Portable Universal Gym for Cardio, Strength and Circuit Training

I became a fan of the Journey Gym in December 2012 and I loved my product so much I decided to start encouraging my friends/family to buy the Journey Gym. I purchased my second JG couple months ago for my friend and then my cousin bought one. The company is based in Portland, Oregon and has some of the most amazing people you will ever know. Also, the online community is really supportive in your weight loss goals or improving your overall heath.I work out on the JG both at home and at the JG Persistency Center in Portland, OR. Currently, I fit one day in at the Persistency Center and three days at home. Some days I can only do five minutes and others I do about 25. I have felt a difference in my strength and the appearance of my body. I am not a gym person and I love that I can fit my exercise into my life with the help of this product.Pros:Easy set-up and take-downI can take it with me on trips or outsideResistance bands for easy leveling up (more weight)Access to the workout videos on VimeoReal time feedback on progress in person and on the online communityBoth cardio and strength training in oneFits into my lifeCons:Bands do get stretchy but if you watch the video on how to deploy the straps on the handles that should help with the life of the bandsThe bands can get tangled but is easy to fix

Concept:You have a self-contained set of resistance bands, a step and instructional videos in a small, portable package that you can stow away after you are done working out. You have access to more online videos as well.EXCELLENT!Execution:1. The unit is compact, easily put together for use (although attaching and detaching the 8 legs can be challenging, they are not as easy to take out as you would assume, but that is a trade-off for a tight, safe placement).Good.2. Three levels of basic resistance bands, they can be combined for more levels of difficulty.Very good.3. Quality is sub-par, the bands stretched to a non-usable state after a few uses; with care taken, after reading other reviews, to avoid over stretching them.Poor.4. The thing is noisy! There are roller cylinders over which the bands roll, but they are not very easily mobile and frequently get stuck. The bands frequently depart from the intended groove in the roller and get stuck in a stretched position as well.Poor.5. Videos: the device used for the instructional videos is definitely not the same retail version. I am unclear on which version exactly that is, but it seems to have none of the issues mentioned above about the one I received from Amazon.Poor.6. Customer support: I emailed them about the bands and some of the other problems I had with the device, no response.Poor.I live in Portland, and I really would love to support a local company, especially with a very promising exercise concept, but the way this was executed leaves me disappointed.Will reverse back to basic exercise bands until something better is available.

This has all the tools listed. It is a good tool for working out the muscles.

Actually, I think I bought this product mainly because I wanted to see if it really did live up to its perfect reviews. After reading all of the 5-star reviews I was convinced that they were planted, mainly given that not one other person has actually reviewed anything other than the Journey Gym. However, I decided to give it a try because it does look like a pretty ingenious invention... and it's relatively inexpensive for a piece of exercise equipment. I'm a woman in her mid 40s, let myself go and am pretty out of shape at the moment, so I think that I am in a similar position that most of the other reviewers said they were in when they started using the gym. I have only just received my Journey Gym and have only used it for 2 days, but I am planning to keep it up and see if I can really rave about it like the other reviewers... stay tuned for an update in about 6 months.Ok. So the pros... So far I really like the fact that it has short online video workouts that you can jump right into. I have done 2 10-minute workouts so far and liked them both. I was a little sore and winded afterword, but not too much so. (I don't want to overexert myself and lose motivation to continue.) It felt good just getting off the couch and moving around for a change. I like the fact that the intervals are short (1 minute each), so by the time you feel yourself getting tired of an exercise you're onto the next. I am planning to increase up to the 20 minute workouts at least 3 times/week, but for now 10 minutes is better than nothing.And now for the cons... For one thing, the bands make a lot of noise when you're moving with them, which is annoying but a minor point. Another thing, after my 2nd workout, one of the bands broke... Not a good sign (I don't want to have to buy new bands all the time), but fortunately the gym does come with 2 extra sets, and it was pretty easy to replace the broken one. Actually, after examining it, I determined that it didn't actually snap or anything... I think it was just defective and didn't have the proper shape to keep it attached to the plastic end piece. Anyway, just a couple minor points.So to summarize, I am hopeful that I will be able to keep up the exercises. Overall, I like the product so far. It's pretty easy to use and the workouts are short, contained, and pretty easy to complete. Will report back with a progress report in 6 months.