The Weider 500 home gym is the perfect unit for those that are just getting into weight lifting and want to target legs and back with a leg attachment and a lat pull down unit.
What Does The Unit Come With?
If you love your big compound lifts like I do (and you should too, they are great for body development!), then you will like this gym. It comes with attachments to allow you to do bench press, squats, military press, shoulders, pull ups, lat pull downs, curls, and even more legs!
The Weider 500 really is a full body unit at a fraction of the price of other home gyms. If you are ever scared of not being able to bench the weight but want to give it a try, this comes with hooks and safety spotters so you are always free to attempt a new PR. You can bench in 3 different positions for optimal chest development: flat, decline, and incline. If you are looking to grow your arms, it comes with a pad to do preacher curls which are an excellent exercise for your biceps. Not only does it include the things listed above, but it comes with a leg developer, a place to do pull ups, and nice and high pulleys that can be used for a range of exercises.
Please do note that the weights in this unit do not come with it and you will need to buy them. You will also need to buy a bar to go along with the 500 to do your bench press.
Click here to see the Weider 500 Home Gym
Experienced Lifter?
You may have noticed that some of the big names in lifting are not a huge fan of the Weider because of the quality that they have experienced. If you are an experienced lifter, this is really not the unit for you. You should not get the Weider 500 because there are a lot of other choices out there for you. However, if you are someone who likes to lift occasionally, and wants a home gym that will you to slowly get back into shape, then the Weider 500 is almost the perfect beginner unit. You will be able to practice all the main lifts and build strength. Put that together with the price of under 500 dollars (both online and in retail stores) and you have a clear winner.
Any Negatives?
One thing I must touch on is the bench. The weider 500 home gym allows you to bench press, but the bench itself is just not very comfortable. It is not that I think the bench should be plush, but they could have done a better job of providing comfort while you are doing your presses. For a beginner, pressing and squatting with this machine is probably going to be used the most. This is a great thing because this will allow you to build your foundation of strength so you can progress faster with other units down the line if you get serious. If you are looking to do leg extensions, they work well, but there is no much space if you are a bigger person.
What I really like about this unit is that it has a place to do preacher curls to grow your arms and a late pull down to get your back swole. These are usually optional on other home gyms and if you do not have them, you will eventually want them. For this price, it is almost a steal to get these included.
What We Think
We know that the Weider 500 has been discontinued and is not offered anymore. Do not let that get you down though. There are lots of online retailers that will offer this unit at an incredible price and you can typically find units that are half off or even more. If you are serious about lifting, stay away from this unit as you will outgrow this gym system extremely fast. If you are smaller, trying to get into shape, and have never lifted before, this is an excellent system to begin on. While you can get a Weider 500 for cheap, if you have more money to spend, think about getting a home gym that has more bells and whistles and a better build quality that will last you for many years. This is just a beginners unit.
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