For many avid exercisers, it makes sense to spend a set sum of money, once, on a home gym or other piece of exercise equipment that offers a variety of workouts, versus continuing to spend money annually on a membership at a fitness center. The most popular home gyms fall in the mid-priced classification, such as the Weider Crossbow Advantage home gym. This exercise machine is known as a universal piece of exercise equipment because you are able to work the total body through a variety of exercises.
Basic Information
The Weider Crossbow Advantage is a mid-priced compact home gym which costs approximately $600. There are no weight plates, dumbbells or separate bars. Like models such as the BowFlex, the Crossbow uses rod resistance technology with flexible bars that offer different levels of resistance. You cannot tell the difference between doing a biceps curl using dumbbells, or resistance rods, though with this technology, the motion may feel smoother. The standard resistance weight is 240 lbs., but you can upgrade it by purchasing additional bars up to 440 lbs. The gym itself is nearly 7 feet high, 5 1/2 feet wide and 6 1/2 feet long.
Effectively Working the Chest and Back
The best exercises to work the chest using the Crossbow are the seated chest press and the chest fly. For the chest press, you push the cable handles away from your chest while sitting on the bench. A chest fly is performed by pushing your hands together from a similar seated position. Exercises that work the main muscles of the back include the lat pull-down, which is accomplished by pulling the cable handles down from an overhead position.To do the seated row, you pull the cable handles into your mid-section.
Effectively Working the Shoulders and Arms
The best exercise for your shoulders using the Crossbow is the shoulder press. To perform this exercise, you must push the cable handles up above your head. There are two exercises designed to specifically target the front and back of the arms, the hammer curl for the biceps and the triceps kickback for the triceps, again using pulling and pushing motions to effectively work the muscles. To perform a hammer curl, pull the cables in an upright motion, bending your arm at the elbow. To perform the triceps kickback, you push the cable back away from your body while bending your arm at the elbow.
Working the Lower Body
To effectively work the main muscles of the lower body, you should concentrate on the thighs--front and back--and calves. Work the front of the thighs by doing a seated leg extension. Use the leg pulleys extend your feet above the ground. Work the back of the thighs doing a leg press. Push the cables away from your body. Avoid locking your knees during both exercises. To correctly work the calves, do calf raises by pushing the cables away from you using only the movement of your feet.
Pros and Cons of the Crossbow
Using a rod resistance system is more affordable and space-efficient than using weight stacks. As a a universal piece of exercise equipment, you can work all of your body by performing a variety of exercises. Machines, such as the Crossbow, are a viable alternative to more expensive, but similar models. Also, Weider offers a lifetime warranty on the crossbars. On the other hand, the Weider Crossbow Advantage is an economy machine, and may not withstand wear and tear well. Some people dislike the resistance featured with the Crossbow, complaining that the range of motion is limited and that 220 lbs. is not enough to progress beyond simple muscle toning and strengthening.
References
- Home Gym Reviews: Weider Crossbow Advantage
- "NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training;" M. Clark, S. Lucett and R. Corn; 2008
- TV Home Gyms: Weider Crossbow Home Gym
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