Hi I am Andrew and I am a 32 year old male. I started dance later in life, and soon discovered a great interest flexibility, and eventually contortion. I coach Rhythmic Gymnastics and have always been totally jealous of the levels of flexibility the gymnasts had, because I wanted to be as flexible as them. For years I searched for anything that would help increase my flexibility, particularly in my back. There was nothing much out there that I knew of and because I had nothing at home I often would practice at my local gym, using some metal bars they had set up there. But my progress was very slow, because as most of you who have ever been to a gym probably know, its often very hard to get up enough motivation to go all the way in to the gym, on a regular basis.

Now, I am a huge fan of Rhythmic Gymnastics, and you often see the gymnasts training on wall bars that go all the way to the roof. I thought it would be a good idea to check these out so one day I decided to look into the cost of one of these wall bars to see if it was affordable to purchase. $1000! For one! Well that was a bit too much for me, so that ruled that out. And plus, they are such big bulky things and almost impossible to transport!

Then one day whilst surfing a flexibility site on the internet, I happened across a video of the FlexTek Stretch Gym. I was instantly blown away by the sheer amount of possibilities this thing allowed for. Amazing backbends, where you could use the leverage of the stretch frame to pull you tighter in the bend, rungs to practice all levels of oversplits and arabesques, front bends and more! Despite the high international postage costs I ordered one right away (actually I ordered 2) and have never looked back since! Why? Because the way I figure it, if something can actually improve my back flexibility way beyond what is possible just stretching on my own, then every cent is worth it!

In pursuit of flexibility, one of my other interests is circus training, in particular I love to train in static trapeze, because, using the trapeeze and the help of gravity, you can pull yourself into some amazing stretches that would not be possible just stretching on your own. But to buy a trapeeze for my home would cost me about $1000 and plus you need a very high roof and appropriate rigging points before you can even put it up. For most people this is just not an option!

I was happy to learn when I finally received my stretch gym that all the exercises that could be duplicated on the stretch gym and more. I have since found even more stretches, inspired by videos I have seen of contortion poses on the aerial hoop and wall bars. Let me tell you the stretch you get in these poses is 2nd to none and cannot be duplicated by stretching on your own! It essentially gives you all the benefits of being able to train on an aerial apparatus with the advantages of a wall barre. And I haven't even mentioned the fact that the stretch gym has a fully incorporated 6' ballet barre included in the frame!

Now, because I am a dancer and I like to practice my ballet at home, it can often be very frustrating to try to use the side of a chair or table to emulate the ballet barre. They are usually not the right height and not long enough to do any barre exercises that travel at all. Years ago I looked into purchasing a free standing ballet barre. A local company wanted $500 just for the most basic model! I'm glad I didn't buy just a barre now because although a ballet barre is useful, there isnt alot of back stretches you can actually do on one. With the stretch gym it has the backbending/leg/shoulder stretching facilities, the ability to practice my aerial tricks and a full ballet barre!

With just a few sessions of stretching on the stretch gym, I found myself able to get into strong back bend poses where I was able to touch the back of my heels to my shoulders! Now that is something Ive NEVER been able to do before, certainly not stretching on my own! Another trick I have used the stretch gym to perfect is the standing rear leg grab, once again something I have never been able to do, until now! I also frequently practice the layover stretches to stretch out and loosen the muscles in the lower back, and as a result, I have seen a huge improvement in my overall back flexibility. Before I owned a stretch gym, I used to spend hundreds of dollars getting physio and massages to release the muscles, and now I can keep the money in the bank, whilst still seeing noticeable improvement to my back!

And, on top of all this, not only can it be used for stretching but also for strength training. Hook your feet under one of the upper rungs and it can be used to do full sit ups on. Hook you feet under the bottom rung lying prone and you can do back rises. Turn it over to the upright position and you can do V holds (as taught in artistic gymnastics on wall bars) or leg touches (like in trapeze conditioning where the legs pike up to the bar you are holding and back down again). You can also use it do chin ups, extended pushups (with feet on the rungs, hands on the ground), tricep dips, and more. And because it is a fixed frame, you can attach theraband/resistance cords to the frame to perform a number of different conditioning and rehabilitation exercises, pilates exercises, and resistance training for dance and martial arts.

Finally, the best part about it is it provides something for every level of flexibility. From those who are just starting out to the most advanced dancers/gymnasts/martial artist to those who are needing something to aid in their rehabilitation or conditioning. Don't waste money buying expensive wall bars, pilates reformers, or ballet barres, this thing can do all that and more! Whats more, who wants to lug around one of those things I mentioned. This is totally portable and folds down to fit under your bed or lay vertically if you need to store it away. For anyone and everyone who has ever been interested in flexibility, I highly recommend you get a stretch gym. This is the one of the best purchases you will ever make!