Physical fitness is critical to health and longevity, yet our busy schedules make it difficult to get to a gym regularly. Home gym equipment can be a great solution, but it’s important to do the research before making the sizeable investment. You want to make sure a machine has the weight and versatility you want, and that it is well-constructed to avoid breakdowns or cause injury. In this Bodycraft Xpress Home Gym review, we look at this highly-rated compact home gym from BodyCraft, designed to give you a safe, complete, health club quality workout. This popular and durable home gym is made for all levels, from beginners to advanced.
Main Features
Check price here:
The Xpress Pro has a weight stack of 200-400lbs, one of the highest weight capacities on the market. Its thick 2″ foam padding and a swivel action seat offer positive lumbar support, and the adjustable cable is designed for unrestricted and bio-mechanically correct motion.
The machine offers over 120 different exercises. The Xpress Home Gym is not only simple to adjust for beginners, it also offers the weight and versatility needed by advanced lifters.
Durability is built into the BodyCraft Xpress Home Gym. The frame is heavy-duty, using 2″x2″ and 2″x 3″ square steel tubing, and it features aircraft quality cables rated at over 2000lbs of tensile strength. The steel-shrouded weight stack carries precision-milled 10-lb cast iron plates, employing shielded ball bearing pulleys that deliver a smooth, quiet motion at any setting.
Though created as a compact unit, the machine has the sizeable dimensions of 56.5 x 83 x 82.9 inches (W x H x D). The Xpress Home Gym offers a cable innovation too: newly patented technology by BodyCraft meant to emulate free weight exercises safely and efficiently. The platinum gray enamel finish is attractive and clean, appropriate for a home setting.
Additional Info
Maintenance
The BodyCraft Xpress Home Gym uses heavy-duty steel engineered with precision construction, and high-performance pulleys and cables. You are bringing gym quality into your home: since your equipment will be unlikely to receive the traffic of a public gym, ongoing maintenance is typically minimal. Over the years, you may have a broken cable or need new parts lost in a move–if so, BodyCraft’s service record is well regarded and has satisfied many customers.
Warranty
The BodyCraft Xpress Home Gym has a lifetime warranty. The residential model offers the warranty for defects in materials and workmanship on both the frame and parts—though it only applies to the original owner. The warranty backs up the straightforward, high-quality construction that goes into a BodyCraft Xpress Home Gym.
Accessories
The standard Xpress Pro unit doesn’t come with a Leg Press Station, which is available as an add-on. You can double the 200lb weight limit with the additional assembly, as the machine uses the Leg Press pulley system to further leverage the weight stack.
Though the basic unit doesn’t include the Leg Press Station, it does have a double-up cable feature that increases the 200lb available weight stack up to 400 lbs. for the bench press.
Recommended Routines
You can get your Xpress Pro workout started using cables with light weights to warm-up, benefiting from its ergonomically correct motion range. You can easily add the needed weight for your first exercise when you’re warmed up and ready. Utilizing the many exercises possible on the machine, you can train each body part in your workout conveniently and without wasting time.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Durable – Made of square steel tubing and aircraft quality cable.
Adjustable – Can be set to a range of body types, and has easily adjustable weights up to 400 lbs. You won’t outgrow this machine.
Versatile – The arms, cables, swivel seat, and adjustable bench are designed to perform over 120 different exercises.
Quality Construction – The gym is constructed with precision, with heavy, bolted square steel support and smooth ball bearing pulley mechanisms.
Ergonomics – Patented cable technology delivers a smooth, quiet and bio-mechanically correct motion.
Cons
Expensive – The BodyCraft Xpress Home Gym offers good value for a home gym, but isn’t a good fit for all budgets.
Hard to assemble – Assembly is not simple or quick. Plan to set aside some time or hire out for the task.
Heavy to move – The system is almost 600lbs when assembled. It isn’t portable.
Size – The 7′ by 5′ footprint may be compact in comparison to full sized home gyms, but make sure you have the space to commit. You can’t throw it in the hall closet when company comes.
Weightlifting-centric design – The BodyCraft Xpress Home Gym is made for a serious lifting workout. If you just want a simple aerobic machine, this model would be overkill.
Check price here:
User Reviews
Owners express satisfaction with the BodyCraft Xpress Home Gym’s quality and the workout it gives them. One of the main sentiments is how solid the construction and materials are: most have never had a service issue and don’t expect one.
One area of concern could be in assembling “the monster,” as it’s been called. The unit comes in several boxes and takes anywhere from 3 hours to a day or more to assemble. Putting the machine together has triggered musings of the worst things one ever had to do. A good wrench set is recommended … hiring someone to do it is not unusual.
On the other hand, there are no reported issues of bad faith, and the company has a record of quickly remedying any deficiencies. Just be aware that your first workout with the BodyCraft Xpress Home Gym will be putting it together.
You may want to consider the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym or the Body-Solid EXM1500s.
Verdict
To conclude our BodyCraft Xpress Home Gym review, solid steel construction, ergonomic movements and efficient, attractive design make the Xpress stand out as a workout partner. The lifetime warranty signals the permanence of the machine: it’s a real investment.
BodyCraft is asking a real price too, and you’ll have a real job in setting it up … and don’t ever move again, ideally. If you’re looking for a glorified stationary bike, the BodyCraft Xpress Home Gym is surely an overkill. This home gym is serious equipment—and an investment—for folks who are serious about working out. For those buyers, it’s a serious value too.
Is there anything you would like to add to our BodyCraft Xpress Home Gym review? Tell us in the comments!