Iron Gym Pull Up Bars - Total Upper Body

I wasn't so sure about this thing. It was easy to assemble. I put it together in about 8-10 minutes. Yet, it seemed flimsy and I was afraid of damage to the doorframe (I live in an apartment). However, it really works as advertised. The way this thing is designed distributes the weight into the sides of the doorframe so your bodyweight is pushing in on the frame and not hanging dead weight. It is really a clever design. It installs in seconds and leaves no damage. It's light weight and compact so there isn't any worry about storage. The push-up function ensures good form because of the hand placement. It allows you to do deep push-ups, and gives you a wider range of motion than simply using a flat surface. You can do wide push-ups as well. It works fairly well for sit-ups too. Yet, I found myself having to stop a couple times to set the bar back even with the floor. Yet, it works better than sticking my feet under the couch (What I did before I got this). The wide pull up function works just fine. I wasn't sure if the hand placement would be sufficient but I could feel the burn after a few reps. The only drawback is the dip function. It doesn't really do anything for you. You really can't get a full range of motion with the device placed on the floor. The workout guide recommends elevating the feet with a stool but it doesn't increase the range of motion in your triceps. You need to elevate the Iron Gym in addition to your feet in order to do dips properly. However, using the device in this manner can be potentially dangerous and result in injury should the device shift position in mid-dip. I don't recommend doing it. There are safer options to doing dips. I was able to do hanging crunches without the ab straps, but I will probably go ahead and get them just because they are only eight bucks with shipping and handling. Overall, I'm satisfied with this purchase. You get a multifuncitoning piece of exercise equipment for the price of a dumbbell. You can't go wrong with this. It works, and you can get a great workout on this thing. I've incorporated it into my warm-up routine. I will still use free weights, but this is a wonderful item. I can see this as a great travel item too. If you go on vacation you can turn any motel doorframe into a gym. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 month update - My weight when I first began using the Iron Gym was 145 lbs. I was working out 3 times a week with dumb bells and doing push-ups. After getting the IRON GYM I incorporated the device into my routine. As of today I have gained 17 lbs. of muscle mass putting my weight at 162 lbs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Month Update - I have still been using IRON GYM three days a week in addition to my dumbells and jump rope. My weight is now at 171. I've noticed the padded material that makes contact with the doorframe is beginning to wear. I may need to start putting ducktape on the ends of the device. There is also some slight wearing of the paint above my doorframe. I'm going to have to have some touch up work done.