No one loves to exercise, right? Sadly our health requirements mean we have to exercise today, if not tomorrow. But sticking to a gym and managing it 5 days a week is really tough. Plus, we have to travel sometimes and it’s hard to find a good place to exercise. What if your gym traveled with you and was really affordable. By affordable I mean it costs less than $200 and convenience is guaranteed because it’s literally the size of a briefcase. Rest assured that there is a whole line of products that focuses on portability and the product we are talking about is one of them.

The Body Boss Home Gym 2.0 ($169 at Amazon) is a really neat piece of equipment and it resembles the aesthetics of Tabata applied to gym equipment. This means that all the bulky weights are replaced by a resistance band and a strong base. This is more of a workout revolution that removes all your excuses in one go and is fun to perform. The company has raised $ 1 million plus funds from Indiegogo and Kickstarter and the product is available at Amazon. The program boasts 300 exercises that stimulate your muscles and jump starts your calorie loss.

Let’s take a closer look at the product and its key features:

Resistance bands

The first thing you need to think about is the resistance bands and their quality. The resistance bands are 30 inches long and two of them are included in the standard package. This is okay for most people but you are a bit stretched when doing exercises like squats, because there is only one band on each side. The resistance achieved is upto 30 lbs. (13.6 kg) and depends on the type of exercise being performed. The resistance in different bands changes on the basis of thickness and how easily they are stretched. Since you also have handles, you can increase the number of resistance bands, if you already have them.

The bands are accompanied by clips that can be attached to the base and handles. To prevent wear and tear the bands are covered by a type of cloth-based material. The equipment is capable of handling 4-5 bands on each side of the exercise bar. The main issue is two-fold i.e. number of bands and their 30-inch (~76 cm) length. Taller people and those who go for all-out workouts would appreciate an increase in length for better exercise. Similarly, more bands would increase tension and create more force on the body. However, for most people, this shouldn’t be a problem.

The VectorFit base

What’s included in the complete BodyBoss 2.0 package

Picture a SwissCard classic and you will have an idea of what the base looks like. The base is ideal for most forms of exercise because first of you don’t have to step on the resistance band to perform an exercise. This can be uncomfortable and awkward for those who used only resistance bands for exercising. The base has different slots wherein five fold-up hooks can be used to attach the resistance pads. The base has floor padding therefore the equipment won’t move around during exercise. You also get a non-slip grip that enables most workouts. You can also pass a resistance band through another hook to shorten the length and increase resistance.

The dimensions of the base are:

Length: 19.75 inches (~50 cm)

Width: 34 inches (~86 cm)

Height: 1 inch (~2.5 cm)

The base can be carried around by folding it in half and most people can perform exercises like squats quite easily on this contraption. There is diverse guidance available to use different exercise combinations with the base.

Workout bar

Apart from resistance bands and the base, the workout bar is the most essential piece of equipment in BodyBoss 2.0. The bar is adequately padded and for all purposes resembles a barbell. The portion where bands clip on the bar is rotating therefore the bands are not mixed up and maintain their orientation. Principally, the workout bar is great for squats and you can increase resistance by shortening the length. This also results in a great leg workout early on. The fact that the bar can be divided into two parts is great for intended mobility.Â

Other attachments

Apart from the mentioned equipment, the package includes:

Couple of padded ankle/wrist straps

Couple of padded handles

Door anchor

The wrist/ankle straps are sweat-resistant and are useful for many exercises. The padded handles can simulate gym dumbbells and weight can be increased or vice versa by adding or removing bands. Both of these equipment are of standard quality. The door anchor is a pretty useful piece of equipment as you don’t need the base and can still emulate exercises like chest flies, tricep extensions, and lat pulldowns. The point of portability is resolved with a carrying case that can transport all this equipment. The ideal resemblance to a SwissCard can be achieved if the equipment could be assimilated into the base itself. This would remove the need for a bag and might be something the manufacturers can work on for future models.

Exercises

Now we come to the crux of the discussion i.e. which exercises can you easily attempt with this model. The manufacturer claims that 300 plus exercises are possible due to resistance bands, workout bars, and handles. The base is solid and therefore you don’t need to worry about balancing issues. Pretty much any weighted exercise can be performed by either decreasing the length of bands or adding extra bands. Whether it’s a boxing workout, a cardio session, an upper or lower body workout all body parts can be focused upon with the given equipment. Their Instagram page also contains some dedicated workouts using BodyBoss 2.0.

Final verdict



The best thing about this equipment is the price tag. For similar equipment with weights, you are looking at equipment ten times the price. Plus, with this model, you get mobility and don’t need a lot of space to perform workouts. A 3×3 space is enough to perform workouts and the equipment is adjustable, therefore both men and women can get a good workout.

The drawback is the number of bands, as BodyBoss 2.0 advertises 2 and 4 resistance band models. However, this is one area you can cover yourself and opt for exercise bands that cover all bases. The $169 price tag on Amazon is a win-win because you are getting 3 pieces of quality exercise equipment i.e. the VectorFit base, resistance bands, and workout bar. The handles, straps, and door anchors are like icing on the cake. Overall, I feel that BodyBoss 2.0 is a great piece of exercise equipment and comfortably caters to the need for a home gym at minimum cost.

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