I was excited to get a chance to use Body by Jake's Tower 200. The name alone sounded terrific and the five-time mixed martial arts champ, Randy Couture, is the spokesperson for this piece of equipment. I really expected a substantial piece of equipment rather than something that goes on my door.

What is the Tower 200? 

You probably have heard of resistance bands. I love resistance bands and have reviewed many. Essentially the Tower 200 is a bunch of bands. They are called Power Cords. Unlike traditional resistance bands with different "weights" the Tower gives you several weights in one piece of equipment.

The Tower 200, just like bands, works all muscle groups and is really easy to use. I was all set to hate it!

What you get

~A steel frame that makes up the Tower 200
~One pair of hand grips
~One pair of ankle straps
~200 pounds of resistance (Remember that resistance bands are given "resistance" numbers i.e. the lightest one might equal 10 pounds of weight.) These also are color coded.
~A limited lifetime warranty
~An 11-minute workout and bonus workouts
~A starter guide and a claim that you can do 200 exercises.
Another thing to remember is that when companies say that one exercise is two, it is really just one. For example, dumbbell curls using both arms is one exercise and dumbbell curls using one arm at a time would be a second exercise. To me I would call that one exercise - but whatever - minor point.
~The Tower 200 is advertised for people who don't have a lot of time.  

More information

The Tower is actually so simple many people really think it only costs $14.99 with free shipping when that is just the first installment. The Tower costs $175.00.

The Tower 200 weighs about 12 pounds.

How to use the Tower 200

I borrowed the Tower 200 and hung it on the door. The top of the frame and the bottom attach over and under the door. I put it on a door in our fitness room that leads to a bedroom downstairs.  I was a little concerned because the door is hollow but had no problems at all. 

I would definitely close the door so if you have a door that doesn't close for some reason - well it can be used but I wouldn't recommend it.

The Tower 200 works on a pulley system which seems designed well enough so even the novice shouldn't get hurt. The hand grips are soft and are comfortable to hold and the ankle weights are comfortable as well.

I selected the resistance I wanted by picking how many cords I wanted to use. The Tower has two 25-pound cords (gray), two 35- pound cords (black) and two 40-pound cords (red). I connected one of the 25-pound cords to the hand grip and did a triceps exercise that I love to do. Turning around and holding the handles I pull them over my head and straight across the top of my head. These are super for the triceps. 

What I like about the Tower is that it offers me a lot of body work in a very small space. I can literally work every part of my body doing lat pull downs working my shoulders and even doing abdominal work. One exercise I like for my abs is one that can be done off the end of a bench. If done that way I put my hands behind me and pull in my legs and then straighten them out. On the Tower I put the ankle straps around my legs and then do the same movement while pulling weight. It really is intense!  Hand grips can be linked at the top of the unit for pull down type exercises, or at the bottom for military press type movements.


My Final Thoughts

The Tower 200 costs $175.00. That isn't a whole lot of money if you will stick with just this. However, there are a lot of optional items you can buy and might want to. Those add up in a hurry.

I like the Tower 200. Obviously you should do cardio work but when all is said and done although I can do 99% of what I do with separate resistance bands, the Tower 200 works better.

One peeve I have is the 11-minutes. If you work like a maniac you can work your entire body in 11 minutes. If not plan on a normal amount of time - 1/2 an hour at least - to get through your body routine.

The Tower 200, like many home gyms, is for the motivated person who really will work out at home.

Recommended: Yes