Ironmaster Super Bench & Dumbbell Combo

Ironmaster vs Bowflex Ultimate

Got 1000 bucks to spend on a home gym? What might you want to buy? That was my dilemma when I got an overseas assignment in a remote area and knew I wouldn't see a decent gym for months on end. So I bought two alternatives--an Ironmaster weights bench and accessories and a Bowflex Ultimate.



After a year's use I have a clear favorite--the Ironmaster. Now the Bowflex claims that you can do some 100+ gym-quality exercises with it. You can do 100+ exercises but they are far from gym quality. Hey you can do 100+ exercises with two bags of rocks and a little creativity. The Bowflex took a LONG time to put together and frankly all of those exercises aren't so great. I max out the Bowflex on some exercises and I'm no gym dude--just a 50-yr old in respectable shape. And the Bowflex has variable resistance with those bows meaning you aren't getting resistance where you need it on a lot of exercises. Finally you don't need 100+ exercises. The fact is when you come right down to it there are probably about 15 exercises that will take care of your whole body.



Now the Ironmaster. First the free weights. I've used other adjustable free-weights and none are as secure or as fast to change out as the Ironmaster. And you can step it up 2-1/2 lbs at a go--not so necessary for me but great for my wife. One fast change-out trick when stepping up the weights--rather than adding equally on both sides just add an additional weight to ONE side of the dumbbell. This takes half the time. By shifting your hand slightly off-center on the crossbar it will still feel balanced.



The bench--superb quality. Quickly adjusts to various inclines from perpendicular to flat and plenty in between. Necessary accessories for a full range of exercises--definitely the leg extension curl and crunch sit-up attachments. Both are durable and comfortable and let you focus on your workout. I also got the curl bar and the preacher curl pad--all for under $1000 (you might find some specials if you go to the Ironmaster website).



Nothing puts on muscle faster than free weights true. But this is not just for putting on the meat. If I'm not feeling like a full workout I'll just go through a few reps to flex the muscles even in front of the TV. It's a lot better than couch-potato-ing it and leaves me refreshed. There are also a lot of exercises you can do without the Ironmaster--lunges squats all kinds of stretches toe raises (with or without weights)--to supplement the Ironmaster so that your body gets a thorough workout without a houseful of equipment.



Conclusion: gives a great essential workout saves time and money when compared to going to the gym and a lot more convenient. Going to last a long long time. For your money this might be unbeatable.More detail ...