Soloflex: First things first

Rockit made by Soloflex is 5 feet high. The base of the machine measures 4 feet by 6 feet. It weighs 215 pounds. I found this sturdy and stable. More importantly I found it extremely safe. In spite of that please talk with your doctor if you have never exercised or have a medical conditio

The bench will hold up to 1,500 pounds which is a lot of weight.

Rockit has a 90-day money back guarantee. It has a five-year warranty.

Since there is no digital technology little can go wrong with Rockit.

You'll get

weightstraps which replace the traditional machine that uses a stack. In the stack machine you put a pin into the number that corresponds with how much weight you want to lift. Initially I couldn’t imagine that these straps would do the job but they do!

a total of 330 pounds of resistance. Specifically you’ll get 4, 50 pound weightstraps (I will be explaining these.); 4, 25 pound straps; 2, 10 pound straps; and 2, 5 pound straps. Of course these straps don’t weigh this amount but you’ll have to keep reading!

weights. You’ll get 2, 10 pound weights and 2, 5 pound rubber coated weights by Soloflex for a total of 30 pounds.

The weightstraps and other important information

The way the weightstraps work is really very simple. The rubber bands get stretched. Instead of taking advantage of the gravitational force on weights to provide resistance, this setup takes advantage of the elastic force exerted by stretched rubber.

I liked the padded footplate. Unlike most machines at gyms that have my feet on metal the cushioning on Rockit kept my feet and ankles really comfortable.

I found that the range of motion (This is the range that a joint can be flexed and extended.) was excellent on Rockit. After working out on it I felt that it had worked the same muscles as well if not better than when I do squats, lunges, hamstring curls, calf raises and other leg work on separate machines at the gym.

I started by putting the straps on the machine. I changed these depending on what exercises I did. It only takes seconds to change them. I then leaned against the back rest, holding the hand grips and put my feet on the foot plate. If you have never used a machine without a seat (Some calf machines work like this.) this will take a bit of getting used to. The machine may look like you are holding up your weight and in a sense you are but once you are on it, you won’t feel this way – at least I don’t.

In this position I can now do a number of exercises. I did a lunge by keeping one leg on the footplate and placing my other leg on the pole that I put weights on. Pushing against the foot plate makes the machine move (You will know exactly what I am talking about if you do leg presses.) back and then I brought it forward in a lunge position. I could also do calf raises but with both sets of toes on the footpad. Barbell squats and hack squats are also traditional leg work that can be done on Rockit.