Looking for a gym membership alternative

Motivating myself and getting to a gym had always been a huge detractor in terms of getting my money’s worth from a gym membership. Some months I would use it an average of three times a week and other months I would barely be able to get there once a week. Additionally, the after-work gym crowd always made standing and waiting an unwanted anaerobic exercise.

I’ve been lifting weights on and off for 15 years since college and had preferred using free weights with the occasional mix of a Nautilus-type stacked plate machine. However, I’ve been migrating away from free weights and feel more comfortable with Nautilus and with exercises using my own body weight such as pull-ups and pushups. So, the combinations of gym membership price, not wanting to wait to exercise, and also a move away from using free weights led me to research home exercise machines.

Weider Max Ultra versus the Bowflex

I initially had my mind set on buying a Bowflex. Aside from the glowing Bowflex testimonials on their infomercials and website, I was able to only gather second-hand information about people who knew others who had a Bowflex. The few people I talked to said that everyone they knew who had a Bowflex really loved using it. However, when I found out that the price of the model I was interested in was over $1200 I balked and started looking for other options.

It was a struggle but I finally stumbled across the Weider Max Ultra (which is different from the Weider Max). I don’t really remember how I found it, but even now when I type in “Icon Fitness” (the parent company of Weider) into Google, it doesn’t show up as a hit on the first page unless I eliminate the space between the two words. Anyways, I found it and eventually got to the Weider website so that I could figure out if this was a good substitute for a Bowflex. The information they have on their website is actually for the Max rather than the Max Ultra, but I believe that the technology is probably the same.


The first section that I read up on was why the Max might be better than the Bowflex. Of course, the price was a huge consideration. I was able to find an online vendor which sold the Max Ultra for $350 with free shipping. I figured with my closest gym costing over $70 a month, this would cost less than 5 months at the gym - so not really a big monetary risk. The Max Ultra comes with the Lat Tower and Leg Developer which is generally an added cost with the Bowflex.

They claim quite dubiously that their patented Compound Resistance System (CRS) offers better resistance than the Bowflex system. Maybe – maybe not. Depends on if you work for Icon Fitness or for Bowflex. They also note that their range of motion is wider than their competitor. Unfortunately, I’ve never tested a Bowflex so I can’t really say. All in all for the price, the amount of exercises offered (“ 65 plus club-quality”), and seemingly good product technology I went ahead and ordered the Max Ultra.

Ordering and Assembly

I ordered the Max Ultra from Walgreens.com and even with free shipping it arrived at my door in less than a week. At 150 pounds it took two UPS deliverers to bring it up the stairs. The box was banged up a bit but nothing in the box was actually damaged.

The assembly manual was fairly daunting, but I figured that unless any nuts, bolts or miscellaneous pieces were missing that if I just followed directions, I couldn’t go wrong. Thankfully, everything that was supposed to be there was there and the manual was extremely clearly written and illustrated. The only tools that I needed to provide for myself was a socket wrench, adjustable wrench, Phillip’s head screwdriver, and a standard screwdriver. In addition to the aforementioned, the manual suggested a rubber mallet and a lubricant such as grease. The grease was actually included in the box and I have no idea what the rubber mallet was supposed to be for. Maybe I missed something, but the machine hasn’t fallen apart on me after a month of use!

The manual suggests that this is a two-person job and also offers a number to call if you want a professional to assemble it, which will cost a minimum of $119. I ended up assembling it myself and even without an ounce of aptitude for construction, I found this fairly straightforward and simple even though it did take 5 ˝ hours. If you are lucky enough to have two people assembling this, a quick scan of the assembly manual will show that various parts can be assembled independently of each other and then later fitted together. I estimate that with two people this can probably be done in 3 hours or less.

Working out in the beginning – Getting used to the machine & how it basically functions

Weider includes a wall chart using photographs to illustrate most of the various exercises as well as a basic DVD which allows you to see what the proper mechanics are for each exercise. For the first week I was wasting a bunch of time during my exercises because I was unfamiliar with whether to use the high pulleys, low pulleys, flat bench, incline bench, etc. So, I decided that a 30 minute investment of time to plan out my workout would be well worth it, and it definitely has helped me get the most out of my workout time.

The Max Ultra uses a system of pulleys along with flexible bars used as resistance. The bars rest horizontally behind the lat tower and maximum standard resistance is 240 pounds (two 10 pound, one 20 pound, one 40 pound, and two 80 pound resistance bars), upgradable to 440 pounds.

Two workout handles (for most exercises), an ankle strap, and a hip strap are included. A great feature for me with the workout handles is that it can be hooked in to either be longer or shorter by about 3 inches. I’ve found that this feature really makes certain exercises more comfortable just by adjusting the length of the workout handle. I’ve mainly done upper body workouts and have used the leg developer only a few times, but the time that I did the leg extension it really felt like a great workout.

I have to admit that after my very first workout, I was worried that I may have made a mistake in my purchase. Not only did I feel like I wasn’t getting the same kind of burn and soreness as free weights, but I felt like the chest exercises were awkward due to the way that the handles were positioned relative to the pulleys. However, I found that a simple adjustment in the way that I held the handles really provided a comfortable and challenging workout. The arm curls, though a mechanically simple exercise, really have developed my biceps quickly and I’ve found that this machine affords the ability to get a good squeeze at the peak of contracting the muscle. In fact all the exercises that I do on the machine are comfortable and not awkward in any way now that I’m accustomed to the setup.

As for not feeling that burn, this is a thing of the past. The reason for the lack of soreness in my first workout was because I was a bit hesitant to fully extend my range of motion thinking that the bars might snap. So far they haven’t and I wouldn’t expect them to do so until after many years. (The resistance bars have a lifetime warranty which I hope not to have to ever use.) If they do happen to snap on me in a short amount of time, I’d be the first to post an updated negative review on this site to keep the company accountable for the quality of their products.

Why I now can’t wait for the next workout

After a month of having my machine set up, I continue to look forward to the next workout. I love being able to head on upstairs with a 10 second commute to my “gym” and to get on the machine immediately. I really like how quickly and easily I can change the resistance bars, allowing me jump to the next exercise. The pulley system is smooth and the range of motion really helps me get a great workout. The bench is sturdy and the overall feel of the Max Ultra is decidedly solid – which contributes to me feeling like I have worked out at a gym.

The bottom line - briefly
I'm definitely happy that I bought the Weider Max Ultra over the Bowflex. Aside from the price it has so far proven itself to offer a great workout with a large variety of exercises.


Recommended: Yes