I have lifted weights any way you can, free weights, cable stacks, and nautilus machines.All of them have their advantages and disadvantages.I have owned a home gym(a soloflex machine, a good machine because of the iron plate adaptability, up to 400 lbs)and I have also been a member of a good gym.I stopped using free weights because of lower back problems(loading and unloading plates puts direct stress on the lower back).In the gym I used nautilus machines mostly and cable stacks.The cables stacks are good with any exercise.The problem is the frame for the cable stacks is large and unless you are rich with a huge room reserved for exercising, owning a cable stack machine is not feasible.The nautilus machines are a different story.Some machines are good and some are not.The best nautilus machines I have used in the gym are the life fitness machines.These machines for some exercises are more difficult than free weights(unless your lifting huge weight, over 300 pounds on chest and legs).If you don't believe me use a life fitness chest press machine and set the weight to the same weight you lift using free weights and you will see.The bodycraft xpress pro is a composite of the cable stacks and the "life fitness type feel" machines in the gym.I have owned the bodycraft for a week and there is no home gym(and I have used several)that compares to this one.The price is steep, but if you are a member of a gym you will pay your gym fee monthly forever(if you are a true gym rat).The bodycraft xpress pro is a one time "fee" with a lifetime warranty on any cable or part.Company's don't do this if their machines are not top quality.(This would be bad business) The cable arms are just one of the features that makes this machine top of the line. These arms allow a full range of motion on any conceivable exercise(and there are over 50 with just this part of the machine alone, you can check a bodybuilding book to see this fact)The bench press arm completely adjusts to any size user for the flat(vertical) bench, incline bench, shoulder press, and seated row exercises.This provides the full range of motion for all of these exercises.The leg extension/leg curl exercises is also top quality on movement and range of motion.The lat pulldown feature allows for any type of pulldown movement and variation, all with full range of motion.The most impressive feature for me(a man who at one time was bench pressing 405 lbs, 8 fourty five pound plates plus the fourty five pound olympic bar) is the 2:1 feature which gives a benchpress of 400 lbs.This is the only home gym on the market I am aware of that can do this.If you don't think this machine is real, go to the bodycraft website([...]) and find a dealer in your area.If you are lucky they might have the machine already set up so you can see for yourself.I was able to do this.After trying the flat(vertical) bench and incline bench, brother was working up a sweat and breathing hard(felt good).If you can't find a dealer where you can try the machine you can take my word for it!!!!!There is only one drawback(if it applies to you).I am 6'3 and the ab station is uncomfortable for me even with the seat at the lowest point.The high pulley takes care of this for me.Attach the ab strap to the high pulley and perform the crunch like a cable crunch in the gym.Even when you think you have a problem with this machine you don't.Simply the best
Product Description
Shape your body, get strong, lose weight, and even improve your golf swing with the BodyCraft XPress Pro strength training system. The XPress Pro lets you perform a wide range of exercises, with stations for chest presses, shoulder presses, lat pulls, leg lifts, and more. The XPress Pro starts with a row/press arm that supports safe, machine-style bench presses, incline presses, shoulder presses, and seated rows. The leg extension/leg curl station, meanwhile, offers a convenient self-aligning feature that accommodates virtually any user. Add in the functional training/cable arms--which support more than 100 exercises--and you have a terrific gym for functional core training, sports-specific workouts, and rehabilitation exercises.
Users will also appreciate the XPress Pro's series of pulleys, which includes a mid pulley for ab crunches and tricep extensions, a high pulley for lat pulldowns and tricep pushdowns, and a low pulley with a foot plate for low rows, leg and hip exercises, arm curls, upright rows, and more. The XPress Pro uses these pulleys and cables to deliver unrestricted, completely natural, biomechanically correct movements. You define the path, providing for a greater, more natural range of motion that incorporates the use of stabilizer and core muscle groups, an advantage not found on typical home gyms. Finally, the XPress Pro includes a 200-pound weight stack that can be doubled to 400 pounds when combined with the leg press, which is cabled at a 1:2 ratio.
Construction features include 12-gauge steel tubing; flexible, nylon-coated aircraft cable rated at more than 2,000-pounds tensile strength; 4.5-inch-diameter, fiberglass-impregnated nylon pulleys with sealed ball bearings; 2-inch-thick high-density foam covered with double-stitched vinyl; chrome-plated 1-inch tubular steel guide rods; noise-dampening, perforated steel weight stack guards; and a platinum gray, powder-coated finish. The XPress Pro measures 56.5 by 83 by 82.9 inches (W x H x D) and comes with a lat pull bar, curl bar, ankle strap, and two single handles. It's also backed by a lifetime warranty.
Click Here to see more reviews about: BodyCraft Xpress Pro Home Gym
