GCBT380 - Cam Series Biceps & Triceps

I am an older arm wrestler, and have used curling machines in gyms for decades, and this amazingly sturdy, no sway or bending of anything, nothing. Comfy, amazing for the armrest, soft, perfectly for my taste, no elbow pain ever, and the covering is soft, hard to describe, other than perfect.Action: Here is the meat, and i have to say it is better than the gym for me, because i can dial it in, and focus on short stroking upper action, middle action, and lower action, or of course, all of it. I really like that I can also do it one handed to simulate arm wrestling side pressure, it is still a curl, but it definitely has a side pressure component when you grip the angled handle with one hand.I can get a burn quickly, and do it multiple times a night in my own home. Pleasure to use, and i really wasn't expecting to be happy, only satisfied. A another review said that he can’t do as much as his free weight, and that is true, the most I can do is 50lbs with one hand, but the burn is much quicker than the free weight, and I love being able to work the side pressure into the curl.Now for attaching it to my universal machine. The Marcy universal machine had a really crappy leg extension that cut hard into my shins. I took that off, and took off the Marcy chair. Then set this puppy right on time, and lag bolted down into the floor.. Sweet action both ways, and it was clear the body solid steel is twice as thick for the body solid compared to the Marcy, no comparison.Now for the negatives,instructions were ok because i am used to exploded drawings, if you are not, then you need to practice using them. In this case, it is missing a line were the center piece connects to the left side upright. that piece has to be bolted first to both sides prior to bolting the bottom, bolt the bottom, and you will have to take it back apart to get the center piece installed. Also two of the bolts seemed to be short that hold on the armrest, and i was able to get the nut started, and it worked.But who cares, no matter how hard it will be for you, the bottom line is you will be happy on first use, and everytime after—if you experiment with the rotation settings to understand how this unit works.This is the first glowing review i have ever written, because i was shocked. See photos of the combo.

I received my Body Solid Bicep/Tricep machine three days ago and was in a hurry to start using it. I made the purchase largely based upon the comments made by others here on Amazon, so I look forward to "returning the favor" to other potential buyers.THE GOOD(1) This machine is rock-solid. Yes, it's made in China, but it's not the disposable junk that people used to routinely associate with China. This product is made from very heavy gauge steel and bolts together very solidly.(2) Once assembled, this machine does what it says it does and does it comfortably. The seat is surprisingly comfortable, as is the heavily padded curling platform. I'm a 6'4" 300-lb man and I was surprised by just how stable and comfortable this machine is when in use. By-the-way, even the height adjustments of the seat are surprisingly good.(3) The selling price here on Amazon is exceptional. Look elsewhere for this same machine and you'll find it selling for $200-$300 more. I never assume that a discounted price here on Amazon is in fact the best discounted price, but at this price AND with free shipping, this was hands-down the best overall deal by a wide margin.THE BAD(1) Yes, as other buyers have noted, the "directions" for assembly are nothing more than an "exploded diagram" of parts. Is that problematic? Not too much. There are some things you have to deduce on your own, primarily regarding what marries with what, and in what sequence. It took me about two hours to unpack this machine, sort out the parts and then fully assemble it. You will need a few sockets and wrenches of your own to complete the task, and it would be easier to assemble with a helper, but I did it alone without any serious difficulty.THE UGLYThe manner in which this product is packaged astounded me. As others have noted, this is the most haphazardly packed item I've ever seen. Bundle ties, used to hold parts together, were either broken or loose. Styrofoam packing material seems to have been either inadequate or just too poorly placed to prevent large parts from touching and scratching each other in transit. Yes, as others have noted, this product does come with two vials of touch-up paint, but why should that be necessary? Damage (scratches) to my unit was noticeable but not a major concern. After all, it's not something you're driving around town. The scratches are limited to just a few areas and you have to look for them to notice them. I may use the touch-up paint at some point but don't really feel the need to do so now.NOTEWORTHYThe range of motion is adequately adjustable for both biceps and triceps curling. That said, exercising on this machine bears little resemblance to using free weights. Don't expect to use as much weight as you're accustomed to using with a curling bar and free weights. For me, it's not even close. I had to back my weight expectations down by about 30% as compared to what I was lifting with free weights. I don't yet seem to be getting the "pump" I was getting with free weights, but that may just be a matter of getting used to the different range of motion and also require that I further back-down the weight that I have initially loaded on this machine. I may add to this review later, if future insights are worth sharing.

So lol where to begin, ok this machine is a good deal, sturdy and strong. Positives are now done. I have dumped out both bags of parts and was missing 5 pieces off the bat. But I am an engineer so I made due. Then the instruction manual is one page in alphabetical order of parts. Worst instructions I have ever seen. But the most annoying thing is the weights that it fits. See the pic shows a big open hole plate. But that's not what they send you. They send you a small 1 inch metal stud. That fits 1980's plates. And I already pre bought my plates from there recommend add on. But they don't fit. You would need to by a 2 inch adapter sleeve to use these weights. So even my recommend claps won't work. Now I gave it 2 but It is sturdy right. But here is another con. They show a guy doing pull downs with his firearms and the weight behind the safety pin. So I tried it. Nope the safety pin is to use the upward motion going fwd and laterally turning the wheel bringing the weight up. But if you take the safety pin out and put the weight behind it and you try to pull down the weight still only goes One Direction up so it literally does nothing but set on the safety pin. So I YouTube' the product and demonstration. And in That there is 2 parts you need to do this that is beyond my understanding.