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Very nice – and effective, July 7, 2009

Assembly is easy – a person needs 2 wrenches 3/4 inch, 1 wrench 11/16 inch, and 1 wrench 1/2 inch to put it together. There’s not much to the directions but there’s not much to putting it together either – Took 30 minutes for me and that was taking my time.

The space required is small – we have a fairly full exercise room and managed to make room in a corner easily due to the small foot print.

Very stable doing knee lifts or dips – I weigh 225 and there is no give or flex at all to it – and it never rocks even when working the obliques. For my wife the steps make it easy to mount for the knee raises – I can get in to position standing on my toes, I’m 6 foot 1 inch tall. For dips I need to bend at the knees a little bit to keep my toes off the ground but not much.

If a person is looking for a good quality device for these exercises – this is one I am very comfortable recommending.

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Just As Advertised, SOLID, Commercial Quality, Perfect!, August 6, 2010

Although, this is not quite the ones they install at your local GYMS, it is PERFECT for the Home Use and it is of commercial quality rated. This item is better and less expensive than what your local sporting good stores offer. No doubt you will be pleased with your purchase. American designed and very well made in China, what isn’t anymore? The model I ordered was the Body Solid GVKR-60 without the chin bar (I don’t recommend that model, it takes up too much space, ceiling wise). It has a small foot print so it will not take much space. It looks and feels SOLID!! Came in a box approx. 4-1/2″H x 3-1/2″W x 6″W with nylon strapping to support all sides with minimal foam wrapped by tie wraps. It came via FedEx in 4 days, unharmed, I was impressed. No instructions, but it has a very easy to follow pictured diagram that’s well thought out.

It is painted (powder coated – a plus) in silver gray with black cover accents. Solid black commercial bolts, washers and locknuts with nylon nuts that insure that tight fit. 8 bolts (2 per side) for the cross bar on the bottom and back support bar. 6 bolts (2 each) for the elbow pads & 2 for the back support pad, 2 bolts (1 each) for the vertical handles (the dip handles are welded on, a good thing) and that’s it (Did it myself). Nothing was missing, bent or broken (was I lucky or excellent quality assurance?). A woman can actually put this together, but I’d recommend two people. It does come with a small bottle of paint for any small scratches. I did use it for some very minor areas that needed it, during the shipment. It took all, but 30 minutes to assemble 9 loose parts, easy. Everything else is welded on a 2×2 heavy duty gauge steel including the dip bars as stated before, from the arm rests down to the footing and steps. Two adjustable wrenches is all that is required, but I used a 5/16, 3/4 and a 7mm wrenches to tighten. I highly recommend to re-tighten the bolts after a couple of weeks to insure it is still tight. Do not overtighten the pads or the bolts. The pads are well padded (backing material is a negative, but is lifetime warranted anyways), the handles are padded with quality rubber and the end caps are of good quality. The use of a rubber mallet is recommended when gently, tapping them on. Clean the area with alcohol before putting on the adhesive anti slip rubber pads where you step on.

My ceiling is 8 feet high & I’m 5’9″, 200 lbs and doing the dips was no problem at all, the GVKR60 was stable. It’s fine on padded carpet (that’s what mines is on), but would be better served on a flat hard surface. I still enjoy my local gym 3 times a week doing weights, cardio, abs and dips (1.I don’t have room for all these machines. 2.When I see other people work out, I’m focused, I do get distracted at home, you know what I mean). I purchased this to fill the void when I don’t go to the gym and before & after work. With this I do push ups (utilizing the foot mounts), my leg-knee lifts and my favorite the dips. This one is actually harder than the one at the gym because it isn’t angled. This will work your abs, triceps and upper body muscle groups.

I have no regrets purchasing this and highly recommend it (What are you waiting for?). Free shipping, the price is right and the LIFETIME WARRANTY sweetens the deal. Do not forget to register online within 10 days of the date of sale and keep a copy of your receipt. The serial # is located on the bottom crossbar to the right of the company plaque. It pays to shop around, THERE ARE GREAT PRICES out there .

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Body Solid isn’t just a name, March 20, 2010

It’s a real description of this piece of equipment. Very stable, secure, heavy, but not overly so. I love the ease of use and the small footprint in my garage. The height is perfect. Some of the other chairs/towers were really tall because they have the pull-up bar in back or front. If you don’t care about pull ups, this solid gem can save you some space without compromising quality.

Easy to assemble as well. Others have said you need several wrenches or whatever. I used what I had on-hand: a vice grips pliers and an adjustable crescent wrench (medium). But whatever you use to tighten things, you do need two tools of some sort to make it really easy.

I have another assembly tip that might save you some frustration and a bonk on the head. There are two main pieces, the two tall sides. If you look at the photo above, you will see one connecting bar on the bottom and one on the upper back. I tried to put these in while the tall sides were vertical. WRONG. You should lay them down horizontally and attach both pieces while it’s laying down. THEN stand it up. The instructions are all visual, so you would not necessarily think to do it this way. Once those two connecting pieces are secure, you’ve got no worries. All the rest of the parts are pads and handles and plugs. No sweat.

It’s wonderful to use. I can REALLY feel the burn on the knee lifts, whether knees straight up or raising my legs from the hip. Wow. Yet it’s super-comfy arm pads and back pad make it a pleasant, secure experience. Very well-balanced too, so it NEVER shakes or rocks.

I actually got mine directly from Bayou Fitness, but it’s the same piece of equipment. (Ordered it on a Monday and got it Fed-Ex on Thursday.)

Great buy, great quality, VERY pleased. Clue to its durability? They give you touch-up paint, which says to me that they expect you to get years of use out of the equipment. Nice.

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