STS TOWER

[nightowl82]

I'm eyeing getting the STS tower and was wondering if anyone has it and can tell me how you like or don't like it.

I want it to do STS, P90X and Tony Horton's One on One workouts. I've had these workouts for so long and I feel like I haven't really done them the way they are meant to be done without the pullups, ya know? I use the bands sometimes but they are tricky to make sure I have enough tension to even feel the exercise.

I only have one door by my workout area and it's too wide for the door pull up bars, unless someone has an idea to make them work in a wide door frame. I don't have room for a full workout tower. No basement or garage to try mounting one.

The STS tower seems like it might fit the bill...or if anyone has any other ideas for pullup set ups?

[caseysmomgo]

I just got the tower a couple weeks ago and I love it! I did my first round of STS without the tower last year, and I'm doing another round of it with the tower this time. I feel like I'm finally doing STS as it was intended, and I love STS even more this time than previously!

First thing I love about it is that it was so easy to put together! And it's easy to take apart if you have to move it from one room to another, etc.

I love it to do the pull-ups and chinups. I used to either use the tubing attached to a closet door, then I tried one of those Iron Gyms attached to the door, then I did lat pulldowns on a weight machine thing, but all of these required me to leave the room and go do them, then run back to the tv. I much prefer to use the tower now!! I leave it in the room where I work out and I'm a happy camper.

I also love it because of the barbell holders. I used to have DH spot me and he'd goof around too much and not take it seriously. I'm able to do barbell presses with a heavier weight than if I tried to do them myself without a spotter. (It's difficult to drag a barbell up and across your body and try to lie down with it, etc..!!)

I also use the tower like a barre for those type of exercises where you would hold onto a chair to do leg lifts, etc.

Maybe I'm still in the "honeymoon phase" with it, but I really think the tower was a good investment and I'm having fun with it!

[upnorthchick]

I love the Tower too! I've had it for about 6 weeks-bought it specifically for chest presses and pull ups/chin ups in STS. Before The Tower, I used a doorway pull up/chin up bar. I didn't really feel it in my upper back when I used the doorwary bar. I really feel it when I use The Tower.

I love the barbell holders too! And oh my goodness, it is very easy to put up and take down. After you assemble/disassemble it a couple of times, it takes just a couple of minutes. I don't have the luxury to keep my Tower assembled in a room, so I have to store it after each workout. Depending on the STS workout, I am sometimes able to get it torn dorn and put away before the workout is over. I use the breaks between sets to take it apart bit by bit.

Negatives? Well, I can't really think of any. Watch your fingers with the clips that hold it together-they're "snappy" But that's good because they hold The Tower together

HTH!

[lisa_la_machina]

DH and I have both completed STS and P90X. First time around, we used the door frame pull up bar. Second time around, we used Cathe's STS Tower. In our experience the Tower FAR outperformed the pull up bar because it felt sturdier and we were also able to use it for barbell chest presses (especially helpful for DH b/c I cannot spot him on the weight he uses!).

The only downfall we have experienced is that it takes up some space--not a lot, but it's noticeable. We live in a 2 bedroom apartment, so space is an issue for us like it is for you. In the end we decided it was worth it and went for it. We store it in the corner of our second bedroom and it works OK for us.

Great purchase. We'd buy it again in a heartbeat.