Body Champ Multi-Function Pull Up Bar, Exercise Equipment, Home Gym Power Tower, Power Station for Pull Ups, Push Ups, Vertical Knee and Leg Raises and Dip Stand, VKR1010, Grey, One Size

I want to build muscle. I am 200 lbs with a bit of gut. My worst was earlier this year at 225 lbs and most of my weight is reflected in my gut and I've struggled with losing weight there the most. I'm not one to have a strict diet and eat only healthy foods and I don't want to live that lifestyle. I want to enjoy nachos while watching football. But I generally eat less and walk the dog several miles per day to compensate for my eating habits. While the beer belly has gotten much better than what it was, I still have a lot of work to do on it. So after dong some reading, the overall consensus was if you build up muscle your body will lose more weight naturally simply by maintaining your muscle structure. That sounds good to me!But I'm not really into weight lifting, mainly because I'm not interested in going to gyms to use the equipment (typically busy or don't have the motivation to drive somewhere just to workout; personal peeve), nor do I want to invest hundreds into a home setup. I recently looked into ways to help build muscle naturally and all signs pointed to calisthenics.I do standard pushups, crunches, planking on occasion, but I wanted something that had various workout options to keep up the variety and provide more intensity if I wanted it. I researched several "power towers" and settled on this one. They all seemed fairly similar in design, but reviews were all over the place regarding durability, stability, etc. While this one has faired better than others on the stability aspect, there have still been some negative reviews on that.First impressions opening the box: everything was well packed. I didn't have any troubles layout out the pieces and getting to work on assembly. I was able to assemble the entire thing myself, but it took a couple hours. Mostly because I got ahead of myself a couple times and didn't orient a couple pieces correctly, so I had to redo it the right way. The instructions are very clear and I recommend following them exactly as described and make sure to pay close attention to the pictures and part references. Some of the bolts look very similar, just slightly longer or shorter. I would recommend having a few bins out and segregating the parts (bolts, nuts and washers) out and labeling them right away, instead of opening up the package little by little when you need something.Once assembled and I was finally able to use it, I am absolutely impressed with the stability of it. The only time it has a slight wobble is when using the dip bars. Otherwise, the thing doesn't move at all when using the other stations, including the pull up bar. It may wobble more with larger users, but at least in my experience at 200 lbs and 5'11" the unit supported me just fine.The only thing I will slight it for is the comfort of the dip bars. I'm not in the greatest shape, but they do hurt my hands right away when I position myself on them and I can't do more than 1 or 2 dips at a time. I'll probably add some extra padding there at some point. The rest of the stations have perfect comfort levels, including arm pads and a back pad for the leg lifts (my favorite part of the tower), and decent padding for the pull up bar to make it very comfortable.I'm glad I went for this one. You obviously have a lot of options here on Amazon and I always get overwhelmed with reviews, prices, brand comparisons, etc. etc. with practically everything on here, but this one was a homerun with no regrets.

First, the packaging: very extensive, borderline obsessive: every piece in its own bag, usually with a carton boot or two at the ends. I spent about 15-20 min just unwrapping.The instruction manual is incredibly clear for a Chinese product, all in proper English. The diagrams are clear and accurate. All the bolts & nuts come organized in a panel with labels--very neat and handy. Exact count of every piece.The machining and fitting of the pieces are flawless. Don't remember any equipment or furniture like that over the past 20+ years.Overall pretty convenient to use, with 3 flaws:- The pull-up handles (at the ends of the topmost bar) are far too wide, as noted by another reviewer. (I'm 6' tall, medium-built.) But you can grab the curved part of the metal and still pull up, without much discomfort.- When doing dips on the front side, there is considerable flexing of the horizontal arms. (I'm about 172 lb.) But unlikely any permanent bending or damage will result.- I wish the tower was a little higher so that I don't have to bend my knees when doing pull-ups. But, understandably, this has to fit in lower-ceiling rooms. It's not that bad.Contrary to other reviews, I find it more stable than expected. I put it on high carpet and was already thinking about how to "pave" a section with a solid surface. But not much rocking. Because of the heft, it sinks into the carpet, and maybe that creates a little anchoring effect.

The tower shipped promptly was delivered on time and arrived in good condition. The packaging was very good. The hardware was arranged on a poster board sheet with each screw and washer labeled with its part # that correlated with the instructions as well as a description and count and was sealed with a blister pack plastic covering. The instructions were very easy to read, especially easy for identifying which hardware to use for each step. No parts were missing. No threads cross-threaded or stripped during assembly. No tubes dimpled or flattened when tightening, as it came with washers and reinforcement backplates where necessary. I used a 1/2" box wrench, a 9/16" socket wrench, and a large Phillips head screwdriver. I weight over 200 lbs and am 5 ft 11 in, and it fits my body well. The tower is rigid and stable. It's not too heavy to tuck it in the corner after use if you are short on space, the glides so not scratch the floor. The arm rests for leg lifts seem adequate, but I haven't used it long enough to know if the foam and upholstery will hold up. I hurt myself overdoing it at first, so warning if you're out of shape to pace yourself. I like the wide grips on the chin-up bar but would have preferred a similar grip or some sort of texturing for the inner grips. If anything wears prematurely or goes amiss after extended use, I intend to circle back with a follow-up review.