Many have seen the tower 200 advertised on late night television, and it almost looks too good. Skepticism in regard to products that are sold on TV and promise incredible results is completely reasonable. Often late night infomercials are little more than vehicles to sell inferior products to impulse buyers. There are, however, products out there that come close to meeting their hype with equal quality. In this review, we will look at the body by Jake tower 200 and see where it really ranks in quality.
First off, let’s look at one of the main selling points and marketing techniques associated with this product: Randy Couture. Yes this product is endorsed by none other than MMA superstar Randy Couture! Does that matter at all? NO! If you want to buy a product like this because of a celebrity paid endorsement, you should really rethink it. It’s a new product that played no part in Couture getting where he is. Using the Tower 200 will not turn you into him. That does not mean, however, that the product does not have value. Let’s look at what you get when you order this product.
What you have is a basic resistance band cable system that attaches to your door and allows for multiple different exercises. There are three color coded bands on each side, each one with its own level of resistance. Gray: 25 lbs, Black: 35 lbs, Red: 40 lbs. Two hand grips are included and can be linked to any one chord or multiple ones for higher resistance. Hand grips can be linked at the top of the unit for pull down type exercises, or at the bottom for military press type movements. One pair of ankle straps are also included and can be attached the same way as the hand grips. Additionally, an exercise chart and DVD accompany the unit to provide examples and workout plans.
If you make the decision to buy this, you will come to a point where they offer to “throw in” some additional items for an additional fee. Optional items include an extra set of hand grips and straight bars. These extras do add a good amount of quality to the product as a whole. The value of an additional set of hand grips is important for moving quickly from one exercise to another. The straight bar allows for barbell type workouts as opposed to being limited to the dumbbell style, which creates a better overall workout. The question, however, is whether the Tower 200 is worth buying. To answer this, let’s break it down into 3 categories: Safety, durability, and overall quality.
Safety:
Extremely important when considering any piece of exercise equipment, safety should be a primary consideration. The tower affixes to any door attaching at the top and bottom. As long as the door is properly secured, the tower will remain safely in place. The tower would likely remain in place even if you used it with the door standing open, but don’t try it (think safety). The pulley system is well designed to avoid unnecessary injury, and the soft hand grips don’t lend themselves to slipping or hand injuries. People can hurt themselves with anything, but armed with common sense, this product can be used safely.
Durability:
The last thing you want is to put down a good bit of money for a piece of equipment that falls apart in a month. After about 6 months of moderate use, the tower 200 is working the same as it did new. No broken parts or snapped chords. There is, however, visible wear on some of the bands. This may just be normal wear from use that doesn’t have much effect on the longevity of the bands, but it is disconcerting to see deterioration on resistance bands while working with 200 pounds of resistance.
Overall Quality:
The most valuable thing about the tower 200 is the range of exercises you can perform with it. A device that easily affixes to your door and allows for any type of weight exercise along with ab work is a nice thing to have. If you use this to do 21s for your biceps, military presses, and lat pull downs, you will quickly feel the burn and appreciate the quality of the device. However, the exercises you perform with the tower can be performed with other cheaper alternatives. The real selling point for the tower 200 is simplicity and convenience; while you can do most of the exercises with other equipment; this is a solution for having it all in one space.
In the end, the Tower 200 is not a complete all encompassing workout solution, but for someone serious about fitness, it works well to supplement a routine already involving body-weight and free-weight exercise. The true results of any such devise are dependant on how you use them, but overall the Tower 200 is a decent piece of equipment to add to your home gym. Final Grade: B
