Review: I have had to exercise most of my 59-year-old life because of scoliosis in my spine. I have been able to maintain flexibility in back in this way. I look constantly for the "ultimate home gym". Of course, it isn''t out there yet. I have had two Bowflex, numerous free weight and body weight gyms. I have used elastic cord machines and rubber band machines as well. I usually never give a review, but the FreeForm Hideaway Gym is one of the best, most efficient pieces of equipment I have ever owned. The FreeForm squat exercise is unique and probably the safest I''ve seen. I can move through eleven exercises within minutes and experience probably the best, real "cardio-strength" workout I have ever had on a home gym. I love the FreeForm Hideaway Gym. Is it the "ultimate home gym"? All I know is that I will never need to buy another home gym.
There is one caveat. "Never dismount the FreeForm when you have tension on the bands." The machine will slide. That should be a warning that comes with the gym.
I spent some time looking around on the internet for a compact home gym. We''ve all seen the advertisements for all kinds of stuff in this field including Bowflex, etc. Well, I came across this gym on Amazon here and decided for the price (Yay Amazon! You were the best deal anywhere and free second day shipping to boot!) it was a worthy gamble.
The video that the inventor of the product produced, is only a few minutes, but was interesting. The guy, Jim Deola is a former bodybuilder and a mechanical engineer. I like cool inventions and this seemed pretty cool. Watch the video here on Amazon or the official website and decide for yourself.
About the FreeForm: This gym fold very compact as the inventor states. Its great for someone who lives in a small apartment or just doesn''t have much room for gym stuff. Its very easy to setup and take back down. You basically only have 2 pins to deal with. Moving from one exercise to the next is very easy. The resistance bands do as they advertise. You''ll find you had muscles you never knew you had. The resistance bands supposedly will last for 10 years under normal household use. The gym itself is fairly heavy, and I recommend you get help getting it in your home initially. Once you have the wheels attached to the front, it is easy to move around(the wheel assembly doesn''t come attached, you have to do that when you get it out of the box. Its easy, with just two bolts and the supplied allen wrench). The gym can slide under beds out of the way, but only if you have a full size or bigger bed. Its to big for twin size beds. I prop mine against the wall, and it seems to do fine. All the weight of the machine in is in the center and towards the bottom, so it won''t slide away from the wall on the wheels there. The whole thing feels solid enough. There are some annoying things about it though. The resistance bands are made of rubber, and therefore have a strong odor, that hopefully will wear off. Some people may not be bother by such odors, but I am. Also the vinyl seat covers have a bit of odor as well. I use FaBreeze on them which seemed to help out a bit. You also will have to lubricate the contact points between the resistance bands and where they connect to prevent squeaking. Another thing I noticed was that the bars aren''t even in their motion. When facing the forward on the seat, the right bar makes a bit of a rough sound when moving it, because the lubrication isn''t quite enough, and so it is harder to move than the left one, which feels looser and lubricated properly, so you may have to get some grease, remove the arms (which is easy; the whole thing can be taken apart very easily), if you have that problem. Otherwise, its a great machine for the price.
You can do a lot of upper body exercises. Lower body exercises are more limited though. If you watch the product video, you will know what I am talking about. That might be a draw back. Its to bad they couldn''t incorporate a leg extension on the machine somehow, while retaining the compactness of it. Oh well. You have to make sacrifices to get something this compact. The alternative is a big, clunky thing like a Bowflex, which cost 2 to 3 times as much. Another thing you won''t get is training videos or anything else, like you do with Bowflex or probably some of the other home gyms out there. You will pretty much have to figure out your own routine and what works for you. For some reason, the manufacturer states there are "advanced workout videos available online" at their website, but I haven''t found anything. The website is very plain, and really doesn''t have much information on it. They really need to revamp it, and put out those videos they claim to have made (correct me if I am wrong about the workout videos).
What you get in the box: The machine with parts to finish assembly, a large chart with pictures and descriptions of some of the exercises you can do, a warranty paper you fill out and mail in or do online (you get a 5 year warranty) and assembly instructions. That''s it. No instructional videos or tips or anything else. But if you don''t care about any of that, then this for you. Its easy to use, safe and will at the very least give you a good cardio workout, and with time, build up your strength.
I hope this review was helpful. I like this product and wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a compact gym. I doubt there is anything more compact, or at the very least that I am aware of. :)
Buy FreeForm Hideaway Home Gym Now
ASIN:ASIN FreeForm Hideaway Home Gym
I am a 69 year old woman who doesn''t understand all the technical/mechanical/etc... workings
that make one exercise machine better than another but I do know if something works for me. That
something has been the FreeForm Hideaway Home Gym. Throughout my early years I joined various gyms
and enjoyed working out in that environment at that time. Now at my age maintaining my weight and
keeping fit and flexible is even more important if I intend to remain active inspite of having to
deal with the pain and stiffness of arthritis and spinal deterioration in my lower back. Since
going to a gym was no longer appealing I began looking for a good exercise maching to use in the
privacy of my own home at my convenience. I became aware of the FreeForm Hideaway Gym through friends
and since they considered it an excellent home gym for my needs I checked it out for myself. I liked
the exercise demonstration and explanation of what muscles were being worked on during each position
given me. After trying some of the exercises myself I was sold on the machine and its price.
I''ve had my FreeForm Hideaway Gym for over a year now and I can tell you it is the very best
exercise equipment I have ever used. The exercise straps and bars move smoothly. That free flowing
movement is very important to me as is the ability to change resistance bands quickly and with little
interruption to my routine. The exercise chart that comes with the machine provides a good visual
guide for each position. I really appreciated having it to refer to especially beginning the exercises.
It has been easy for me to remain dedicated to my routine because the exercises do not take long to
complete and since I''m home I can, fold the machine flat, roll it out of sight, and get on with the
day''s chores and activities without any hassle-a really big plus.
One more thing I would like to mention is that this gym and the workout I do has not only helped
maintain my weight and flexibility, it has more importantly alleviated the lower back pain I suffered
with and doctored for, for years. The specific exercise prescribed for me by James Deola, the
inventor of the FreeForm Gym, initially reduced and then alleviated my back pain three months after
using the machine. I spent years going to one chiropractor after another, trying one treatment after
another, and spending lots of money for temporary relief. Consequently, I highly recommend this machine
to everyone, men and women alike, regardless of goals you hope to achieve. It is a sturdy, compact
machine which provides an outstanding workout. The levels of resistance experienced by changing the bands
will blow you away. You have to try it to believe it. The machine is a steal for the quality and price.
Read Best Reviews of FreeForm Hideaway Home Gym Here
The Bottom Line
The Freeform Hideaway Gym is exactly what I needed, performs as advertised, provides a great workout and is very reasonably priced. But there are caveats that potential buyers should be aware of!
First, Some Context
The Hideaway Gym is not for everybody, so you need to understand my situation and why this gym was the perfect product for me. I''m in Phase 2 Cardio Rehab following a quintuple heart bypass earlier this year. I wanted a simple home gym to supplement my cardio workouts on my trusty, old Nordic Track (yes, it still works and still offers a great workout!) with strength development.
I''m not some muscle bound weight lifter (nor to I intend to become one!) so the fact that as some other reviewers noted, this gym is not for the guy doing 250 pound presses was of no concern to me. I do have limited space. Also, my exercise area is in my basement, so I did not like the idea of getting some mammoth machine down the stairs and assembled!
Delivery and Assembly
The Hideaway Gym comes in a flat box weighing just over 70 pounds, so it was relatively easy to get into position. (The box was rather low quality and was badly beaten up during the UPS delivery, but there seemed to be no damage to the machinery inside. But Freeform Gyms needs to take note I doubt they will, but that''s another concern I''ll get to momentarily!)
The gym was easy to assemble about 10 minutes! Probably 7 of those minutes were trying to understand the lousy assembly instructions. Another couple of minutes trying to use the enclosed flat spanner devices total rubbish! Use a socket set and/or ring spanners!
The Product
The Hideaway Gym is brilliantly and elegantly designed and works really well! Manufacturing quality is ok sturdy, but without the quality feel of the Nordic Track and other higher quality exercise machines. On the other hand, it is significantly cheaper than anything I''ve seen of equivalent capability (and I did a lot of online and live shopping research!) I''m sure it will last years, and there''s no obvious rough edges to cut yourself on (when you are on blood thinners, you obsess over details like that!)
The Pros
Works as advertised. Very easy to use; a good range of upper body exercises, a smaller range of lower body workouts. Some reviewers have noted insufficient gradation in the tension band settings. So far, I''ve not found this to be a problem. The exercises feel smooth and natural. The machine needs relatively little floor space, and can be flattened down to go under a bed. (Mine stays in its "ready to use" position.) Oh, and there''s a very good poster sized laminated sheet providing "how to''s" on the basic exercises in each of the 3 positions facing forward, facing in and standing.
The Cons
Overall, there is this "cheap" feel about the gym. I mentioned the thin cardboard packing box, which was clearly inadequate. I also mentioned the sparse instructions. For example, there''s a couple of spring clips in the box and absolutely no mention of them in the instructions (assembly or use). I eventually figured out where they go by looking closely at some of the photographs on the provided poster.
The promotion video mentions an included exercise video there was no such thing in my delivery package. The promotion video also shows the pull handles mounted in some way to the frame it looks like a Velcro mounting. No such mounting came with my gym, and that actually was a problem. When the handles simply fall free, you can''t easily reach them when in the exercise position. I sent a message to Freeform Gyms about the mystery spring clips, lack of means to attach the pull handles, and lack of promised video. So far, I''ve received no response! Even worse, when I tried to register for the warranty on their (very sparse) web site, I got a message that "the FormMail processing plan had expired!" It seems that the web site is no longer fully live, so I wonder if the vendor is live?
BTW, I bought a $2.99 Velcro strip from a local hobby shop and fashioned my own way to mount the pull handles to the frame, so that they are easy to reach when you are getting into the exercise positions. Works great!
Summary
It''s a great pity that James Design Co, Inc. and Freeform Gyms are letting themselves down so badly in the last 15% of the customer experience. They are falling down on the most basic service elements people have come to expect in today''s hyper-competitive economy. A brilliantly designed machine, well-made, but then poorly packaged, poorly documented, with no means of electronically registering the warranty, and no apparent interest in answering customer''s questions.
Want FreeForm Hideaway Home Gym Discount?
I am a 55 year old woman who has been working out (cardio and strength training) for over 20 years. I got bored with the gym and decided to set one up in my basement. I have now been using the FreeForm Home Gym for about a month and I am pretty happy with it. Used correctly, you can definitely get a good all-around workout. I have, however, noticed that your form makes a lot of difference, especially the position of your head and feet. You will get the most out of every exercise if you closely follow the photos that show you how to do each exercise. The machine is better for upper body, but I was pleasantly surprised by the effectiveness of the lower body exercises as well. My legs are getting a decent workout. Also, the abdominal exercise is quite good. From my perspective, the things that would improve the machine are (1) more weight increments--the weights jump from 10 to 25 to 50 to 75--some smaller increments (like a 5 pound) would make it easier to increase weights; and (2) I sometimes have a hard time reaching the rope once I am in the seat, because I am short (5.1). Overall, though, I am very happy with it given the price, how easy it is use, its size, cost, and the quality of the workout you can get if you use it carefully.
Save 43% off
I both these bands for the exercises Im doing for P90X (A really good exercise program... I''ll say the best exercise program ever!)And the light bands are not really strong. The only bands that I used are the medium, heavy, and very heavy. The very heavy band does work for many exercises. I do recomend this products and P90X.
