Customer Reviews

Gold's Gym Circuit Training System

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I bought this set a few months back from a local retailer. I was really curious if it would work, and it totally does. I convinced myself to get this combo package because I wanted the push-up spinners as well. It was about the same price for this set as buying the bar and spinners individually. The ab straps seem pretty useless, because they are one-size-fits-none.

Caveats:
1) you need to have molding round your door frame. Most doors do, but you should check.
2) Works on my home doors, but not on the office doors at work -- those doors are wider. who knew?
3) The straps are useless. I haven't found anyone who was the right size for them to work.
4) The push-up spinners are pretty sweet. They really make push-ups harder. They also let you go negative, dropping below your hands towards the floor. You really don't want to go negative as it's bad for your back/shoulders, but being able to go to neutral zero without hitting the floor is great. You don't get that little rest at the bottom to cheat.

After a couple of months, the foam that rests against the side of the door frame is starting to wear off.

in summary:
bar : works!
spinners: works!
straps: zero.

The suggested weight limit on this bar is 250lbs. I weigh considerably less at 215. I have used the chin up bar for 3 workouts so far. Today, mid chin up - **BAMMMM** - the head of one of the bolts literally popped right off and the bar came crashing down on me! Luckily I was not injured! 250lb limit? Really?! I would strongly recommend you find a better product to purchase. This thing is potentially dangerous.

I didn't buy this through amazon but got it at wal-mart for $49 (wasn't on sale at amazon at time). It seems to be very sturdy and very capable of holding the weight limit specified. I also have the IRON GYM Extreme system with the multiple extended grips. The only plus to that system is the wide grips that help keep your elbows from hitting the door frame (which is not as big an issue as you would think. I purchased the second one for my wife and had intended to get the IRON GYM one but when I saw the push-up bars and sturdy AB straps I decided to spend the extra ten bucks and get this system. I'm equally happy with both. The extra grips on the IRON GYM make up for the lack of bars and straps and the push up bars and AB straps make up for the lack of wide grips on the GOLD's GYM System.

I was very impressed with the AB straps. They seem like they would hold 300-500lbs. Very sturdy and well padded unlike the ones available through IRON GYM (very cheap and ripped after 3rd use.... and I'm only 165 lbs). The push up bars seem to be holding up well also.

Put a wash rag or something between the doorframe and the padding on the bar. Overtime it marks and puts a slight indention in the wooden frame molding. BOTH systems do this equally the same.

I bought the Gold's Gym Circuit Training System for my son who wanted something that would help him work on his upper body. He lives in an apartment and doesn't have much room so we thought the Gold's Gym would be perfect. After it arrived, my son took it home and immediately set it up. This is where he ran into a problem. Except for one room in his apartment, all the doors have a wall within 3 inches of the door frame and because of this the chin-up bar won't fit over those door frames. Even though he can only set up the chin-up bar in one room, my son says this is a minor inconvenience and other than that he is happy with the Gold's Gym Circuit Training System.

My husband, who weighs 160 lbs and has been doing pull-ups for years, was using this equipment last week when it popped out of the door frame and he fell on his knees. He shattered his left knee and just had surgery yesterday to put screws and wires in to replace it, looking at about a year recovery time. Please beware, do not buy this equipment, do not use this equipment!!!!

Bought this for my son (12 year old), and he loves it. Took 5-10 min to put it together, and it fit his room's doorway without any issues.

The system seems to work pretty good so far... Just a couple of notes :

- Make sure you have a few inches clearance between the top of the door frame and the ceiling. this didnt occur to me before i bought it...mines now installed in the closet!

- The dip bar doesnt do much for me, your better off using some chairs...

- The situp setup doesnt work too well for me either, it slips etc...I use the couch instead.

- everything else is good, worth the buy. although it doesnt seem like my door frame will be able to handle the load for very long (220 lbs?), nothings broken yet...

I am a bit of an exercise fanatic, and now that I spend most of my evening work-out time running, I don't have as much time for lifting. I also like the chiseled look obtained with a workout of push-ups and chin-ups. These are the reasons I decided to buy this system.

Overall, it is very convenient to have this system. I can run after work, eat a nice dinner, relax a little, and then start my anaerobic workout whenever I feel like it. The system is fairly portable and I plan on taking it with me when I go on vacations or visit relatives.

Here is my review of the individual components:

Chin Up Bar - It is pretty sturdy and wide enough to offer a narrow and wide-grip chin up. It fits on the molding around my door at my house. Occasionally, I do hear a slight "give" sound from my molding, but overall, I think my molding can handle it. I am fairly light compared to many men (160 lbs), so I don't know how well it would hold up to heavier guys using it. If I weighed closer to 200 pounds, I wouldn't use it; it just doesn't look that heavy duty. The chin-up bar is also the dip bar. I would rate it above-average for dips, because it doesn't allow for a very deep dip. I can remedy this by placing the bar on top of something (like a few pillows or a step), which helps deepen it.

Push-Up Units - These are nice. They turn and can also be locked. The turning option produces a full range of motion, and using them when locked lengthens the normal push-up to make them even more challenging. In other words, using them either locked or unlocked produces a much more effective push-up than doing normal ones. After doing a few sets, I am dead, but that is a good thing!

Core Straps - The premise behind these is a great idea: hang from the chin-up bar and then lift your legs using the core muscles. However, they are so big, they don't work for me. Apparently other reviewers here agree. I can hang from the chin-up bar and do the recommended exercises, but the straps do not have the intended effect.

Overall, I really like this set. The convenience is tops, and the workout is outstanding. I saw results immediately, and prefer the lean, chiseled, look I am getting with this set to the look I got using free weights. I use the set in the morning, after dinner, before bed, and any time I get motivated. The convenience factor alone is going to get me results I have never before achieved. The only thing that would make this set more complete is an ab-wheel, which I also use regularly.

UPDATE: I have owned this set for over a month, and I am seeing great results. I am getting a much more "thin muscular" physique with this set than what I obtained with free weights, which gave me a bulkier look.

I was not very impressed with this, I wish I had went ahead and bought the one from JC Penneys. This is just not the quality I expected. But I must say I am not sure the JC Penneys is any better. If you want a chin up bar it needs to be one that attaches in place.

This set is awesome - in theory. Unfortunately, it is NOT designed to last! I should say that the bar was the real problem with the set. After only weeks in use, the foam surrounding the handle started breaking apart and flaking off, and some of the little plastic pieces fell off. In addition, we mounted it exactly as shown and it still chipped off our paint in two spots above the door jamb. We contemplated keeping the set anyway because the rest was great, but come on! -- for the price you should get something that lasts at little better. We returned it.