A local Planet Fitness that I was a member of for about a year had outfitted all of their machines via Matrix (customized with their ugly bright purple and yellow). This was one of them, and I used it numerous times. It performs well when doing high reps with light to moderate weight. But when I tried to go really heavy with crunches, I had trouble keeping my butt down on the seat - and would end up doing a movement that might be described as a "leg raise from a seated position"! In short, they should have built a way to hold the user down during the exercise.

There was a period late last year where I suffered through mild bicep tendonitis, which made "back day" and its associated pulling movements uncomfortable. Then I discovered these handles and they helped to alleviate much of the discomfort, allowing me to train around my injury until I recovered fully. For that reason alone I will be holding on to these handles.

I have a 45 lb pair of these plates and they are reasonably accurate (one weighs 44 lbs and the other 45.5 lbs). They are smaller in diameter than the Standard Barbell 45 lb plates common in many home gyms, and that makes them easy to load, e.g. for deadlifts, after the initial Standard (or other regularly-sized) plates have been loaded. Their handles are also among the most comfortable among the various "grip plates" I own. Too bad they have been discontinued, but I see them occasionally on FBMP for around a dollar per pound.

This is another "old school" tricep cable attachment, and it remains a staple in many home gyms. The build quality is very good, by which I mean how well it will hold up under repeated, heavy use - not necessarily how comfortable it will make its users feel. I've never heard of anyone having triceps so strong that they exceeded the weight capacity of this style of attachment during cable pushdowns. In some users' eyes, this attachment has several "faults," e.g. the middle section doesn't rotate, the knurling could be more aggressive - and don't get me started about the flat vs. rounded ends! Such complaints tend to come from the same group of people who complain that certain gym equipment, e.g. benches, are too heavy to move around, etc. I think this attachment works best when paired with swivel shackles, which help to alleviate elbow or wrist discomfort that may result during heavy cable work - thus helping to overcome some of the main objections to this type of attachment.

This is the first gym equipment purchase I made based on a Gym Radar review. I was looking for a squat wedge that was durable, affordable, and preferably constructed of metal rather than hard foam. I wanted something with a bit of heft to it. After reading Brandon Tunquist's review, I decided to go with this model. I am impressed with the build quality given its price point. It will perfectly fulfill my needs. Thank you Brandon and Gym Radar!

This is a solid bar, quite literally! It weighs a hefty 85 lbs empty, and that can make it a pain in the butt to store. I thus wish it had a lighter starting weight. It also lacks any indication of a center, which is annoying but can be fixed via an athletic tape and ruler. I used to rotate it in occasionally into my squat sessions, but have since opted it out in favor of a ssb (Bells of Steel's SS4). I still find it valuable for suspended good mornings as well as overhead presses. As Big John mentioned in his review, due to the odd shape of the bar, spotter arms won't work as usual. However, one can loop monolift straps (or go the way of a DIY tow strap) over the top crossbeam of one's power rack to catch the bar in case of a failed lift.

If you're looking for a full set of dumbbells and are on a budget, these metal hex dumbbells are a good option. I went the long route of buying them secondhand through FBMP or CL, and managed to amass a set up to 65 lbs (thus far) over the course of 10+ arduous years. Though it was economical, this method came with a price. e.g. inconsistencies in the quality or build of the dumbbells, waiting indefinitely for your desired weight to be listed, and putting up with annoying sellers who insist that you buy the entire set - and trying to negotiate them into reasonableness, etc. One added perk of buying the metal hex dumbbells instead of the rubber ones - a perk I couldn't have anticipated at the outset - is that you can use micro-loading magnets to fill in missing weights without having to buy prohibitively more expensive pairs as the weights get heavier. Although I also own adjustable dumbbells (Power Block) as well as loadable dumbbell handles, I appreciate having a dependable full set at hand. Although these are not the most accurate in terms of weight tolerance, and their "knurling" is often merely decorative, they are real workhorses in my gym that I wouldn't want to be without.

I believe that three qualities are essential to a good sissy squat bench: 1. a comfortable feet padding, 2. the ability to "lock in" one's feet between said padding, and 3. a sturdy frame to ensure safety during the performance of the sissy squat. This sissy squat bench by Body-Solid meets criteria 1 and 3 admirably. It features two sets of thick, comfortable padding, which feel comfortable against the ankles and knees, respectively. Also, its U-shaped frame feel sturdy during the performance of the exercise, and I never was wary of it tipping over, etc while in use. With regard to criterion 2, however, I have some mixed feelings. I'd like its bottom rollers to be adjustable, so that it could lock in my ankles better against the pads. I do feel locked in during the exercise, but only after my feet has slid forward a bit (despite the diamond feet plate offering some traction) and buttress against the pads. This results in a slightly back-leaning shin angle, whereas I'd like to be able to keep a vertical shin angle during sissy squats. This is a minor knit pick, but I wish the design team at Body-Solid would have considered it. Having said all this, this bench can really isolate and annihilate your quads!