Gold’s Gym XR55 Home Gym Machine Reviewed

Identifying the best home gym for your needs can be tricky without the proper research. In our Gold’s Gym XR 55 review, we’ll examine the major aspects of this home gym machine and see how it measures up overall.

The XR 55 is a phenomenal example of a mid-range home gym that’s ideal for those who want to begin working out frequently or folks who are already-fit but want to maintain their physique across all the major muscle groups.

One of its major strengths lies in the high variety of possible exercises you can perform using its stations. This marks it as a clear, “jack-of-all-trades” machine rather than a machine meant for arms or legs, for instance.

It’s also quite affordable, making it a relatively economical choice for home gym builders looking for a decent machine that won’t break their bank. For all these strengths, there are a few downsides worth mentioning.

Learn how to set up a home gym here.

Gold’s Home Gym XR55

Technical Specifications

Let’s go over the major technical specifications that the XR 55 boasts.

For starters, the XR 55 has fully assembled dimensions of 77” x 43” x 83”. Once fully assembled, this home gym machine weighs 320-pounds and can sustain a user of 300 pounds without putting stress on its infrastructure. It does use a weight resistance system of weight stacks and pulleys.

The plates, when fully stocked, weigh about 125-pounds by themselves. The maximum weight resistance possible for this home gym machine measures in at 330 pounds.

It features a weight range between 19 and 330 pounds depending on the exercise chosen and how many weight plates are in use.

Frame and Accessories

The XR 55’s frame is constructed from square steel tubing that allows it significant durability under stress without making it too heavy to move into your home or garage. Of course, it’s still not meant to be moved once it’s assembled, especially when you add the weight plates.

The machine also doesn’t take up an entire room, although it requires significant space to be fully enjoyed. Be sure to assemble in a room with a ceiling greater than 7 feet in height, although we’d recommend rooms only 8 feet and above to provide you with plenty of clearance.

The included weight plates for the XR 55 are quite durable, as they are encased in vinyl. This prevents them from accruing lots of scratch marks or nicks. Beneath this coating, the plates are made of cement and are very hard to break.

The seat and pads for the gym are black with a gold trimming that looks stylish in most gyms or other rooms. The main spine of the machine features a brushed silver finish that looks nice initially; be sure to wipe it down and prevent sweat from piling up to keep it looking great.

The included seat and backrest are also both adjustable up to several inches, so taller or shorter users should be able to get comfortable during their set.

Overall, the XR 55 is a medium-sized home gym machine that’s suitable for large apartments and houses alike.

Assembly and Maintenance

The XR 55 is fairly easy to assemble, although you will need a separate ratchet and Philips screwdriver that aren’t included with the purchase. Aside from these two tools, however, everything you need comes in a box along with the instructions.

It will arrive in three boxes together, with the largest holding the major frame bars and the other two holding the plates and a few smaller pieces. Assembly will likely take a few hours even if you are experienced with putting together your own furniture or home gym machines.

Keep in mind that the XR 55 is a heavy machine, so be careful when moving the box or the separate parts. It may be smart to have a partner help you put the machine together, especially if you aren’t yet very fit!

Once assembled, the machine should work properly right away. Maintaining it only requires greasing the various pulleys on the machine if they begin to creak incessantly. You may need to tighten the bolts of the frame once in a while if you use it frequently. But otherwise, all you need to do to ensure proper maintenance is to wipe it down after you’ve worked up a good sweat!

All in all, this Gold’s home gym isn’t too bad when it comes to assembling and maintenance provided you have some help with its initial construction.

Resistance

The XR 55 features a weight resistance system using pulleys and a set of weight plates. The purchase comes with 10 cement plates that are encased with the vinyl coatings or shells. As each plate weight 12.5-pounds exactly, their combined weight is 125-pounds. When using the XR 55, keep in mind the fact that the pulley system adds more weight resistance beyond that selected from the plates alone.

If you have extra plates lying around, don’t add them to this home gym machine. Its system isn’t meant to be used with weight plates heavier than 12.5-pounds.

There’s a chart included with the home gym listing the resistance you can expect for certain plate numbers for each exercise station. They range from 19 pounds for the lightest setting for butterfly arms to 320 pounds for the highest setting for the low pulley station.

Exercise Options

The XR 55 allows for over 36 exercise options, making it a truly complete home gym option for those interested in full-body workouts. These exercise options are accomplished via six distinct workout stations or elements.

The six workout stations are:

• The pec fly station, which is used for training your deltoid and pectoral muscles
• The chest press station, which is used to train your pectoral muscles as well as your shoulders and triceps
• The curl pad attachment, which is used for arm muscle exercises. You can adjust this between three distinct height positions
• The high-pulley station, which is used for lat pulldown exercises and for training your back, shoulders, and tricep muscles. There’s an included lat bar, of course
• The low-pulley station, which is at the lower front area of the XR 55 and which is great for doing a huge variety of exercises, including stand up curls, squats, and more
• The leg attachment, which helps you do leg extension exercises. However, you can’t do normal leg curls with the station

Using these exercise stations, you can accomplish more than 36 distinct exercises. The full list is included with your instructions, but the most prominent of these are:

• Triceps extensions, press-downs, and kickbacks
• Seated and stand-up bicep curls
• Preacher and concentration curls
• Seated and upright rows
• Ab pulldowns
• Vertical and horizontal grip chest presses
• Incline chest presses
• Deltoid raises
• Low-pulley trunk rotations
• High cable crossovers
• Leg curls and extensions
• Leg abductions
• Lat pull-downs
• Kickbacks
• Squats

While the leg workout station doesn’t let you do regular leg curls that focus on your hamstrings, you can use the machine to do standup leg curls one leg at a time. Unfortunately, the XR 55 also doesn’t include a mid-pulley station, so exercises focusing on those motions aren’t possible.

Furthermore, you aren’t able to do chin-ups or knee-ups using this home gym. You can somewhat replace chin-ups with a lat pulldown exercise, though it’s not quite the same. It’s a bit of an oversight in our opinion.

Taken together, we’re pleased with a variety of exercises that this system can provide. The few major exercises that it’s missing can be easily replicated elsewhere or can be substituted for exercises that are manageable with its stations. Its versatility marks it as a great home gym option for exercisers who want to hit all their major muscle groups rather than focus on one area in particular.

Pros

• The frame is very durable
• Assembly is straightforward and achievable even for beginners
• The seat and backrest are easy to adjust
• The gym’s size isn’t too bad to fit into most garages/home gym rooms
• Lots of exercises available compared to many other home gyms
• There isn’t a lot of maintenance necessary
• The foam padding on the chest bars and leg station are comfortable/firm
• Doesn’t make a lot of noise

Cons

• Assembly almost requires two people due to overall weight
• Weight stack can’t be upgraded as you become stronger
• A few keystone exercises are not possible

Bottom Line

Altogether, the Gold’s Gym XR 55 is an exemplary pick for an affordable home gym that doesn’t skimp on quality. While the lack of a few major exercises is a significant negative mark against its capabilities, it more than makes up for this fact with a wide variety of exercises it does support, plus its overall comfort and adjustability.

It’s an excellent gym for people from all walks of life and can do a great job of facilitating body fitness across most of your major muscle groups. While it’s not an ideal choice for bodybuilders or hard-core lifters, it’s one of the best picks for beginners or for men or women wanting to remain fit without having to take the bi-weekly trip to the gym.

Given its overall durability and low asking price, we’d recommend it for most. It has great value for money.