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Weider Platinum Plus Home Gym |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 14 June 2009 )
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Introduction Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with new features in a home gym system. Since all home gyms are created to do similar exercises, the challenge really falls on the company to come up with something new and exciting about their particular product that sets it apart from the rest. In the case of the Weider Platinum Plus Home Gym, one cannot exactly call it an innovative product. It is a product that follows almost exactly an overall design that is tried and true in the home gym market, but there are some added convenience features and an overall sturdy construction that combine to allow this gym to grab some notice from the average consumer. We recommend you read our other exercise reviews and fitness equipment reviews .
Sturdy ConstructionLike most of the home gyms nowadays, this product does come with a multi-year warranty if you purchase it new (it comes with however long is left on that warranty if you purchase it used from another person). However, it does appear as though the warranty attached to this Weider product is one of the least used in the industry, as almost everyone that purchases this product seems to love the durability of the gym. When it comes to an overall design that you can push to the max without worrying about what might happen as a result, the Weider is better than most at absorbing all of the punishment you can throw at it. For a person that likes to workout hard, fast and often, this is definitely a welcome addition.
ConvenienceThe main advantage that the Weider Platinum Plus Home Gym has is the fact that it is one of the most convenient products around. This actually outweighs the sturdy construction factor, because it seems to be the main area of innovation for which Weider was aiming when they created this gym product. There are so many different convenience inducing features on this gym that it can be difficult to keep track of them all. That is not to say that they are all excellent however, as the major ones vary between being wonderful additions and somewhat annoying to advanced workout technicians.
The first of these features of convenience is a fully digital system of weight resistance that is good for up to 240 pounds. This means that rather than actual weights resisting against you, the weight resistance is actually simulated. This results not only in easier storage of the system since there is no stack of weight discs for you to store along with the gym, but it also makes adjusting the weight resistance as easy as pressing a single button. This is great for most people, but really advanced weight training experts might be annoyed at the 240 pound limit. As should be reasonably obvious from the convenience approach to weight training however, this is not a product aimed outside of the mainstream of weight loss society.
Another convenience feature of the Weider Gym is the fact that there are preset workouts available for you. Rather than having to learn by watching a video or reading through a complicated instruction manual, all you have to do is choose the subcategory of workout you want (strength training, muscle toning, calorie burning) and then pick the intensity level. Based on your selections, the gym will automatically select a workout for you to follow. Once again, this is an example of a feature that is loved by beginners and intermediates to the weight loss scene, but soundly criticized as an unnecessary frill by the advanced. Part of being a good consumer is discovering which features are beneficial to you and which are unnecessary, purchasing the appropriate products with that knowledge.
Careful Construction DimensionsOne final aspect on which many buyers of this product have positively commented on is the careful construction of the product. There are many different exercises that a home gym needs to account for in the average person and one of the problems with many home gyms (many earlier products especially) is that they were unable to come up with a construction that was optimal for all of these exercises. In the worst case scenario, some of the designs forced less-than-optimal exercise technique in different exercises, potentially resulting in injury and definitely resulting in poor muscle building relative to exercises that did carry proper technique.
Ever since the first releases of home gyms onto the market however, the industry has gotten much better at fixing these designs so that all of the exercises are as targeted as they possibly can be. In fact, the Weider Gym is so good that no matter what the exercise happens to be, you can perform it with ideal exercise technique. That is somewhat of a rarity in the home gym market and it is something that experienced weight trainers understand and appreciate greatly from this particular product.
Final ThoughtsIn the end, this is not a perfect product. The convenience add-ons come at the expense of options such as weight training beyond 240 pounds, true weight training and the preset workouts will sap the enthusiasm of most at reading through the instruction manual to find out about all the nuts and bolts of the product they have just purchased. Once again however, this point illustrates the target market of this product to a tee.
To put it mildly, the Weider Home Gym is not intended for those looking for an advanced workout. The people that will get the most out of this product are people that would like all of their options preset for them before they start working out. In other words, people that are at the beginning or intermediate stages of working out and prefer to be able to follow directions rather than create their own regimens will end up loving the Weider Home Gym. Everyone else will get really frustrated with it at some point, so if you are already proficient at creating your own workouts, do not even attempt considering this product for purchase.
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Sunday, 14 June 2009 |
