Weider X-factor Plus Home Gym

I ended up purchasing this from Sports Authority since the Amazon (through Fog Dog) shipping price is nearly $100. Fortunatey, Sports Authority had this for the same price as Amazon. Assembling this was pretty easy, although they mixed up a couple of the bolts (as far as I can tell) and didn''t give me enough longer bolts for the pullies. I was able to go to Home Depot and get a couple for about $2 that match up pretty well. With this delay, it took me about 3 hours to assemble. I don''t mind that at all since I''m not a very quick worker when it comes to assembly, and if you have better tools it will go a lot more quickly (they do include everything you need to assemble it). The bolts and nuts are very clearly marked, which I greatly appreciate. The one tip I have is to make sure to leave all the bolts very loose until the instructions tell you to tighten them. You''ll need a lot of play to match up everything, but once it''s together it''s very solid.

As for the machine itself, it is sturdier than I imagined. I can do pull-ups, dips, leg raises, as well as use the full Weider X-factor cables, which come in 25 lb, 35 lb, and 45lb bands. You can mix and match if you need more resistance. The handles and leg attachment are ok quality, but I think I will replace the leg attachment with a better one. I''m fine with this as $200 is a pretty entry-level price. The bands move very smoothly. I''m not sure how well they will age as the one they had set up at Sports Authority wasn''t nearly as smooth, but then again the entire unit didn''t seem as solid.

The caveat is that the arms for dips are very far apart. This actually works in my favor since I''m tall with wide shoulders, and arms for dip stations are usually too close for me. So, if you are planning on using this for dips, please check it out in the store and see if it''s too wide for you I can see this being very bad for your shoulders given the angle. If you are primarily using this for dips and pull-ups. I''d recommend looking elsewhere. What sells it for me is the addition of the bands it gives you so many more options at your home gym.

I''m very happy with this machine and look forward to using it a lot more. I will update this review if any problems arise with consistent use.

I don''t know if any of these type of machines really can take the place of free weights but they hit areas free weights don''t seem to. Seems like I get more of a core workout with this. Also I can get a combination cardio/weight workout easily with this. It comes with an exercise guide but you should look for some videos on the regular x-factor to see some more stuff they do. I say regular x-factor because I haven''t seen any good videos for the x-factor plus yet, and what they do with the regular one you can do with the plus. For example, one thing I learned and like to do is lock the top and bottom hook of the same cable together for a good chest workout. Some have mentioned that the pullup and dip is wide apart. Yes it is and that''s why I bought it. I like a wide pullup so I use the outside part of the bar with no problem. You can use the inside part as well to hit you biceps instead of lats. And I like wide dip bars because narrow dips always made me feel like my collar bone was going to break in half. But I have long arms and wide shoulders. I am 6'' 2". So this might be something you check out in a store first. The only issue I had when putting it together is that they sent me 3 45 lb. cables and 1 35 instead of 2 each. So I called the help number and they sent out a 35 lb cable pretty quickly. Although I did sit on the phone for a long time before they answered. As far as bolt fit and hole alignment everything was fine. Just make sure you follow directions exactly! In the order they say! DO NOT TIGHTEN BOLTS UNTIL THEY TELL YOU TO! Especially the base. Get it together then tighten the bolts doing a little on each one at a time. Also, a cordless drill with attachments to fit the bolts will make you job go a lot LOT faster. I am really happy I decided to buy it. I was looking for a pullup/dip stand anyway and this is about the same price as one of those but you get so much more.

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I also had to purchase this machine at Sports Authority due to being out of stock. I had no problems with assembly provided you follow instructions very closely, all the bolts and holes lined up perfectly, it took about 1 1/2 half hours to put together. The dip station arms are a little far apart for most people. I bought this machine to work out/repair my shoulder from rotator damage, it is perfect for that. It gives me an excellent upper and lower body workout, flys, curls, lats, pecs etc. Leg straps are ok, could have been better but no problems with them. I would have liked another set of handles so I don''t have to change from upper to lower cables, so I will order another pair. Inspect the pully wheels for burrs and remove any with very a fine emory board to avoid wearing/pulling of the covering on the rubber bands. If there are burrs on the wheels they will show up on the bands very quiclky as a fuzzy area on the band covering. All in all this is a great machine taking up little space in my garage. Believe me this is not just a machine for younger people I am 64 and looking forward to getting up in my treestand this fall for the first time in 6 years. Best $219 I have ever spent.

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I bought this home gym for my fiance as a Christmas present, and he loves it!! He doesn''t have time to go to the gym, so a gym membership would have pretty much been a waste of money... This gym was fairly easy to put together... it came with everything we needed to assemble it (bolts, nuts, washers, etc.)... It is very sturdy, sturdier than I thought it would be! I know it said it could stand up to 300 lbs, but I was still skeptic about it and I am very satisfied that it holds my fiance''s weight, who is about 280 lbs and he can perform all the work outs and use every bit of this gym without it giving... I am still concerned about the platform, it seems like it could crack very easily, but it hasn''t yet... I really like how you can attach the handles to any pully you want and combine the pullies for added resistance! The dip handles are pretty wide, which works great for my fiance since he has broad shoulders, and I can still use them, although it is a little uncomfortable, since I am quite a bit smaller than my fiance... The arm rests for knee and leg lifts are comfortable for me and him both to use... I am happy it came with two hand grips, but I wish it would have came with two ankle straps instead of one... It is taller than I thought (which is fine for my fiance, but I have to stand on my tip toes to grab it, which is no big deal), and it doesn''t take up a lot of space at all... Overall my fiance and I are very satisfied and cannot wait to start getting into shape with this gym! I was very happy to find such a nice home gym for such a good price!

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A nice purchase. Sturdy and should last a long time. Took about 2 hours to unpack and assemble. Only had one hole that was tough to get bolt through, tapped with hammer and no problem. As with all assembly required items, make sure you look at the drawings and use the bolt it calls for. If it says don''t tighten, there''s a reason just follow what it says. The tools provided will work but using your own tools will be much easier.

Little bigger footprint than expected. Pull up bar is the widest point and is 49". To drop the dip arms out of the way you need about 57" from wall to front of base.

Our main use is for doing P90X and P90X2 (Yes, there''s enough clearance to do crunchy levers). I hated the doorway bars. They work but you have to bend your legs and 36" doorway fells constricting. The resistance bands offer plenty of resistance and seem to offer smooth resistance. Have to see how they age. The dip bars are a little wide. If your small you might have problems. I''m not a big person (5''-10") and it only took a little getting use to the positioning.

I was missing a set of resistance bands. Called the toll-free number listed on manual and was on hold for maybe 10 minutes before I was helped. Customer support was pleasant, attentive and helpful. They registered my machine over the phone and shipped the missing bands. Bands arrived in about 8 days and everything is great. If you are missing parts, make sure you have your serial number, model number and key number of part from the exploded drawing in manual. Aggravating that the bands where missing but it was so easy and quick to get them replaced that it was almost a nonevent.