Budget Home Gyms

Home gyms for less than $600

Most budget home gyms don't get very good reviews, but there are a few exceptions to the rule. The Weider Pro 4950 (*Est. $600), sold exclusively at Sears, gets high ratings from users at Sears.com. The home gym has a single stack of weight plates totaling 150 pounds, and the cable-and-pulley system offers up to 325 pounds of resistance. Exercise stations include a fold-away military press, expandable chest fly, chest press, high pulley, low pulley and leg press.

In over 100 Sears.com reviews, the Weider Pro 4950 earns high average ratings, with 84 percent of those providing feedback saying they'd recommend the Weider home gym to a friend. Most call it an excellent value. "I've owned this for 2 months now and I can say it's the absolute best value when looking at what it delivers vs. the price I paid," one owner writes. Most reviewers think the Weider Pro 4950 gym offers enough resistance for the average exerciser, but not enough for serious bodybuilders.

A few owners say the range of motion is limited for some exercises, especially bench presses, and some shorter reviewers have trouble adjusting the gym. The Weider Pro 4950 has a large footprint, and reviewers recommend checking your ceiling height before ordering. Assembly can also be frustrating, according to reviews. "There are a ton of parts and the part labeling is very poor. Components do not have part numbers -- or any identification -- on them," one owner writes. We also saw a few reports that components can bend easily, including the bench press arms.

Sears.com sells a similar but smaller home gym in the Weider Pro 4300 (*Est. $400). This home gym offers a lighter weight stack (125 pounds total) and the cable-and-pulley system only offers a combined 195 pounds of resistance. The Weider Pro 4300 also lacks the leg press station found on the Weider Pro 4950 home gym, but it does include a high- and low-pulley station in addition to an expandable chest fly, chest press, lat bar and leg curl. The Weider 4300 also gets good reviews at Sears.com, and 82 percent of the reviewers say they would recommend the gym to a friend. According to reviews, the Weider Pro 4300 has many of the same pros and cons as its larger sibling, the Weider Pro 4950. Most say the gym is a good value and offers a solid workout for beginners, but the manual lacks clear instructions, and the assembly process breeds frustration.

While the Weider Pro 4950 is one option for budget shoppers, in this price range it's much easier to find alternative home gyms that use bands or straps for resistance instead of weight plates. For beginners on a tight budget, experts say the Weider Total Body Works 5000 (*Est. $175) can be a good choice. This home gym uses resistance bands attached to a cable-and-pulley system to provide "natural resistance" (up to 50 pounds) that works with your body weight and gravity to make muscles work harder. The bands are attached to a workout bench and the incline can be adjusted to seven positions to make exercises more challenging. Weider claims you can use the Total Body Works 5000 to perform 50 different exercises. The gym comes with a 90-day warranty.

Even though the Total Body Works 5000 is a cheap basic home gym, it earns very positive user reviews. More than 100 owners at Amazon.com give it a very high average rating, as do over 100 Buzzillions.com reviewers.  Many users confess that they were skeptical about the Total Body Works 5000, but changed their minds once they started working out. "This thing does not have bells and whistles, but it is still fun, user friendly, convenient, inexpensive, sturdy, and a great alternative to a much more expensive brand," one owner writes at Amazon.com. Assembly is relatively straightforward, according to reviews, and most users say they get an effective workout from the machine. "The workout is fluid, as challenging as you want to make it, and will do an outstanding job of toning your upper body," another reviewer writes at Walmart.com. However, this same user notes that the home gym has limited options for lower-body exercises.

Needless to say, serious exercisers will likely be disappointed with the Weider Total Body Works 5000. The 50 pounds of resistance is just too light for some reviewers, and larger users should take note of the gym's 250-pound weight limit. "I would be very bored if this was the only machine in my house so I am recommending it for the novice or for a young person who has little room and little money," one reviewer writes at Epinions.com. Even those who are happy with this budget Weider home gym wish that it came with a workout DVD. Others say it is too heavy and bulky, and some report that components break easily.

The TRX Suspension Trainer (*Est. $190) is another alternative for exercisers on a budget who want a full-body workout at home. It is currently getting a lot of buzz, thanks largely to Men's Health magazine, which calls it the "best total-body tool" for at-home exercising. The system includes a set of nylon suspension straps with handles that are designed to be attached to a door or a separate wall mount (*Est. $35). Various exercises are performed with the straps, using your body weight and gravity as resistance. The straps come with a workout DVD, a training guide and a travel bag. The TRX Suspension Trainer is covered by a one-year limited warranty.

While it's not a complete home gym, the TRX Suspension Trainer does get good user reviews, including at Amazon.com, where it currently has a very strong average rating from more than 80 reviews. Some of these seem a little too enthusiastic, though, so we focus mainly on those that present a balanced take on the product. Users like the Suspension Trainer's portability and challenging exercises. "I have been using TRX suspension trainers at my gym once a week for the last 5 weeks, and I can vouch that these provide an intense workout," one owner writes. However, we saw a few complaints that the strap's buckle can start to slip after repeated use, which could lead to a fall.