Customer Reviews:
 Excellent value for a home gym at a fraction of the cost of a gym membership October 17, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have tried numerous home gyms: Free weights, Nordicflex Gold, Soloflex, Bowflex, and Powerblock dumbells, and I have worked out on the Nautilus, Hammerstrength, Cable machines, Free Weights and the Cybex machines. Through my experience of weight training for 10 years for fitness, a variety of exercises are necessary to keep interest going.
As a complement to free weights (Powerblock Rexan Pro), this gym completes what I need: variety for exercises to keep muscles growing. Cable exercises give constant tension when going through the entire range of motion. This machine replicates that feeling and simulates exercises similar to handstand pushups, pullups and every exercise for the body that you can think of (ie Bench, Rows, Curls, extensions, incline situps). The limitation comes to exercises for legs. Although 100 pounds can be added and an exercise similar to leg curls is available, you will need to look for other exercises to 'overload' the muscles.
Instructions, a video, workout cards with prescribed routines are provided. The machine is 95% assembled except for the foot rest.
As for the machine, setup took less than 10 minutes. Motion is smooth with the ball bearing setup. Only certain exercises make you notice the notch in the middle of the track where there is a noticeable click (majority of exercises do not precipitate the clicking noise). The chrome finish and leather like vinyl cover with 2 inches of padding is nice. Action is smooth and the accessories included tops the higher end gyms such as the Infomercial Total Gym and Bowflex (ie straight bar, leg attachment, pull up and incline bar, deluxe oversized platform for leg exercises). The option to add weights is another advantage over conventional machines of this genre. One limitation is that ropes instead of cables were used; however, there is a lifetime replacement on the pulleys, cables and rollers (this is more than I can say for competitors). The foot rest could be designed to be sturdier (it does tend to sway slightly).
As for safety, two pins lock the incline in place (one metal, one plastic).
This machine is excellent for beginners, intermediate and advanced bodybuilders and athletes. Although not the end all for the advanced bodybuilders, this machine helps augment free weights and is excellent for a supplement to routines. For pilates enthusiasts, a pilates machine is available.
For my first workout, I did the following sequence:
Rows, Seated Bench press, Pull ups, Supine bench press (x3 sets)
Military presses, biceps curls, triceps extensions, squats and leg curls (x 3 sets)
The transition between exercises were pretty simple and circuit training can easily be implemented. Pulley position has to be changed when doing "advanced exercises" such as upright rows, supine bench presses, kneeling curls, etc.
Workouts are 'fun' and I look forward to exercising regularly. Due to its flexibility and ease of changing resistance, two training partners of different levels can workout together without much trouble.
Item has a 1 year warranty on the remainder of the parts.
Highly recommend Bayou Fitness and the DLX III!
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5 years later and I still use this machine. The chrome is as good as when I received it and surprisingly, the nylon cords are holding their own. For durability, versatility and ease of use, there is no other gym that can do the job in the limited amount of space it takes up.
Excellent product September 7, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I looked for exercising machine to buy for my house but I didn't want anything big that would take a lot of space. So I looked into 4 or 5 different companies that make equipment similar to the DLX III and all of them were pricier. I thought that the quality would suffer but I read other reviews and decided to buy it. And turned out that other reviewers were correct. This machine i quite heavy and quality made (shipped in one box and weighed slightly over 100 lbs.). Booklet covers a range of exercises but if you are creative you can come up with more. I'm 5'11 and it fits me well but I think anyone over 6'3 might feel uncomfortable. I've been using it for a month now, spend on average 25 mins about 5 times a week and am happy with results so far.
 Great home gym w/ very minor flaws. February 4, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Let me get started by saying I did not purchase this through Amazon.com. I am writing a review here because when I wanted information on this unit I had a tough time finding any.
This gym is a great piece of equipment. I am 6'4" tall and around 285lbs. The gym holds my weight with no problem and is built very rigidly. The various parts all seem to be built well and all parts function great. The ropes are just that, not cables. The pulleys are plastic but are built strong. The glide board doesn't remind me of a sofa, but provides great support and a reasonable level of compfort. It also glides effortlessly. The chrome is great and the grips on all handles are of superb build quality. Setting up the unit is a breeze since it comes nearly completely assembled. Folding and storage is quick as well. The included curl bar and leg shackles are great as well.
Now for the slightly bad. Since the unit folds it has a break in the glide rails that you feel during certain exercises. If the glide board get within 6 inches of the bottom most point you will feel a noticable thump. Nothing major by any means but can throw your balance a tiny bit during some exercises. The abdominal strap included is a joke. I would rather sit on a bed of nails than use this. Crunches of this unit are great, why bother with this gimmick. Finally if you are very tall or have very long arms some exercises are tough to do. I am 6'4" and max out the glide potential on 1 or 2 exercises. Again, not a big deal.
All in all this machine will get you sweating in a matter of minutes no matter what level of fitness you are. I keep it between levels 3 and 8 with no added weight depending on the exercise. It goes up to 11. I wouldn't recommend this machine to someone who wants to look like Arnold, but if your goal is to get into great shape and build some muscle too, this machine is a great addition to your home.
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