Question

What do you think of the Vigorfit Gym?

Answer

I've seen the Vigorfit gym website and wasn't impressed with what I saw for the money. They go to great lengths to compare the Vigorfit to the Total gym and try make you think that it's the bargain of the century for the price they offer it for,  but the only problem with their comparison is that they don't compare the Vigor Fit to the Bayou Total Trainer DLX III that blows both Total Gym and Vigorfit out of the water.

One of the biggest selling points of the Vigorfit are the power bands that provide up to 188 pounds of additional resistance. The problem with a fix power band location is ithat t's only effective for exercises where maximum tension occurs with the glide board at the top of the rail (in other words it's not great for squats and pull ups).

The Vigorfit does have most of the attributes that make a good glide board gym, but it falls short on the component details. It seems they're more interested in wowing visitors with the features of the gym rather than the actual quality and functionality of each part when examined seperately.

Although the Vigorfit has a lot of features that make for an attractive overall package, when you compare the Vigorfit to the class leading Bayou Total Trainer, the shorcomings of the Vigorfit become pretty obvious, for example:

• the frame is powder coated and not chrome
• the footboard is padded (exactly opposite of what you want - you need a hard stable base for leg workouts)
• the handles are cheap plastic and not chrome with padding
• the push up bar is too narrow to be effective
• the pullup bar is fixed to the machine and can get in the way
• the sit up station uses the pull up bar to brace feet and isn't ergonomic
• there's no chest press bar
• there's no arm blaster attachment for biceps
• etc. etc. etc.

If you're looking for a glide board gym for strength training, pilates or toning I would steer clear of the Vigorfit and get a Bayou Total Trainer.