Nitroflex at home
I mentioned a few days ago that I'd purchased off of Craig's List an exercise machine. A Nitroflex, to be more specific, for the grand sum of $75.The boxes you see to the left were bought by the seller as discontinued merchandise over a year ago and stored in his back yard storage shed. You might be able to see some of the bugs and such that had made their homes on these boxes. I left them out on my deck for a few days before opening them to allow the insects to leave gracefully or die in the sun.
The picture to the left is the pieces from the box, unboxed, and up in one of my upstairs bedrooms. For the most part it wasn't difficult to move it around though two pieces were heavy and a number of them were kinda long and bulky to be wandering about the house with.Surprisingly, this kit didn't require any extra tools. There were two allen keys and one combo wrench included in the boxes and that was all it took to put it together.
The whole thing only took about half an hour to do. And it ended up looking very techy and pretty--at least to guys. I've been told that this sort of thing often doesn't appeal to the fairer sex (and where in Hell did that nickname every come from?)
The instructions were brief and to the point. Just two pages, as seen here, and with only 10 steps.A few steps were confusing but it was amazingly painless and only took about 30 minutes.
This is the end result. A great guy-type decoration. Suitable for any room other than the kitchen and possibly the bathrooms. Keeping it in an extra bedroom is my concession to a certain visitor that happens my way on occasion.The apparatus works by compressing the nitrogen gas in the cylinder that sits on the arm above the bench. The greater the amount of compression, the more resistance and thus a greater work load for the muscle being exerted.
It works pretty well though with only one pivot point, that's shared by all exercises, there have to be compromises and movements that require arcs--like bicep curls, for example--don't work perfectly on this. Better are straight movements like bench presses. For $75 I think it's just great. It even came with a video and also a diet guidebook!
Comments
So I was thinking about you because I now live 8 minutes from the Lincoln Park Zoo, on foot. I walk down there often and it's free so I just mosey in and visit with one or another of the animals- I don't feel as though I need to "do" the whole zoo on any given day.
Yesterday I watched the harbor seals for about an hour, completely transfixed by how they glide around like high speed torpedoes, often on their backs. The two lions were out as well, basking in the sun. I didn't have my camera and that's when I thought of you. I like your photos below. Thanks.
I certainly think you got a bargain anyway!
Michelle, it was't very hard to put together. The instructions were scanty but direct.
Claire, Craig's List is a US based listing that essentially duplicates the function of the classified section of a newspaper. It exists in a number of US cities.
Judy, I think I'll actually use it. I'm pretty good about only buying exercise equipment that I will use. It's other types of toys that I end up not using.
I had a piece of equipment that just got too big for my downtown lifestyle, so I too sold it on Craigslist. Great way for someone to get a good deal!
Looks like a good exercise tool.
I need to get out more often :)
-JJ