BodyBossHome Gym 2.0 - Full Portable Gym Home Workout Package

I also have a Gorilla Bow, an all-in-one home gym solution and have the review here in my review history. Why have both? There's more than one person in my house that uses these products. It's kind of like only having one bathroom with 5 people needing to take a shower. A direct comparison between the two would lead me to choose the Body Boss 2.0 over the Gorilla Bow if I had to just pick one.My very brief background: Started working out seriously when I was 13 years old. That was nearly 30 years ago. Played both collegiate baseball and football. I also am of Italian and Samoan ancestry. I have a naturally large frame. My doctor says I could go on the strictest diet possible and wouldn't be able to weigh under 210-215 pounds without risking my health. At 13, I was 5'11" 220, so some of my strength is very natural or as some say, "was born with it thanks to genetics". My biggest concern with any band system is if it will have enough resistance to challenge me. And, for me, the Body Boss 2.0 excels at resistance levels.I really don't need the bands to tell me how much weight they are. I can feel it and have enough gym time with free weights to know how say 350 pounds feels.Here's what you get with the Body Boss 2.0 and I'll list my one disappointment with it. By the way, I ordered the one that has the extra set of bands. It comes with 4 bands, extremely good quality bands. The tension from this bands is perfect. You can feel the quality of them in each rep. It has a bar that you can unscrew in half for easy portability. When the bar is connected it is roughly 40" and has nice grips to hold it with. When split in half, the bars are a little over 20" each (the excess screws into the other bar to make the full bar).A side note here: I first found the Body Boss 2.0 while considering buying the X3 Bar system. It's around five hundred dollars. The bar with Body Boss 2.0 feels as good as the X3 bar. Also in the package are two handles. These are used to do single-arm dumbbell-type movements. There are also two straps that you can connect around your wrists or ankles to do leg raises with resistance, punching movements with resistance and so on. Apologies if I don't know many of the strap exercises. I'm more of a push and pull lifter and only know about the leg raises and punches because I've seen my wife and son doing those. You also get a door anchor, it's a basic strap that goes over any interior door. You close the door and a little bobbin-type anchor keeps you from pulling the door open so it gives you stability. At this point, I love everything about it. But, no longer a baseball/football player and now just a roughly 40 year old engineer, designs, ingenuity, draw me too. I replaced a Bowflex Xtreme, it was around two-thousand dollars, with the Body Boss and Gorilla Bow so you can see the big price difference. And space difference. As mentioned earlier, I was originally intrigued by the X3 Bar, besides have a nice, very sturdy bar, it also had a very unique base. So, when I got the Body Boss 2.0, my biggest interest was in the base. One of the perks of having an engineer's brain is that you can look at something and see things other people don't see. One of the downsides of the engineer's brain is you're way too thorough about everything! It takes me like 10 minutes to tie a new shoe because I'm convinced I've laced it wrong.The base gets own paragraph. Like some others, the one thing I worried with the Body Boss is that it's aimed at females. No offense is meant to women. I'm roughly 6'3" 235 and it won't be a surprise if I'm 275 by the end of the winter. A base worried me because I was afraid my big feet (11 2E shoe) and my wide shoulders 29" across 1 way. Would cause a small base to be unbalanced when I stood on it. Not the case with the Body Boss 2.0. When folded up for storage or travel, it's 17" wide, when opened for use, it's 34" wide. I know this isn't Physics class but with my 29" 1 way shoulders, it had to be wider than my shoulders or I would have felt unsteady. The base has 10 hooks on it, five on each side. These hooks are where you attach the bands too. You then attach the other end of the band to either the bar, the handles or the ankle/wrist straps. I was concerned also about the sturdiness of the base and actual weight since I didn't want it start moving while exercising. It's very solid. I don't move it at all while pulling the bands. There's also the option of connecting the bands to the door anchor and connecting the other end of the bands to the bar, handles, straps. That means I had no red flags at this point. The disappointment? I honestly thought the base could be used for storage of the collapsed bar, handles, door anchor, bands, etc... I thought it then folded up like a suitcase. But there's no way to store the parts in the base. And that's okay, it would have just got some wow points from me! The good part they include a nice carrying bag, similar to a duffel and everything except the base fits in the bag. For me, this makes it more portable than the Gorilla Bow. The Gorilla Bow's bar doesn't collapse and it's near 50" long. I have a SUV and it would fit fine it but I like the smaller collapsed bar in a bag better.Something you're going to see me talk about is the advantage of having a base. Remember me saying I worried about not enough resistance? With those 10 hooks in the base, I can double the bands, angle them a little sideways and make the tension so strong that I can't even move it! I can do every main movement with 4 bands attached. What I do when I need more resistance, I double one on each side. It's very simple to do too. You just hook the band to one, pull some of the excess of the band through another hook on that side and you've added quite a bit of extra resistance. When or if you first try the doubling method, it will feel a little different. Besides the obvious more resistance but it's adding something I haven't seen many people talk about.The base and the bands offer a combination of stability and resistance that you cannot get anywhere ... while being safe. Go put 660 on a squat rack without a spotter and you might have moments of wishing you had a spotter! And there's really nothing you can do when squatting free weights except hope someone sees you and helps you out or the weights could cause your knees to blowout or even worse. With the bands, what are they going to do? They're not actual plates of iron so they're not going to squish you beneath them. The base acts as a spotter. It lines your form up. It lets you increase the resistance without added pressure to your body. I think that's a selling point that Body Boss should advertise. For the first 20 years of my working out 3-5 times a week, I always had a spotter. And that's another difference between the Body Boss and Gorilla Bow. The Gorilla Bow doesn't have a base and relies more on your balance and coordination. Though both are much safer thanks to the bands. I wouldn't normally be going this deeply into safety but the closest I have to a workout partner is my wife and she's strong but I wouldn't trust her to spot me with free weights! And we have two teenagers who are both playing high school sports. They want to use the Body Boss and Gorilla Bow too.One of the things I highlighted in the Gorilla Bow review was how good it was for bench press movements. Depending on how serious you take me about how serious of a weightlifter, powerlifter I have been, this advice might not mean much to you. I never relied on bench press movements. I preferred chest flyes, dumbbell presses and anything that allowed me to change my angle in the bench press. It's not a natural movement. And in my experience it's "THAT" lift. The one everyone has heard of. Just like the old jokes, "How much you bench, bro?" That is the one movement you will have trouble with the Body Boss. You can easily do perfect form chest flyes by using the door anchor and handles. I also don't want to take away from the Gorilla Bow because it really excels at the standing bench press. It's just not a required movement for me. I was more interested in the squats. And the Body Boss with doubled bands really will push your quads on the squat movement, it's also one of the biggest advantages of the bar that comes with the Body Boss.Overall, I can't find anything wrong with it. Those that want bench press, maybe can but there are movements you can do that achieve the same result as bench press. The design is excellent. And again, the bands are way higher quality than I even knew existed. I don't even feel like I could pop these. I'm honestly sitting here trying to think about something I could complain about. Here's one that isn't a big deal to me but might be to others. The bands say they're up to 30 lbs. I can tell you when doubled, they're way more than 30 pounds. I have visited gyms over the last year and there is a big psychological part of working out that starts with "how much you bench, how much you squat?" I double them and angle them until I can't do more than 4 reps. And then I know, it will be my goal to do 5 reps with the same configuration of bands the next time. That's something I forgot, the hooks on the base, are metal and they flip down for storage and are numbered. So, you can find a configuration you like and just remember which number hook your looped through. That's the ingenuity of this base.Because I don't want to short either Body Boss or Gorilla Bow, for me, the Body Boss is a better choice because I do have to travel a little (couple days a month). My teenage son prefers the Gorilla Bow because he loves to bench press. I also prefer having the base. My wife seems to like the Body Boss better but that's because of those straps and doing leg lift exercises, kind of reminds me of pilates. Our daughter is a fairly high-level high school softball player. She likes them both equally. Here's the real kicker, no one but me used the Bowflex. The kids used their school's gym equipment. My wife went to exercise classes at one of the fitness centers. Now, they work out with the Gorilla Bow and Body Boss.I also like the Body Boss for the near unlimited resistance you can get from doubling and looping the bands. Cost wise, the Gorilla Bow is cheaper to start out but I did have to spend fifty dollars on heavier bands which made the Body Boss with the extra bands a little cheaper. I try to be as helpful as possible with exercise equipment reviews because I do have near 30 years experience in it. This Body Boss 2.0 is an excellent all-in-one gym and the price is very good too.

I initially got this product for the squat bar. I had a bad knee injury last year and after doing physical therapy and transitioning to a well-known trainer (Sohee Lee) who knows how to work around knee injuries I am making a great recovery and so far avoiding surgery. I was shocked at how lifting weights actually relieved my knee pain.Unfortunately, I am starting a new job and my new schedule doesn't allow me to go to Sohee's in-person small group sessions. And sometimes it is hard to make it to the gym to do workouts on my own - especially when "brosephs" are grunting loudly and hogging the equipment I need. Ain't nobody got time for that. :P . I looked into getting weights to keep at home so I could replicate what I had been doing with Sohee - but I live in a small apartment and I don't have room for all that heavy and bulky equipment.After seeing the squat bar I was intrigued because I would be able to keep up my strength/resistance training at home and save time. Brilliant!I'm going to start with the cons because there were not many...CONS:-My package was opened by customs agents before getting to me. It is not the companies fault but I was a little sad to not get first dibs on opening my new gym.-One metal clip side of one of the resistance bands was a little rusted looking. All the other ones looked brand new. It was barely noticeable and not really a big deal but I just want to be thorough.-One side of the foam had a bubble that made a popping noise when you pushed it (about the size of double quarters). Not a big deal either as it doesn't prevent me from working out but I brought it to customer service's attention since it could have happened due to my package being opened at customs. (Customer service is stellar by the way and handled this amazingly).PROS:-Customer service is so amazing (at least in my experience). Hannah has been awesome throughout the entire process. When I brought up the tiny cons mentioned above to her she immediately sent me a brand new unit to replace the current one. I didn't even have to ask. Before that even happened she was great to work with and answered all of my questions before ordering.- I love that they have a membership option that is only $5 a month with live classes. I also have a Pelaton and that membership is way more. I am excited to try out the classes and update my review as I consistently use this gym and the classes available.-Time saver: seriously!! I don't have to drive anywhere. I don't have to wait for other people at the gym to finish using the equipment that I need to use.-Money saver: I was paying $200+ a month for my physical therapy and then small group sessions for 2x per week. And considering they helped in healing my knee it was worth it. But oh my gosh - the cost of this gym is less than what I was paying monthly! And $5 per month for live classes!!! That is the cost of a cup of coffee now. So that makes me happy. I have yet to try the classes yet though - so I'm crossing my fingers they are good and I like them. I will update once I get to try them.-Space saver: for the number of exercises you can do with this thing and how light and compact this system is I am very impressed initially. My only concern is how it will hold up with lots of use - especially the bands. It seems sturdy but time will tell.-Live classes option: I can't stand workout videos because after one month I can't listen to the instructor anymore - no matter how much I loved them on day one. I just can't do it. Having live classes keeps it interesting. I'm crossing my fingers I like them as much as my small in-person group sessions. (will keep you posted)So far my initial rating is 5-stars overall. I will update my review as I continue to use this home gym. I am hoping my star rating stays the same because I really want to love this and use it 3-5 times per week.

I do like this product but I think there is fake reviews on here. I gave a great review, full stars, but I said it doesn’t replace a gym for a few reasons which I explained — then the next review following states unequivocally it replaces a gym. So yeah, some of these reviews I think are faked. Also I noticed that a few reviews were from a kickstarter so yeah ur not gonna get the service of someone who funded them, lol. So yeah it’s a good product for sure but I’m kinda getting a shady feeling. They must have folks on here to give reviews for ‘em. Lol. I’m just thinking that’s true. Also I note that for a really fit person this might be ok to maintain fitness on a trip or something it really won’t replace a home gym or membership. Just looking for something easy to throw in the trunk or boot depending on where ur from — yes This is good to do that with.i move a lot so this is good for me. But there is no real cardio component. Yes u can incorporate some cardio but not enough to replace a home gym or gym membership or some other cardi. And let’s face it most folks like a cardio machine, easy on the joints, etc. good for what it is but it does not replace a gym. So below is my original review. And I Am a real person.I just received my BodyBoss today and I’ve done my first workout with it. I am pretty impressed. i loved the color — i got pink. I’m really happy with my purchase so far.I thought it was a little pricey and I was concerned that I might be too short to use this product. I’m 4ft 9 inches tall. But that’s not the case — I get plenty of resistance from the bands and there is plenty of room for challenging workouts in the future by adding bands and weaving the bands through different number settings to get more resistance. Im Starting off slow to get used to working with bands which I’ve never done before. As I get better with the product I feel like I will have plenty of room to grow. Now if ur really in shape I can see where this wouldn’t be as much of a challenge as you might like or need. But if ur just looking for it to travel with u to get in some quick workouts when u have time this would probably work for u too.Easy and convenient to use. Portable, small and can really go anywhere. Sturdy and very well made. I really like the squat bar. Wish the foam on it was better but it’s decently made. I was looking at another similar bar that was a lot cheaper and probably better made overall but it didn’t have all the added bands, limb straps, handle bars, the base and all of video instructions. Which is why in the end I choose the BodyBoss. I do think it’s a bit overpriced but I think if they can continue to beef up the online portion that would be really worth it. They even have live stream classes u can sign up for. So that part actually seems very interesting to me and I would love to try those out.Now does this actually replace a gym membership or an in home gym? No I actually don’t think it does. For some I’m sure it will because it’s more convenient to do it in ur home than it is to try and make it to the gym every day or even a few times a week. Enough of those days of skipping the gym and then the gym membership doesn’t actually make sense anymore. So this is a good alternative in some ways. Cheaper and more convenient than a gym membership. And doesn’t take up all the space that other at home gym equipment does.I think this is a good product. With the online vids to aid getting started. And the product is advertised accurately — no surprises. The quality of the pieces are good and are made well and seem very durable. I’m hoping this lasts a long time for me. So in the end I gave full stars because I feel like this is a good system to have that I can use no matter where I move to, use it indoors or out and has a super small footprint.

I bought the BodyBoss 2.0 because I haven't had the time or energy to get to the real gym lately and I've been doing mostly bodyweight workouts at home. Yearning for more resistance training, I looked at dumbbell sets, but found that they are quite expensive, and dumbbells won't hit all of the muscle groups without more equipment like a bench, etc., which I also don't have.Based on price alone, you can get more done with resistance bands than with weights, so I took a chance on this peculiar crowd-funded product, even knowing that the experience would be quite different than with weights.Build quality on this set is good. Everything is as-described, all parts were included (I ordered the four-band set and did receive four bands, contrary to some of the previous reviews here; that may have been a temporary listing/fulfillment issue). The platform that you stand on is made of something like a heavy duty nylon and has rubber feet all across its bottom so that you can use it on a hard floor without risk of damage or sliding around. The bar, handles, straps, and door anchor are all good quality metal and nylon braided strapping with dense closed-cell foam for padding.I have done one workout so far and I'm pleased. I am a 6'3" man in my late 30s and I have done all sorts of machine and free weight training. The bands included are on the low end of resistance for me so I doubled them up for curls and chest flys; even then, I could do with more resistance, but it beats not being able to do those exercises at all.I had no problem doing squats with the bar on my back. People who complain of the bar being uncomfortable or difficult to keep on their shoulders or back likely need to look into proper form and positioning. If you've done work with regular olympic bars at the gym, you'll find this to be no different, and I found the foam to be quite comfortable all things considered.Where this product falls flat, and I mean completely flat, is for beginners (which I am not, thus my four star rating). The included documentation is terrible. Not only is it meandering in its scope and specificity, sometimes being overly specific about trivialities a beginner wouldn't care about, but other times glossing over details that are important. There are no close-up photos of how the door anchor should look when used correctly, several of the exercises described require additional equipment, and so on. There are obvious grammar and spelling errors throughout. This whole pamphlet was rushed out the door by people who have no experience or skill in writing or, apparently, reading instructions for anything complicated.They want you to check out their website and YouTube channel to get more exercise guidance, and admittedly that's better than nothing, but the videos posted are few, waste time with talk, and generally have poor production quality compared to girls living in their parents' house teaching you to apply makeup that you can find on YouTube today. These exercise videos don't come close to reaching today's bar for home video production, let alone the standard to which we hold a business.All in all, I think this is a capable kit if you want to add resistance training to your routine and if you're familiar with how to use resistance bands or creative enough to put the parts together to get what you need out of it. If you're looking to start working out at home and want someone to hold your hand through the process, this is NOT the silver bullet you are in search of.

I've been weightlifting for many years using heavy free weights doing high intensity training (HIT). I have learned first hand resistance training is different than moving free weights, but as I age and the injuries are piling up the doctor said it was time to move away from heavy free weights and my lifestyle has changed that going to a gym several days a week isn't doable (live in the country far from gyms and started a farm with daily strenuous activity). Therefore, I gave this a try and using HIT training I'm keeping up strength as a supplement to daily chores. Doubtful this will pack on mass, but I can see it helps maintain strength over time. If I don't use resistance training for a few weeks my strength will lessen, but it builds up once I begin resistance training again. First off, the concept of this portable gym is great. It opens/folds down quickly. The plastic is heavy duty and not flimsy. The metal tie downs are robust and are holding up well. It is easy to clip the bands on and off of the carabiners, but they will snag occasionally due to the design of a carabiner. The bar that comes with it is heavy duty and welded on the ends. I was surprised how well made the bar is. The various handles are made well, but I think over time the single handles will probably snap. That is OK, as items break after heavy and repetitive use. Part of the reason I mentioned I weight lifted heavily in the past was for two reasons. One, the single bands don't provide much resistance. Several exercises (shrugs/deadlifts) I've already bumped up to the maximum six bands (three per side as stated by the company and have them weaved through almost every anchor point ('51234" combos) I can do with three bands per side and this is time consuming and awkward. However, it gets the job done and I can feel I'm 'strength training'. The cloth on the bands is bunched up and will snag on the tie downs through fluid motions and that is awkward. The ends of the bands will also snag on the tie downs. Two, I've done every exercise I want to do with the BodyBoss and am satisfied it gets the job done, except for one.... bench press. Looks as if I need to buy a separate portable bench in order to get ANY resistance for benching. As lying on the floor or a small cardio stepper isn't enough to activate any type of resistance for me. As for other exercises I have yet to try, I can imagine how they would work and am satisfied. Bottom line, this is a great home gym they put together for someone like me who wants to/needs to strength train. It won't replace heavy free weight training for someone who needs to move heavy iron, but is compact, portable, affordable and allows me to workout at home as it fits my lifestyle and..... the customer service is attentive, responds and very friendly. With improvements over time and stronger resistance bands this device will only get better.