Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym Review

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This is a fairly unique home gym to purchase because it does have one or two stations which other home gym models do not have. At the end of the day, this is a really nice option to go with. It has quite a few different exercise stations, it is very strong and durable, and has a nice weight stack as well.

Overview

If you would like to watch a little video overview about Body-Solid EXM home gyms, you can check out the clip below.

Main Features

The Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym has a good number of features that we really like, so what are they?

  • Has a lat pull down high pulley station
  • Comes with an ab crunch mid pulley station
  • Has a dual function leg developer
  • Comes with a chest press station
  • Has a low pulley for seated rowing
  • Comes with a 160-pound alloy weight stack
  • Weight is adjustable in 10-pound increments
  • Great padding and foam rollers

Dimensions

Something that stands out about the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym is that it is fairly compact for a comprehensive full body home gym. While the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym is nowhere near being considered lightweight, at least it is not too big and won’t take up too much room.

  • Length: 49 inches
  • Width: 36 inches
  • Height: 83 inches
  • Weight: 330 pounds

Warranty

You will definitely like that the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym comes with a lifetime warranty. That is right, this item comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame and parts. We have to say that this is extremely impressive and is something that almost no other piece of exercise equipment comes with.

Assembly

Assembling the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym is fairly easy and straightforward, but it is fairly time consuming. It is recommended to have a rubber mallet on hand for pounding bolts through the holes, but other than that everything else is included. It is completely possible to assemble the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym by yourself, but it does help to have someone assisting you.

What We like About The Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym

There are quite a few features of the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym that we do really like, so let’s talk about those in some detail.

Perhaps the best aspect of the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym is that it will provide you with a full body workout. It comes with a lat pull down station with a high pulley that lets you do a variety of upper body exercises. The Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym also comes with a chest press station for vertical bench presses. It also comes with a leg developer for leg extensions and leg curls. The Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym even features a low pulley for seated rows and other lower body exercises, plus it has a mid pulley for ab crunches and more. You can work out virtually every muscle in your body with the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym.

We have to say that we love the awesome warranty that the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym comes with. We can’t stress enough just how impressive it is that this piece of equipment comes with a lifetime warranty.

Another thing that we like about the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym is that everything that needs to have good grip does. All of the handles feature some kind of texture in order to make sure that you never slip. Also, the seat has a good vinyl coating for long lasting durability, plus it has lots of padding for comfort too. The leg station on the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym has nice foam rollers to ensure your comfort even further.

The 160-pound weight stack which the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym features is also pretty good. While it is not all that much weight, it is more than enough for most people. Moreover, the stack is easily adjustable with the weight peg and can be set to 10-pound increments.

What We Don’t Like About The Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym

There are a couple of things that we don’t particularly like about the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym, so let’s mention those quickly.

For the price that the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym comes in at, it seems like it could have a few more pounds added to the weight stack. For anyone who is strong and very serious about weight lifting, 160 pounds will not be enough.

We are a little disappointed that the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym does not come with a comprehensive arm station that includes a chest fly motion.

Alternatives To The Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym

So you have some perspective on what you are buying here, let’s compare the Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym to some of the other mid range home gym options out there.

Total Gym XLS

The Total Gym XLS is very different from the Body-Solid EXM1500S in the sense that they are kind of meant for different purposes. While both models are classified as home gyms, the Body Solid is geared towards pure weight training, whereas the Total Gym XLS is meant for weight training, but also for cardio and flexibility training. The Total Gym XLS and the Body Solid EXM1500S are virtually identical in price and value, but they do serve different purposes. What does need to be said is that the Total Gym XLS is much more space friendly, lightweight, and much easier to store.

Marcy SM-4008 Combo Smith Machine

Marcy SM-4008 Combo Smith Machine Review

The Marcy SM-4008 Combo Smith Machine is a free weight Smith cage, as opposed to the Body Solid EXM1500, which features a weight stack. Most people would say that the free weight option is not as safe as the weight stack model, which is true. However, the Marcy SM-4008 does allow for many more exercises, it gives you a better total body workout, and it can handle much more weight than the Body Solid EXM1500S. There is the fact that the Smith machine is going to take up more room than the weight stack option.

Final Thoughts On The Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym

The Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym is definitely a good mid range home gym option for you to consider. It has enough weight to make it ideal for beginner and intermediate weight lifters, it has a high weight capacity, and a fair amount of possible exercises that can be done on it. There is also the fact that in terms of mid range home gyms, this one is actually fairly space efficient.