A Must Have Item For Your Home Gym!

Garage Gym GHD review

Garage Gym GHD review and photos by devlin182.

Specifications:

• Weight: 186 lbs.
• Frame: 11 gauge, 2.75" tubing
• Frame Length: 64"
• Frame Width: 28"
• Height to top of Foot Plate Post: 47"
• Height to top of thigh Pads: 40.5"
• Pad Style: Split
• Width of each pad: 7.5"
• Space between pads: 4.5"
• Foot Plate Size: 17.75" L x 13.75" H
• Foot Plate Height Adjustments: 6 holes, 2" apart
• Foot Plate Distance Adjustments: 11, 2" apart
• Roller Pad Length: 6.25"
• Roller Pad Diameter: 4.75"
• Color: Black frame, Red upholstery
• Manufactured: In China
• Price: $499CAD, $329.99USD

Packaging

The Garage Gym GHD comes in 3 boxes that fit easily into the trunk of my Camry. All of the boxes I was able to carry into my house and down to the basement by myself.

Box 1 – Length 29.5", Width 27.5", Height 5". Gross Weight: 33kgs/73lbs. Net Weight: 31kgs/69lbs.

Box 2 – Length 42", Width 11.5", Height 3.5". Gross Weight: 26kgs/57lbs. Net Weight: 24kgs/53lbs.

Box 3 – Length 34.5", Width 20", Height 10". Gross Weight: 31kgs/68lbs. Net Weight: 29kgs/64lbs.

Each box said Made in China.

Everything is individually wrapped. The boxes were packed well. All parts were in perfect condition. Although box #1 looked like they just threw random pieces in there. But overall I was impressed with the packaging.

Assembly

Like most of my equipment the manual was pretty basic. Only 3 steps for assembly. It was pretty easy to read though. Better than most of the body solid manuals I've had to use.

The best part though was that all the bolts were individually packaged and labeled. Plus they were already threaded with the proper washers and nuts!! I've never seen that before. The assembly was pretty easy due to that, and all you need is a wrench and ratchet to put this together.

Installing the guide bars might be the only hang up, but as long as you look at the directions closely you shouldn't screw that up. You can assemble this by yourself in probably an hour, hour and a half max. I'll give them an A+ for assembly just for the mere fact that the bolts were pre-packaged with the washers and nuts already on them. Seriously, who does that?

Usage

With the aid of some resistance tubes I've been able to do sets of up to 8 reps so far. The added wheels on this model are a nice touch. It would be a huge PITA to move this without them. It weighs almost as much as my Powertec rack after all. The wheels are kind of small so you have to tilt this up pretty high to roll it around. Definitely manageable though, and I'm glad they added them. But some people may still find it difficult to wheel around.

The unit feels very stable when in use. The leather/vinyl on the pads is soft, but the foam is very firm. After doing several sets, my quads were pretty sore the next morning. I'm assuming the pads will soften up a bit, or maybe my quads will just get used to it.

The foot plate adjusts easily and smoothly up and down, forwards and backwards. The lower chrome guide rod is solid steel. The top rectangular chrome rail isn't solid, but very heavy. When you tighten up the knobs the foot plate is pretty solid. There is a bit of wiggle still, but not much. I've seen some really expensive GHD's used in youtube videos and the footplate is shaking all over the place when in use. Particularly when getting in and out of it. This one wobbles a little, but not much when getting in and out of it. And I don't feel it move at all when I'm doing glute ham raises.

As I mentioned previously I'm having difficulty with the movement. My hams are weaker than I thought. With the aid of some resistance tubes I've been able to do sets of up to 8 reps so far. I find it comfortable to use however. My one complaint is that the foot plate could be larger. I don't like the fact that my toes don't fit on the plate. So I wish that was larger. My feet are size 13 for the record.

Pros

Heavy and solid

Fully adjustable

Wheels

Comfortable

Affordable

Cons

Foot plate size

No band pegs

Final Thought

For me it's a no-brainer. I'm very happy with this and was by far the best option available to me. Its very solid and well built. Much heavier than I expected. Much heavier than it needs to be really. My only disappointment is that it doesn't have a larger foot plate. It's foot plate isn't small. It's comparable to many other models, even some of the more expensive models out there. But I wish it was just a bit bigger. I may consider getting my friend to weld a plate on the back of it. We'll see. If you live in the Toronto area, and are looking for a GHD, I would definitely recommend you look into buying one of these from the gym in Burlington.

Of course if you live in the US, its more complicated. You have more options than I did. And of course there have been issues in the past with The Garage Gym's customer service, and shipping delays. So maybe it’s worth the risk, maybe not. If you can drive somewhere close and pick it up, like I did. I would recommend you do that. I think its great value, and likely the best GHD in its price range ($300-500).

Buy the Garage Gym GHD here