Customer Reviews
Pretty cool, can still stand improvement. 
2007-08-10
First let me say that I am using this trainer and getting good results. I am reasonably satisfied, considering that I saved a lot of cash compared to the TV celebrity infomercial gym. It is a functional piece of fitness equipment but perhaps I am expecting too much, compared to the dollars I paid, because now I would like to share a few of my quibbles:
The snap hooks which are at the ends of the ropes are plastic. I would feel more secure if they were metal and I may fix this later, myself.
The area where the rails hinge is bumpy to roll over. On some exercises it is of no importance, on others you really notice it. That area needs to be manufactured with more care and precision and/or bigger diameter rollers to help smooth out the ride.
The fixture that holds the rails by means of two pins at adjustable heights on the upright bar is also made of plastic. This piece seems sturdy enough so far, but it is certainly not commercial grade gym equipment, with this much plastic. I also wish to note that something is tweaked in the way mine is made. This plastic fixture holds my rails at a slightly "off" angle (not level as it should be). This does not seem to impair the function of the machine for the use it was intended for, but often my eye is drawn to this imperfection and it makes me a little sad to see that things get built to such lax standards.
There is a nice velcro foot restraint to allow you to use the board on an incline for sit ups. Good luck (as a beginner)getting onto the glide board for sit ups! You need the board in a position partway up the rails for inclined sit ups, and there is no provision for locking the glide board on the rails in such a position.
While you are doing sit ups and such, with your head pointing down slope, you may want to remove the accessories that fit into the two holes at the bottom end. If you were to slip and "glide" backwards, you could injure your head/neck if the accessories were left in place, or if you position the unit close to a wall or object. If you remove the accessories, there are still two metal pipes that stick out of the bottom cross bar, to insert the accessories into. There should be plastic sleeves to cover them when not in use, to avoid injury when you slip down and off the end of the machine, as is more likely to happen, the steeper the incline you use. There should be warnings included in the videos and instructions about this possibility, too.
Personally, I made my own safety device, by drilling holes into a 2x4 to fit over the pipe stubs, and rounding and sanding off the 2x4 until it looked like I could bump over it without problems. Then I gave it a coat of linseed oil.
The videos were VHS tapes, not DVDs, incase this matters for you. It would be easier to view the method for doing a specific exercise, if a DVD with a good menu system were included.
Overall, I think the trainer works as advertised, but it can certainly stand some improvement in fit and quality.
Work out any time..Day or Night !! in the comfort of your home 
2007-07-10
I had been considering buying either a Bowflex or one of the imitation rod trainers for a couple of years. The thing that made me decide to go with this was that I had previous experience with a similar type piece of equipment and always enjoyed the ease of use and simplicity of so many different exercises.
Over the years I have trained at various gyms and at home..using everything from Nautilus, Universal, etc. to cable systems to a variety of free weights and benches.
I always made increases in strength no matter what brand of machines or weights, both at home and going to the gyms so I have to say that whatever way you choose to train is fine but the beauty of this piece of equipment is that it takes up little space, is easy to switch back and forth to many different exercises, doesn't make the clanging of loading plates onto a bar which might be a concern if you want to keep it quiet while you work out.
It is stable in case you might be wondering if it would be wobbly when you got on it.
This Bayou trainer has more features than the Total Gym that you see Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley advertise on TV and is a whole lot less expensive than the model they try to sell.
As a reviewer for the Bayou Pro machine said, it's only drawback is that it has a limit of around 400 lbs., and like him I realized that it couldn't replace a squat rack or deadlift when you really wanted to go heavy. But for staying in shape, maintaining your flexibility with the Pilates exercises and so on it is hard to beat.
Those of us that are stronger than average guys working out know that there are times when you ease up and sort of like to maintain your strength or you might have been out of lifting for a while and just want to get back in shape before getting serious about going heavy again. This trainer is perfect for that and provides more than enough resistance that the average person will ever need.
Women will love the Pilates exercises that are available with it and the guys will love the way you can add the bands and weights while increasing the angle to make it more difficult at each setting.
I hope you will just go for it and buy it ... being able to slip over and get a set of exercise in while a commercial is on late at night is so cool.
