The Weider Max is one of the most popular economy home gyms on the market right now. It's a cost-effective alternative to the Bowflex Power Rod gyms.
Weider is owned by ICON Health and Fitness - one of the largest exercise equipment manufacturers in the world.
They also own names like Reebok, Nordic track, Weslo, Epic, Proform and Gold's Gym.
So is the Max a good buy for you? Here's a review to help you decide:
Quick Stats:
Price: $599
Number of Exercises: 65
Resistance Weight: 240 lbs (upgradeable to 440 lbs)
Size: 82" L x 64" W x 80"H
Warranty: Lifetime resistance bars, 5 years parts, 1 year labor
Extra Features:
- Lat Tower
- 6 Roll Leg Developer
- Rowing Seat
- Quick Change Resistance
- Preacher curl station
- 4 Position padded bench
- Lifetime warranty on each resistance bar
- Comprehensive Wall Chart and Free Workout Video
Strengths:
The Weider Max is mainly popular as an affordable alternative to the Bowflex Power Rod home gyms.
Like the Bowflex Gyms, the Max also uses bendable bars (crossbows or crossbars) to create resistance, (vs. more traditional weight stack machines with plates).
The advantage to this is a more affordable, space efficient home gym that still gives you a wide variety of exercises.
You can do 65 exercises and get up to 240 pounds of resistance (which you can upgrade to 440 pounds of resistance). It also comes with a rowing machine so you can get your cardio in.
The Max also comes with 6 roll leg developer, preacher curl station, and lat tower - which can sometimes be extra with similar home gyms.
The warranty is decent - lifetime on the bars and 5 years on parts. This is much better than most in store cheaper home gyms. Also you get a comprehensive wall chart and video explaining the different exercises you can do with the Max.
Weaknesses:
While the Max is affordable, it is also an economy machine - it's not built to the same standards as a Bowflex.
User reviews are mainly mixed, on average giving the Weider Max 3 out of 5 stars.
Basically people liked the affordability and the variety of exercises however the general consensus was that (compared to Bowflex machines) the quality of construction was inferior.
Overall Conclusion: Recommended
If you're on a budget, the Max is a one of the best home gyms under $600.
Although it doesn't give you the quality of construction of other home gyms, it does give you a few unexpected extras like the 6 roll leg developer, lat tower and rowing seat that make it a good value for the money.
If you're looking for higher user (and expert) reviews, as well as better overall construction, consider the Bowflex Power Rod Gyms.
Where To Buy At A Discount:
You can save money on store markup by buying the Max direct from Weider.
You can also save on shipping costs and pick up any closeout deals they're having.
