most of the exercises listed in the given tutorial and they're nice and smooth. However, the ab crunch is not too comfortable because of the given tricep strap. It pulls on your shoulder region as you're doing the crunch. Overall, I'm glad I bought this set. You won't be dissatisfied.

The home gym is great but to put it together was very difficult.
A suggestion would be to separate each different type of bolt in separate bags with a label on them such as A6. Some of the drawings were very poor quality and should have had better labels.
If I had been doing this by myself I would have gotten very UPSET and probably sent it back.

The gym is well constucted and solid.

As stated by most others the instructions for putting it together are not the best.The ifitness direct website has a PDF file of the instructions. Just click on the model.It is much clearer than the reprints.

I suggest a 17mm socket and 17mm box/open end wrench for the hex bolts.
It will go much smoother if you separate the bolts by size in advance. There is only a 5mm length difference with the bolts sizes so a ruler with metric sizes is helpful. Also as most other people have stated don't tighten the frame until after Step 3 and do not tighten the pulleys until the end.

We are extremely satisfied with the home gym. It is easy to use and very sturdy. My sister, a physical therapist, inspected this home gym and was quite pleased. She showed us the many different types of strengthening exercises that can be done with this home gym that are not included in the chart. The entire family is getting tone and fit. It took my son and his friend, age 16, about three to four hours to put it together. Great product. Well worth the money and required assembling time. Also, the gym was delivered way before the expected delivery date, which was very exciting!