Body By Jake Tower 200 Full-Body Exercise Gym Review

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(More customer reviews)After unpacking the box, the setup was straightforward and required no tools. The setup instructions were adequate, but I would have liked to see more, and larger, pictures. Line drawings would have been clearer. Also, the instructions don't mention that you should install the Tower 200 on the side of the door opposite of the way it opens (e.g. if the door swings out, install it on the inside). If you don't, all the stress from pulling on the gym will transfer to the door's latch and hinges, which is probably a bad idea. Maybe that's obvious, but I didn't realize it until I was almost done installing the gym on the wrong side.
The metal brackets that contact the door have insufficient padding, and may scuff up your door. I added some stick-on rubber bumpers to avoid this. The brackets are wide enough to accommodate a thick door, up to approx. 2 in. (5 cm). The downside is that if your door is thinner, like my interior door, there will be some forward and back play in the brackets, which will scrape up the doorway as the door is repeatedly opened and closed. This was easily remedied by fashioning some spacers to take up the extra width.
Now on to using the gym. The great part is that it offers an incredible number of exercises while taking up so little floor space. Not surprisingly, they were pretty generous in saying that it offers over 200 exercises. For example, the chest press is counted as four separate exercises due to the four leg stances (close, regular, wide, and staggered). And one-handed exercises are counted twice, once for each side. That said, the gym still offers quite a few options. If you're familiar with free weight exercises, many can be easily adapted to the Tower 200 with a little imagination.
The resistance is adjusted by hooking the handle's carabiners to one or any combination of the three resistance bands on each side. This is fast and simple, and offers a fairly fine range of adjustment. As with any resistance band system, resistance increases as the bands are stretched. This means that minute resistance changes can be made by moving closer to, or further away from, the door. The three pairs of bands are rated at 25, 35, and 40 lbs. (approx. 11, 16, and 18 kg.) of resistance. This provides a useful range, although 25 lbs. (11 kg.) may not be low enough for some difficult exercises, such as the lateral raise. You can overcome this in some instances by cramming two hands onto a single handle.
While the printed guide illustrates many exercises, the included DVD is well-done and easier to follow. It includes an 11 min. total body workout, a 3 min. MMA total body workout by Randy Couture, and three quick (3 min.) routines to target the abs, triceps/biceps, or chest/shoulders. They include some moves not shown in the printed guide. The routines are fast, comprehensive, well thought-out, and ordered to minimize the time wasted switching the handles between the top and bottom. It would have been nice if the Tower 200 came with a second pair of handles, as shown on the DVD. Additional handles can be purchased separately, but I borrowed a pair from some other resistance bands I have. You could also grip the included pair of ankle straps, but it's not overly comfortable.
Despite the minor issues mentioned above, the Tower 200 is overall a highly versatile and compact system that offers a lot of bang for your buck. Highly recommended!

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Got a door? Then you got a gym. The Body by Jake Tower 200 slides onto any door within seconds, giving you 200 pounds of explosive resistance to help you get bigger and stronger within 30 days. The Tower 200 is equipped with a pair of multi-tension power cords, which help you work your arms, chest, shoulders, back, abs, and legs. The cords support more than 200 exercises in all, including all the basics and a host of specialized, muscle-isolating routines. Users who are ready to get really crazy can try the "mother of all workouts"--Randy Couture's MMA-inspired 11-minute body shredding routine, which includes such moves as the Warrior, the Demon, and the Freak. Best of all, the Tower 200 is tough yet non-obtrusive, with a durable steel frame that's designed so it won't mess up your door. Built to fit on any door in the house, office, or dorm, the Tower 200 carries a limited lifetime warranty.

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