A Solid Home Gym at a Low Price

Getting in shape is a personal goal for countless people across the globe.  A home gym is a great way to work out on your own schedule.  Recently I tested out the Weider Total Body Works 5000, a compact all-in-one exercise machine for under $150.

I took advantage of some free space in the basement where I planned to assemble and store the Weider home gym.  The Weider 5000 arrived in about a week with free ground shipping from Amazon.  A great deal considering the package weighs over 80 pounds.

Put it all together

Putting together the Weider isn’t too difficult.  There are some steps that where a second person holding pieces in place will be helpful although you can certainly do it yourself.  The instructions weren’t very helpful and I found them to actually complicate the process at times.  I found a few websites that were much clearer.

The workout

Once you have the Weider Total Body together it is very sturdy.  I weight about 170 pounds and I never felt the machine shift during a workout.  The machine uses body resistance to provide the workout.  In addition you can add up to 50 pounds to increase the resistance.

The Weider Total Body 5000 has a wide variety of exercises that you can do with the sliding bench and resistance bands.  A minor gripe I have is that the Weider advertises over 50 exercises but the guide I received doesn’t have that many.  First I went to the Weider website but I couldn’t find the additional exercises.  A quick Google search revealed a full poster about two results in.  I printed it out and was on my way.

So does it fold away?

It does, but keep in mind it’s not a small machine.  If you take of the foot rest and handle bars the Weider Total Body folds down.  You can slide it under a bed, a couch, or maybe if you’ve got a large closet you could store it there.  If you can, try to make some space where you can keep it out permanently.  I find that out of sight out of mind is not good for exercise equipment.

How does the Weider Total Body Works 5000 compare to the Total Gym?

The two home gyms are actually very similar in regards to the workout they provide.  The Weider 5000 did feel sturdier than the Total Gym.  The biggest difference is the price.  The Weider is about 1/3 the price of the lowest priced Total Gym model.  Honestly I can’t think of a good reason to spend that much more for a home gym that does essentially the same thing.  Well Chuck Norris is pushing the Total Gym so I guess that’s something.

The workout on the two machines is also very similar because the design is basically the same.  Exercises designed for the Total Gym can be done on the Weider home gym,  so any of the guides or videos for that product will work here.

This or the gym?

Well that’s a pretty personal question.  I’ve tried gyms in the past but I get out of the routine too easily.  I find it hard to fit in regular workout especially since the closest gym is 20 minutes away.  I like the flexibility that a home gym provides and it’s much cheaper too.  Even if you love your gym membership it may be worth it to have the Weider 5000 around for mini-workouts or if you can’t make.  At the price you won’t be out much, basically a couple months of gym fees.

Final thoughts

All-in-all I’m very happy with the Weider 5000.  It is a great way to get a workout at home without spending a bunch of money.

Head to Amazon to read more about the Weider Total Body Works 5000. They have free shipping currently.